Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Breakfast For Dinner

Last Friday, the Cooking Club created some delectable breakfast dishes. Good fun was had by all and the food was as always, delicious. The menu consisted of eggs benedict, French toast casserole, eggy potatoes O'Brien, and the always necessary bacon.



Recipes are as follows:

French Toast Casserole
1 loaf french bread (14-16 oz) - cut into 1 inch slices
mix together:
8 eggs
2 cups half and half
1 cup milk
2 T sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 t cinnamon
1/4 t nutmeg
dash salt

arrange bread slices in two rows in a buttered 9x13 baking dish, overlapping the slices.
Pour egg mixture over bread slices & spoon between slices.
Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Mix for topping:
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup chopped pecans (optional)
2 T light corn syrup
1/2 t cinnamon
1/2 t nutmeg

spread topping over the bread mixture. Bake at 350 for about 40 minutes or until puffed and light brown.
Serve with maple syrup.
NOTE: I sometimes slice apples very thinly and insert between the layers of bread.

Eggs Benedict

Poached Eggs over bacon on and English muffin, topped with homemade Hollandaise sauce.

Potatoes O'Brien

Chopped Potatoes, peppers, onions all sauteed in a frying pan
Various seasonings added
We added the egg whites left over from the Hollandaise sauce and copious amounts of cheese.


Mmmmm. So good.

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Paula Deen's French Quarter Beignets

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups lukewarm water
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 envelope active dry yeast
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 cup evaporated milk
7 cups bread flour
1/4 cup shortening
Nonstick spray
Oil, for deep-frying
3 cups confectioners' sugar
Directions
Mix water, sugar, and yeast in a large bowl and let sit for 10 minutes.

In another bowl, beat the eggs, salt and evaporated milk together. Mix egg mixture to the yeast mixture. In a separate bowl, measure out the bread flour. Add 3 cups of the flour to the yeast mixture and stir to combine. Add the shortening and continue to stir while adding the remaining flour. Remove dough from the bowl, place onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth. Spray a large bowl with nonstick spray. Put dough into the bowl and cover with plastic wrap or a towel. Let rise in a warm place for at least 2 hours.

Preheat oil in a deep-fryer to 350 degrees F.

Add the confectioners' sugar to a paper or plastic bag and set aside.

Roll the dough out to about 1/4-inch thickness and cut into 1-inch squares. Deep-fry, flipping constantly, until they become a golden color. After beignets are fried, drain them for a few seconds on paper towels, and then toss them into the bag of confectioners' sugar. Hold bag closed and shake to coat evenly.

A Mardi Gras Feast

Before Spring Break, the members of the Elon Cooking Club enjoyed a wonderful Big Easy feast, inspired by Mardi Gras. Our president Julien Loubiere cooked a delicious sausage and shrimp jambalaya, rich in spices and delectable to the taste buds. Our VP Nate Pino baked a delicious loaf of cornbread that made my Southern pallete quite happy. I fried up some beignets and covered them with copious amounts of powdered sugar to complete a wonderful meal that all filled all of our members stomachs. Stay tuned for the menu and the recipes so you can recreate yourself!

RG