Dollars to Donuts posts Tagged ‘breakfast’

Dipped French Toast

Posted by Dawn Welch

dippedfrenchtoastLike our neighbors in Texas, I think bigger is better, which is why I use thick slices of Texas toast for my French toast. Instead of dunking the thick slices in plain old eggs and milk, though, I use griddlecake batter as the coating. It yields a heartier version of this classic, with a rich, eggy crust that nicely holds up against powdered sugar and maple syrup. If you like your French toast made with buttery bread such as brioche or eggy challah, slice it just between 1⁄2″ and 3⁄4″ thick for the best consistency.

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Ingredients
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon baking powder
1⁄3 cup sugar
11⁄2 teaspoons salt
3 large eggs
3 1/2 cups low-fat or whole milk
3⁄4 cup (11⁄2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted, plus 1 tablespoon butter for skillet
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
12 slices Texas toast or other thickly sliced white bread
Confectioners’ sugar, unsalted butter, and maple syrup, for serving

Make the batter. Heat the oven to 250°F and place a baking sheet on the middle shelf. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Whisk the eggs in a small bowl and then pour in the milk and 10 tablespoons of the butter, whisking to combine. Stir the milk mixture into the dry ingredients, mixing until just a few lumps remain.

Prepare the bread and batter. Heat the oven to 250°F and place a baking sheet on the middle shelf. Add the milk and vanilla to the griddlecake batter and then pour it into a 13″ x 9″ baking dish.

Cook the french toast. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Place a few slices of bread in the batter just long enough for the bread to be semisoaked on one side but not falling apart, 15 to 20 seconds. Gently turn the slices over and soak the other side for 5 to 10 seconds, then transfer to the hot pan. Cook until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes, then flip and brown the other side. Transfer the French toast to the oven to keep warm while you cook the remaining pieces. Slice each piece in half on a diagonal and place 4 slices on a plate. Sprinkle with some confectioners’ sugar and serve with butter and maple syrup.

D2D
If you see whole loaves of bread on sale, buy one! Slice the loaf when you get home and freeze for french toast (or whatever) whenever the craving calls.

Cook Smart
Maple syrup is delicious but can be quite pricey, so if I have some fresh fruit around, I make my own quick fruit syrup to serve instead. Place equal parts sugar (use brown for a more molasses-y flavor) and water in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer. toss in a handful of fresh fruit (whatever you have on hand or in the freezer is fine), reduce the heat a bit, and cook until the fruit softens and “melts” into the liquid. add a pinch of salt and a little vanilla extract if you like, and there you have it!

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Turkey, Swiss and Asparagus Crepes

Posted by Dawn Welch

turkeyswisscrepesCrêpes seem a bit intimidating to make, but if you can make pancakes, you can make these because the batter is essentially the same. Stuff them with just about anything, from a slice of Black Forest ham and jalapeño-Jack cheese, to leftover roasted vegetables and fontina, or even last night’s roasted chicken with mushroom sauce. Of course you can easily turn them into a sweet dish, too, just by adding a swipe of chocolate spread or a sprinkle of granulated sugar before rolling. There you go — breakfast-for-dinner and dessert in one fell swoop.

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16 (11⁄2 pounds) asparagus spears, ends snapped off
Salt
1 cup + 2 tablespoons pancake mix, store-bought or homemade
1⁄2 teaspoon herbes de Provence
3 large eggs
1 cup low-fat or whole milk
1⁄2 cup water
11⁄2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
12 slices Swiss cheese
12 slices deli turkey

Steam the asparagus. Bring a large pot with 11⁄2″ of water to a simmer. Add a steamer insert and the asparagus spears, cover, reduce the heat to low, and steam the asparagus until just tender, about 2 to 3 minutes. (If you don’t have a steamer, bring 1⁄2 cup of water to a simmer in a large skillet; add the asparagus, cover, reduce the heat to low, and steam until tender. Lift the asparagus from the pan, leaving any extra water behind. You can also steam the asparagus in the microwave.) Sprinkle the asparagus with a little salt and set aside.

Make the crêpe batter. In a large bowl, whisk together the dry mix and herbs, and set aside. Whisk the eggs together in a small bowl and then whisk in the milk, water, and half of the butter. Slowly pour the milk mixture into the dry ingredients, mixing until just a few lumps remain.

Cook the crêpes. Place a baking sheet or ovenproof platter in the oven and heat the oven to 200°F. Place a medium skillet over high heat. Add 1⁄2 teaspoon of the remaining butter to the pan, tilt the pan toward you, and pour 1⁄4 cup of batter into the upper part of the pan. Swirl and rotate the pan until the batter completely covers the pan bottom. When the crêpe is browned, about 2 minutes, flip it and reduce the heat to medium-low. Immediately top with 1 slice of cheese, 1 slice of turkey, and 2 asparagus spears. Cover the pan and cook until the underside of the crêpe is lightly browned, 1 to 2 minutes, then fold the ends of the crêpe over the filling to make a tidy package. Turn the crêpe out onto a plate, seam-side down, and serve immediately, or transfer the crêpe to the baking sheet or platter in the oven to stay warm while you make the remaining crêpes.

Cook Smart
You can whip up the crêpe batter a few nights ahead and store it covered in the refrigerator. It will keep for up to 3 days.

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Huevos Rancheros: Oklahoma’s Penicillin

Posted by Dawn Welch

huevosracherosPrep time: 12 min
Cook time: 30 min

After a long and crazy day at the Rock, I totally crave a bite of comfort for dinner. For my family, huevos rancheros fits the bill—it’s our chicken soup. I usually have all of the ingredients in my fridge too, so not only is it friendly on my wallet and totally delicious, but it’s easy to throw together. Sometimes, when I’m too beat to bother with frying the tortillas, I’ll throw in the towel and use store-bought chips instead. In fact, huevos rancheros is a great use for the last few chips in the bag—and I get more chill time (and sometimes that’s worth a heck of a lot more than money!).

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Ingredients
3–4 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
4 corn tortillas (4″–6″)
1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
1 large red or green bell pepper, seeded, ribbed, and thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, finely minced or pressed through a garlic press
1⁄2 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes with juices
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro
2 teaspoons chili powder
1⁄4 teaspoon ground cumin
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
8 large eggs
1 cup grated Mexican Blend cheese
Hot sauce or salsa for serving

Fry the tortillas. Heat the oven to 250°F. Warm 3 tablespoons of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add a tortilla and fry until crispy and brown on each side. Transfer it to a paper towel–lined plate (an opened-up brown paper bag works too) to drain, and then put it on a rimmed baking sheet and place in the oven to stay warm. Repeat with the remaining tortillas, reducing the heat and adding more oil if necessary.

Cook the vegetables. Add the onion, bell pepper, garlic, salt, and black pepper to the same skillet you used for the tortillas, cooking them until the onion and pepper soften and the garlic is fragrant, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, cilantro, chili powder, and cumin, bring to a strong simmer, reduce the heat to medium-low, and cook until the tomatoes begin to break up, about 5 minutes.

Fry the eggs and assemble. Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Crack 4 eggs into the pan, sprinkle with salt and pepper, cover the pan, and fry until the white is opaque, about 3 minutes. Place the tortillas on 4 plates. Slide 2 eggs onto 2 of the tortillas and top each of the 2 plates with a quarter of the tomato mixture and some cheese. Serve the first 2 portions immediately while you fry up the second batch of eggs.

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Shakshouka Eggs, Tomatoes and Peppers

Posted by Dawn Welch

shakshoukaeggsThough the name shakshouka (shock-SHOE-ka) sounds exotic, this quick, one-pan Middle Eastern–style dish is nothing more than eggs simmered in a sauté of fresh tomatoes, peppers, and onions. It’s beautiful served up in a cast-iron skillet. Just bring the whole pan to the table (tell everyone to mind their fingers as the pan will be hot!) and serve it family-style, straight from the skillet. Warm pita bread for dipping is a must.

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3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large yellow onion, halved and thinly sliced
1 small red bell pepper, ribbed, seeded, and thinly sliced
1 small green bell pepper, ribbed, seeded, and thinly sliced
1 garlic clove, finely minced or pressed through a garlic press
1⁄2 teaspoon ground cumin
1⁄2 teaspoon dried oregano
1⁄4 teaspoon red-pepper flakes
1 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
3 large tomatoes, cored and sliced into 1⁄2″-thick wedges
6 large eggs
Pita bread, for serving

Sauté the vegetables. Heat the oven to 300°F. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet (preferably cast-iron) over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring often, until it begins to soften, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the bell peppers and cook until they begin to soften, an additional 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the garlic, cumin, oregano, red-pepper flakes, 3⁄4 teaspoon of the salt, and a few grinds of pepper, and cook until the garlic is fragrant, 1 to 11⁄2 minutes. Add the tomatoes (if your tomatoes don’t look juicy, add 1⁄4 cup of water to the skillet along with them), reduce the heat to medium, and cook until the tomatoes break down and are saucy, 4 to 5 minutes. (If your pan looks dry, add 1⁄4 to 1⁄2 cup of water to the skillet and let it cook in for a minute or two before adding the eggs.)

Cook the eggs and serve. Crack the eggs over the tomatoes and sprinkle with the remaining 1⁄4 teaspoon of salt. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, covered (any lid that is larger than the circumference of the pan will work—it doesn’t have to be a perfect fit or match), until the whites are set and the yolks are still soft, 4 to 6 minutes. While the eggs cook, place the pita bread in the oven to warm. Divide the shakshouka among 6 bowls, making sure each gets an egg on top. Serve with the pita bread for dipping.

Cook Smart
This is a special treat made with ripe and juicy tomatoes, but in the winter, when tomatoes lose their appeal and prices skyrocket, I’ll use canned tomatoes in juice instead.

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Dipped French Toast

Posted by Dawn Welch

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The Permalink: http://www.myd2d.com/2009/10/dipped-french-toast/
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