Sweet Cherry French Toast

You’ll be proud to serve this tasty brunch bake from Elisa Lochridge, Beaverton, Oregon. The cherry topping and dollop of yogurt make each bite a special treat.

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The French Omelet: A Classic Breakfast Made Easy

Take your love of cooking eggs to the next level by trying your hand at a classic French omelet. If you've never had one before, the difference between a French version and its American counterpart is simple: the French version is rolled, and thanks to a light hand and a shorter cooking time, it also has an oozy custard interior.

The basic recipe - which is little more than eggs cooked in butter with salt, pepper, and a garnish of chives - is so elemental that perfect execution is key. Learn how to make these fluffy, silky eggs when you watch our video, then print out the recipe and give it a try on your own.

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Baked Orange French Toast with Almond Crumble

I have a friend who abhors anything citrus. The smell alone puts her into a tailspin and the gag reflexes start. Peeling an orange in the same office with her was always a sensitive affair, but being the ever polite and gracious co-worker she would simply step out and never complain when any one of us would forget about her unfortunate dislike.

I feel sad for her. Citrus is so good! Thank goodness we’ve both moved onto new jobs where inconsiderate co-workers are a thing of the past.

Smudge is obsessed with clementines, and she will argue with me, “Moooom, they’re called “Cuties” not clemmmmentinnnnes.” She doesn’t quite get the branding thing yet. And that’s perfectly fine with me. As long as she’s getting her vitamin C and eating oranges.

So when I was noodling around thinking of recipes where I could add some orange flavor, one of my favorite dishes made its way to the front and center. French toast made easy: baked in the oven.

Oranges and almonds are a great flavor combination. But would I layer the almonds with the bread? Add in almond extract? Sure, I bet that would work, but I went for the streusel idea I became a big fan of in my Banana and Chocolate Chip Baked French Toast but this time added orange essence and almond crunch.

Jewish braided Challah bread is my favorite bread to use in this recipe because it’s a little bit sweet and has the perfect texture for french toast thanks to the egg based dough. It was a little hard for me to find it locally since we don’t have a big Jewish community where I live until the past year or two when some of our local bakeries finally caught on and started baking it. So depending on what you can find, choose an egg-flavored bread like brioche as a substitute and if that isn’t in your bakery, try a Texas Toast-style loaf instead.

This is a baked french toast, not a bread pudding, so if you find you’d like a more custardy center ala bread pudding, double the egg mixture and fill your baking dish ¾ full, but not over the top of the bread or the eggs will boil over.

Not a fan of cooking with booze? That’s okay too. Omit the Cointreau or orange liqueur and add another tablespoon of orange zest for that ultimate citrus flavor.

If you just can’t wait for overnight, you can always bake it right away, it just might not be as gooey.

Baked Orange French Toast with Almond Crumble

Ingredients

1 cup half and half or whole milk 2 tablespoons Cointreau or other orange liqueur Instructions

Slice challah bread in 3/4" thick slices and set aside. Whisk eggs in a 4 cup Pyrex measuring cup and then add half and half, sugar, vanilla, Cointreau and orange zest and whisk well. Butter a 2 quart baking dish and layer 5-6 slices of bread in the bottom so the bread fits together tightly without much gap. Evenly drizzle half of the egg mixture onto the bottom layer of bread and then add another layer of bread on top and drizzle the remaining mixture. Add the brown sugar, butter, almonds, oats and orange zest to a small bowl and mix ingredients together with fingers until well incorporated. Sprinkle on top of the bread, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerated for 4 hours or overnight. To bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove casserole from refrigerator and bring to room temperature, about a half an hour. Bake uncovered for 35-40 minutes or until top is golden. Remove and let set for 5 minutes and serve with maple or raspberry syrup.http://www.foodiecrush.com/2013/03/baked-orange-french-toast-with-almond-crumble/

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Tagged as: breakfast, brunch, craving, eggs, french toast, orange, recipe

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French Banana Pancakes

These pancakes are a real breakfast favorite in our family. Even our 8- and 10-year-old daughters make them all by themselves when they have friends spend the night. Now their friends' mothers are asking for the recipe! —Cheryl Sowers, Bakersfield, California

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Fruit-Filled French Toast Wraps

Here's a delicious way to add fiber to your diet. This pretty French toast dish makes an amazing breakfast or brunch entree. It's easy to make but looks so special. —Dawn Jarvis, Breckenridge, Minnesota

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Meatless Main Dishes: Portuguese Bread French Toast

Jan 25, 2010 I followed the recipe, and half the bread was emerged in the mixture, half was sticking up, but it was still gross to have half mushy bread. Won't make this again.

—slewis0054 

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Sandwiches: French Dip Sandwiches

Jan 12, 2008 I've tried recipes similar to this and all are very good..one is not necessarily better than another, each is good in its own way, with its own blend of flavors. This recipe differs from others with the herbs and soy sauce which give the meat and au jus a nice, beefy flavor just subtlely enhanced by the herbs. For those who question soy sauce as an ingredient, it is one of many secrets of great chefs, who occasionally use it in beef gravies, sauces, and reductions for flavor and color. I used fresh herbs rather than dried since I have a kitchen herb garden, and fresh, minced garlic for the garlic powder. Other than these minor modifications I made the recipe just as written, and it was perfect...not too salty at all, as others have thought. Perhaps they didn't use enough water? Great take on the classic French Dip, Giselle. Thanks for sharing your recipe!

—naples34102 

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Celebrate with the Bubbly French 75 Cocktail

In December of last year, my husband and I took a quick weekend-er to celebrate our anniversary and get some much needed “us” time in one of our favorite cities, San Francisco.

My dad grew up just outside San Francisco so I spent a lot of time there visiting my grandma every summer. It’s also the scene of the crime, the first time my husband met my dad at the Hyatt Hotel sports bar before my dad and mom took us to a San Francisco 49ers game. At that time I was a college-graduated-sorority-girl-waitress dating a guy with purple hair and pierced ears and who was the lead singer in a punk band. Polar opposite of the preppies I was normally attracted to, and one of the funniest, easy going guys I’d ever met. He was my perfect foil.

After that visit, San Francisco became a spot we’d visit as often as we could. Since having Smudge we haven’t been back for a while and we were due.

Flying over the Great Salt Lake en route to SFO

BART dropped us off right at the heart of SF’s shopping mecca Union Square 

So thanks to some great recommendations from some SF local food bloggers (thank you Irvin and Denise, the trip was centered around eating—specifically Sushi Zone and Ramen Underground, both of which have left us craving for more.

We arrived at 4:45 p.m. and were third in line for the 16 seats at Sushi Zone‘s 5 p.m. opening

Where the sushi is fresh, easy on the wallet and belly filling

and the next day ate our weight in nothing fancy but nothing short of amazing ramen at Ramen Underground

 Staying in Union Square at The Prescott put us smack dab in the middle of holiday shopping and steps to and from plenty more eating, and drinking.

Cocktails with a blue sky street view at  The Prescott

My favorite perk: The Prescott’s morning coffee bar on each floor

Like our stop into the French bistro Cafe de la Presse. As we bellied up to the bar and shared a half dozen oysters on the half shell and an appetizer plate of charcuterie, I was craving a glass of champagne.

Our lovely barmaid suggested a French 75, a champagne cocktail enhanced with a shot of gin. And that’s where my cocktail inspiration was born.

I’m not much of a gin lover, so she quickly remedied that by subbing in a shot of vodka and all was right with the world. We talked, we laughed and we nibbled. It was the perfect topper to a day of exploring. And if you’re a magazine junie like I am, Cafe de la Presse has the most amazing selection of European publications to purchase and peruse.

The original version of this drink is made with gin, although there are some that firmly believe brandy was the original base spirit in the real French 75. Chilled Champagne is the preferred topper for the drink, but as the official bubbly export from the Champagne region of France it proudly displays a bigger bill at the liquor store thanks to its exclusivity. Oh, those French.

For my French 75, or as I sometimes call my San Francisco 20 in reference to our anniversary, I used the Spanish version of Champagne: Kava. Similar in bubbles but obviously made with grapes from a different region, the resulting drink comes with a lower price tag but still plenty of effervesce.

Wintertime is the perfect time to warm up to a cocktail. Thankfully, one of my favorite food blogging mixologists, Russell from Chasing Delicious, gave us a great round-up of wintertime Cocktails ala Mad Men style for the current issue of FoodieCrush.

So cozy up, belly up and drink up to winter. It’ll be over before we know it.

 Hot Apple Buttered Rum

Spicy Spiked Hot Cocoa

Mulled Wine Punch

 Cheers!~

Thanks for reading and please keep in touch. Subscribe to FoodieCrush and follow me on  Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest and check out FoodieCrush magazine.

Pin It Tagged as: champagne, drinks and cocktails, gin

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French Onion Soup Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

Oh boy. I’m bonkers excited about these sandwiches, ya’ll.

When I first saw Joy post them I thought: That needs to happen in my kitchen. I mean, two whole onions reduced to caramely goodness and paired with melty cheese? Count me in.

Then, when Erika mentioned that Laurie had shared the recipe here on Tasty Kitchen, I knew I had to make if for ya’ll. It was a totally non-selfish decision.

Here’s what you’ll need to make these fancy grilled cheese sandwiches: butter (of course), olive oil, onions, salt and pepper, sugar, thyme (fresh or dried), beer or white wine (or beef stock if you’re not one for using alcohol), bread and Gruyere cheese.

Start by prepping your ingredients. Slice the bread.

Grate the Gruyere.

Slice the onions about 1/4-inch thick.

Melt the butter and olive oil in a skillet or Dutch oven.

Once the butter/olive oil is nice and hot, add the onions. Give ‘em a stir so they’re coated in that buttery goodness.

Add the salt, pepper, sugar and thyme.

Give it another good stir.

Cover the pot and let cook until the onions are soft and wonderfully golden brown, stirring occasionally.

You could stir less occasionally than I did if you’re obsessed with evenly browned onions.

Add the wine/broth …

And scrape up any pieces of onion that stick to the bottom of the pan. Remove from heat.

Now it’s time to assemble and cook your sandwiches!

Preheat a large skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Butter four slices of bread on one side. Place a slice on the skillet, buttered side down. Sprinkle on a bit of the shredded cheese. Top with half of the onions and more cheese.

Put a second slice of bread on top, buttered side up. Repeat with a second sandwich.

When the underside gets nice and crispy and browned, flip the sandwich and continue to cook until the other side is beautifully golden and the cheese is melted.

Eat immediately—just don’t singe your mouth in your eagerness to consume.

Even though Reuben dislikes onions—and French onion soup in particular—he admitted that these sandwiches were pretty good, and, if he did like onions, he would probably love these. High praise from an onion despiser!

Many thanks to Jessica of Portuguese Girl Cooks for coming up with this incredible sandwich, and to Laurie for sharing this crazy-good recipe. You should definitely check out Laurie’s blog Simply Scratch for more irresistible food. Excuse me while I attempt to tear myself away from her Fudgy Peanut Butter Bars …

French onion soup in grilled cheese form. This is what heaven tastes like!

In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter and olive oil together. Add in the onions and stir so they are coated in all the fat. Cook undisturbed for 5 minutes.

Stir and add in the salt, pepper, sugar and thyme. Stir, cover the pan with a lid and let cook. Stir occasionally until the onions are soft and deep golden in color. Reduce the heat if you notice the onions are browning too soon.

Add in the beer, scrape any bits that accumulated on the bottom of the skillet, and then remove them off the heat.

On a preheated griddle or large skillet, place a slice of buttered bread (butter-side down) and top it with a little shredded smoked Gruyere. Add half of the onion mixture and then more of the cheese. Top with a second slice of buttered bread (butter-side up).

Flip when the bottom is crispy and golden; repeat on second side.

Cut in half and serve.

Recipe adapted from Portuguese Girl Cooks, via Joy the Baker.

3 Tablespoons Butter, Plus More For Buttering Bread1 Tablespoon Olive Oil2 whole Medium Yellow Onions, Sliced 1/4 Of An Inch Thick1 teaspoon Kosher Salt½ teaspoons Black Pepper1 teaspoon Sugar1 teaspoon Fresh Thyme Leaves3 Tablespoons Beer (beef Stock Or White Wine Can Be Substituted)4 slices Sourdough Bread½ cups Grated Apple Smoked Gruyere Cheese (or More If Desired)

_______________________________________

Newly-married Erica Kastner shares her wonderful recipes and amazing food photography on her blog, Cooking for Seven. She also writes about crafts and posts more of her beautiful photography in her personal blog, EricaLea.com. There really isn’t much that this amazing young lady can’t do, and we’re thrilled she does some of it here.

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French Meat and Vegetable Pie

Some time ago, a co-worker brought a meat pie to lunch. The aroma was familiar—and after one taste, I was amazed to discover it was the same pie my grandmother used to serve when I was a youngster! She shared the recipe, and I have been enjoying it ever since.—Rita Winterberger, Huson, Montana

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Sausage and Egg French Toast Cups

Neighbor gifts at holiday time are often a mixed bag. By the time Christmas has come to an end I usually find I’ve accumulated a countertop of cookies, candied nuts and hopefully a wine bottle or two from neighbors who’ve thoughtfully felt us worthy to share their neighborly wares.

One item that is pretty popular around our hood is Cinnamon Burst bread from Great Harvest Bakery. Naturally its tasty for breakfast—hot from the toaster and loaded with butter—or even for lunch as a sandwich with a slice of thick ham and some jammy preserves.

But after a few days of toast, I decided we needed a new treat for the sweeter side of breakfast. With sausage. And syrup. And make it easy on the cook, would you?

 

Nothing can really be easier than making breakfast the night before, creating a feast that’s ready to load into the oven once you’ve opened your baby blues and brewed your first cup of wake-up juice.

That’s why I love making stratas, like our traditonal, only-on-Christmas Ham and Cheese Soufflé. At least that’s what  we’ve been calling it, or Ham and Cheese Casserole, which after looking through loads of cookbooks for the past few years I’ve come to the realization it’s actually a strata.

This recipe has quickly become Smudge-approved, and I’m betting it will be one I’ll be making for a while. Next to dipping her toast in orange juice—ew, gross—she loves mixing breakfast sausage with maple syrup and over easy eggs. The girl does not adhere to the church vs. state defined regions of food territories.

Stratas generally consist of chunks of bread, egg and milk to create a custardy, creamy concoction. Similar to bread pudding. Oh how I love bread pudding. I need to make that soon too.

A few notes about the recipe:

One of the bonus points of this recipe is you can bake a batch on the weekend and then just heat up the little muffin cups for a quick way to sweeten the start of any weekday.For a little added vitamin power, think about adding chopped apples or dried raisins for even more sweetness to the mix.Are you a citrus fan? If so, a tablespoon or two of Grand Marnier  or a few zests of orange will give the french toast cups an orange flavor boost.Go with what’s in the larder. If you have bacon or pancetta on hand—for those salty bits of yum—go ahead and give it a go. This recipe is all about the salty sweet combination.Sausage and Egg French Toast Cups

Ingredients

6 cups cinnamon flavored bread cut into 1/2 inch squares 10 ounces country breakfast sausage Instructions

Crumble sausage into a skillet and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes or until sausage is cooked through. Drain and set aside. In a 4-cup measuring cup mix eggs, milk, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg together until well incorporated. Spray a 6 cup large muffin tin with baking spray or line with parchment liners. Add 1 cup of bread chunks and about 1/4 cup of sausage to each muffin cup. Pour egg mixture evenly between each muffin tin, evenly distributing over the bread chunks. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours up to overnight. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until tops are golden. Serve with maple syrup. http://www.foodiecrush.com/2013/01/sausage-and-egg-french-toast-cups/

Related Recipes
Ham and Cheese Breakfast Souffle
Banana and Chocolate Chip French Toast
Ham and Cheese Baked Egg Cups

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Pin It Tagged as: baked french toast, baking and breads, breakfast, egg cups, eggs, french toast, recipe, sausage

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