Breakfast Crepes

Let's put the myth that making crepes are hard to rest. People think crepes are hard to make because the first one ALWAYS comes out looking terrible! The truth is, you need to sacrifice that first crepe to the food Gods (and sometimes the second one too) until they start coming out looking great. No need for a special crepe making pan. Just good eyes, sensible heat, a good nonstick pan, and a little practice.

The good news.... crepes are one of the most inexpensive breakfasts foods you can make and the ingredients are pretty much on-hand in anyone's kitchen. So, get practicing!!!

8 crepes (4 servings)
10 minute prep time
3 minute cook time
15 minute inactive time

Ingredients
4 eggs
1 cup milk
1 cup water
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup butter, melted
2 cups flour

Filling Ideas
Strawberries, bananas, nutella, whipped cream, syrup


1. In a food processor, mix together eggs, milk, water, sugar, and salt. Add the melted butter and mix until well blended. Add flour and continue to process until smooth with no lumps. Pour into a mixing bowl, and let sit for 15 minutes to allow the bubbles to rise to the top.

2. Prepare whatever you would like for fillings. Sliced strawberries, bananas, Nutella (a chocolate hazelnut spread), fresh whipped almond cream, and Vermont maple syrup are a few of my favorites. I also like reconsituted raisins and crasins (1/2 cup of each, fill with water till it just covers the fruit, add a couple teaspoons for brown sugar, and boil for 15-25 minutes until the fruit is plump).

3. Heat a non-stick frying pan to medium heat. No need for the pan to be screaming hot. Spray with non-stick spray and pour slightly less then a 1/4 cup of batter into the middle of the pan. Pick-up the pan and rotate slowly to allow the batter to spread out evenly. The goal is to make a perfect circle. Put the pan back down on the burner and allow to cook until the edges are slightly dry. Using any method you like, flip the crepe over and start cooking the other side.

And now... and important Quick & Dirty Tip: it takes about 1 minute for each side to cook. When you flip it over, the crepe should still be pale or just starting to develop color. You don't want to brown the crepe as it will be too dry and not fold well. I use a fork and my thumb to flip these suckers over, some people use a spatula, and others use chop sticks. I say, whatever gets the job done without breaking the crepe is the correct way to do it.

4. THROW AWAY THE FIRST CREPE. Spray your pan with non-stick spray and start your second crepe. When it is finished (and this one should look a lot nicer), put on a towel lined cookie sheet and keep in a 180 degree oven until all the crepes are finished. As each one is finished cooking, stack them up right on top of each other.

5. To plate, fold 2 crapes in half, and then in half again. Put all your fillings on the side and let your friends and family stuff the crepes however they like. Enjoy!

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Quick & Dirty Tips:
Have fun with the fillings... the possibilities are endless.

If you want to make the process even faster, do two pans at a time! Or you can be crazy like me and trying doing four pans... that makes you a crepe master.

If the crepes are coming out dark, turn down the temperature on the stove. Getting the correct heat in the pan is key for crepes to come out well.

Jam & Coconut Thumbprint Cookies

Another great Ina Garten recipe that I have changed just a hair to my liking. I've spiked the dough with a healthy dose of almond extract (my favorite extract) and given the jam a citrus lift. The cookie dough for this recipe is a cross between a shortcake and biscotti that isn't fully cooked, giving the cookie a dry yet chewy texture. The coconut browns so nicely making the cookies look like edible pieces of art! These quickly became a staff and guest favorite. Enjoy!

16 Servings (2 cookies per serving)
15 minute prep time
1 hour inactive time
25 minute cook time

Ingredients
3 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons almond extract
3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
Pinch of Kosher salt
2/3 cup raspberry jam
2/3 cup orange marmalade
2 limes, juiced
2 eggs beaten with 2 tablespoons water
1 10 oz. bag of shredded coconut

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Preparation
1. In a mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until they are well combined. Add the vanilla and almond extracts and mix until combined.

2. Sift together flour and salt. Add flour mixture to the butter mixture over low speed until well combined and dough starts to come together as a ball. Turn out onto a floured surface, roll into a disk and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 1 hour.

3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare two baking sheets ungreased with parchment paper.

4. Mix together raspberry jam and the juice of one lime and set aside. Repeat for the orange marmalade.

5. Prepare a dipping station with two bowls. One with the egg and water mixture. The other with the shredded coconut.

6. Roll dough into 32 even balls, about 1 1/4 inch each or about 1 ounce each, if you have a kitchen scale. Dip each ball into egg wash and then roll in coconut. Place 8 cookies on each baking sheet.

7. Press an indentation on the top of each cookie with your thumb. Drop about 1/4 teaspoon of jam into each cookie. Alternate batches between the two different jams.

8. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until the coconut is golden brown. Cool and serve!

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Quick & Dirty Tips
You can use any kind of jam or preserves that you like for this recipe. Raspberry and orange marmalade just happen to be what I had on hand this time. I would avoid jellies as they are to watery to hold up to the baking process.

Really only use 1/4 teaspoon of jam on each cookie. It doesn't look like much, but as it cooks, it bubbles and spreads. To much jam results in a cookie with jam all over the top and sides. Still tastes great... but doesn't look as nice!

Don't melt the butter in the microwave. Let it get to room temperature on it's own. It really makes a difference in how it bakes off later.

Banana Bread

I love sweet breads and especially ones that make your whole house smell good when they are baking. Every time I make banana bread, I swear guests come flocking to the kitchen with curiosity on their face and only one question on their mind, "What 'cha making?"

I have a friend who sells houses and when she is showing, she always puts something in the oven that will take a while to bake, like a banana bread. She swears that when she does this, clients visualize themselves in the house, it makes them fall in love with the house, and they buy the house. She gets paid for doing her job and gets a nice loaf of banana bread to boot!

One bowl, one spoon, and only a handful of ingredients that you already have in your cupboards. Double it, triple it, quadruple it... You can't go wrong with this recipe! Enjoy....

8 Servings
10 minute prep time
65 minute cook time

Ingredients
4 large ripe bananas
1/3 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
Pinch of salt
2 cups all-purpose flour

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Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a 4x8 inch loaf pan with non-stick spray. Set aside.

2. With peels on, heat bananas in the microwave just to warm them up; about 45 seconds. Peel and mash in a large mixing bowl with a wooden spoon. Add melted butter and mix until well combined.

3. Mix in both sugars, eggs, vanilla extract, almond extract, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

4. Sprinkle in the baking powder and baking soda and mix.

5. Add the flour and mix until well combined.

6. Pour mixture into the prepared loaf pan. Bake for 65 minutes until a knife comes out clean from the center of the loaf. Cool in pan for 15 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling. Serve warm or cold.

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Quick & Dirty Tips
If you don't have ripe bananas, microwave until warm and then transfer to the refrigerator for several hours. This alters the bananas just enough to bring out the sweetness and tenderness needed.

Don't omit the salt... it is a flavor enhancer!

Resist the urge to open the oven to check on the bread. Let it bake for the 65 minutes, then check on it.

Instead of spreading butter on your slice of bread, try cream cheese or peanut butter!

I make a bunch of loaves at a time. This break freezes really well. Just heat back up in a warm oven or the microwave.

I use this bread to make Banana Bread French Toast... recipe coming soon!

Coconut & Ricotta Pancakes with Ginger Syrup

I found this recipe on epicurious.com and made just a few changes. The pancakes turnout nice and moist without a cheesy flavor. The syrup completely complements the deliciousness of the pancake. "An exotic new spin on a breakfast classic."

I could eat a heaping stack of these divine little cakes of amazingness...

6 servings
10 minute prep time
20 minute cook time

Ingredients
Ginger Syrup
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
3 tablespoons fresh ginger, peeled and cut into matchsticks
Zest of 1 lemon

Pancakes
4 large eggs, separated
3/4 cup whole milk
2/3 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
2/3 cup flour
3 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups shredded coconut
Butter

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Preparation
1. Combine all the ingredients for Ginger Syrup in a small sauce pan. Stir over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Boil until mixture reduces to about 1 cup. Meanwhile...

2. In an electric mixer, beat egg whites in a large bowl until stiff peaks form. Meanwhile...

3. In another large bowl, whisk together egg yokes, milk, ricotta, flour, sugar, baking powder, vanilla extract, and salt. Once combined, stir in coconut.

4. Fold egg whites into prepared batter while being careful not to over mix.

5. Heat oven to 170 degrees.

6. Melt a teaspoon of butter on a griddle or large fry pan over medium heat. Working in batches, drop 1/4 cup of batter into the pan. Cook until bubbles form in the middle of the pancake and evenly browned, about 2 minutes. Flip and cook 2 minutes longer. Transfer pancakes to a baking sheet and keep in a 170 degree oven until all the batter is cooked. Add butter to the pan after each batch.

7. Arrange 3 or 4 pancakes on a plate. Garnish with fresh fruit and pour warm ginger syrup over the top. Enjoy!

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Quick & Dirty Tips
Syrup can be made up to two weeks in advance. Just keep covered in the refrigerator.

Batter can be made ahead up to 12 hours in advance without the egg whites folded in. Cover bowl with plastic wrap touching the top of the batter. This will prevent a skin from forming. Whip the egg whites and fold into the batter when ready to cook.

I wanted to do grilled bananas sliced on the diagonal but just didn't have the time to do it... next time!

Pumpkin Sliver Dollars

Pancakes are the first real "food" that I remember cooking when I was a kid. Dense and rich, pancakes were a favorite all around my house growing up. Pancakes are delicious... but why not try something a little different? Nothing tastes better than pumpkin pie so, lets combine the two!

6 servings
10 minute prep time
15 minute cooking time

Ingredients
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
3/4 cup canned pure pumpkin (not canned pumpkin pie)
4 large eggs
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 1/3 cup flour
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sliced almonds, chopped
Butter or non-stick spray

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Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 170 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment or tin foil.

2. Whisk together buttermilk, pumpkin, eggs, sugar, brown sugar, vanilla extract, and almond extract until well blended. Add melted butter and whisk again. Whisk in flour, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and salt until combined. Stir in sliced and chopped almonds.

3. Lightly butter or spray a large skillet and place over medium heat. Working in batches of four, pour 2 tablespoons of batter into heated skillet. Cook until bubbles form on the top and the sides are dry; about 2 minutes. Turn silver dollars over and cook until the second side is browned; about 1 minute. Transfer to the baking sheet and keep warm in the oven until all the batter is cooked.

4. Serve four or five silver dollars to a plate with warm Vermont maple syrup and whipped cream. Garnish with almond slices.

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Quick & Dirty Tips
If you prefer regular sized pancakes, just make them that big! They are a bit moist and maybe harder to flip which is why I choose to make the recipe a silver dollar one instead.

I like a little whipped cream. Check out the whipped cream recipe that I posted under Peach & Berry Ginger Shortcakes. I would halve the recipe.

Keep the heat low or the silver dollars will burn and not cook through. The oven will keep them nice and warm so there is no rush.

If all you can find in canned pumpkin pie, omit the sugars or sugar to taste.

Always use real maple syrup. People who don't have sold their soul to the devil.

Caramelized Onion & Apple Quiche with Swiss Cheeses

Real men eat quiche!

At least I do... and I love it. Especially when it is filled with delicious cheeses from Switzerland. While living there, I learned about all the great cheeses that Switzerland produces and was introduced to my greatest of all love affairs.... Gruyere. Though hard, pungently stinky, you'll be surprised at how creamy, sweet, nutty, and slightly salty this cheese is when melted. No other cheese compares! In most fondue recipes, Gruyere is the first cheese that is called for and is always melted with other complementing cheeses. I stuck to the traditional and used Emmenthal, which here is America we simply call, "Swiss Cheese." This quiche is jam-packed with the good stuff and you'll love how light and fluffy it comes out...

6-8 servings
30 minute prep time
50-60 minute cooking time

Ingredients
1 unbaked 10 inch pie crust (sold in two-packs in the dairy section)
1 medium yellow onion, sliced thinly
1 Fuji apple or any flavorful apple of your choice, diced
6 large eggs
2/3 cup heavy cream
1 cup whole milk (avoid reduced fat if you can)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 lb Gruyere, shredded
1/4 lb Emmenthal (Swiss Cheese), shredded
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg

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Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a 10-inch pie dish with pie crust, press into sides, crimp the edges, and poke the bottom and sides with a fork. Line with parchment paper and fill with pastry weights (uncooked rice or beans... this prevents the crust from rising while baking). Transfer to oven and bake 12-15 minutes until edges turn golden brown. Meanwhile...

2. In a skillet with a bit of olive oil and butter, saute onions and apples over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Cook until caramelized and avoid browning or burning. Meanwhile...

3. In a large mixing blow, whisk together eggs, heavy cream, whole milk, salt, and pepper. Add cheeses and mix until well combined.

4. Once the pie crust is baked, discard pastry weights and immediately transfer onions and apples to the pie crust. Pour egg and cheese mixture over the top. The liquid may overflow over the crust, but there is no worries about that. Spread the cheese so that it is even throughout the pie shell. Sprinkle the top with nutmeg.

5. Bake quiche at 375 degrees until completely cooked through, about 40-50 minutes. To test for doneness, shake the quiche--a cooked quiche will not wiggle. Double check by sticking a knife in the center--if it comes out clean, your quiche is done! The top should be golden and the egg should be firm. Serve warm... enjoy!

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Quick & Dirty Tips
I once cooked this at 350 degrees on accident. It took longer to cook by almost 20 minutes but came out a little fluffier. If you like that... do it!

You can add just about anything you want to this dish. Just saute it with the onions and apples. Bacon crumbles are always tasty!

I don't measure out the nutmeg. I just use a microplane, a whole nutmeg nut, and put on as much as I like... and I like it a lot. Microplanes are a must have for a modern kitchen in my opinion...

Ketchup is always a nice dipping sauce... even if you are eating fancy cheese! Try warming it in the microwave instead of having it cold. Or, spice it up with a few shakes of Tobasco!

Peach & Berry Ginger Shortcakes

It seemed like every other day in the summer, my grandmother would make homemade shortcakes and whipped cream for strawberry shortcakes in the summer. The strawberries she used were always fresh! We use to go in the woods around our house and pick all kinds of berries... blackberries, raspberries, blueberries, and occasionally we would find the random strawberry. Needless to say, we always had enough berries in our house... and bags and bags frozen in the deep freezer for use throughout the winter. Although not my grandmother's recipe, I thought this was a way to give honor to the traditional with a modern twist. I'm sure she would have loved it and I hope you do too!

6 servings
30 minute prep time
20-25 minute cooking time

Ingredients
2 cups flour
6 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 tablespoon flour
Dash of salt
1/2 cup chilled butter
1/2 cup finely chopped crystallized ginger
1/2 cup ginger ale
2 tablespoons whipping cream
2 tablespoons sugar
3 peaches (white peaches if available)
2 cups mixed berries (i.e. blackberries & raspberries)

Whipped Cream
2 cups whipping cream
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon almond extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

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Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line two baking pans with parchment paper.

2. Whisk together flour, 6 tablespoons sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Add butter and rub in with your fingers until a very coarse meal forms. Or, prepare in a food processor, giving several pulses until the butter is pea-sized. Add chopped ginger and stir to coat. Add ginger ale and mix until mixture is moist.

3. Gather dough and roll into a uniform log. Cut 6 equal rounds and reshape as needed into 2 1/2 inch rounds. Place three shortcakes on each baking pan, spaced well apart.

4. Mix together 2 tablespoons whipping cream with 2 tablespoons sugar. Brush mixture over the tops and sides of shortcakes.

5. Bake shortcakes 20-25 minutes until a knife comes out clean from the center. They will be a bit flat... don't worry! Remove baking sheets from oven and let shortcakes cool on the sheet. While they are baking...

6. Slice peaches into wedges, removing the core. Toss with additional berries and 3 tablespoons sugar. Set aside.

7. Combine whipping cream, powdered sugar, almond extract, and vanilla extract and whip on high speed until mixture comes to peaks that hold themselves up.

8. Place one shortcake on a plate, spoon a big dollop of whipped cream, and top with peach and berry mixture. Garnish with matchstick sliced crystallized ginger, sit back, and enjoy!

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Quick & Dirty Tips
Shortcakes can be made a day ahead of time and kept in a ziplock bag. Place an apple wedge or a slice of bread in the bag to keep them moist. Also, the shortcake freeze quite well and only need a few seconds in the microwave to come back to life! Make sure to make the whipped cream within a few hours of serving it. It holds up nicely if kept in the refrigerator.

For the shortcakes to come out well, the butter must be chilled. Work fast so that the butter is as cold as possible when putting in the oven. I use white peaches when they are available, usually in late May and early June. They have a unique flavor that is lighter then a regular ripe peach. The shortcakes will come out a bit flat. You are welcome to cut them in half horizontally, like the traditional serving, but I don't cut through mine. If you don't like ginger, just take it out!