|
Brunchy
Goodness
by Faith
Heinauer
Brunch is hands
down the most festive of meals. It’s better than plain old
lunch and packs more punch than breakfast. You can turn a mid-morning
meal into an event just by calling it brunch! To make it even more
special, why not try whipping up some sweet blueberry lemon bread,
savory goat cheese and tomato tart, or totally indulgent creme brulee
French toast? These recipes are excerpts from my e-cookbook; The
Brunch Cookbook. Click here
to get your own copy!
Blueberry Lemon Bread
Sweet blueberries and tart lemon juice… Any way you slice
it, this sweet bread is deliciously delightful!
2 cups flour
2 1/2 tsps baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
4 Tbsps (1/2 stick) butter, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
3/4 cup buttermilk
Grated zest of 1 lemon
2 Tbsps fresh lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups blueberries
Confectioners sugar for dusting
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Grease and flour a 9 x 5 loaf pan.
Sift or stir together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, mix together the butter and sugar for two
minutes.
Add eggs, buttermilk, lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla. Mix
in the flour mixture until combined. Fold in blueberries.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 60-70 minutes, or
until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
Remove bread from pan and allow to cool. Once bread is at room temperature,
dust with confectioner’s sugar.
Goat Cheese and Tomato Tart
Puff pastry topped with herbs, goat cheese, plum tomatoes, and Parmesan
cheese. This tart is Eggstraordinary!
1 sheet frozen puff pasty (thawed as directed)
2 Tbsps olive oil
1 cup Vidalia or Maui onions, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 cup goat cheese
2 eggs
1 Tbsp cream
1 tsp salt
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried parsley
1/2 tsp black pepper
3 vine-ripened tomatoes, cut into 1/4-inch thick slices
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
On a lightly floured surface, roll out pastry into an 11-inch square.
Place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Cut a 1/2-inch slit into
point of each corner. Wet edges with water and then fold edges up
and over to form a slightly raised 1/2-inch border on all four sides
of the tart. Press edges in to make sure they are sealed. Cover
baking sheet with plastic wrap and chill in freezer for 10 minutes.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
To prepare the filling: In a sauté pan, heat the olive oil
over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic; cook, stirring occasionally,
for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, in a food processor, combine the goat
cheese, eggs, cream, salt, oregano, parsley and pepper. Pulse until
smooth. Add the cooked onions to the food processor and pulse to
blend.
Evenly spread the mixture over the puff pastry. Arrange tomato slices
on the goat cheese mixture. Sprinkle the Parmesan cheese over the
tomatoes.
Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until pastry is puffed and golden brown.
Cut into squares and serve.
Crème Brulee French Toast
Ooh baby! Brown sugar, buttery, baked French toast and a layer of
custard… if it sounds too good to be true, it is!
This dish gets assembled the night before allowing the chef to sleep
in and wake up to a scrumptious meal.
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 cup brown sugar, packed
2 Tbsps corn syrup
8 – 9-inch baguette with crust on (or Italian bread)
5 eggs
1 1/2 cups half & half cream
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp Grand Marnier
1/4 tsp salt
In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter, brown sugar,
and corn syrup until smooth. Pour the syrup mixture into a 9 x 13
baking dish.
Cut the baguette into 1-inch slices. Place the bread slices in the
pan (may need to squeeze the bread to fit).
In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, cream, vanilla, Grand
Marnier, and salt. Pour egg mixture evenly over bread.
Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
Bring to room temperature and bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes
uncovered.
Faith Heinauer
is a caterer, cookbook author, and head cheese at Bitchin' Kitchen.
She's committed to developing quick and sassy ways for folks to
work and play with their food. Check her out on the Web at http://www.bitchin-kitchenonline.com/.
|
|
