Category Archives: Breakfast/Brunch

Alton Brown’s “Overnight Cinnamon Rolls”

Posted in Breads, Breakfast/Brunch by

Alton Brown's "Overnight Cinnamon Rolls"

<Sigh>…….I had high hopes for these. My boy, Alton Brown, rarely leads me astray. But after a 14-hour process that included triple proofing of the dough, these rolls just fell short.

In truth, I’m not sure what went wrong. The reviews of the recipe were raving and I even watched the video. I followed every detail to the tee (something you definitely need to do when making Alton’s recipes) and used newly purchased yeast. The rolls did rise but not nearly as high as the ones from the show—despite the extra time I gave, too. And the end results were rather dense….no soft pillows of goodness as I had hoped. I did, however, like the icing as the cream cheese gave the slight tang that was a nice addition.

Will I try it again? Eh…I’m not sure. I’ve been eyeing  America’s Test Kitchen’s Cinnamon Rolls for some time now and I’m more inclined to give that one a spin before coming back to this one. Especially since there’s no yeast or proofing involved!

Sorry Alton….you’re still my Boo though. :)

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Overnight Cinnamon Rolls
From Alton Brown

Ingredients:

Dough
4 Large Egg Yolks, room temperature
1 Large Whole Egg, room temperature
2 Ounces Sugar, approximately ¼ cup
3 Ounces Unsalted Butter, melted, approximately 6 tablespoons
6 Ounces Buttermilk, room temperature
20 Ounces All-Purpose Flour, approximately 4 cups, plus additional for dusting
1 Package Instant Dry Yeast, approximately 2¼ teaspoons
1¼ Teaspoons Kosher Salt
Vegetable oil or Cooking Spray

Filling
8 Ounces Light Brown Sugar, approximately 1 cup packed
1 Tablespoon Ground Cinnamon
Pinch Salt
¾ Ounce unsalted butter, melted, approximately 1½ tablespoons

Icing
2½ Ounces Cream Cheese, softened, approximately ¼ cup
3 Tablespoons Milk
5½ Ounces Powdered Sugar, approximately 1½ cups

For the dough: in the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, whisk the egg yolks, whole egg, sugar, butter, and buttermilk. Add approximately 2 cups of the flour along with the yeast and salt; whisk until moistened and combined. Remove the whisk attachment and replace with a dough hook. Add all but 3/4 cup of the remaining flour and knead on low speed for 5 minutes. Check the consistency of the dough, add more flour if necessary; the dough should feel soft and moist but not sticky. Knead on low speed 5 minutes more or until the dough clears the sides of the bowl. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface; knead by hand about 30 seconds. Lightly oil a large bowl. Transfer the dough to the bowl, lightly oil the top of the dough, cover and let double in volume, 2 to 2 1/2 hours.

Combine the brown sugar, cinnamon and salt in a medium bowl. Mix until well incorporated. Set aside until ready to use.

Butter a 9 by 13-inch glass baking dish. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Gently shape the dough into a rectangle with the long side nearest you. Roll into an 18 by 12-inch rectangle. Brush the dough with the 3/4-ounce of melted butter, leaving 1/2-inch border along the top edge. Sprinkle the filling mixture over the dough, leaving a 3/4-inch border along the top edge; gently press the filling into the dough. Beginning with the long edge nearest you, roll the dough into a tight cylinder. Firmly pinch the seam to seal and roll the cylinder seam side down. Very gently squeeze the cylinder to create even thickness. Using a serrated knife, slice the cylinder into 1 1/2-inch rolls; yielding 12 rolls. Arrange rolls cut side down in the baking dish; cover tightly with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator overnight or up to 16 hours.

Remove the rolls from the refrigerator and place in an oven that is turned off. Fill a shallow pan 2/3-full of boiling water and set on the rack below the rolls. Close the oven door and let the rolls rise until they look slightly puffy; approximately 30 minutes. Remove the rolls and the shallow pan of water from the oven.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

When the oven is ready, place the rolls on the middle rack and bake until golden brown, or until the internal temperature reaches 190 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, approximately 30 minutes.

While the rolls are cooling slightly, make the icing by whisking the cream cheese in the bowl of a stand mixer until creamy. Add the milk and whisk until combined. Sift in the powdered sugar, and whisk until smooth. Spread over the rolls and serve immediately.

Alton Brown's "Overnight Cinnamon Rolls"A shame really as they don’t look too bad. <Sigh>…back to the drawing board!

Spiced Pear Cake for National Bundt Day

Posted in Breads, Breakfast/Brunch, Desserts/Pastries by

Spiced Pear Cake

 

Was it a coincidence or luck? Perhaps a little bit of both was on our side this weekend as my nieces and I prepared a delicious spiced pear cake using a bundt pan. And to my amusement as I was drafting up this post, I discovered that today is National Bundt Day!

This is the time of year when I bust out all of the warm spices (cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, etc) and begin feverishly baking molasses cookies, gingerbreads, and other spiced desserts. YUM. I just love the aromatics and the deep warmth it brings to your home/kitchen when you’re creating such delights.

Since pears are in season and were in abundance at the market, I picked up a few Boschs with the intention of creating a cake that would be great for breakfast. (Cake for all times of the day, I say!) I also took the opportunity to try out this recipe with my nieces, Nina and Stephanie. They are turning out to be quite the whizzes in the kitchen and have refined palates for their age. And in truth, they did most of the work with this cake with me just guiding them through the process. I’m a proud Auntie.

The end results were just what I was hoping for. An extremely moist cake speckled with diced pears and perfumed with warm spices. Perfect with a huge cup of steaming coffee in the morning. With breakfasts like these (and wonderful nieces), perhaps I’ll make it through the chilly season after all.

And with that dear friends, rummage through your pantries to whip out those wreath-like pans—Celebrate National Bundt Day! (I know, I know….I’m a sucker for any “holiday” :) )


Stephanie and Nina hard at work…..Great things will come out of their kitchens in the future :)

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Spiced Pear Cake
Approximately 10 servings

Ingredients:

Cake Batter
3 Cups All Purpose Flour
1 Cup Light Brown Sugar
1 Cup Granulated Sugar
1½ Teaspoon Baking Soda
½ Teaspoon Salt
½ Teaspoon Ground Cloves
½ Teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
2 Teaspoons Ground Cinnamon
¼ Cup Molasses
2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract
1 Cup Vegetable Oil
3 Large Eggs
3 Cups Diced Pear

Glaze
½ Cup Unsalted Butter, melted
¼ Cup Water or Apple Juice
1 Cup Confectioner Sugar
½ Tablespoon Ground Cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Thoroughly grease a large bundt pan.

In a large mixing bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, salt, cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, and granulated sugar. Mix in brown sugar, breaking up any clumps. Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients and mix in oil, eggs, vanilla extract and molasses. The batter will be quite thick. Fold in the diced pears being careful to not break up the fruit too much.

Spoon the cake batter into the greased bundt pan and spread the mixture evenly. Bake for approximately 1 hour or until a tooth pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 20 minutes before inverting on to a plate.

While cake is cooling, prepare glaze. Melt butter and slowly add confectioner sugar and cinnamon. Add apple juice (or water) and mix until combined. Strain the glaze to remove any potential lumps. Slowly pour over the cake while its still warm.

Doughnut Muffins

Posted in Breads, Breakfast/Brunch, Desserts/Pastries by

Doughnut Muffins

Mmmm….Doughnuts. I don’t think I’ve ever met someone who didn’t love them :)

I personally prefer cake-batter doughnuts over yeast-batter doughnuts—chocolate old fashioned being the best! Yum.

I’ve always wanted to make fresh doughnuts but most of the cake-better recipes I’ve seen require doughnut pans. And as cute as those pans are, they’re pretty limited in functionality. So when I came across a few posts featuring Doughnut Muffins, I was EXCITED!

The recipe below was quite simple to follow–which was perfect since I had my niece Maya helping me. The only tweak that I made was the addition of ground cinnamon and vanilla extract in the batter. And let me just tell you, your kitchen will smell amazing when these little guys are baking in the oven. DEE-LISH!

I think these Doughnut Muffins are best right out of the oven. But if you happen to have a few left over the next day, pop them in the microwave for a few seconds to warm them up. So yummy, you won’t regret it :)

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Doughnut Muffins
Adapted from Blue Ribbon Cookbook (via Evil Chef Mom)

Ingredients:

Muffins:
3 Cups All Purpose Flour
2½ Teaspoons Baking Powder
¾ Teaspoon Salt
½ Teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
1 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
¼ Teaspoon Baking Soda
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
¾ Cup Whole Milk, at room temperature
2 Tablespoons Buttermilk, at room temperature
10 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter, at room temperature
¾ Cup plus 2 Tablespoons Sugar
2 Large Eggs, at room temperature

Cinnamon Sugar Coating:
1 Cup Sugar
1 Tablespoon Ground Cinnamon
8 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter, melted

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease and flour 2 (12 cup) mini muffin tins.

In a bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, cinnamon and baking soda. In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk and buttermilk. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until just combined. Add vanilla extra. With the mixer set on low speed, beat in one fourth of the dry ingredients. Then beat in one third of the milk mixture. Continue to alternate until all ingredients are incorporated, finishing with dry ingredients. Do not over mix. The batter will be heavy, it’s ok.

Fill the prepared muffin cups just to the rim with batter. Bake until lightly golden and firm to the touch, 15-20 minutes. Let the muffins cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Remove the muffins from the tin and transfer to a wire rack set over a baking sheet.

To coat the muffins: Combine the sugar and cinnamon in a paper bag. Brush each muffin generously with melted butter. Then place a few muffins in the bag with the cinnamon and sugar mixture. Shake well to coat the muffins. Repeat.

Serve warm or at room temperature.

Jelly Doughnut Muffins: Allow muffins to cool and use a small pastry tip to make a hole in the bottom of each muffin. Fill the pastry bag with your favorite jam, jelly, or citrus curd, and squeeze into the muffin.


Doughnut Muffins
All that’s missing is a tall cold glass of milk.

Act 2: Corned Beef Hash

Posted in Breakfast/Brunch, Meat by

Feeling pretty good about the outcomes of our Corned Beef and Cabbage, we eagerly embarked on our original objective — Corned Beef Hash!

We looked at a couple recipes and settled on a hybrid of a few. And as my sister had suggested months back, we used heavy cream to get that extra crispy profile that makes Corned Beef Hash so delish! The method described below is pretty straight forward but since we had so much to make, we didn’t have a large enough skillet to allow the hash space/surface area to crisp up. But, no biggie! We transferred the items to a large baking sheet and placed it under the broiler for a few minutes. And Voila! Deliciously yummy and crispy hash–100% from scratch, too!

Sure, this was an eleven day breakfast in the making but when the yolks from your “eggs over easy” run all over, you will be in heaven!

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Corned Beef Hash
Serves 6-8

Ingredients:

2 Pounds Potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch dice
2 Pounds Cooked corned beef, cut into chunks
2 Cups Yellow Onion, diced
1 Tablespoon Garlic, minced
2 large Red Bell Pepper, cut to match potatoes
4 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter
½ Cup Heavy Cream
3 Scallions, chopped
2 Tablespoon Parsley, finely chopped
Salt and Pepper to taste

Cook potatoes in boiling salted water to cover until just tender, about 3 minutes, then drain. Roughly chop corned beef.

Sauté onion and bell pepper in butter in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over moderately high heat, stirring, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and sauté for additional 2 minutes. Add potatoes and sauté over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in corned beef and salt and pepper to taste, then cook, stirring occasionally, until browned. Add cream and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add scallions and sprinkle hash with parsley.

Serve with eggs of your choice.

Fresh Apple Cake

Posted in Breakfast/Brunch, Desserts/Pastries by

Apple Cake Slice

 

Last weekend, my sister and her family came up from Southern California for a visit. And what do the Nguyen’s do when we are on vacation? We Eat….and we Eat a lot. And when we are not eating (or shopping), we like to have Foodventures. So it’s not too surprising that after spending a few indulgent hours at the SF Street Food Fest, we  were hitting the road to Sebastopol to Twin Hill Ranch for some good old apple picking. We filled our baskets with delicious apples (Gravenstein varietal) and also picked up a few jugs of fresh pressed apple cider—absolutely delicious!

We kind of went nuts with apple picking which did leave a slight challenge. What does one do with over 15+ pounds of apples?! I knew we would need to put our hand picked apples to use. My sister (aka. “Head Foodie” of the family) suggested that I make the Fresh Apple Cake that our mom used to enjoy so much. Perfect!

The recipe is from Feasts of Eden and is incredibly easy and quick. Pretty much a dump and stir method–which is great for baking with kids. The glaze that is poured over the warm cake isn’t like the type that I used on the Blueberry-Meyer Lemon Cake. This glaze soaks into the Apple Cake producing a moist and sweet product. A few other things to note:

  • The batter is incredibly thick. But don’t worry! The 3 cups of fresh apples has a lot of moisture and it all works out–I promise!
  • Next time, I will use only 1 cup of granulated white sugar and add 1 cup of light brown sugar.
  • Add 1/4 Cup Molasses – really rounds out the flavors of the spices.
  • The glaze may get lumpy from the confectioner sugar. If it does, strain it before pouring over the warm cake.
  • Leave the cake on a rack when you pour the glaze on it and then transfer to the serving platter. Since the glaze is somewhat thin, it will definitely run over the sides of your plate/cake stand and will leave you a HOT MESS!

Overall, I was pretty pleased with it and my co-workers seemed to enjoy it as well (they often act as my “guinea pigs”, too). The cake really works well as a breakfast pastry—wonderful with a steaming cup of coffee.

And perhaps it’s just me, but knowing that we handpicked the apples ourselves made it taste even better! :)

Until next time friends!

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Fresh Apple Cake
From Feast of Eden

Ingredients:

Cake Batter
2 Cups Granulated Sugar
3 Cups All Purpose Flour
1½ Teaspoon Baking Soda
½ Teaspoon Salt
½ Teaspoon Ground Cloves
½ Teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
2 Teaspoons Ground Cinnamon
2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract
1 Cup Vegetable Oil
3 Large Eggs
3 Cups Chopped Apple

Glaze
½ Cup Unsalted Butter
¼ Cup Water
1 Cup Confectioner Sugar
2 Teaspoons Ground Cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Thoroughly grease a large bundt pan.

Sift dry ingredients together. Add liquid ingredients, stirring well to combine. Add the chopped apples and transfer mixture to bundt pan. Be sure to spread the mixture evenly. Bake for approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 20 minutes before inverting on to a plate.

While cake is cooling, prepare glaze. Melt butter and slowly add confectioner sugar and cinnamon. Stir well to ensure there are no lumps. Add water and mix until combined. Slowly pour over the cake while its still warm.

SPAM….The True American Offal

Posted in Breakfast/Brunch by

Folks are always asking me if we ever eat “regular” food. That question always puts a smile on my face because the BF and I have a vast array of eating/cooking habits. For one meal we may spend an entire day prepping and cooking dishes that are complex and laborious. But then there are those nights that all we eat for dinner is ice cream. True Story.

So what is one of our favorite “regular” dishes? I am proud to say it is SPAM, Eggs, and Rice….The Breakfast of Champions. Easy, quick, nostalgic, and just darn good. And it makes perfect sense since we were both raised on this goodness (I was born in the midwest and the BF is Hawaiian).

Sure, it’s somewhat questionable to what SPAM is really made of. Hormel says that it is a combination of pork and other stuff but this is one example of when I don’t question the contents and just enjoy the goodness. Come to think of it, this may be the only kind of offal that I will eat :) Folks can’t even agree to what the acronym stands for though some have come up with some clever versions. My favorites that I have heard are: “Something Posing As Meat”, “Specially Processed Artificial Meat”, “Spare Parts Animal Meat” and “Special Product of Austin Minnesota”. Hilarious.

This gal prefers her SPAM sliced thinly and prepared crispy (kind of like bacon). The BF likes his sliced thicker and just lightly fried. Add rice, a fried egg, and a sprinkle of furikake and I am a happy camper! Though I also won’t pass up a good SPAM Musubi, either.

SPAM…you can’t get any more “regular” than that. But I do have one last question…..Anyone want to meet me at the SPAM Museum?

Until next time Friends, SPAM Fanatic signing off!

Blackberry Muffins with Streusel Topping

Posted in Breads, Breakfast/Brunch, Desserts/Pastries by

I try my hardest to eat what is in season and in doing so, I find that I get the best products at the lowest price. The other day while picking up some items at my local grocery store, I came across signs for fresh Blackberries at only $1 a basket! Now that was a deal I couldn’t pass up. I quickly filled my cart with 3 cartons without any idea on how I was going to use them.

The following work day, I decided to greet my new student staff with freshly baked muffins for our early morning meeting. I had never had a Blackberry Muffin before but thought it would be a great use of the fresh blackberries I had just picked up. Plus, I recalled a recipe from Williams Sonoma that featured this combination.

After a little digging around I found the recipe and quickly began making some modifications. The recipe is SUPER easy and I think the additions I made added a great flavor profile to the muffins.

The muffin was light, fluffy, and quite moist—mostly due to the sour cream I think. The large blackberries were a nice surprise when biting into the muffin and I was pleased to see that my cautious folding of the batter yielded no “bleeding” from the berries. As for the Streusel topping, well, what’s not to love about sugar and butter? The slight crunch added great texture and it seemed to be quite the favorite component with everyone.

Would I make them again? Absolutely! I think this batter would be terrific with almost any type of Berries. I also think that substituting Orange Zest for the Lemon Zest would add a great floral taste. And for those who enjoy nuts in their baked goods, consider adding them to the Streusel Topping like the original Williams Sonoma recipe suggests.

Need help to kick-start a morning? Try one of these Blackberry Muffins with a hot cup of coffee….it is sure to start your day with a smile.

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Blackberry Muffins
Adapted from Williams Sonoma
Makes 12 Muffins

Ingredients:

Streusel Topping:
1/3 Cup Granulated Sugar
2 Tablespoons All Purpose Flour
1 Tablespoon Light Brown Sugar
½ Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
½ Teaspoon Fresh Lemon Zest
2 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter, melted

Batter:
2 Cups All Purpose Flour
¾ Cup Sugar
2 Tablespoons Light Brown Sugar
2 Teaspoons Baking Powder
½ Teaspoon Baking Soda
½ Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
½ Teaspoon Fresh Lemon Zest
¼ Teaspoon Salt
1 Egg, beaten
5 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter, melted
1 Cup Sour Cream
½ Cup Milk
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1 ½ Cups Fresh Blackberries


Preheat an oven to 375°F. Place 12 paper liners in a standard muffin tin. Using a cooking spray, lightly spray the cups and pan. Set aside.

Prepare the topping. In a small bowl, stir together the sugars, flour, cinnamon and lemon zest. Stir in the melted butter until the mixture is crumbly. Set aside.

Prepare the batter. In a small bowl, mix together the milk, sour cream, and vanilla extract. In a larger bowl, stir together the flour, sugars, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, lemon zest and salt. Make a well in the center and add the egg, melted butter and sour cream mixture. Stir just until evenly moistened. The batter will be fairly lumpy. Carefully sprinkle in the blackberries (reserving 12 of the berries aside) and gently fold into the batter with a large rubber spatula just until evenly distributed. Take care not to break up the fruit.

Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling each to a bit above the rim of the cup. Gently place one berry on top of each muffin and lightly press down with your finger until it is submerged. Proceed to cover each muffin with the Streusel Topping, dividing it evenly .

Bake until the muffins are golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool for 10 minutes. Unmold the muffins. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Enjoy!

Just missing a steaming cup of Joe :)

Ginger Scones

Posted in Breakfast/Brunch, Desserts/Pastries by

Years ago my sister came home with a DELISH scone recipe. Truth be told, before that, I didn’t even know I liked scones. I had thought this traditional British quick-bread was always too dry and lacked substance. That is, until I tried these. :)

Nancy Silverton of the La Brea Bakery in Los Angeles, California has created these killer Ginger Scones that are perfectly flaky, somewhat fluffy, and are further accentuated by the candied ginger. L-O-V-E them! It’s quickly been adopted by my entire family and is my go-to when hosting folks over for brunch or for any goodie basket.

Give these a try. They’re so easy and tasty that you’ll love them, too!

Chopping the Candied Ginger

 

Golden Beauties out of the oven

 

All that’s missing is a steaming hot cup of coffee…or tea if you want to go traditional. :)

 

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Ginger Scones
From Nancy Silverton‘s Pastries of the La Brea Bakery
Makes 8-12  Scones (Depending on size of each scone)
Special item: 3-inch round cutter

Ingredients:

2¼ Cups All Purpose Flour
1/3 Cup Granulated Sugar
1 Tablespoon Baking Powder
1 Teaspoon Lemon Zest
1½ Sticks (6 ounces) Unsalted Butter, cut into 1-inch cubes and frozen
4½ Ounces Candied Ginger, finely chopped into 1/4-inch pieces to equal 2/3 cup
¾ Cup Heavy Cream, plus extra for brushing the tops of the scones

Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 400 degrees

In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade or in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the flour, sugar, and baking powder, and pulse or mix on low to incorporate. Add the lemon zest and butter, and pulse on and off, or mix on low, untl the mixture is pale yellow and the consistency of fine meal.

Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and stir in the ginger. Make a well in the center and pour in the cream. Using one hand, draw in the dry ingredients, mixing until just combined.

Wash and dry your hands and dust them with flour. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and gently knead a few times to gather it into a ball. Roll or pat the dough into a circle about 3/4 inch thick. Cut out the circles, cutting as closely together as possible and keeping the trimmings intact.

Gather the scraps, pat and press the pieces back together, and cut out the remaining dough. Place the scones 1 inch apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet.

Brush the tops with the remaining cream.

Bake for 12 to 16 minutes, until the surface cracks and they are slightly browned.

Mediterranean Style Eggs Benedict

Posted in Breakfast/Brunch by

I LOVE Brunch. And I LOVE Eggs Benedict.

Poached eggs with unctuously runny yolks? Goooood. Creamy Hollandaise? Goooood.

 

So on Easter morning I found myself craving a big old plate of Eggs Benedict. However, the rainy weather deterred me from going to my favorite local brunch spot (Bill’s Café). I’m such a wuss with cold, wet weather :)

Hence, I turned to the kitchen to fulfill my Eggs Benedict needs. I chose to dress the Eggs Benedict in a Mediterranean style since I had some feta cheese in the fridge. As for the bacon? Well, I’m in the belief that it isn’t a true brunch if bacon isn’t present. I also decided to use some rustic style bread instead of English muffins to go with the Mediterranean theme.

As for the Hollandaise? I turned to Tyler Florence’s recipe as the BF had used it a few months ago. By vigorously whisking the eggs before cooking it, it decreased the whisking time over the double boiler. MUCH easier. However, I will say I had to ask the BF to take over whisking at the beginning as my wimpy arms were getting tired. :)

It all came together pretty easily and quickly. I loved what the Spinach Spread added to the dish. And let’s be honest, there’s something so darn fulfilling to take your fork and cut into the poached egg. Yolk— gloriously oozing out. :) As for the Hollandaise, it was a tad too acidic for us. I’d recommend cutting the lemon amount in half.

All in all, I was happy with the results and my craving was fulfilled. :)   Next time you’re in the mood for Eggs Benedict, give this version a try.

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Mediterranean Style Eggs Benedict
Serves 2

Ingredients:

Hollandaise Sauce (Adapted from Tyler Florence)
2 Egg Yolks
½ Tablespoon Lemon Juice
¼ Cup Unsalted Butter, melted
Pinch Cayenne
Pinch Salt

Spinach Spread
1 Cup Cooked Spinach
¼ Cup Crumbled Feta Cheese
1 Tablespoon Sundried Tomatoes, diced
1 Teaspoon Garlic, finely minced
¼ Teaspoon Dried Thyme
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper

Poached Eggs
4 Large Eggs
½ Tablespoon White Vinegar

Additional Ingredients
4 Slices Rustic Style Bread, toasted
4 Slices of Crispy Bacon
Paprika and White Pepper to Garnish

Spinach Spread: Sauté garlic in olive oil for 1-2 minutes until fragrant but not browned. Add Spinach, sundried tomatoes, and thyme. Cook for an additional 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat and add the cheese. Salt and pepper to taste. Cover and keep warm.

Hollandaise: Vigorously whisk the egg yolks and lemon juice together in a stainless steel bowl and until the mixture is thickened and doubled in volume. Place the bowl over a saucepan containing barely simmering water (or use a double boiler,) the water should not touch the bottom of the bowl. Continue to whisk rapidly. Be careful not to let the eggs get too hot or they will scramble. Slowly drizzle in the melted butter and continue to whisk until the sauce is thickened and doubled in volume. Remove from heat, whisk in cayenne and salt. Cover and place in a warm spot until ready to use for the eggs benedict. If the sauce gets too thick, whisk in a few drops of warm water before serving.

Poached Eggs: Bring a deep skillet of water to a simmer. Add vinegar. Gently break an egg into a large ladle and carefully lower it into the simmering water. Repeat with the remaining eggs. Poach the eggs for about 3-4 minutes, making sure that the eggs don’t stick together. With a slotted spoon, carefully remove the eggs and rest on a plate covered with a paper towel.

To Assemble: Place two pieces of bread on a plate and spread a spoonful of Spinach Mixture over each. Lay bacon over the spinach and carefully place one egg over each slice of bread. Spoon the Hollandaise over the egg and sprinkle with paprika and ground white pepper.

Blueberry-Meyer Lemon Bundt Cake

Posted in Breakfast/Brunch, Desserts/Pastries by

My dear co-worker’s birthday was coming up and as her assigned “birthday buddy”, I was in charge of bringing in a cake to our staff meeting to celebrate her fabulousness. Since I knew she had a chocolate cake for her festivities at home, I was sure that I wanted to bake her something sans-chocolate. Lucky for me, our Meyer Lemon tree was filled with ripe lemons for the picking so I opted for a fruit-citrus cake.

I turned to my gal, Martha Stewart, for some inspiration. Since our staff meetings are in the morning, I opted for a bundt cake that makes you feel better about eating sweets in the morning since it “looks” more “breakfast-like”. I know…not really–but work with me here :)

I settled on Martha’s Blueberry Lemon Bundt Cake, with of course, a few tweaks. For the batter, I added fresh meyer lemon juice to kick up the bright citrus flavor. I also thought the cake was a bit “naked” and created a light glaze to cover the tops. Incidentally, I hadn’t greased the pan thoroughly so the glaze acted as the perfect “cover up” to my imperfections. Also, if you don’t have fresh blueberries, use frozen ones like I did. Just be sure not to defrost them before use—just toss the frozen ones directly with the zest and flour before folding into the batter. :)

A few quick suggestions to a successful cake:

  1. Generously and THOROUGHLY cover your bundt pan with cooking spray. I thought I had but clearly I hadn’t done enough when I inverted the cake later. Yikes!
  2. It’s really important to cool the cake in the pan for some time. Trying to flip it too early could cause tears and sticking since the cake hasn’t fully set yet.
  3. I used Meyer Lemons in my recipe which may vary if you use regular lemons. Meyer lemons tend to be juicier and less tart than the more commonly found ones, so adjust accordingly to your preference.
  4. If you glaze the bundt cake, be sure to wait until the cake has fully cooled or the glaze will soak into the cake versus “glazing” it.

Overall, I think the birthday gal and my co-workers enjoyed the cake. The citrus gave a light flavor which was further accented by the berries. The sour cream also assisted in the moist texture. Next time you’re looking for an alternative to a chocolate cake, give this Lemon Bundt Cake a try :)

After creaming the butter and sugars.

Tossing the blueberries with zest and flour.

Inverting the bundt cake. EEKS! Clearly, not enough cooking spray!

No problem–that’s where glazes act as a tasty cover up to any imperfections!

 

 

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Blueberry-Meyer Lemon Bundt Cake
Adapted from Martha Stewart

Ingredients

For Cake:
2½ Cups All-Purpose Flour, plus 1 teaspoon for blueberries and zest
2 Teaspoons Baking Powder
½ Teaspoon Salt
1 Cup Unsalted Butter, room temperature
1 Cup packed Light-Brown Sugar
1 Cup Granulated Sugar
4 Large Eggs
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
2 Tablespoons Meyer Lemon Juice
1 Cup Sour Cream
2 Cups Blueberries
2 Tablespoons Grated Meyer Lemon Zest
Nonstick cooking spray, for pan

For Glaze:
¼ Cup Meyer Lemon Juice
2 Cups Confectioner’s Sugar (*add more for thicker glaze)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, whisk 2 1/2 cups flour with baking powder and salt; set aside.

In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugars on high speed until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until incorporated. Beat in vanilla and lemon juice. Reduce speed to low; add flour mixture in three additions, alternating with two additions of sour cream.

In a bowl, toss blueberries and zest with remaining teaspoon flour; gently fold into batter. Coat a 12-cup nonstick Bundt pan with cooking spray. Spread batter in prepared pan.

Bake cake on bottom rack of oven until a toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out clean, 60 to 70 minutes. Cool in pan 20 minutes. Invert onto a rack; cool completely, top side up.

While cake is cooling, whisk lemon juice and confectioner sugar to create glaze. Mix until all the sugar has dissolved and there are no longer lumps. When the cake has completely cooled, drizzle glaze over the cake.

Serve and enjoy!