Waiting for Snow :: French Toast with Orange Maple Butter

I woke up early today excited about the first snowfall this season, we're supposed to get 8" here in NYC!   I admit that I always enjoy the snow, but I especially love it right before Christmas.  Doesn't it make everything feel like the holidays are here?  A. and I sat by the window, drank way too many cups of coffee and ate delicious french toasts waiting for the flurries to start falling.  I can't imagine anything more Christmas-y than that! :-)

The french toasts were delicious!  Perfectly crispy, but still creamy on the inside... with a slight vanilla sweetness... all topped with an orange zest and maple butter.  Yum!

I had a giant bowl of oranges and grapefruits sitting on the counter, so I thought of making orange flavored butter to top our breakfast!  It was perfect.  I'm actually surprised the spread made it to the french toast because it was so delicious, A. and I kept 'tasting' it with bread...you know, to make sure it didn't need anymore salt or anything.  :-)

Most french toast recipes call for a baguette or for Challah bread, but I used a Portuguese loaf.  I find that baguettes are too thin and you get too much crust in each slice with not enough of the center.  Challah is the perfect size, but a bit too 'egg-y' in french toast.  The Portuguese loaf was perfect!  

Top with plenty or warm maple syrup and fresh fruit ... Enjoy!

THE MOST DELICIOUS FRENCH TOAST 

Serves 2

6 slices Portuguese Bread (about 3/4" thick)

4 Eggs

1/2 cup Whole Milk

1 teaspoon Vanilla

2 1/2 tablespoons Sugar

1/2 teaspoon Orange Zest

1 teaspoon orange juice (preferably fresh squeezed)

dash of Salt

Butter for pan

In a baking dish, whisk the eggs, milk, vanilla, sugar, zest, juice, and salt.  Add the slices of bread until they are completely covered in batter.  Pierce the slices with a fork to make sure the batter gets to the middle.  Leave the bread in the mixture for 15 minutes, flipping over once to make sure all sides are completely covered.

In a non-stick pan, over medium heat, add a couple of tablespoons of butter.  When the butter starts to bubble, add the toasts.  Lower heat if the butter starts to burn.  Cook the french toasts until crisp on one side and flip over.  Make sure the inside is cooked thoroughly before removing from heat.  Serve immediately.

ORANGE MAPLE BUTTER

1/2 stick unsalted butter

1 teaspoon orange zest

2 teaspoons maple syrup dash of salt

Add all the ingredients to a food processor and mix.  Taste for salt and sweetness.  You can leave in the fridge until ready to use.

Sunday Morning :: Egg & Black Truffle 'Brouillade'

It's A.'s birthday next Sunday!  In celebration of the start of his b-day week I wanted to make a delicious breakfast this morning.  And what better way to start the day than with fresh black truffles?

I went on a bit of a truffle frenzy the other day when walking around Chelsea Market.  I walked out with a jar of truffle butter, truffle ricotta raviolis from Boun Italia, and my very own black truffle!  Isn't it lovely? I'm so in awe of where these little things come from and their rarity.

The price of truffle by the pound is pretty intimidating, but you can buy one truffle (roughly: 1 ounce) for around $20 - $25.  Or truffle butter for around $10 for a 4 ounce container.  There are also a great variety of affordable truffle flavored oils which are great for risottos or pastas.

Excited with my little truffle, I started doing some research on potential dishes.  I saw mention of a french dish called a "Brouillade" (which means 'scrambled') of eggs and black truffles.  So tempting... and you can't ask for more luxurious breakfast!  I ran out for a fresh baguette and started cooking. 

It's traditionally one of the first dishes served from the truffle harvest. You allow the eggs to sit overnight (up to 2 days) with the truffles so that the aroma starts seasoning the eggs.  Then the eggs are slowly cooked with the shaved truffle, heavy cream and butter over a 'bain marie' to create a a creamy, smooth, aromatic scramble.  

It's so delicious, and elegant!  The slowly cooked eggs are velvety smooth, and the truffle taste is delicate but distinctive.  Perfect!!!  ...I might start serving this as a dinner appetizer.  

Enjoy!  

EGGS with BLACK TRUFFLES "BROUILLADE"

(serves 2)

6 large Eggs

1 ounce Truffle

2 tablespoons of Heavy Cream

1 tablespoon unsalted butter (or Truffle Butter for a stronger taste!)

Salt & pepper to taste

This recipe is all about the few ingredients, so use good quality eggs.  I always buy free-roaming eggs.  

Clean the truffle by running it over a gentle stream of cold water to remove any dirt, pat dry.  Store the eggs in an airtight container with the cleaned truffle in the middle overnight or for up to 2 days.

When you are ready to prepare the eggs.  Crack the eggs open and whisk with salt.  Shave the truffle thinly, set aside a few whole shavings for garnish, and finely chop the others and add to the egg mixture.  Store the eggs and truffles in an airtight container in the fridge for 2 hours.

Bring the water in the 'bain marie' bottom pot to a boil. (Note: I do not have a 'bain marie' pot so instead I use a stainless steel mixing bowl that fits perfectly atop one of my sauce pots.  In a pinch, use a non-stick skillet over the lowest heat).  

In the top portion of the double boiler pour the egg mixture and the cream.  Whisk the eggs continuously as they start to cook and thicken.  Do not allow the eggs to scramble.  You want a creamy consistency instead of large lumps.   As the mixture starts to thicken, add the butter and more salt to taste.  Continue to whisk until cooked but remain creamy.  The total cooking time will be no longer than 8 minutes.

Remove from the heat and serve immediately.  Garnish with truffle shavings and accompany with fresh baguette or country bread slices.

Bread & Butter :: Cinnamon Honey Butter

Isn't butter just perfect?  It's almost as perfect as bread!  ...I think if I had to pick only one food to eat for the rest of my life it would have to be bread with butter.  Well, that's technically two foods, but who's counting? :-) It's just one of those simple, uncomplicated, comforting flavor combinations that you can't help but love.  

So last night, when I saw Barefoot Contessa (ahh...the wonders of Tivo!) make a cinnamon honey butter, I had to try it.  On my way home tonight, I picked up a fresh loaf of whole wheat bread and whipped up a batch.  Butter, honey, and cinnamon, and I also added a bit of brown sugar for extra sweetness.

This is perfect to have in the fridge for an indulgent breakfast over toast, an english muffin, ...or imagine on pancakes! Yum!  But also perfect in a dessert:  slather a bit of the butter on apple slices and broil them in the oven until they start to brown.  Delicious by themselves or atop ice cream.

...I think this is going to be the start of a flavored butter obsession :-) 

Enjoy!

CINNAMON HONEY BUTTER (adapted from Barefoot Contessa)

1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature

3 tablespoons clover honey

1/4 teaspoon teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon brown sugar

1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

Mix all ingredients with a hand blender or a food processor until well mixed.  Store in an airtight container on the fridge. 

Enjoy!

Afternoon Tea :: Lemon Zest Scones

As promised, my British obsession continues! :-)  We finally went to Tea & Sympathy for breakfast! I had English Breakfast tea and Welsh rabbit.  I will admit that up until yesterday I thought Welsh Rabbit was just that: rabbit.  Who knew it was a delicious breakfast toast topped with a spread of sharp cheese, mustard, cream, and eggs.  Yum!  

I picked up a few ingredients at their to-go store, and got home with a jar of clotted cream, strawberry preserves, and ready to make scones!  Scones are a British (or Scottish) quickbread traditionally served with breakfast or tea.  There are endless sweet and savory variations, but I love them with plenty of cream and a dollop of strawberry jam.

* If you can't find clotted cream, here's a recipe or order some here... much easier! :-)

BASIC SCONES (adapted from Tea & Sympathy)

2 cups All Purpose Flour, sifted

1 tablespoon Baking Powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/4 cup whole milk, cold 

Preheat oven to 375F.  Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl.  Slowly add the milk and knead the dough with your hands.  Be careful not to overmix or the scones will come out hard.  Mix until all ingredients are combined, and that's it.

With your hands spread the dough on a floured surface to be 1" thick.  With a cookie cutter (1.5" inch for mini scones, 2" for regular size) cut the dough.  As you are cutting the dough, twist the cutter to prevent sticking.

Place the scones on parchment paper on a cookie sheet and bake for 12 minutes.  When the scones are cool, cut in half and smear with clotted cream, jam, and serve! 

LEMON ZEST SCONES

My favorite!!! Same as above but decrease milk to 1 cup and add the zest and juice of one lemon to the dry ingredients.

RAISIN SCONES

Same as basic scone recipe, but add 1/3 cup of raisins to dry ingredients.

FREEZING SCONES

You can freeze the scone dough and have it in the freezer ready for your next craving!  Place cut out scones (un-baked) on a cookie sheet and in the freezer for 1 hour.  The scones will harden and will be ready to be popped in freezer bags. 

From the Oven :: Homemade Cranberry Granola

I love yogurt and granola! It's such a perfect anytime snack... especially with fresh fruits on top.  Yum!  ...But packaged granola often has alot of processed sugars and fats.  Sugar, corn syrup, and fructose are usually the main ingredients in the store bought mixes, or in 'healthy' granola bars.  Humm, not exactly the healthy snack I'm envisioning.  

So I decided to bake my own granola!  ...It's not as convenient as grabbing a box off the supermarket shelf, but it doesn't require more than 5 minutes of prep work and it will keep in the fridge for months.  Well worth the effort just to know what you're eating.  And the taste will be delicious.  You can make any flavor combination you can imagine, and your apartment will smell like sweet, cinnamon-y goodness all day! :-)

I couldn't wait to have it for breakfast.  So the next morning, I surprised A. by making us 'to-go' breakfast yogurt parfaits.  

In glass mason jars, I layered Fage greek yogurt (0% fat), my freshly baked granola, and diced melons ... delicious!!  So easy and healthy... not to mention how cute the jars look. 

You can even make the parfaits the night before, leave in the fridge, and grab as you're rushing out in the morning.  I love these glass jars because you don't have to worry about leaking.  If you are worried about the granola getting soggy overnight, cut out rounds of parchment/wax paper the diameter of your container.  Place the round of paper between the yogurt and the granola.  Problem solved! 

CRANBERRY GRANOLA

6 cups old fashioned oats (not quick cook)

1/2 cup honey

2 tbsp butter

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp vanilla extract

dash of salt

1 cup dried cranberries (you can replace with raisins)

optional: 1 cup nuts, seeds, coconut flakes, even chocolate chips!

Preheat oven at 350F.  In a large bowl with the oats with the honey, room temperature butter, cinnamon, vanilla, salt, and nuts if you are adding them.  Spread oats on a baking pan and bake for 40 minutes, until golden brown.  Remove from the oven and add dried fruits or chips.  Allow the granola to cool to room temperature and store in a sealed jar in the fridge.

Enjoy!

PS: I added a feature at the end of each post (a little envelope icon) that you can use to forward a post to a friend! Just click on the envelope and send away.

Breakfast in Bed :: Egg, Tomato & Goat Cheese Tartines

 

It's a dreary, rainy Sunday morning here in NY so I decided to surprise A. with breakfast in bed.  There's nothing better than staying in bed on a gloomy morning. 

We went to the farmer's market yesterday and bought a deliciously tart fresh goat cheese so I came up with this breakfast treat.  A lightly toasted whole wheat sourdough bread, generously slathered with fresh goat cheese, with quickly sauteed tomatoes, all topped with a fried egg and lemon basil leaves.

... my take on a breakfast egg and cheese sandwich. 

EGG, TOMATO, & GOAT CHEESE BREAKFAST TARTINES

2 Eggs

1 large tomato, or a few small heirloom tomatoes (I used 4)

Basil (I used lemon basil)

2 slices of lightly toasted bread

a generous amount of Goat Cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

In a non-stick pan over medium/high heat, quickly saute the tomato slices with a little olive oil, salt, and pepper.  Simultaneously, fry two eggs in a little bit of butter to prevent sticking. Cook the eggs until the whites are fully cooked, but the yolks are still runny (I love the how the yolks will run over the entire bread when you bite into it, but you can cook the yolk through if this isn't something you want).

Spread fresh goat cheese (or ricotta if that's what you have) on your lightly toasted bread - be generous with the cheese!  Top the bread with the sauteed tomatoes, place the fried egg on top, then sprinkle the basil over the egg.  Enjoy!

Crave :: Vosges Bacon Chocolate Chip Pancake Mix

It sounds a little weird at first...but think about it:  what's better with your Saturday morning diner chocolate chip pancakes than a side of bacon? Vosges just combined it all into one with this deliciously tempting pancake mix! 

It's their Mo's Bacon Bar (which is delicious! Imagine a smokey salty chocolate) with fluffy pancake mix.  

...Must go to Vosges Soho store and buy, will report back!