breakfast at my house... Toasted Quinoa Cakes with Stone Fruit and Mascarpone

     Several people I know have recently said, it's hard to believe summer is over.  Over??  It's only the beginning of August.  And I have just purchased my first peaches and plums of the season.  I baked a plum tart this past weekend, but today I combined sliced plums and peaches to make a breakfast of Toasted Quinoa Cakes with Stone Fruit and Mascarpone.  The meal can go together quickly if you keep cooked quinoa at the ready in your refrigerator (recipe HERE). Be sure to give the quinoa cakes a good sprinkle of finishing salt before you dig in!  It really enhances the toasty flavor.

+ Toasted Quinoa Cakes with Stone Fruit & Mascarpone

MAKES 6 SERVINGS

• Cooked quinoa (recipe HERE)
• Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
• Kosher salt
• 3 peaches, halved, then sliced into 1/4-inch wedges
• 3 plums, halved, then sliced into 1/4-inch wedges
• 3 tablespoon granulated or brown sugar
• Mascarpone

1.  Place a large skillet (cast iron, if possible) over medium heat.  Drizzle with enough olive oil to cover the bottom.  Add the quinoa and sprinkle generously with kosher salt; cook, stirring constantly, until quinoa begins to brown and has a toasty aroma.  Remove from heat.  As shown below, fill a round biscuit cutter (the one I used was 2 3/4-inches) with the quinoa and press gently with the back of a spoon to make a firm quinoa cake.  Transfer quinoa-filled mold to a plate and again, pressing gently on the packed quinoa with the back of a spoon, release onto the plate.  Sprinkle each quinoa cake with kosher or Maldon salt.  The quinoa recipe will make 6 cakes.

2.  Wipe the skillet clean and place over medium heat.  Give it a good drizzle of olive oil.  Add the peaches, plums, and sugar.  Cook the stone fruit, turning gently with a thin spatula, until fruit is softened and caramelized.  Spoon the stone fruit mixture alongside the quinoa cakes.  Top with a generous dollop of Mascarpone. EAT.

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