Cooking with Tammy Kelly: Treat Your Mom to a Special Mother’s Day Brunch
Treat Mom on her special day with a delicious morning meal, use seasonal fresh vegetables to create quiches and savory dishes, or pancakes and sweet treats. Hope you will find a recipe that your mom will love!! Happy Mother’s Day to all!!
Strawberry Stuffed French Toast
For the Filling
1 cup fresh local strawberries
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
½ cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon lemon juice
For the French Toast
3 eggs
2/3 cups milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
1 tablespoon brown sugar
12 slices sourdough bread, slightly stale
For the filling, slice strawberries, then add them to a bowl and sprinkle granulated sugar over them. Stir, then let sit for 10-30 minutes.
In a separate mixing bowl, add cream cheese, powdered sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla. Beat until smooth, then set aside.
To build the French toast, spread one side of each slice of bread with cream cheese mixture. On half the slices, layer macerated strawberries. Place the other halves on top to form a sandwich.
In a shallow dish, whisk milk, vanilla, sugar, eggs, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
Preheat a cast iron skillet or griddle to medium heat, then melt butter on it.
Dip sandwiches into the egg mixture to coat each side, then place on griddle or skillet and cook each side 2-3 minutes until golden brown.
Serve immediately, topped as you choose with strawberries, syrup and/or whipped cream. Serves 6.
Easy Monkey Bread Muffins
Nonstick cooking spray
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 tubes, 16.3 ounce, tubes buttermilk biscuits
4 tablespoons salted butter
¼ cup packed brown sugar
1 cup powdered sugar
1 to 2 tablespoons milk
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 12-cup muffin pan with cooking spray and place on a foil-lined baking sheet.
In a 1-gallon zip lock plastic bag, combine the granulated sugar and cinnamon. Open the canned biscuits and cut each biscuit into 6 pieces, there should be 96. Drop the pieces in the bag of the cinnamon sugar, seal and give it a shake to separate the pieces and coat each in cinnamon sugar. Divide the biscuit pieces into 8 pieces per cup. Press down lightly so the pieces stick together.
In a small saucepan, melt the butter and brown sugar over medium heat, stirring to combine. Spoon the brown sugar mixture over the biscuit pieces, about 1 teaspoon per cup.
Bake the muffins until golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes in the pan.
Meanwhile, make the glaze. In a medium bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar and 1 tablespoon of milk. Add the milk, 1 teaspoon at a time, until it is thick and pourable. Once done, remove the muffins to a rack. Drizzle the glaze over the muffins and serve warm. Yields 12 servings.
Cheesy Grits and Fresh Vegetables
16 stalks fresh asparagus, ends trimmed
1 cup snap peas, ends trimmed, cut into ½ inch pieces
1 cup English peas, fresh or frozen
2 cups whole milk
2 cups water
1 cup coarse ground grits
Freshly ground black pepper and salt to taste
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
4 ounces sharp cheddar cheese
¼ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
3 ounces fresh mushrooms
1 small onion, diced
1 teaspoon lemon zest
2 teaspoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons fresh chives, minced
2 tablespoons fresh basil, minced
4 poached eggs, kept in warm water until serving
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and prepare an ice bath. Add asparagus to water and cook until bright green and tender-crisp, about 2 minutes. Transfer to ice bath until chilled. Drain and transfer to a paper towel-lined tray. Repeat with snap peas and English peas. Set all vegetables aside.
Bring milk and water to a boil in a large saucepan over high heat. Whisking constantly, pour in the grits. Add 2 teaspoons kosher salt, reduce to a bare simmer, and cook, whisking every 2 to 3 minutes, until creamy and tender, about 25 minutes.
Remove saucepan from heat. Whisk in 4 tablespoons butter, cheddar, and parmesan cheese. Season to taste with plenty of black pepper and more salt as necessary. Add water or milk to thin to desired consistency if grits are too thick. Grits should be loose enough to spread out on a plate slowly. Cover pot and set aside.
Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over high heat until smoking. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring and tossing occasionally, until well-browned on a few sides. Add onion and cook, stirring constantly, until aromatic, about 30 seconds. Add blanched vegetables, remaining 2 tablespoons butter, lemon zest, lemon juice, and half of chives and basil. Cook, tossing and stirring constantly, until any liquid in the pan is reduced to a saucy glaze. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside off-heat.
Stir remaining herbs into grits, reserving a bit for garnish, then divide grits between four serving plates. Top with sautéed vegetables, then with a poached egg. Garnish with remaining herbs, season egg with salt and pepper, and serve immediately. Serves 4.
Breakfast Brunch Ring
Inspired by the famous Pampered Chef ring recipes!
5 slices bacon, turkey or pork
6 eggs
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
¼ cup diced country ham
1/3 cup chopped bell pepper, red, orange or green
1/3 cup onion, chopped
1 sheet frozen puff pastry, 17.3 ounce package, thawed
Flour, for dusting
1 cup shredded Sharp Cheddar and Monterey Jack Cheese
Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Cook the bacon until done but not too crispy, about 3-4 minutes per side. Remove from the heat and transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate. Remove all of the bacon grease from the skillet, except for 1 tablespoon.
In a medium bowl whisk together 5 eggs with salt and pepper. Return the skillet to medium heat and add the ham, bell pepper and onion. Cook until the bell pepper is slightly softened, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the eggs to the pan and let cook for 1 minute. With a rubber spatula, push the cooked egg from the middle of the skillet to the edges, leaving the cooked eggs in large pieces. Continue to do this occasionally for the next 4 minutes until the eggs are soft scrambled. Remove the skillet from the heat and transfer the eggs to a plate.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees, and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or use a baking stone.
Place the puff pastry square on a lightly floured cutting board. Roll the square into a rectangle 15 inches wide by 10 inches tall. Cut into 5 smaller rectangles, about 3 inches wide, then cut each triangle around the bowl in a circle, with the shortest sides toward the bowl and overlapping each triangle by about 1 inch. Remove the bowl to leave an opening in the center. It truly sounds more complicated than it is, especially if you have ever attended a Pampered Chef party.
Cut the bacon in half and place the halves, lengthwise, at the base of each triangle. Sprinkle half the cheese over the bacon. Spoon the egg mixture over cheese, then top with the remaining cheese.
Trim 2 inches from the points of the triangles. Fold the ends of the triangles over the top of the egg mixture and tuck under the dough to form a ring.
In a small bowl, whisk the remaining egg with 1 tablespoon of water. Brush all over the top of the puff pastry and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake until golden and puffed, 15 to 17 minutes. Let rest for 5 minutes, cut for serving. Serves 6-8.
