Benny and the Jets: Eggs Benedict with Fresh English Muffins

Eggs Benny is one of my favourite brunch dishes. I'd never attempted to make it at home before but seeing as it isn't terribly tricky to prepare, this definitely goes in the "Make it Again" file. Actually, it would be even faster if I didn't make the English muffins as well. My previous Eggs Benedict encounters have shown that crab cakes and even pancakes make perfectly suitable bases.

Is it worth making the English muffins from scratch? If you have time, then go for it! I prefer the flavor of these (none of that slight tanginess in the packaged versions). That being said, there is a difference in texture. These are more uniformly crumbed and bread-like, rather than filled with the nooks and crannies characteristic of the store-bought ones. The dough is prepared like a normal yeast dough, but the muffins are baked on a griddle which browns them on the top and bottom. 

Of course, it wouldn't be Eggs Benedict without the velvety Hollandaise sauce draped on top. The sauce is made from very few ingredients: just lemon, egg yolks and butter. The mixture must be whisked constantly over a water bath to keep it from curdling and splitting. (If it does split, remove it from the heat and throw in a tablespoon of cold water, whisking quickly.) Since it was too early to do all that whisking by hand (...okay, okay, it was past noon), having a hand mixer came in... handy.

Oh, and rather than topping the English muffin with the usual Canadian bacon, I used some smoked Sockeye salmon for a little West Coastiness. :) 

Recipe after the jump!

The Lady's Brunch Burger (Oh Paula...)

Every once in a while, you come across a recipe that makes you go "Huh??" This is one of them.

I was talking to a friend the other day and she mentioned this heart attack on a plate: a burger served between two doughnuts. For breakfast. I thought she was kidding. Out of curiosity, I did a search for it. Apparently, it was aired on a Paula Deen "Paula's Home Cooking" episode last year (so for some of you, this may be old news...) Paula's recipes are great sometimes; they are definitely satisfying and home-y. But occasionally I wonder if some of the recipes are included for entertainment value. This is certainly one of them.

Imagine, you wake up and head to the kitchen to whip up something for brunch. What are you in the mood to have? How about a beef burger, loaded up with bacon and a fried egg, served between two glazed doughnuts. Mmmm.

(No, I didn't make this. I don't fancy consuming an entire day's calories in one sitting. Granted, the recipe does also suggest using English muffins or burger buns...but where's the fun in that??)

Ladies and gentlemen, may I present "The Lady's Brunch Burger"

• 1 1/2 pounds beef
• 3 tablespoons freshly chopped parsley leaves
• 2 tablespoons grated onion
• House Seasoning, recipe follows
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 3 eggs
• 6 slices bacon, cooked
• 3 hamburger buns
• 3 English muffins
• 6 glazed donuts

Mix the ground beef, chopped parsley and grated onion together in a large mixing bowl. Season liberally, with House Seasoning. Form 3 hamburger patties.

Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat and spray with non-stick cooking spray. Add the burgers and cook until desired temperature, 4 to 5 minutes per side for medium-rare.

Fry bacon in a hot pan until crisp. Remove and drain on paper towels. Set aside.

While burgers are cooking, heat a non-stick pan, over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons butter. Crack 3 eggs into the pan. Cook until the yolks are just set and still slightly runny and remove.

Place burger patties on English muffins or buns, and if desired, on glazed donuts, as the buns. Top each burger with 2 pieces of bacon and a fried egg.

House Seasoning

• 1 cup salt
• 1/4 cup black pepper
• 1/4 cup garlic powder

Mix ingredients together and store in an airtight container for up to 6 months.

Recipe and image source: Food Network

The Breakfast Club: Weekend Waffles

On occasion I do associate foods with certain weather. For example, I find hot chocolate to be the most satisfying when enjoyed outdoors, in the cold (rain, snow, or neither), preferably while doing some holiday shopping. Rainy day food falls into two categories: spicy warmth (curries and the like), and comfort food (think shepherd's pie). Sunshine brings fresh dishes with herbs and citrus. The golden lightness of these waffles and the berries' splash of colour make them perfect to enjoy on this sunny morning.

I am convinced that fresh berries (especially raspberries) and vanilla whipped cream is one of the best pairings the food world has to offer. Not only is the bright colour against the pristine white backdrop visually stunning, but the flavours are harmonious and scrumptious. The sweet, honeyed perfume just makes me happy.

The first waffles I made were from the recipe that came with the waffle iron. I think they're great so I have never used a different one. I suppose they're called "Weekend Waffles" because they require whipped egg whites for extra light, fluffy, crunchiness. They're so good that you could make them any time, no weekend required.

Weekend Waffles

1 cup flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
3 eggs, separated
1 cup milk
4 tablespoons oil
1 teaspoon vanilla

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. In another bowl, combine milk, egg yolks, oil, and vanilla. Whisk until combined.
Beat egg whites until stiff.
Add milk mixture to dry ingredients and stir until smooth. Fold in egg whites.

Pour batter into waffle iron (follow manufacturer's batter quantity suggestion). Cook until no steam escapes the iron (5-6 minutes).

Makes 4-6 waffles.

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The Breakfast Club: Cinnamon Raisin Bread

I was in a bread baking mood today so I decided to make this loaf of cinnamon-swirled goodness. It's a cross between raisin bread and cinnamon buns. The dough is leaner than a typical sweet dough recipe because it uses less butter and sugar, which I like because it makes eating one or two thick slices of this for breakfast a little more sensible. It's absolutely divine toasted and buttered up, or even better, spread with some cream cheese.

I kneaded the dough by hand since I'm not prepared to fry the motor of the electric mixer. It takes about 15 minutes to work in enough flour to develop the gluten in the dough. You can tell you're done kneading with the "windowpane test": take a small piece of dough and stretch it out. If you can stretch it into a thin, translucent "window" without the dough tearing, you're good to go. 15 minutes of kneading is a lengthy arm workout, but it's totally worth it.

The recipe makes two BIG loaves, but I made cinnamon buns with half of the dough. Those were consumed straight out of the oven. Unfortunately, no physical or photographic evidence remains.

Brown Sugar Raisin Bread:

Ingredients:

1 Tbs. active dry yeast

3 Tbs. granulated sugar

1 1/4 cups warm water (105° to 115°F)

1 cup warm milk (105° to 115°F)

3 Tbs. unsalted butter, melted

1 Tbs. salt

1 egg, lightly beaten

6 to 6 1/4 cups bread flour, plus more
as needed

3/4 cup golden raisins

3/4 cup dark raisins

For the filling:

2/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
mixed with 4 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

Directions:

In a bowl, sprinkle the yeast and a pinch of the granulated sugar over 1⁄2 cup of the water and stir to dissolve. Let stand until foamy, about 10 minutes.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the flat beater, combine the remaining 3/4 cup water, the milk, butter, the remaining granulated sugar, salt, egg and 2 cups of the flour. Beat on medium speed until creamy, about 1 minute. Add the yeast mixture and 1⁄2 cup of the flour and beat for 1 minute. Add the raisins, then beat in the remaining flour, 1⁄2 cup at a time, until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl.

Switch to the dough hook. Knead on medium-low speed, adding flour 1 Tbs. at a time if the dough sticks, until smooth and elastic, about 4 minutes. Transfer the dough to a greased deep bowl and turn to coat it. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature until doubled in bulk, 1 to 1 1⁄2 hours.

Lightly grease two 9-by-5-inch loaf pans.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured board. Divide the dough in half and roll or pat each half into an 8-by-12-inch rectangle. Lightly sprinkle each rectangle with half of the filling, leaving a 1-inch border on all sides. Beginning at a narrow end, tightly roll up each rectangle into a compact log. Pinch the ends and the long seam to seal in the filling. Place each log, seam side down, in a prepared pan. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature until the dough is about 1 inch above the rim of each pan, 1 to 1 1⁄2 hours.

Preheat an oven to 350°F. Bake until the loaves are golden brown and pull away from the sides of the pan, 35 to 40 minutes. Turn the loaves out onto wire racks and let cool completely. Makes two 9-by-5-inch loaves.

Adapted from Williams Sonoma-Bread

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The Breakfast Club: French Toast

In typical Pacific Northwest fashion, it's a little grey and drizzly out this morning. In other words, perfect french toast weather.

I had some good crusty french bread left over from paninis the other day. I sliced it up thick and let it dry up overnight--the staler the bread, the better it soaks up the custard.

I decided to try out a new recipe today. allrecipes.com has a recipe called "Fluffy French Toast" and (at last count) the 559 reviews and 4.5/5 star rating was enough to convince me to try it out. What made this recipe a little different is its use of flour. The flour gives it an excellent texture: hearty and not at all soggy. It turned out great; in Alton Brown terms, it was GBD (golden brown and delicious).

Fluffy French Toast:

• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup milk
• 1 pinch salt
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 12 thick slices bread

1. Measure flour into a large mixing bowl. Slowly whisk in the milk. Whisk in the salt, eggs, cinnamon, vanilla extract and sugar until smooth.
2. Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium heat.
3. Soak bread slices in mixture until saturated. Cook bread on each side until golden brown. Serve hot.

Credit to Bonnie and allrecipes.com

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