Strawberry Stuffed French Toast

Taken from Annie's Eats

For the filling:
1 cup sliced fresh strawberries
2 tbsp. sugar
4 oz. cream cheese, softened

For the toast:
4 thick slices bread, such as challah or soft Italian bread
1 large egg
¾ cup milk
2 tbsp. melted butter
1 tsp. vanilla
¼ cup all-purpose flour
¼ tsp. ground cinnamon
¼ tsp. salt
Unsalted butter

Maple syrup, powdered sugar and additional fresh strawberries for serving

Directions:
To make the filling, combine the sliced strawberries and sugar in a medium bowl. Mix well and set aside to macerate for about 15 minutes. Stir in the cream cheese until well blended.

To prepare the toast, carefully slice a pocket into the center of each slice of bread, taking care not to cut all the way through to the other side. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. In a shallow baking dish or pie plate, whisk together the egg and milk. Whisk in the melted butter and vanilla. Stir in the flour, cinnamon and salt and whisk until smooth. Fill the pocket of each slice of bread with some of the filling mixture. One or two at a time, place the filled slices of bread in the egg mixture, soaking about 30-40 seconds per side. Remove the bread and allow the excess batter to drip off. Transfer to a plate and repeat with the remaining bread slices.

Add 1 tablespoon of butter to the heated skillet and swirl to coat. Add the filled slices of toast to the skillet in a single layer. Cook until light golden brown and crisp, about 1-2 minutes per side. Repeat with the remaining slices of bread, adding more butter to the skillet as needed. Serve immediately with maple syrup, powdered sugar and fresh strawberries as desired.

Banana Bread Waffles

Taken from The Novice Chef

4 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
1 cup plus 2 tbsp. warm milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tbsp. brown sugar
1½ tsp. yeast
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. ground cinnamon
¼ tsp. ground nutmeg
Dash of ground ginger
Dash of ground clove
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 3 whole bananas)
2 tbsp. sour cream

In a small bowl, whisk together the melted butter, warm milk and vanilla extract. Set aside. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, yeast, salt and spices. Whisk together to blend. Add the wet ingredients to the bowl and whisk just until smooth. Whisk in the eggs until incorporated. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 12 hours, and up to 24 hours. When you are ready to make the waffles, remove the batter from the refrigerator and let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. It should be about doubled in size and there should be small bubbles on the surface.

Add the mashed bananas and sour cream or yogurt to the batter. Whisk lightly to incorporate into the batter. Cook in a preheated waffle maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Serve as desired with maple syrup and banana slices.

Orange Cranberry Scones

Taken from The Novice Chef

2 tablespoons freshly grated orange zest
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar plus 3 tablespoons additional if using fresh cranberries
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter, cut into bits
1 1/4 cups fresh cranberries, chopped coarse, or 1 1/4 cups dried cranberries
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1 cup heavy cream

Preheat oven to 400°F. and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a food processor pulse flour, 1/2 cup sugar, baking powder, salt, butter and zest until mixture resembles coarse meal and transfer to a large bowl.

In a small bowl toss together fresh cranberries and 3 tablespoons sugar and stir into flour mixture. If using dried fruit, add to flour mixture.

In another small bowl lightly beat egg and yolk and stir in cream. Add egg mixture to flour mixture and stir until just combined.

On a well-floured surface with floured hands pat dough into a 1-inch-thick square (about 8 inches in diameter) and cut out as many triangles as possible, re-rolling scraps as necessary. Arrange triangles about 1 inch apart on baking sheet and bake in middle of oven 15 to 20 minutes, or until pale golden.

Maple Oatmeal Scones

Taken from The Way the Cookie Crumbles

Scones
1 3/4 cups flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup quick-cooking oats
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
2 sticks cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1/4 cup buttermilk
1/4 maple syrup
2 large eggs, lightly beaten

Glaze
1/2 cup confectioners sugar
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the dry ingredients. Add in the cold butter at the lowest speed and mix until the butter is in pea-size pieces. Combine the buttermilk, syrup and eggs and add quickly to the flour mixture. Mix until just blended.
2. Place the dough onto a well floured surface. Flour your hands and a rolling pin and roll the dough until 1" thick. Cut into 3" rounds and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
3. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the tops are crisp.
4. Combine confectioners sugar, syrup and vanilla to make glaze. Cool the scones for 5 minutes and then drizzle each scone with 1 Tbsp glaze
   

Ramos House Pancakes

4 eggs
2 cups buttermilk
2 cups sour cream
2 cups flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp sugar
8 oz butter, melted

In a large mixing bowl, combine eggs, buttermilk, sour cream, melted butter and sugar. Whisk well and set aside. Sift together flour, baking soda and baking powder. Pour wet ingredients into the dry. Whisk together. Pour batter in circles on a hot griddle.

Omelet For Two

Taken from Barefoot Contessa

1/4 pound good thick-cut bacon
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 cup medium-diced Yukon gold potato
1/2 cup chopped yellow onion
5 extra-large eggs
2 tablespoons milk or cream
salt
freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup chopped scallions, white and green parts
4 ounces extra-sharp Cheddar, diced, plus extra grated cheese, for garnish

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Cut the bacon crosswise in 1-inch slices. Cook the bacon in an 8-inch ovenproof saute pan over medium-low heat for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until browned. Drain the bacon on paper towels and discard the fat from the pan. Add the butter to the pan, and then add the potato and yellow onion. Cook over medium-low heat for about 10 minutes, tossing occasionally, until the onion starts to brown and the potato is tender but firm.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, beat the eggs, milk, salt, and pepper together with a fork. Stir in the scallions and diced Cheddar. When the potato is cooked, add the bacon to the pan and pour over the egg mixture. Place the pan in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes, until the omelet puffs and the eggs are almost cooked in the center. Sprinkle with a handful of grated Cheddar and bake for another minute. Serve hot directly from the pan.

Marscapone Stuffed French Toast

Taken from Blakes Makes

For The French Toast:

• 8 slices (1/2 inch thick) of good bread (we used a small Country French round from Whole Foods)
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1/4 tsp. salt

For The Mascarpone Filling:

• 1 8oz. tub Mascarpone cheese
• 3 to 4 tblsp. dark brown sugar
• 1 tsp. (good, Bourbon) vanilla
• dash of cinnamon

For The Berry Sauce:

• 1 1/2 cups fresh berries (we used blackberries and strawberries)
• 1 tblsp. lemon juice
• Sugar (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350.
Blend the Mascarpone with the brown sugar, vanilla and cinnamon. It will turn an amazing buff color, and will smell amazing, too. We would have had more to work with at meal time, but I made it last night (to make things easy this morning) and we couldn’t keep our little fingers out of it.

Slice the bread. Next, make little Mascarpone sandwiches by spreading a generous amount of the filling between slices. Beat the eggs, milk and salt together (I do this in a baking dish). Place the sandwiches in the egg mixture, and press down lightly so the spongy bread can drink in the yellow bliss.

Turn the sandwiches over, and repeat.

Heat some butter (enough to cover the bottom) in a skillet over medium-high heat. When the butter starts talking to you (bubbling, sputtering), place the sopping sandwiches in the skillet.

Cook for about 2 minutes on either side until golden brown. Add the French toast to a fresh, buttered baking dish. Pop them in the oven for about 5 minutes (until they cook through).

While the toast is in the oven, toss some berries with a little lemon juice in a blender. I used about a cup of fresh strawberries, and about half a cup of fresh blackberries. After the blitz, I pass the sauce through a sieve to remove the pesky little seeds, and to make the sauce silky-smooth.

The oven timer dings. I take the toast out. One French toast sandwich on a plate (I heat the plates in the microwave for 2 minutes). Drizzle over a little berry sauce, and garnish with some whole, fresh berries. Devour.

French Toast Strata

Taken from Busy Mom's Cookbook


INGREDIENTS

• 1 (1 pound) loaf cinnamon bread, cubed
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, diced
• 8 eggs
• 2 1/2 cups half-and-half cream
• 6 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• Cinnamon

DIRECTIONS

1. Cube bread and let set in open air for about a day, allowing it to become stale.
2. Coat a 9x13 inch baking dish with cooking spray. Arrange 1/2 of the cubed bread in the bottom of the dish. Sprinkle the cream cheese evenly over the bread, and sprinkle with cinnamon. Top with remaining bread.
3. In a large bowl, beat the eggs with the cream, butter, and 1/4 cup maple syrup. Pour over the bread mixture. Cover with plastic wrap, and press down so that all bread pieces are soaked. Refrigerate at least 2 hours.
4. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
5. Drizzle remaining maple syrup on top.
6. Bake 45 minutes in the preheated oven. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Clark's Quiche

Taken from allrecipes.com

INGREDIENTS
1/2 pound thick sliced bacon
1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed
1 (8 ounce) container sour cream
salt and pepper to taste
2 (9 inch) unbaked pie crusts
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, finely diced
1/2 pound fresh mushrooms, finely diced
2 cups finely diced smoked ham
8 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
8 ounces Cheddar cheese, shredded
4 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated
8 eggs
1 1/2 cups half-and-half cream
1 tablespoon dried parsley
salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium-high heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble, and set aside. Cook spinach according to package instructions. Allow to cool, then squeeze dry.

Heat olive oil in skillet over medium heat. Saute onions until soft and translucent. Stir in mushrooms, and cook for 2 minutes, or until soft. Stir in ham and cooked bacon. Remove from heat.

In a large bowl, combine spinach, sour cream, salt and pepper. Divide, and spread into pie crusts. Layer with bacon mixture. Mix together Monterey Jack, Cheddar and Parmesan, and sprinkle over pies. Whisk together eggs, half-and-half and parsley. Season with salt and pepper, and pour over pies.

Place pies on baking sheet, and bake on middle shelf in preheated oven for 40 minutes. The top will be puffed and golden brown. Remove from oven, and let stand for 5 to 10 minutes.