THANKSGIVING CONTINENTAL BREAKFAST VIGNETTE

I always say... "Thanksgiving dinner is the most work intensive meal of the year". At least it is here at StoneGable!

Even though most of us get lots of help, there is a whole lot of prep and cooking going on!

The last thing I need or want to do Thanksgiving morning is to serve my out of town family and guests a big sit down breakfast.

Here's an easy, serve-yourself way to feed all the people who wake up  in your home on Turkey day and have a beautiful seasonal centerpiece all at the same time...

DUTCH BABIES... mini version

Isn't everything better in a mini version? I sure think so. There is just something about babies!  And DUTCH BABIES are no exception!

Dutch Babies are little pillowy clouds filled with fruity sweetness! A cross between a pancake and a crepe... eggy deliciousness...



And very easy to make. Don't you just love food that is insanely easy to make and looks like you have slaved away in a hot kitchen for hours!

A raspberry peach sauce fills the little wells in each Dutch Baby. Then they are lightly sprinkled with powered sugar. Soooooo good!

This is a pinterest find! I really love making the food I pin.

DUTCH BABIES... mini version
1 cup milk
6 eggs
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp orange zest
1/4 cup melted butter
powdered sugar in small sieve
lemon wedges
favorite sauce

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Blend all of the ingredients in a blender except melted butter.
Blend in butter a little at a time so eggs do not scramble.
Grease muffin tins well.

Fill each muffin cup 1/2 full of batter.

Bake for 15 minutes or until the Dutch Babies are puffy and golden on the top.

When they come out of the oven, they will deflate a little and make a well in the center.

Plate and fill with fruit sauce or maple syrup.

Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve with a lemon wedge (to squeeze over your Dutch Baby)

RASPBERRY PEACH SAUCE
6 oz. raspberries, washed
1 large peach, peeled and diced into 1/2 inch pieces
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup raspberry jam

Put raspberries, peaches and sugar into a saucepan. Crush fruit with a potato masher. Cook over medium heat until sugar is dissolved and simmers for 3 minutes.

Add raspberry jam. Heat until jam dissolves. Keep warm. Pour in the well of the Dutch Babies.

Scrumptious!

PRINTABLE VERISON

Calling all foodies...

FOODIE FRIDAY at Rattlebridge Farm

STONEGABLE BENEDICT

My family loves Eggs Benedict. But I have a confession. I have never made Eggs Benedict for them at home. NEVER!

 Just reading the recipe I could see that it is a very complex, time sensitive and fussy recipe. Far too much work for me early in the morning! I just leave the prep to the professional... my family eats it when we go out for Sunday brunch after church!

StoneGable will be full of family and friends this Memorial Day weekend. The perfect time to surprise them with my version of Eggs Benedict... StoneGable Benedict...




I used the basic idea and elements of the classic recipe and made it easier and less time sensitive! It is still quite a bit of work and it is a breakfast that you will probably only make as a special treat... but oh, so worth it!

STONEGABLE BENEDICT

8 pieces of thickly cut Italian Bread
butter for bread
4 large eggs
12 pieces good, thick bacon
1 cup butter (two sticks)
2 egg yolks
2 TBS cold water
1 TBS freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 drops hot sauce
salt and pepper
herbs, fresh chopped

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Put bacon on a rimmed baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes until crisp but not burnt. Remove bacon from the pan to drain on a paper towel.

Turn oven to the warm setting or 170 degrees.

Meanwhile,  toast bread until the tops are just toasted.  Butter and set aside.  When the oven reaches 170 degrees put the bacon and toast in the oven to keep warm.

Melt butter in a large non stick skillet over a medium low heat. As the butter begins to froth, scoop off all the white froth that appears on the top of the butter. When there is little or no more white froth pour butter into a small  bowl. Set aside. Reserve the pan that the butter was cooked in for later.

Making the Hollandaise Sauce
You will need a medium size sauce pan and a heatproof bowl that can sit on top of the saucepan.  Put water in the saucepan, but don't let it touch the bottom of the bowl. Heat  the water till it just barely simmer.

In the heatproof bowl, whisk 2 egg yolks and 2 TBS cold water until very very frothy.

When the water in the saucepan is just barely simmering, put the heatproof bowl with eggs on top of the saucepan and whisk like crazy for 3-4 minutes. DO NOT LET THE EGGS GET SO HOT THAT THEY BEGIN TO SCRAMBLE. If your water and bowl get to hot this will happen! Take your bowl off the water immediately and whisk to stop scrambling. You may or may not be able to save your sauce. If done correctly, your eggs should gradually get very creamy, like a pudding. And they will get voluminous.

After they have been whisked 3 or 4 minutes and are done, turn off the heat. Add the butter in a little stream, whisking vigorously, incorporating it into the egg mixture. Here is where you will have to make a judgement call. You might not be able to add all of the butter, but most of it will go into the sauce. If the sauce begins  to break down, don't add more butter! If it stays creamy like pudding you are okay!

Whisk 2 drops of hot sauce and 1 TBS lemon juice into the Hollandaise sauce. Salt and pepper to taste and whisk in. If the sauce is too thick, add a little hot water until it has a thick but not stiff consistency.

Cover the Hollandaise sauce and put it to the back of the stove top, where it is warm.  DO NOT PUT IT IN THE OVEN.

Making the Eggs
Heat the pan that had the butter in it, there should be enough butter in the bottom of the pan to cook the eggs. Heat over a medium flame.  Add 2 eggs at a time. Push the whites towards the yolks keeping the white part of the egg compact. Salt and pepper. Make over easy eggs. Make the other eggs in the same manner.

Assembly

Put 2 slices of toast on each plate. Top with 3 pieces of bacon. I break mine in half and pile them high!

Put the over easy eggs on the bacon.

Top with a big dollop of Hollandaise sauce and finish with fresh herbs.

Serve immediately.

There you have it... StoneGable Benedict!

I'm doing some of the prep work ahead, cooking the bacon, cutting the Italian bread,clarifying the butter. Every little bit done ahead helps!!!

YUMMY!

BREAKFAST ON THE BACK PORCH

Today is a beautiful, sunny spring day here at StoneGable. The kind of day made for being outside all day long!

I can't think of a better way to start my day than with breakfast on the back porch....

I've never been much of a breakfast girl until recently. Now that I am eating something every morning I can honestly say I feel much better throughout the day.

Today's breakfast is served in a white rattan tray... just perfect for one! It is covered with a pretty blue and white dish towel ( Wm-Sonoma). I love this  fresh periwinkle color!

Blues and whites have always been a favorite color palette of mine. 

I start every morning off with a big cup... or 5... of coffee. Do you have a favorite coffee mug? This is mine (Ralph Lauren from HomeGoods). 

Having a pretty mug that is all my own is part of my morning ritual. Making things special... even little things... brings a graceful quality to life!

BREAKFAST

Strong Coffee With Cream

Soft Boiled Egg

Soldiers, Buttered Toast Sticks

Yogurt and Berries

There are so may opinions for cooking a perfect soft boiled egg. Here's  how I cook mine. Easy and straightforward.

How To Cook A Perfect Soft Boiled Egg

1. Take your eggs out of the refrigerator 30 minutes before cooking. They cook better at room temperature.

2. Bring a pot of water to a boil. The water must cover the eggs by 1 inch.

3. Reduce the water to a simmer. Add eggs and cover with a lid.

4.Simmer 4 minutes for a large egg. You might want to test this on an egg or two until you find your personal preference in doneness. You want the white of the egg to be soft and not rubbery and certainly not raw or runny. The yolk should be hot and loose.

5. Pour out simmering water and run cold water over the eggs to stop the cooking process.

6. Crack open the top, salt and pepper and enjoy!

I try to eat an egg or some protein every morning. It makes such a marked difference in my energy level. I also try to eat a mix of blueberries, raspberries and blackberries. Costco has a mix of these berries in the frozen section of the store. I divide them in 1 cup portions in baggies and grab one out of the freezer each day. I like them as much as just picked berries!

I am participating in:
LET'S DISH at Cuisine Kathleen
FOODIE FRIDAY at Rattlebridge Farm
SEASONAL SUNDAYS at The Tablescaper