Cooking Demo with Elspeth Feldman

Grilling season is here and these grilled cabbage steaks with grilled pineapple are simple to make and just burst with juicy flavors.

Ingredients for the Steaks:

• 1 purple cabbage
• ½ pineapple, sliced into ½ inch rounds
• ¼ cup aquafaba (from the beans)
• 2 tablespoons sumac

Ingredients for the Cannellini Sauce:

• 1 cup cannellini beans
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• ¼ cup water or aquafaba

Garnish:

• Cilantro, diced

1. Prepare the steaks. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper.
2. Heat up a grill pan and slice the cabbage into ¾ inch steaks.
3. Brush the cabbage with aquafaba and sprinkle on the sumac.  Grill each side for 6 minutes and then transfer them to the baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes.
4. While the cabbage is baking grill the pineapple slices. To get the grill marks, place the pineapple slices on the grill pan and cook for 3 minutes, and then use a spatula to rotate the pineapple 45° and cook for 3 minutes more. Flip the slices over and cook for 3 minutes and then use the spatula to rotate the slices 45° and cook for 3 minutes more.
5. Make the cannellini sauce by adding all the ingredients to a small blender and blending together until smooth and creamy.
6. To plate the dish, place the cabbage steaks on a serving platter or on individual plates and top with the grilled pineapple and a drizzle of the cannellini sauce and a sprinkle of cilantro.
7. Serve with your favorite whole grain (rice, oat, groats, faro, etc). Pineapple tastes amazing with sriracha. I highly recommend drizzling your favorite hot sauce or sriracha sauce on top too.

This is the perfect summertime celebration cake when you want something light, refreshing and fun. This is my take on the Rainbow Explosion cake made famous by Flour Shop baker Amirah Kassem. The cake is like a piñata but instead of candy in the middle it is filled with fruit…in fact, the entire cake is made with fruit! No flour, no sugar, no butter, no candy, no food coloring, just fruit!

Ingredients for the Cake:

• 1 watermelon*
• 1 cantaloupe*
• 1 honeydew melon*

*Choose melons that are similar size in circumference

Ingredients for the Filling:

• 3 cups mixed berries
• 2 cups grapes, red and green

Ingredients for the Garnish (optional):

• 2 mangoes
• 6 Strawberries
• Fresh mint
• Edible flowers

1. Slice a section (approximately 4 inches thick) from the middle of the cantaloupe and the honeydew melon.
2. Slice a section (approximately 6 inches thick) section from the middle of the watermelon.
3. Remove the skin from each section of melon using a large sharp chef’s knife.
4. Remove the seeds from the cantaloupe and the honeydew. Stack all three sections of melon on a chopping board and trim them, so that their circumference is similar.
5. Slice the watermelon horizontally into three 2-inch wide slices.
6. Set aside one of the watermelon slices for the top of the cake. Then slice a hole in the other two slices of watermelon to roughly match the size of the holes in the center of the cantaloupe and honeydew melons.
7. Slice the cantaloupe and honeydew melon sections in half horizontally so you have two even slices/rings from each melon.
8.  Starting with a ring of watermelon, stack the rings of melon in alternating layers on a cake stand or serving platter.
9. For the filling, wash the berries and grapes and slice the strawberries and grapes in half. Pour the mixed berries and grapes into the hole in the center of the cake and top with the reserved slice of watermelon.
10. Garnish with sprigs of fresh mint, edible flowers, slices of melon, mango and additional berries around the base of the cake.