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Breakfast and Brunch

By Kelly Ross

Hello Valley Friends. I trust you all had a great Easter holiday by spoiling the kids with treats of candy from the bunny and feasting with family and friends. Whether you had ham, lamb, prime rib or any other great options, it’s a great day for memories to be made.

Today, most of my focus is on some breakfast/brunch and dessert ideas, although I am tossing in a fabulous sandwich, sauté dish and a side dish as well. Starting off with breakfast, let’s go with a great egg bake torte made in a spring form pan you would usually use for a cheesecake. This is chock full of meat, veggies and cheese combined with store bought tubes of crescent dough, which I’m always a big fan of in any way it’s used. This recipe is sort of a relative to the quiche family although I prefer this one more so. The downside is it takes longer to make than a quiche, although time consuming has never phased me as long as the end result is worth the time, and this one surely qualifies. This will get you 8-10 slabs of deliciousness with prep time in the 45-minute range and an hour to bake. This layered dish is great hot or cold and I usually serve with home fries or sometimes a salad if doing more as a brunch/lunch meal.

Italian Brunch Torte

2 tubes refrigerated crescent rolls, 8 oz each

1 tsp olive oil

1 package fresh baby spinach, 6 oz

1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms

7 large eggs, divided

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 tsp Italian seasoning

1/8 tsp pepper

½ lb thinly sliced deli ham

½ lb thinly sliced hard salami

½ lb sliced provolone cheese

2 jars roasted sweet red peppers, 12 oz each, drained, sliced and patted dry Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place a greased 9-in. springform pan on a double thickness of heavy-duty foil, about 18 inches square. Securely wrap foil around pan. Unroll 1 tube of crescent dough and separate into triangles. Press onto bottom of prepared pan to form a crust, putting the wide end of the triangles along the outside of the pan with the points toward the middle of it, sealing seams well. Bake until set, 10-15 minutes. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add spinach and mushrooms, cook and stir until mushrooms are tender. Drain on several layers of paper towels, blotting well. It’s important to get as much liquid out as possible. In a large bowl, whisk 6 eggs, parmesan cheese, Ital- ian seasoning, and pepper. Layer crust with half of the ham, salami, provolone cheese, red peppers, and spinach mixture. Pour half the egg mixture over top. Repeat the process and top with remaining egg mixture. On a work surface, unroll the other remaining crescent dough into triangles. Press together to form a circle like the bottom crust and seal the seams, then place over filling. Whisk remaining egg and brush over top. Bake, uncovered, until a thermometer reads 160 degrees, 60-70 minutes, covering loosely with foil when and if needed to prevent overbrowning. Once done, carefully loosen sides from pan with a knife and remove rim from pan. Let stand 15-20 minutes and slice.

I love my sweet quick breads, and this one is phenomenal. I can’t imagine • Cook Out continued on page 10

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there is anyone out there who doesn’t like apple cider doughnuts as they are about as tasty a doughnut ever made. We’re taking that mentality and putting it into an incredible breakfast bread, of course great any time of day. Not much more needs to be said I don’t think other than this will give you a single loaf and the total process is close to 2 hours, more than half of which is cook time. This is most definitely one I usually, at minimum, double up on, sometime as many as 4 at a time.

Apple Cider Doughnut Loaf Cake

9 tbsp unsalted butter, a little more than 1 stick, divided, plus more for the pan

1½ cups apple cider

½ cup sour cream

1 tsp vanilla extract

1¼ cups plus 2 tbsp flour

2 tbsp cornstarch

1¼ tsp baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

½ tsp kosher salt

1 tsp ground cinnamon, divided

½ tsp freshly grated nutmeg, divided

2 large eggs, room temperature

1 cup sugar, divided

Place a rack in middle of oven and preheat to 325 degrees. Lightly butter a 9 x 5 loaf pan or similar in size. Line with parchment paper, leaving overhang on both long sides and lightly cover with pan release spray. Bring cider to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and simmer until cider is reduced to ¾ cup, 8–10 minutes. Pour ¼ cup reduced cider into a small measuring glass or bowl and set aside. Transfer remaining reduced cider to a small bowl and let cool 5 minutes.

Stir in sour cream and vanilla and set aside. Melt 1 stick of butter in same saucepan as no need to clean over low heat. Let cool slightly. Whisk flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a medium bowl to combine. Vigorously whisk eggs and ¾ cup sugar in a large bowl until pale, and frothy, about 2 minutes. Whisking constantly, gradually add melted butter in a steady stream to the egg mixture and continue to whisk until fully combined and emulsified as no spots of fat should remain. Reserve saucepan. Whisk dry ingredients into egg mixture in 3 additions, alternating with reserved sour cream mixture in 2 additions. Whisk just until no lumps remain. Batter will be thin. Scrape into the pan and set on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake, rotating halfway through, until deep golden brown and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 60–80 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack and poke top of cake all over with a toothpick. Spoon 3 tbsp of the reserved reduced cider over and let cool 10 minutes. Meanwhile, mix a big pinch of salt, remaining ¼ cup sugar, ½ tsp cinnamon, and ¼ tsp nutmeg in a small bowl. Melt remaining 1 tbsp butter in reserved saucepan and mix into remaining 1 tbsp reduced cider. Using parchment paper, lift cake onto rack and set rack inside rimmed baking sheet. Peel away parchment from sides. Brush warm butter mixture over top and sides of cake. Sprinkle generously with sugar mixture to coat every surface. Use parchment to help rotate cake and collect any excess sugar. Remove parchment and let cool completely before slicing. Cake should be stored at room temp, tightly wrapped in plastic and will be great for 4 days if it lasts that long.

Let’s go back to another breakfast egg bake, this one a lasagna of sorts which I have also made for dinner at times since breakfast at dinner has always been a staple in my house. Besides the eggs, this one has French toast, maple syrup, ham, cheese and the addition of storebought shredded hash brown potatoes makes this. Plan on an hour for this recipe and it will feed 8.

Breakfast Lasagna

For The French Toast

12 slices of quality bread of choice, ideally not a cheap white bread

4 eggs, whisked with a tsp cream or milk and ½ tsp cinnamon

Butter for the pan

For The Lasagna

14 large eggs, whisked with 1-2 tbsp cream

1 ½ cups shredded sharp white cheddar

1 ½ cups or more of diced ham. Use a ham steak as opposed to sliced deli ham

¼ cup pure maple syrup

1 bag refrigerated shredded hash browns, 20 oz

Salt and pepper

¼ cup olive oil

Start by making the French toast. This isn’t rocket science my friends. Melt butter in your favorite nonstick pan, dip the bread in the egg mix and cook for a few minutes on each side until golden brown on both sides. Set aside. To make the scramble mix, bust the eggs into a large bowl and whisk together with the cream until frothy and well incorporated. Pour into a warm nonstick pan with a little melted butter and cook the eggs over medium heat, season with salt and pepper and stir occasionally to prevent sticking and break them up into rough chunks as they’re cooked.

• Cook Out continued on page 11 continued from page 10

Remove the cooked eggs from heat and set aside. Spray a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Place 6 slices of French toast into the bottom of the dish in two rows of three each. Drizzle half the syrup lightly over top. Spread half of the cooked eggs evenly out over top, followed by half of the diced ham, and finally ½ cup of the cheddar cheese. Repeat the layer once more beginning again with the slices of French toast. Spread the hash browns out evenly between several layers of paper towels, pressing them to remove any excess moisture. Top the casserole with the hash browns and spread them out evenly over the top into a thin layer. Salt and pepper them and then lightly drizzle with olive oil evenly. Bake in a preheated 350 degrees oven for 30-35 minutes. Remove the lasagna from the oven and sprinkle the remaining ½ cup of cheddar evenly out over top. Return the dish to the oven and bake for another 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the crust nicely crisped. Let the dish rest for a minute or two before slicing and serving. Drizzle with additional syrup, if desired. Great Dish!

One breakfast treat that many people are intimidated to make is crepes, but do not fret. They really are easy to make, and this strawberry cream cheese crepe is outstanding. In case you aren’t sure what a crepe is, a crepe is a very thin type of pancake, sort of, kind of. Crepes are usually one of two varieties, sweet or savory. They are often served with a wide variety of fillings such as cheese, fruit, vegetables, meats, and a variety of spreads. They are very versatile in what you can do with them which is much of their charm. These are quick to make and usually will make 8-12 yummy crepes, depending on your pan size.

Strawberry Cream Cheese Crepes

For The Crepes

2 cups milk

4 eggs

3 tbsp butter, melted

1 tbsp sugar

1 ½ tbsp pure vanilla

1/8 tsp salt

1 ½ cups flour

For The Cream Cheese Filling and Strawberries

1 cup heavy whipping cream

4 tbsp powdered sugar

8 oz cream cheese, room temp

1 ¼ cups powdered sugar

1 tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice

¾ tsp pure vanilla

4 cups strawberries, sliced

Whipped cream or thawed frozen whipped topping, optional, for the top

For the crepe batter, add eggs, milk, butter, sugar, vanilla, salt, and flour to your blender. Mix the crepe batter for 15-20 seconds or until fully combined. Place in the refrigerator for at least an hour or even better, overnight. Spray an 8–10-inch nonstick skillet with cooking spray and add ¼ cup of crepe batter into pan. Turn pan from side to side to allow crepe batter to form an even circle. Cook crepe over medium heat until the top appears to look dry and slides in the pan easy. Flip crepe over and cook and additional 15-20 seconds. Remove from pan and stack crepes until ready to eat. For the filling, in the bowl of a standing mixer, combine 1 cup of cream and 4 tbsp of powdered sugar and mix until soft peaks appear. Transfer to a different bowl and refrigerate. Using the same bowl and mixer, add cream cheese, 1 ¼ cups powdered sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla. Mix well until smooth. Add whipped cream to the cream cheese mixture and fold together with a rubber spatula to combine. To make the crepes, spread about ¼ cup of filling down the crepe and add fresh strawberries. Roll up crepe, top with whip cream and strawberries, and sprinkle with powdered sugar! As beautiful as they are scrumptious!

Let’s move on to a great variation of one of the most famous sandwiches ever, that being a grilled cheese. We’ve all relied on grilled cheese sandwiches for much if not all our lives. A very popular appetizer over the past 25+ years is a jalapeno popper, so yup, you guessed it, we are morphing the 2 together in a fun way. This sandwich checks all the boxes when it comes to ooey, gooey and cheesy. This recipe is for 10 sandwiches, but they obviously don’t have to be made in one sitting as the makings for the poppers will hold. Oh yeah, did I mention this has bacon too? The prep time is 20-25 minutes, and if making all in one shot, plan on a ½ hour, much shorter depending on how many you are making.

Jalapeño Pepper Popper

Grilled Cheese

8 oz cream cheese, room temp

½ tsp coarse black pepper

1-2 sliced green onions, green parts, about 3 tbsp

1 tsp minced garlic

½ cup grated medium cheddar cheese

½ cup grated Monterey jack cheese

10-12 medium jalapeño peppers

20 slices quality bread

20 slices of cooked bacon

Stake

8-10 tbsp butter, room temp

10 slices Monterey Jack cheese

10 slices medium cheddar cheese

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Use a rubber spatula to mix cream cheese, black pepper, sliced green onions, garlic, and grated cheese. Slice each jalapeño in half lengthwise and remove seeds and ribbing, although if you prefer extra heat from the peppers, leave some of the ribbing and/or seeds. Place jalapeños on a baking sheet, open side up. Use a small spoon or a piping bag to fill each pepper half with the cheese filling mixture. Bake for about 20 minutes until the cheese is melted and browned on top. Meanwhile, butter one side of each slice of bread. Place butter side down on a plate or sheet of parchment paper. For each sandwich, cover 5 slices of bread with jack cheese and the other 5 slices of bread with cheddar cheese. Top the cheese on one slice of bread with two slices of cooked bacon and the other slice of bread with 2-3 cooked jalapeño poppers depending on the size of the peppers. Flip the two sides of the sandwich together and cook over medium heat in a skillet. Cook until the cheese is melted, and the bread is golden brown and then carefully flip the sandwich over to cook the other side. Turn the heat down if you notice that the bread is browning too quickly before the cheese has a chance to melt. Repeat for the remaining sandwiches and dig in while they are hot. I love these things.

Creamy Garlic Shrimp

1 lb peeled and deveined shrimp. I suggest 16/20 or 21/25 in size

• Cook Out continued on page 12

1 tbsp oil

4 cloves of finely chopped garlic

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

1 cup fresh spinach, packed

1 cup cream

½ cup fresh parmesan cheese

1 tbsp butter

¼ tsp paprika

Salt and pepper

Heat the oil and butter in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Season the shrimp with salt, pepper and paprika on both sides. Cook the shrimp for 30-45 seconds on each side and then remove from the skillet. Add more oil if necessary and cook the garlic and cayenne pepper for 30 seconds. Add the fresh spinach, season with salt and pepper and cook for 1-2 minutes. Pour in the heavy cream and add the fresh parmesan cheese. Season with salt and pepper if necessary. Cook for 6-7 minutes or until well thickened. Once the sauce has thickened, place the shrimp back in the pan, stir to combine and cover with a lid and cook for an additional 30-60 seconds over a low heat. Garnish with fresh basil or parsley if you wish. Before I hit you with a few desserts, I want to share a great potato side dish, a version of scalloped potatoes that I serve often at get togethers when entertaining. There are many recipes out there for scalloped spuds, and this is a good one. I have been known to eat this dish as a main entrée from time to time as it is loaded with diced ham. This will feed 10 as a side dish and will take 1 ¼ hours from start to finish.