OK, so at one point I was toying with the idea of writing a cookbook with this name. But my husband in all his wisdom made me rethink that. Awwwww….
This time of year, many of us are making plans and preparations for the holiday season, all culminating in one perfect morning of celebration. But what if I told you you could have perfect mornings of celebration all year round? Let me introduce you to the Sunday morning brunch.
In my humble opinion, Sunday morning is the perfect part of the weekend. It lies in between Saturday, which if you did it right, allowed you to shake off enough of the workweek to really relax and before the “oh-man-I-gotta-start-getting-ready-for-next-week” dance.
As opposed to other meals of the day where preparing scratch dishes may be more daunting for those with limited kitchen skills, breakfast foods are pretty straightforward. The ease of preparation makes it easy for all members of the family (even children) to take part. The key here is to keep in mind that the group preparation is as important as the meal itself. It’s an unfussy, gather around the dining room table time to set the tone for the rest of the day.
Take the time to mindfully enjoy more decadent foods you may not normally eat, that’s part of what makes it a celebration!
Leave the TV off and play some music everyone can agree on. On Sundays, we generally stick to light classical music. Or check out www.pandora.com to create your own breakfast celebration radio station for free.
Start with some fresh seasonal fruit. This time of year, citrus fruits, pomegranates and persimmons make frequent appearances at my table.
Add waffles, scrambled eggs, pancakes or my recipes below and pots of coffee, tea or hot cocoa and you’re good to go!
Vanilla Custard French Toast with Butter Pecan Syrup
4 slices thick white or sweet French bread
1/3c. Half and Half
1/3 c. Heavy cream
2 1/2 tbsp sugar
4 eggs
1 whole vanilla bean, split, seeds scraped
1/4 tsp salt
Butter- to grease pan
- Add all ingredients except bread to bowl and whisk together.
- Heat a nonstick pan greased with 1/2 tsp butter over medium high heat.
- Add one slice bread at a time to the egg bath and flip to coat both sides. Soak at least 5 seconds per side. The longer the bread soaks, the longer it will take to cook but it will be more custard-like.
- Add soaked bread to hot pan and cook until golden brown on each side. Reduce heat to medium if needed to avoid burning.
- Add more butter to pan as needed.
- Serve immediately with 2-4 tbsp Butter Pecan Syrup.
Makes 4 servings
Butter Pecan Syrup
1/3c. raw shelled pecans
1-2 tbsp salted butter
1/2-3/4c. pure maple syrup
- Heat oven to 375 degrees.
- Place pecans on cookie sheet and place in oven. Bake about 10 minutes or until browned and fragrant.
- Meanwhile, place butter and syrup in a small saucepan over medium low heat until butter is melted and then hold warm.
- Remove pecans from oven, let cool, chop coarsely and add to the butter and syrup.
Skillet Potatoes and Onions with Thyme
This is a very simple recipe with only 4 ingredients not including salt and pepper.
6-8 small to medium new potatoes, scrub, (no need to peel), slice lengthwise and then slice each half into 1/4 inch slices.
1 medium yellow onion, chopped into 1 inch chunks
1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
- Add oil to a nonstick pan and heat over medium high heat until hot and fragrant.
- Add remaining ingredients to pan and stir to arrange onions and potatoes in a flat layer in the pan to allow for browning.
- Stir every few minutes to allow as many potato pieces as possible some time against the hot pan to brown. (You’re not going to get all of them and that’s ok.)
- Continue cooking and stirring until potatoes and onions are fork tender. That is, there is no resistance or crunchiness when pierced by a fork. Be patient, this process takes a while, about 10-15 minutes. Adjust heat up (high) or down (medium) as needed to keep the sizzle and avoid burning. If you want your potatoes browned more or the onions sweeter and caramelized, feel free to continue cooking.
- Serve immediately.
Vanilla Custard French Toast with Butter Pecan Syrup and Skillet Potatoes and Onions with Thyme
