Homemade Cinnamon Rolls

I love Pillsbury cinnamon rolls. When my mom makes them it is a trial in willpower to stop myself at two. I'd never made them from scratch because it's something you have to start the night before (not that morning trying to decide what to make). As long as you know in advance you want to make them, it's not a lot of work and they're delicious. They're not quite as sweet as the Pillsbury variety and they're so doughy and warm and wonderful. This makes 12 and I don't think you'll have trouble finishing them off. I used this recipe from Alton Brown.

Ingredients:
4 egg yolks, room temp
1 egg, room temp
1/4 cup sugar
6 tbsp butter, melted
6oz buttermilk, room temp
4 cups flour
1 package instant dry yeast
1 1/4 tsp salt

Hashbrown Fondue

I have been looking for an excuse to make this recipe for years, ever since I saw it on Alex's Day Off 5+ years ago. Last weekend, a whole big group of us went to my friend's house in the Poconos, I finally had a group big enough, and I was assigned breakfast duty - perfect! They were so, so good. So decadent and perfect for a group. This is not light in the least, but with enough people you're not eating too much of it. The wine adds a really nice flavor, but if you don't have any around, you can swap in chicken broth with a little vinegar in it. I used a mix of potatoes, including purple, just because they had them at the market, but any regular potato with do. 

Ingredients:

2 tbsp vegetable oil

2 tbsp butter

2-3 large potatoes, cut into 1 1/2" cubes

Kosher salt and black pepper

1 bunch scallions, halved and thinly sliced

1/2 cup white wine

1 small wheel of Camembert or Brie with the rind cut off the bottom

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add the oil. Once it starts to lightly smoke, add the butter and potatoes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes until they become tender and crispy. Add the scallions and the wine. 

Season again with salt and pepper and increase the heat. Cook for 5-8 more minutes so the potatoes are browning, adding more butter if needed. 

Put the cheese on top of everything in the middle of the skillet, open side down.

Pop the whole thing in the oven until the cheese melts, about 10 minutes. 

The potatoes should be tender when pierced with a knife. 

We had a nice al fresco breakfast with some delicious strawberries and blueberries. 

And, of course, some bacon and eggs. Also, our friends got ENGAGED later that day. Congratulations Lane and Burgee!!

Monkey Bread

This is such a delicious breakfast, and great for a group. It makes a lot, so be sure to invite some friends over for this one. It's definitely not healthy, but it's so gooey and sweet and tasty, and it's fun to grab the pieces off with your hands. I didn't get a picture of it whole because no one could resist it. 

Ingredients:

2 cans Pillsbury Grands biscuits

1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 cup raisins 

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar

3/4 cup butter, melted

Egg in a Cloud

I went to Almar the other day for breakfast and tried their egg in a cloud. It was so cool. They separated the yolk and whites and fluffed up the whites and baked them and poached the yolks and served it on top of brioche toast with ham and cheese. It was delicious. While it looks super cool, I didn't think it would be that hard to try at home. Mom and Jamie were my guinea pigs and it was great! Definitely more complicated than the average egg recipe but it's delicious and such a cool presentation. Would be great for a brunch!

Omelette

I'm usually a Bismarck person, and when it comes to eggs I usually go scrambled, fried, or One-Eyed Connolly, but last weekend I wanted to try out an omelette (mostly because I had spinach, fontina, and herbs in the fridge). It was really easy and very tasty, and you can put whatever you want in the middle. I opted for some sauted spinach and scallions with parsley, dill, and fontina. Yum. You just need a non-stick pan.

The General Greene

Last weekend it was 50 and sunny, so Jamie and I hopped on Citi Bikes and biked over to Fort Greene to meet friends for brunch. We went to The General Greene. We sat right down, it was nice and sunny inside, and the food was tasty. The grits with the steak and eggs was my favorite, and I love any egg dish that comes with salad (this did). I'd never been to Fort Greene - now I want to bike back over and try some more spots. So cute. 

Eggs Benedict

I love Eggs Benedict. People are scared of making Hollandaise at home, but it's really not that hard. It's also such a special breakfast to have at home and makes dreary, cold Sunday mornings a bit more bearable. 

Serves 2

Ingredients:

2 English muffins

4 pieces Canadian Bacon

5 eggs

4 tbsp butter

2 tsp lemon juice

salt and pepper

1 tbsp vinegar

1 scallion, thinly sliced

Directions:

First you want to make the Hollandaise. 

Apple Butter

We stopped at a farm stand and they had a bin full of bruised apples that were super cheap, so I thought it was a perfect time to make apple sauce. When we got back, I thought I'd try to make apple butter instead. It's basically apple sauce cooked down to a thick spread. It makes the entire house smell like apples and cinnamon and fall amazingness. I can't wait to spread it on toast or an English muffin tomorrow. Using a food mill makes it so you don't have to peel the apples, and adds extra flavor to the sauce. I also use cider instead of water for a more intense apple flavor.

Makes one small jar and 

Ingredients:

6 apples, cored 

2 cinnamon sticks

about 2 cups of apple cider

1/4 cup brown sugar

pinch of salt

1 tbsp lemon juice

Directions:

Halve the apples, slice and chop in half. Throw them in a heavy-bottomed pot and pour in enough apple cider to start coming up the sides. Throw in a pinch of salt and the cinnamon sticks. 

Fried Eggs and Latkes

 

Another Smitten Kitchen recipe. This is a nice change from hashbrowns and a great little breakfast.

Ingredients:
1 large baking potato, peeled
1 small onion, peeled
1/4 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 large egg, lightly beaten
vegetable oil
fried eggs

Directions:
Preheat oven to 250 and line a baking sheet with foil. In a food processor or with a box grater, coarsely shred the potato and onion. Transfer it to a cheesecloth or paper towel or dish cloth and drain it. In a large bowl whisk the flour, egg, baking powder, salt, pepper, ad egg together. Stir in the potato mixture until all the pieces are evenly coated.

Smitten Kitchen's Cinnamon French Toast

This is the a great way to make French Toast for a group. By making cinnamon toast first, the flavor is cinnamony and great, adding some extra sweetness. It's perfect for when you have a group of people to feed for breakfast and you don't want to serve everyone one by one and have to eat alone at the end. Very tasty!

Serves 4 (double to serve 8)
Ingredients:
1/2 tbsp cinnamon
1/2 cup sugar
8 pieces of white toast
1/2 stick butter
1 1/2 cups whole milk
3 eggs
pinch of salt
1 tsp vanilla
maple syrup

Directions:
To make cinnamon toast, preheat oven to 450. Whisk cinnamon and sugar together in a small bowl. Line a baking sheet with foil and place bread on the sheet.

Apple Sauce

Right before Sandy struck, I pulled out the trusty food mill and decided to make some apple sauce. It just seemed good for stormy weather. I went to Gristedes, which was hopping and didn't have any carts or baskets, and piled lots of apples in my arms hoping they wouldn't tumble before I could check out. The apple sauce was so tasty, and the food mill makes it velvety and smooth. It's also really simple. It took about half an hour and it was way better than store bought. I went off the Cook's Illustrated basic apple sauce recipe; fool proof, really. Leaving the skin on while you cook gives it a lot more flavor.

Bismarck

Anyone who has spent the night at my house or my parents house has probably tasted the wonder that is Bismarck. I don't know where the recipe came from, but my family has been making it for weekend breakfasts as long as I can remember. I'm told it's like Yorkshire pudding. It is the crispiest, fluffiest, hands down best sweet breakfast food (I would pick Bismarck over pancakes or waffles any day of the week). You slice it up like a pie and serve it with maple syrup. Great with a little bacon, too, to dip in the syrup run off!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup milk
2 eggs
1/2 stick of butter

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 450. Put the butter in a medium cast iron skillet and put in the oven while it warms up. In a bowl, whisk together the milk, eggs, and flour until smooth. Once the butter is melted, pour the batter into the skillet. Cook for about 15 minutes until it's fluffy and a little browned. Cut into wedges and serve with syrup!

Patisserie Claude

Any West Village resident has probably stopped in (or at least strolled by) Claude's on West 4th Street. This teeny, unassuming bakery has the flakiest pastries outside of Paris - and their meringues are incredible as well. This morning, I wanted to treat myself to a special breakfast. (After spending two days on Nantucket and indulging in amazing oysters, crab cakes, rabbit tagine, clam chowder, and chicken liver pâté at TOPPER'S and Brant Point Grill, I didn't eat much last night and was finally hungry again this morning.) I got a pain au chocolat (chocolate croissant). It's fabulous! I just finished it and I am now picking up the flakes of crumbs to eat. Their croissants are great too, but I was craving something sweet this morning. If you live in the West Village, or are in the neighborhood around breakfast time, definitely stop in for a latte and a pastry. Or pick up some meringues for a dinner party dessert!


Patisserie Claude
187 West 4th Street (between Barrow and Jones)
New York, NY 10014

spruced up eggs benedict

People tend to find eggs benedict a little intimidating, but it's really not that hard. If you have butter, eggs, lemon, and bread of some sort, you're good. Last weekend I had a loaf of sour dough bread and got a few slices of prosciutto and hot sopressata at Faicco's. I also had some herbs (tarragon, thyme, and chives) in the fridge. With the great salty/spicy meat, the sourdough, and the fresh herb Hollandaise, this turned into arguably the best eggs benedict I've ever had.

Ingredients:
3 eggs
2 tbsp melted butter
lemon
fresh herbs (ideally thyme, tarragon, and chives)
2 slices hot sopressata
2 slices prosciutto
2 slices of sourdough

Directions:
Chop up the herbs (about 2 tsp). Separate the yolk and the white and put the yolk in a small bowl. Throw in a pinch of salt and whip up the yolk with a whisk. Slowly pour in the melted butter while whisking until it thickens. Squeeze in a little lemon juice (about 1/2 tsp) and the herbs and stir it up.
Poach the two eggs, drain them on a paper towel. Put the slices of meat on the toast, put the egg on the meat, and pour the Hollandaise over the egg.
Enjoy and impress!

Breakfast in Bed

With the 2 slices of prosciutto I had leftover from my PLT, I decided to try making an egg cup. I'd seen it before in a cook book or cooking show and wanted to try it myself. It was easy and very tasty, especially on top of a salad. (I love salad and eggs together.) It looks special and only takes about 15 minutes.

I made it for Jamie, so this is for two people, but just add another egg and prosciutto slice per person.

Ingredients
2 eggs
2 slices prosciutto
non-stick cooking spray
2 thin slices of butter
2 tbsp grated cheese (I used pecorino romano)

Directions
Preheat the oven to 375. Spray two cups of a muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray. Cut each slice of prosciutto in half and put one piece down first in the cup, then the other perpendicularly on top so the prosciutto comes up a little above the muffin cup. Do this again for the 2nd piece.

Put half the grated cheese at the bottoms of the cups and put a little slice of butter on each little pile of cheese. Then crack an egg into each prosciutto cup. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top, along with a sprinkle of salt and pepper and a pinch of paprika. Put them into the oven for 10-15 minutes, depending how cooked you want the yolks. (At 15 minutes they will be pretty much completely cooked through.)

I made a simple salad, piled a little on each plate, then topped it with the egg cup. Yum!