bacon cheddar quick bread

I've never had a desire to bake my own bread, but I guess that's the next step in my adoption of the "slow food" trend. When I saw this recipe for a bacon and cheddar quick bread in the October 2008 issue of Bon Appetit, it was time to bite the bullet. It only took a few minutes to put together, and made a great breakfast. This would be a great bread to throw together if you have house guests - impressive but very hands-off.

Grocery list: 5 slices bacon, 6 oz cheddar, 1/2 cup dried fruit (original recipe called for dried pears; I used dried cranberries), 1/3 cup walnuts, 1 T fresh sage (minced), 1 3/4 cup AP flour, 1 T baking powder, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp ground black pepper, 3 eggs, 1/3 cup whole milk, 1/3 cup olive oil.



First, chop up 5 slices of bacon and crisp it in a pan, then drain over paper towels.



Mix your "wet" ingredients - whisk 3 eggs and the milk and olive oil together.



Stir your dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, salt, pepper) together in a large bowl. Pour the egg mixture into the flour, and stir just enough to combine (don't overwork the batter, it's good if it's chunky).



The recipe called for 1 cup grated cheddar plus 1/2 cup of 1/4 inch cubes of cheese. For color more than anything, I used yellow extra-sharp cheddar for the grated 1 cup of cheese, and then cubed some seaside extra sharp white cheddar to make the extra 1/2 cup. Fold the cheese, dried fruit, walnuts (toasted and chopped), sage, and bacon pieces into the dough.



Grease the sides and bottom of a one pound loaf pan (8.5" x 4.5" x 2.5"), and spoon the dough in. Bake at 350 degrees on the center oven rack, until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. The recipe said 55 minutes (an exact number, which I interpreted as authoritative - should have checked it at 45-50 minutes, as it turned out a touch drier than I would have liked). Cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Loosen the sides of the loaf from the pan with a knife, then invert on a rack and allow to cool to desired temperature.

banana flambe french toast

Would it be completely ridiculous to admit I made such an indulgent breakfast on a weekday? Well, I did. No special occasion either. I just had 2 overripe bananas and a couple of half-stale loaves of brioche from the sale rack of the farmer's market that I had to get rid of, and a Thursday seemed as good a time as any. I've covered my yogurt french toast recipe before - it's SO easy, breakfast is done in 10 minutes, no exaggeration. This time I just made some bananas on the side. Try it and see what you think (my hungry bear said he liked it as much as the strawberry version, which is a good sign).

Grocery list: 1/2 cup yogurt, 1/4 cup milk, 2 eggs, vanilla, nutmeg, cinnamon, butter, brioche or challah bread, a couple bananas, sugar, orange liquor (I used Cointreau), orange juice.



Make the french toast as usual. While it's cooking, melt a few tablespoons butter in a small saute pan over medium-high heat. Stir in about 1/2 cup orange juice and bring to a boil. Add the sliced bananas and a couple tablespoons sugar, and a generous splash (or 3) of Cointreau. It will simmer very quickly and turn into a nice syrup after a few minutes - just keep stirring. The longer you let it cook, the thicker the syrup will get. Pour over the french toast slices and sprinkle with powdered sugar.

wild mushroom crostini

The same great article in Bon Appetit ("Molto Americano" - new Italian restaurant recipes) that featured the SPQR lamb cacciatore also had a recipe for the side dish I made that night: wild mushroom crostini, from Baltimore's Cinghiale restaurant. All that was involved was toasting some slices of bread, sauteing some wild mushrooms, and topping with a quick thyme vinaigrette and truffle oil. While these 2 recipes were from different restaurants, they complemented each other remarkably well.  As an added bonus, together they took less than 30 minutes total prep time - perfect for a weeknight.

Grocery list: butter, 12 oz wild mushrooms (shiitake, oyster, crimini, etc), fresh thyme, red wine vinegar, mayo, 1 shallot, olive oil, slices of rustic bread, truffle oil.



To make the topping, simple saute the sliced mushrooms in butter over medium-high heat with 1-2 T chopped fresh thyme, for about 8 minutes (until browned). Season with salt and pepper, and remove from heat.



This recipe made MUCH more thyme vinaigrette than I needed for the crostinis. However, it wasn't wasted - I used the leftovers as a spread for turkey sandwiches with avocado and arugula. (This was another great way to spice up a boring turkey sandwich.)



In a food processor, pulse 1/4 cup red wine vinegar, 3 T fresh thyme leaves, 2T mayo, and 1 small chopped shallot. Slowly pour in 1/3 -1/2 cup olive oil while the machine is running. Season with salt and pepper to taste.



Brush the bread slices with a little olive oil and bake at 400 degrees for 8 minutes (turning once), until slightly crisp.



Mound some of the mushrooms on each piece, drizzle with the vinaigrette, and top with just a bit of truffle oil. I think this would make a great appetizer (I'd use a sliced baguette instead), since it's so easy to make ahead and assemble at the last minute.

mushrooms and leeks with pecorino fonduta

It should be fairly obvious by now that I have an obsession with Food & Wine magazine, and especially any of their Italian recipes, so this recipe from their April 2008 issue is right up my alley. According to the article, fonduta is basically Italian fondue. You serve this easy-as-possible cheese sauce over sauteed leeks and mushrooms, which rest on top of crusted slices of baguette. So simple and unique.

Grocery list: butter, 2 pounds leeks, 4 garlic cloves, 1 pound wild mushrooms, rosemary, half-and-half, parmesan cheese, pecorino cheese, balsamic vinegar, grilled italian bread slices.


Start by melting a stick of butter in a large skillet over medium low heat. Add 4 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced, and the leeks. (Side note: to prepare leeks, chop off the tough green leaves and the very end of the white root; slice lengthwise and rinse under cool water, trying to separate the leaves to get the water into all the crevices. Chop the white and tender green parts only, about 1/2 inch slices, then place in a bowl of cold water. Let them soak for a few minutes, then squeeze and shake one handful at a time and remove to the pan you're cooking with.) Cook until softened, about 10 minutes.



Add the wild mushrooms and cook until the excess liquid has evaporated and they are tender, about 20 minutes. Stir in 1 tsp minced rosemary, season with salt and pepper, then keep warm.



In a small saucepan, bring 1 cup half-and-half (the original calls for cream, but I don't use cream unless it's absolutely necessary) to a boil and reduce to 2/3 cup, about 7 minutes. Turn off the flame and stir in 1/2 cup grated parmesan and 1/4 cup grated pecorino.



Drizzle the mushrooms with a few teaspoons of balsamic vinegar, then serve over the bread slices. Top with the fonduta.

berry brioche bread pudding

When I suggested bread pudding for dessert, my boyfriend, who has never had it before, screwed up his nose and said "sounds disgusting." I had to explain that it's like having french toast for dessert to get him even slightly interested. This is a great recipe for bread pudding -- easy to make ahead, crunchy on the top and bottom, and the perfect contrast between the sweet brioche bread and the tart fresh berries. Top it off with a dollop of homemade whipped cream, and now I've got one more fan of bread pudding converted.

Grocery list: 1 pound pan of brioche rolls, raw/turbinado sugar, 2 cups whole milk, 2 cups half and half (the original recipe called for heavy cream, but I couldn't do it), 4 eggs, 4 egg yolks, vanilla extract, blueberries, raspberries, sugar, salt, whipping cream + powdered sugar.



Cut the brioche into 1/2 inch dice (I didn't know what brioche was before this recipe -- the picture above is a loaf of brioche rolls, removed from the tin pan they came in). Over medium-high heat, bring 2c half and half, 2c milk, 3/4 c granulated sugar and 1 tsp kosher salt to a simmer, then turn off the heat.



In a very large bowl, whisk the eggs and the egg yolks together, then whisk in 1 1/2 tsp of vanilla. Continue whisking and slowly pour in the warm cream mixture. Fold in the brioche pieces. Let stand while you prep the pan and the berries.



To prep the pan, butter an 8 x 11 pyrex dish, then sprinkle turbinado sugar generously on the bottom. This is what makes the bottom of the pudding crunchy. In a bowl, coarsely mash 1 cup each blueberries and raspberries with 2 T of sugar. Let stand for 5 minutes so the sugar reacts with the berries to release more juices.



Fold the berries into the custard. Pour into the baking dish, and sprinkle more sugar across the top. The bread pudding will rise quite a bit while it bakes, so cover only loosely with foil. If the pudding is already near the top of the pan, you may want to put the baking dish over a separate pan in the oven to catch some of the juice if it overflows. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes, then remove the foil and bake for 20 minutes more, moving the pudding to the top third of the oven. Then broil the pudding for about 1-2 minutes until the top is golden brown. Let it stand on a rack for 20-30 minutes (or longer) until you're ready to serve it.



To make whipped cream, beat 3/4 cup whipping cream with a hand mixer. Add 4 T of powdered sugar, one at a time, while continuously mixing. After 1-2 minutes, the whipped cream will thicken to the right texture.

challah french toast

this is my favorite french toast recipe ever. it's actually not as unhealthy for you as most, since it reduces fat and adds more protein by substituting vanilla yogurt for a lot of the cream and eggs. grocery list: 1 loaf challah bread, 3 eggs, 3/4 c vanilla yogurt, 1/2 c milk, dash vanilla, nutmeg, cinnamon. strawberries and powdered sugar for topping (or just syrup if you prefer).



i love challah bread for french toast -- you can find this in the bakery section of any grocery store. slice off the end pieces and then cut on the diagonal. lay all the slices flat in a large pan (or 2 pans if needed).

make the batter: beat the eggs, then add the other ingredients and mix well (the vanilla, nutmeg and cinnamon -- maybe 1T, 1/2 tsp, 1 tsp, if i had to put a measurement on them?). pour over the bread slices, flip and make sure there is batter touching all pieces. let stand for a few minutes.



in 2 big fry pans, heat 1 T butter in each pan over med-high heat, plus drizzle about 1 tsp vegetable oil in each to keep butter from browning too much. fry the toast slices till brown.