Pain Perdu - Classic Fresh Toast

This easy classic makes for a great start to your day.  This cost $5 feeds two and takes 20 minutes.

Pain Perdu
1 Loaf country white bread (or brioche) from the baker, unsliced
4 farm raised eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon orange zest
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 dash cinnamon
1 teaspoon kosher salt

Whisk all the ingredients in a shallow bowl.  Slice bread about 1.5 inches thick and let soak on each side for about 2 minutes in the egg mixture.  Cook in a large flat pan with a touch of butter on medium heat. Brown on each side and then remove and place on a large baking rack in a 250 degree oven to keep warm and continue cooking through.  Serve with real maple syrup and powdered sugar.  Buon Apetito!

Veggie and Cheddar Omelet

I love making breakfast. I have about 10 different ways that I make omelets. I guess the style depends on the fillings and my mood. I felt like this folded style would work good for this prep. This takes 10 minutes, costs about $4 and feeds one or two depending on how hungry you are.

Veggie and Cheddar Omelet

1 teaspoon olive oil
1/8 cup of red onion, diced
1/8 cup of bell peppers, diced
1/8 cup of fresh tomatoes, diced
chuck of aged white cheddar, chopped
fresh parsley
2 large cage free organic eggs, scrambled

Start a large sautee pan with the oil. Add the veggies and sautee until desired tenderness. Season with salt & pepper and remove from the pan and set aside. In the same pan add a bit more oil to coat the bottom. Turn heat to medium low and add the eggs. Coat the pan evenly with the eggs, season with salt & pepper and let cook for about 2 minutes. Turn off the heat, add the veggies to one half, the the parsley and cheddar cheese. Turn off the heat and fold the omelet, its easier if you use two spatulas at once. Slide it out of the pan and serve.

I added some watercress for greens and a toasted whole wheat english muffin with butter to finish off the quick and delicious breakfast. Enjoy!

Eggs Benedict

This is my all time favorite breakfast. Its another one of the seemingly easy classics that most every restaurant doesn't do right. Its the little details like how to cook the egg and the muffin that make a world of difference in taste and texture. I also made the hollandaise sauce from scratch which is easy but quite the arm workout. I was out of Canadian Bacon so I used some sliced deli turkey breast I had leftover. This feeds 2 people for under $10. Here we go.


Hollandaise

2 eggs, yolks only
2 teaspoons of fresh lemon juice (or 1 teaspoon vinegar)
1 teaspoon of hot sauce (or a pinch of cayenne pepper)
1 teaspoon warm water
pinch of sugar
pinch of salt
1 stick of butter, melted in the microwave

Start a small sauce pan with 2 cups of water, bring it to a boil and turn it to simmer (low). In a metal mixing bowl add all the ingredients except the butter. Whisk the ingredients for 3 minutes or until the mixture doubles in size. Now place the metal mixing bowl over the top of the sauce pan (rest it on top) and whisk for another 2 minutes. Have someone else (a lot easier) slowly pour in the butter while you continue to whisk the mixture. Whisk for 5 minutes once the butter has been incorporated. Place in a warm area, like near the stove top, and whisk every few minutes until you use it so that it doesnt seperate.

Poached Eggs
4 cage free eggs
1 tablespoon white vinegar

Fill a medium sauce pot with water and bring to a boil. Add 1 tablespoons of white vinegar. This helps the egg white stay together. Crack the eggs into a ladle and slowly lower the ladle in to the water, wait 30 seconds and turn the ladle over. Repeat this process with all 4 eggs, place the first egg in the pot at "6 o'clock" and the second at 9 o'clock, 3rd at 12 and 4th at 3. This way you know which was the first egg you put in. 4 minutes after first egg was put in, scoop it out with a slotted spoon and place it on a flat side plate. Grab the rest of the eggs, in order and one at a time and place them on the side plate. Put a few spoons of hot water on the the plate to keep the eggs hot and moist, cover with a pot lid for a few extra minutes of holding time.

English Muffins and Meat
2 English muffins
2 tablespoons of butter

Remove the 2 muffin from the package and DO NOT split them. Bake the whole english muffins in a toaster oven or conventional oven at 350 for 10 minutes. Start a medium sauté pan with the butter. Take the muffins from the oven and open them, careful they will be hot. Place them face down in the saute pan until they get golden brown. At this point I added the turkey to the pan to get it some color and bring out the flavor, let it cook about 1 minute on each side. Turn the english muffins over and let them brown up a bit on the bottom while the meat cooks.


To plate place each side of the muffin on a plate, top that with the turkey. Place a poached egg on each muffin and top with the hollandaise. I added a bit of basil for color and because the pictures weren't as delicious looking without. SO now you know my favorite breakfast, what is yours??

Swiss Omelet with EXTRA Crispy Bacon and Toast

Perfect omelets are easier then many people think. This is a fool proof way to make a perfect omelet every time.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Sauté red and green bell peppers, green onion and white onions. Start a separate, large non-stick pan on medium heat, once it is hot add equal parts butter and olive oil to coat pan. Add the scrambled eggs and let them set for 2 minutes. Then add the cooked veggies and top that with your favorite cheese and herbs (I chose swiss and cilantro). Place the whole pan in the oven and cook for about 7 minutes or until the top is firm. Remove from oven and let cool.



Extra Crispy bacon is literally the best thing since sliced bread. To get perfect bacon you need to get bakin. Use a large sheet pan lined with aluminum foil. Lay bacon on the tray close but not overlapping. Cook for about 30 minutes at 325 degrees, half way through blot the bacon to suck up the excess fat. Let sit for 10 minutes and blot again. Best Bacon Ever!

For the best timing you would start the bacon, then sauté the veggies. At fifteen minutes left for the bacon you start the omelet and finish it all about the same time

I also toasted a sandwich thin, buttered it and cut it into fours. I made it into a circle for fun...I guess. More likely it was for you guys. Enjoy!