Savory Havarti Dutch Baby w/ Pears

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I've always loved the combination of sweet and savory. Fat pretzel rods dipped in chocolate, ham and pineapple pizza, chocolate covered raisins or peanut butter candies in a crunchy shell scattered throughout my popcorn are all good examples. The breakfast or brunch table is much the same. Whenever I serve orange rolls, I also serve bacon or sausage and slices of cheese to balance out the sweetness. Maybe I just love balance. This version of a Dutch Baby, sometimes known as a puff pancake or German pancake, is the perfect example.

The pancake itself is infused with shreds of rich, creamy Castello Aged Havarti cheese. The buttery taste of the cheese is right at home with the egginess that runs throughout the tender center and puffed, golden edges. And actually, it's perfectly delicious straight out of the oven, without adornment.

But I fancy a little adornment, so I topped it with some tender, lightly sweetened, cardamom-infused pears. The pears aren't actually super-sweet, they lean more towards buttery, a nod at the Havarti in the puff pancake. You could skip the dusting of powdered sugar if it seems too weird, but I found the combination to be oddly satisfying.

Havarti Ham Apple Braid

I'm am such a sucker for a soft, pillowy pile of risen dough. It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Ninety-nine percent of of the time (maybe more), it produces the type of bread that disappears in the blink of an eye in my house, as well. A soft white bread with a tender, sometimes chewy (depends on how it is formed and baked) interior, enclosed neatly inside a golden crust. That is exactly the category that this loaf falls into.

This braided loaf is my interpretation of this month's Bread Baking Babes challenge, as chosen by our hosting BBBabe kitchen of the month, Katie at Thyme for Cooking. Now, Katie's choice was actually a braid stuffed with caramelized onions, herbs, and cheese. I basically ignored that filling idea, instead going in an entirely different direction. It's not that I don't love caramelized onions (I totally do), my brain just wouldn't latch on to the concept this month. Apparently, I wanted meat.

So, the day before I made this loaf, I'd stopped at the deli and ordered a pound of shaved tavern ham (my favorite type of ham). While the slicer was doing its thang, the lady behind the counter got busy, and I got lost in thought. That resulted in what we'll call an enthusiastic pile of shaved hame. Apparently they don't want to stick any shaved ham in the deli case alongside the thicker slices (or she was just in a good mood), because after weighing out the pound and giving me that price, she threw the extra ham into the bag. Score!