Cinnamon Bread French Toast
I had some leftover cinnamon bread that was on its last legs. I decided to make French Toast out of it and I have to say that Cinnamon Bread French Toast is amazing!
INGREDIENTS
4 Lightly Beaten Eggs
1 Cup Half & Half or Milk
2 Tablespoons Sugar
2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract
8 Slices Cinnamon Bread
2 Tablespoons Butter
Maple Syrup
In a shallow bowl beat together the eggs, milk, sugar and vanilla. Cut the bread in half and dip the bread halves into the egg mixture. Coat both sides by letting the bread soak in the egg mixture for 10 seconds per side. On a griddle or in a skillet melt 1 tablespoon of the butter over a medium heat. Add half of the bread slices and cook for 3 minutes per side until golden brown. Repeat with the remaining butter and bread slices. Serve warm and serve with maple syrup. Serves 4
Raspberries, Peaches & Plums OH MY
Stone fruits are now at their juiciest and most fragrant. And who can resist raspberries?! Celebrate them in this sweet and delicious cake.
INGREDIENTS
5 Large Peeled & Sliced Peaches
4 Sliced Plums
1 Cup Raspberries
2 Cups Unbleached Flour
1 Tablespoon Baking Powder
1 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
1/2 Cup Softened Butter
1 1/2 Cup Sugar
3 Eggs
3/4 Cup Milk
1 Tablespoon Vanilla
Preheat your oven to 350° F. In a large bowl combine the sliced peaches and plums. Keep the raspberries separate. In a medium size bowl combine the flour, baking powder and salt. In a separate large bowl combine the softened butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla. Begin by beating in half of the flour mixture. Alternate with beating in half of the milk. Add the rest of the flour and beat for 20 seconds. Finish with beating in the rest of the milk and beat for 30 seconds. Scrap the sides of the bowl to incorporate any remaining flour. Prepare a large glass or ceramic baking pan by greasing. Pour the batter into the baking pan. Scatter the peaches, plums and raspberries on top of the batter. The fruit will sink in a bit. Bake on the middle oven rack for 50 minutes. Check to see if the cake is done by inserting a toothpick. If you need to bake a bit longer go ahead, but make sure not to overcook this cake. Remove from the oven and let cool. You can frost this cake if you wish, but I think that it can stand on its own. Slice and serve. Serves 10
Banana Nutella Sliders
Tomorrow is Bastille Day so I made these Banana Nutella Sliders. A combination of French and American…think banana and peanut butter sandwiches. Elvis would have loved these. Seriously, these sliders are addictive.
INGREDIENTS
4 Croissants
13 Ounces Nutella Spread
2 Sliced Bananas
Powdered Sugar
On a serving plate carefully slice the 4 croissants horizontally. Set the tops aside. Heat the Nutella spread until it is warm, but not piping hot. Divide the Nutella between the 4 croissant bottoms. The best that you can evenly spread the Nutella so that it covers the croissant. Arrange the banana slices on top of the Nutella. If you want more bananas then slice an additional banana. Carefully place the croissant tops on top and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Serve immediately. Serves 4
Saturday Morning Scramble
Classical haute cuisine preparation calls for serving scrambled eggs in a deep silver dish, but you can serve them in any dish you feel 
like. Hey, you could even eat them out of the pan if you like. 
INGREDIENTS
4 Strips Good Quality Bacon
2 Green Onions
6 Large Organic Eggs
5 Tablespoons Half & Half
2 Ounces Finely Grated Cheddar Cheese
3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1/8 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
1/8 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Pepper
Rough chop the bacon and green onions and place in a small sauté pan. Cook over a medium heat for 3 minutes. In a small mixing bowl, combine the eggs and half & half with a whisk or a fork. In a separate large sauté pan add the olive oil and heat over a medium low heat for 1 minute. Pour the eggs into the pan and slowly stir with a heat resistant spatula. Add the bacon and green onions. Keep stirring. Sprinkle with the salt and pepper. Keep stirring. Sprinkle in the grated cheese. As soon as the curds begin to form turn the heat up to high. Instead of stirring now fold the eggs over themselves. As soon as there is no more liquid remove from the heat and serve immediately. You don’t want them to look too done in the pan as they will continue to cook on the plate. Serves 4
Saturday Morning Blueberry Pancakes
Weekends are made for pancakes. My Saturday Morning Blueberry Pancakes are easy to make and are absolutely delicious!
INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 Cups Unbleached Flour
2 1/2 Teaspoons Baking Powder
3/4 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
1 Beaten Egg
1 Cup Milk
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 Pint Washed & Stemmed Blueberries
In a large bowl combine the flour, baking powder and salt. In a separate bowl mix the egg, milk, vanilla and olive oil. Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and stir only enough to moisten the dry ingredients. Add the blueberries. Do NOT beat the batter or the pancakes will be tough. For thinner pancakes add more milk and lightly mix. Cook on a hot skillet or griddle that has been lightly oiled with olive oil. Turn the pancakes only once. Serve with your favorite syrup. Makes 12 five inch pancakes.
Pain Perdu
In honor of St. Anthony we are making Pain Perdu or “Lost Bread.”
What we call French toast, the French call Pain Perdu.
Baked in butter and served covered with powdered sugar, Pain Perdu is considered a dessert in France.
INGREDIENTS
6 Large Eggs
1 1/2 Cups Milk
1 1/2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract
2 Tablespoons Sugar
1/2 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
12 Thick Slices French or Italian Bread
6 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter
Powdered Sugar
Preheat your oven to 400° F. In a large size bowl whisk together the eggs, milk, vanilla, sugar and cinnamon until well blended. Place the bread in a large shallow baking dish
slightly overlapping one another. It is best to use day old bread. If you don't have day old bread don't worry about it. Pour the egg mixture over the bread and let sit for 30 minutes.
Turn the bread with a spatula so that it gets evenly moistened halfway through the sitting time. Put the two oven racks in the middle of the oven. Place 3 tablespoons of the butter on
two baking sheets. Put in the oven and melt the butter for 1 minute. Remove the baking sheets from the oven and make sure that the butter covers the entire baking sheet evenly.
Arrange 6 slices of the soaked bread on each of the hot baking sheets. Make sure to space them evenly. Bake for 15 minutes and then turn them over to bake an additional 15
minutes. You will want the bread to be puffed and evenly browned. If you need to bake them a bit more then go ahead. Remove from the oven and transfer to a serving platter.
Dust with powdered sugar. Serves 12
Blueberry Breakfast Cake
Some would call this a coffee cake, but I like to call it a Breakfast Cake. It really is very easy to make and all you need it a Bundt type pan. If you don’t have a Bundt pan than improvise. I’ve been known to bake in all sorts of things like French Jam Jars. You can use fresh or frozen blueberries.
INGREDIENTS
2 Cups Unbleached Flour
3 Teaspoons Baking Powder
1/2 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
3/4 Cup Softened Butter
1 Cup Sugar
3 Room Temperature Eggs
2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract
3/4 Cup Buttermilk or Sour Milk
1 Pint Blueberries
Preheat your oven to 350° F. In a large mixing bowl beat the eggs and sugar. Add the melted butter and continue mixing. Add the Vanilla and mix a bit more. In a small bowl combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Alternately add the flour mixture and the buttermilk to the egg mixture ending with the flour mixture. Finally, add the blueberries and stir to combine. Pour into a prepared Bundt cake pan (grease and flour) and place on the middle rack of the oven for 50 minutes until the cake is golden brown. Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool for 20 minutes. Turn the cake out onto a cake plate and let cool completely before cutting into slices. You don’t want the cake to fall apart. Serve for breakfast or brunch. Serves 8
*Note: To Make Sour Milk Add 2 Tablespoons Lemon Juice To Milk And Let Stand For 5 Minutes. The Lemon Juice Will Curdle The Milk.
Mother’s Day Breakfast Cobbler
Don’t be afraid to make this fruit dessert for Mother’s Day breakfast. Serve it with a scoop of plain yogurt on the top. Everyone loves this breakfast treat.
INGREDIENTS
1 Cup Unbleached Flour
2 Teaspoons Baking Powder
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
1 1/4 Teaspoons Ground Cinnamon
4 Tablespoons Chilled Unsalted Butter
1/4 Cup Room Temperature Honey
1/2 Cup Milk
1 Pound Ripe Plums (Split In Half & Pitted)
3 Tablespoons Light Brown Sugar
3 Tablespoons Wheat Germ
Plain Yogurt For Serving
Preheat your oven to 375° F. Lightly butter and flour a medium size glass baking dish. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and 1 teaspoon of the cinnamon in a large size bowl. Using a hand held pastry blender or two forks cut 3 tablespoons of the butter into the mixture until it is all crumbly. In a small size bowl whisk together the honey and milk. Add all at once to the dry ingredients. Stir to combine all of the dry ingredients. The spread the batter into the prepared baking pan. Using a knife score an X through the skin of each plum half. Arrange the plums skin side up in a single layer over the batter. Mix the brown sugar, wheat germ and remaining 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon in a small bowl. Cut in the remaining 1 tablespoon butter to form a cumbly topping. Sprinkle the topping over the plums. Bake for 30 minutes until the center of the cobbler is set and the topping is nicely browned. Remove the cobbler from the oven and cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Slice into wedges and serve topped with plain yogurt. Serves 4
Mother’s Day Eggs Benedict
Disgustingly Delicious! Eggs Benedict is known as that special occasion breakfast dish. Don’t be intimidated by making the hollandaise sauce. It really is easy especially if you have a food processor or blender. Make this fancy breakfast for your deserving mother this Mother’s Day!
INGREDIENTS
12 Poached Eggs
Hollandaise Sauce:
4 Large Room Temperature Egg Yolks
1 Tablespoon Fresh Lemon Juice
1 Tablespoon Hot Water
1/4 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
1/4 Teaspoon Freshly Ground White Pepper
1 Cup Unsalted Melted & Hot Butter
To Assemble:
2 Tablespoons Butter
12 Slices Canadian Bacon or Ham Slices
6 Split & Toasted English Muffins
Make 12 poached eggs. To make the hollandaise sauce put the egg yolks, lemon juice, hot water, salt and pepper in a food processer or blender. Pulse for just 4 seconds. While the food processer is running slowly pour in the hot melted butter. Pulse for 1 minute until the mixture is thick and creamy. To assemble add 2 tablespoons of butter to a large skillet over a medium heat. Melt the butter. Add the Canadian bacon or ham slices. Cook for 2 minutes on each side. Arrange 2 toasted muffin halves on each plate. Place 1 Canadian bacon or ham slice and 1 poached egg on each muffin half. Spoon 2 tablespoons of hollandaise sauce over each. Serves 6
Southern Cornbread
Here is a classic unsweetened Southern cornbread that is perfect for a round or rectangular loaf, a savory stuffing and corn sticks. For savory variations, stir into the batter a generous handful of crumbled crisp bacon or cut corn kernels, some minced fresh jalapenos or chopped scallions or a cup of shredded Monterey Jack cheese.
INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 Cups Coarse Ground Yellow Cornmeal
3/4 Cup Unbleached Flour
3/4 Teaspoon Salt
2 Teaspoons Baking Powder
2 Beat Eggs
1/2 Cup Buttermilk
1 Cup Milk
3 Tablespoons Melted Unsalted Butter
Preheat your oven to 375° F. Grease a 2 quart glass baking dish. In a large size bowl, stir together the cornmeal, flour, salt and baking powder. In a separate medium size bowl, beat the eggs with the buttermilk and milk. Add the egg mixture to the cornmeal mixture and stir together until just moistened. The batter should be slightly lumpy. Stir in the melted butter. Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish and bake for 25 minutes until the top is golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow the cornbread to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before cutting it into squares and serving. If you are using it for stuffing, let the cornbread cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn it out onto a large baking sheet. Using your fingers, crumble the cornbread into coarse bits. Spread the crumbles out on the baking sheet and allow them to air dry for 2 hours. Then prepare the stuffing or store the cornbread in a plastic bag for up to 2 days. Serves 8 or makes 2 quarts crumbled.
