Posts Tagged by eggs
Berry Stuffed French Toast
| November 13, 2012 | Filled under Breakfast, Fruits |
Sometimes you want to pamper your loved ones with something special to show how much you care. For me, it’s often through food and this berry stuffed French toast is a personal favourite of mine. It’s delicate, delicious, and decadent all at the same time. I’ve served this to my beloved bridal party as part of my thank you brunch, to my mom and family on her most recent birthday, and to my closest friends at my housewarming last year. Each time I’ve whipped this out, my guests devour the toasts, shower me with compliments, and immediately ask for the recipe.
As many folks with food sensitivities know, brunch and breakfast can be a challenge in restaurants. I’m gluten-free and sensitive to dairy, which is basically the bulk of any brunch menu. By making brunch at home, I can customize the ingredients to suit my diet. The stars of this recipe are the gluten-free egg bread (challah) by Molly Bee (light, fluffy and totally un-brick-like) and dairy-free Better Than Cream Cheese by Tofutti. Go get them now. Seriously good stuff.
This is surprisingly easy to put together considering the elegant finished product. Totally doable while bleary-eyed and waiting for coffee to brew. You can even make the cream cheese the night before. And if you or your guests aren’t dairy/gluten-free, you can swap for regular challah and cream cheese. No fresh berries? No problem. Spread your favourite fruit preserves instead. So many delicious options that you can experiment and treat your loved ones to their favourite fillings, whatever’s in season, or whatever you have in your kitchen. Make this and get ready to make people happy.
This recipe is a hybrid of a couple of recipes. One is from an old back issue of Fine Cooking Magazine and the other from Donna Hay’s No Time to Cook. Both are huge sources of inspiration and have been invaluable cooking resources over the years. Beautiful photography, great recipes, and food you actually want to eat.
Also, I have to give credit to my dad for teaching me how to make the perfect French toast. He briefly worked at one of Toronto’s top hotels, and would recreate their French toast for our family on Sunday mornings. He worked a lot during the week and weekends were when he would take charge and make the most fabulous gourmet breakfasts – fancy croissant sandwiches, tasty omelets, pancakes, you name it. We always felt so special as we gobbled it up. Thanks Dad, for teaching me your breakfast skills and all the delicious memories.
Berry Stuffed French Toast (serves 4) Recipe adapted from Fine Cooking Magazine and Donna Hay
Ingredients:
Stuffing:
• ½ cup cream cheese, softened/room temperature (or dairy-free substitute Tofutti)
• 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon rind
• 1 Tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 pint fresh raspberries
French Toast:
• 8 slices gluten-free egg bread (I use Molly Bee’s)
• 4 eggs
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons butter or butter substitute
• Icing sugar (to garnish)
• Pure maple syrup (to serve)
Directions:
1. In a medium bowl, combined softened cream cheese with lemon rind and one tablespoon of sugar and stir until combined. In a separate medium bowl, combine raspberries and one teaspoon sugar. Smash berries with the back of a fork and stir until combined. Set aside.
2. Spread two tablespoons of the cream cheese mixture onto slice of egg bread. Add two tablespoons of the raspberry mixture and spread evenly. Cover with another slice of egg bread and set aside. Repeat for all the slices of egg bread to make four sandwiches.
3. Preheat a large non-stick frying pan to medium heat for two minutes. Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Melt butter in frying pan. In a deep sided dish, whisk eggs until pale yellow and stir in vanilla. Dip sandwiches into egg mixture until evenly coated on both sides and add to frying pan. Cook until golden brown, about 2 minutes, flip over, and repeat on other side. Place on tray lined baking sheet and place in oven to keep warm.
4. Slice in half to serve. To garnish, sift icing sugar over French toast. Serve with maple syrup.
Triple Chocolate Torte
| February 7, 2012 | Filled under Cakes & Cupcakes, Desserts |
Valentine’s Day is around the corner and whipping up this luscious triple chocolate torte is a sure-fire way to show your sweetie that you care. It’s undoubtedly a show stopper, covered in a glossy dark chocolate ganache and enrobed in white chocolate slices. Not into V-Day? Me either (sort of). You can totally whip up this crowd-pleasing dessert to celebrate just about anything, from a new job, birthdays, showers, housewarming, festivus, you name it; it’s definitely a special occasion dessert.
As much as I go to baking mixes to help me create gluten-free desserts, this one was an easy adaptation of a recipe I found in the Globe and Mail over the holidays. It’s got a such a small amount of flour in proportion to the chocolate and other ingredients so it was easy to swap in GF flour. That being said, this dessert requires a) time b) planning and c) patience. All in all, it’s a pretty straight-forward recipe to make, Ie. it LOOKS way harder to make than it really is. And if you want to simplify, you can always make it a double chocolate torte and skip the white chocolate slices.
To break it down, this cake takes 3 steps. Step 1 is make the cake. Step 2 is to make the white chocolate slices. Step 3 is to make a ganache and assemble. Basically this cake involves a lot of chopping and melting chocolate (fun) and dish washing (not so fun which – I suggest outsourcing this piece to husbands/boyfriends/roommates/other parties who want to eventually eat this masterpiece).
Making the white chocolate slices is so simple and gives the cake its ‘wow!youmadethatyourself?’ look. Melt the white chocolate chunks and spread it onto a lined baking sheet to chill in the fridge. Once it’s chilled, simply remove and break into pieces and let your inner pastry chef/artist decorate. The more variations in the pieces, the better the cake looks.
The last part of the cake to make is the ganache which is dead simple to do. Seriously, just boil milk, pour it over chopped chocolate and stir to create a smooth and glossy chocolate spread. Pour onto the cooled prepared cake and spread around. It’s so much easier to make than icing or frosting and I love the silky rich taste so much that I just might ‘ganache’ all my cupcakes from now on.
So the next time you have a special occasion and 4 hours to spare, why not try making this amazing dessert? It’s so worth it and remember, after you serve this, you get to relish in all the adoring compliments while enjoy this decadent treat.
Triple Chocolate Torte (serves 8 to 10) Adapted from Lucy Waverman’s Triple Chocolate Torte for Globe and Mail
Ingredients
Cake
• 4 oz bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate, chopped into small pieces
• ½ cup unsalted butter or dairy-free vegan butter, softened
• ½ cup packed brown sugar
• ¼ cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• ½ cup Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free All Purpose Flour
• 2 tablespoons cocoa powder (unsweetened)
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1 tsp vanilla
Dark Chocolate Ganache
• 8 oz dark chocolate chips or dark chocolate chopped into small pieces
• ½ cup unsweetened soy milk or regular milk
White Chocolate Pieces
• 6 oz white chocolate
Special Equipment: 9” round springform pan, off-set spatula, parchment paper
Directions:
1. Make cake. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Invert the base of a 9” round springform pan so that it is lip side down (avoids having an indent in the base of the cake). Grease bottom and sides of pan and line bottom with parchment paper.
2. Melt chocolate in a small heavy pot over low heat, stirring occasionally. Set aside to cool.
3. Cream butter and sugars in a large bowl until like and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well between additions.
4. In a separate bowl, sift cocoa powder and add gluten-free flour, and salt and whisk until well combined. Beat into butter mixture. Stir in the melted chocolate and vanilla. Pour into springform pan and spread into an even layer.
5. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until set and slightly puffed in the centre. Let cool in the pan.
6. Make ganache. Place dark chocolate in a bowl. Place soy milk in a small pot and bring to boil over medium heat. Pour over chocolate and stir to melt.
7. Remove cake from pan and pour ganache over cake, ensuring the ganache spreads to the edge. Use a spatula to help spread evenly over the top and sides. Chill in the fridge to set.
8. Make white chocolate rectangles. Place white chocolate in a small, heavy pot over low heat. Melt slowly, stirring occasionally. When melted, use an off-set spatula to spread evenly on a parchment paper or Silpat sheet lined baking sheet. Place in fridge to harden.
9. Remove white chocolate from parchment paper and break into large pieces and press white chocolate against the sides of the cake, overlapping slightly. Stick leftover white chocolate pieces vertically into the middle of the cake to create a pattern. Chill again until ready to serve. Remove from fridge for 15 minutes before serving.
Chocolate Crinkles
| December 20, 2011 | Filled under Cookies & Bars, Desserts |
I love the holidays. For the first time in a long while, I’ve been home for the holidays and fully able to enjoy the prep – baking, gift wrapping, decorating, and entertaining. We got a tree (fake), centerpieces (leftover wedding + dollar store), cool wrapping paper (silver + black), and most of the gifts are done. I even snuck in a week in Punta Cana for my cousin’s wedding last week. And now, it’s time to bake Chocolate Crinkles – a truffle-y rich cookie to put under the tree for Santa.
Before going gluten free, I used to make these amazing chewy chocolate cookies by the talented Anna Olsen. I loved her show ‘Sugar’ on the Food Network and remember loving the dreamy white set. She made it look so simple and even though it’s a few extra steps than say my Neiman Marcus cookies, they’re so decadent that it’s worth it. There is only 1/2 a cup of flour in the original recipe which I swapped out for a GF combo of Bob’s GF All Purpose Flour mix, coconut flour and xanthum gum.
To make this recipe mostly dairy-free, I swapped the butter for heart healthy coconut oil. Chopping the chocolate helps it melt quickly over the double boiler. A double boiler is just a heat proof bowl set over a pot with about an 1″ or so of lightly simmering water. The steam from the water heats the bowl, melting the chocolate delicately. It’s important not to let the water touch the bottom of the bowl or the chocolate will get weird and nasty.
Once the chocolate is melted, remove from heat and let it cool down. Next up is prepping the egg mixture. A stand mixer is great but if you don’t have one, no worries. A hand mixer will work great and burn a few extra calories too. Just keep whipping until the egg mixture is pale and thick.
After you have the egg mixture ready, it’s time to add in the melted chocolate. Whisk in together until full incorporated. I love the swirly pattern – so pretty.
Next up it’s time to add in the dry ingredients. Mix together the dry ingredients with a whisk and add into the chocolate egg mixture. Cover with plastic wrap and put in the fridge for 4 hours. I know I know, it’s a lifetime to wait for cookies. I’m all for instant gratification, especially after all that melting and stirring (and dirty dishes) so I cheat and wait 2 hours, bake up about a dozen, and put the rest of the batter back in the fridge to full chill.
These cookies are pretty rich so I like to keep them fairly small and dainty so I use a melon baller to scoop out the chilled dough. Roll into balls and then gently roll in some icing sugar and voila, they are ready to bake.
This makes a pretty big batch of cookies (especially if you make little ones) so it’s perfect for your cookie plate or gifting. I know it seems like a lot of steps, and truthfully, it is. So give yourself enough time, make sure your ingredients are all sorted out, and blast those Christmas carols and give it a go. They’re a real treat whether you’re gluten-free or not since you can’t even tell they’re GF. These crinkles are so rich they’re naughty and so gluten-free they’re nice.
Recipe Chocolate Crinkles (makes 36 to 60) Adapted from Anna Olsen’s Chocolate Crinkle recipe
Ingredients
- ½ cup coconut oil
- 10 ounces bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
- 4 eggs, room temperature (preferably organic)
- 1 ½ cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
- ¼ cup Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free All Purpose Flour
- ¼ cup coconut flour
- 1 Tbsp arrowroot flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp xanthum gum
- ¼ tsp salt
- 6 ounces white chocolate, chopped
- 2/3 to 1 cup icing sugar
Directions
1. Over a pot of filled with 1″ to 2″ of simmering water, place a heat-proof bowl (metal or glass) and add coconut oil. Stir until melted halfway and add chopped chocolate. Stir until just melted and remove from heat. Set aside.
2. Whip eggs with sugar, vanilla and espresso powder with hand mixer or stand mixer with whisk attachment, until pale and thick, about 5 minutes. In a separate bowl, combine GF flour, coconut flour, arrowroot flour, baking powder, xanthum gum, and salt.
3. Whisk melted chocolate into egg mixture until incorporated. Whisk in flour mixture and stir in white chocolate chunks. Cover batter with plastic wrap and chill for at least 4 hours before baking.
4. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
5. Spoon cookie dough with a melon baller or teaspoon and gently roll to shape into a ball. Roll cookie in icing sugar and place on a parchment paper (or silpat) lined or greased cookie sheet, leaving 2″ of space between cookies. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes. To test doneness, lift a cookie off the tray – if it comes off cleanly, then cookies are done.
Storing: Cool cookies before storing. Cookies will keep up to 1 week at room temperature in airtight container. Batter also freezes well.
Potato Crusted Quiche
| October 4, 2011 | Filled under Breakfast, Main Dishes, Snacks & Appetizers |
One of my earliest posts was about having an elegant and delicious go-to recipe that would wow your guests without stressing you out. I also believe that this applies to brunch – having a couple of recipes up your sleeve to make your guests feel honoured and that you can do bleary-eyed. I love brunch for so many reasons – the food, the drinks (we do hard liquor and bubbly and coffee/tea), the lively conversations, and being able to relax without the bustle of waiting for a table/coffee refills/ketchup etc.
Normally a quiche has a pastry crust that’s both gluten and fat filled. You could always go crustless but for me, the crust is the best part so I thought I’d swap pastry for a potato. This recipe is adapted from one I found online here and the potato is actually way less fattening than traditional pastry but no less satisfying. It’s basically hash browns and eggs all in one dish – the perfect brunch combo, like juice and champagne.
I also use soy milk instead of cream which helps cut a few calories and great for lactose intolerant folks. I find if the fillings are tasty enough, dairy eaters don’t notice. To prep the potatoes, I recommend a food processor to grate the potatoes and wringing them in a clean kitchen towel. Just lay the towel on a surface, dump the shredded potatoes in the middle, gather the four corners of the cloth and lift up. You have a sac like situation and you just twist the bottom of the sac while holding to the for corners until you’re squeezing the liquid out of the potatoes.
I’ve made various versions of this recipe and served it both at brunch and dinner. When making this for smaller groups (I.e. four or less), I use a long tart pan. But I find the best way to feed a crowd is to use muffin tins – you can do a variety of fillings and these are the perfect size to sample a few. I did a mushroom and spinach version as well as a broccoli and cheddar. I’ve also done caramelized onion and goat cheese in the past which is uber yum but more dinner time for some reason. It’s great to be creative and experiment with different fillings – I’m always inspired by restaurant brunch menus and my next batch of quiche will be chorizo and goat cheese like the omelet at The School in Liberty Village.
Recipe Potato Crusted Quiche (Makes 12 individual muffin sized portions)
Adapted from Food Network’s Cook Yourself Thin
***Double the crust and egg mixture quantities if doing both fillings***
Crust:
- 2 to 3 medium Yukon gold potatoes, shredded
- 1 tsp olive oil
- pinch salt
Egg Mixture:
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup milk or cream ( I use plain soy)
- pinch salt and pepper
- Spray oil or canola oil for greasing pan
Mushroom and Spinach Filling:
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 cup mushrooms, finely sliced
- 1 cup baby spinach, washed and dried
- 1/2 cup shredded mozzerella (I use goat cheese)
Broccoli and Cheddar Filling:
- 3/4 cup broccoli florets, cut into tiny pieces (no stems)
- 1/2 cup medium to strong cheddar (I use goat cheese)
Special Equipment: 12 cup muffin pan (one pan if making one variety, 2 pans if making both varieties)
Directions
1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Coat muffin tins with spray oil or grease the pans. Place potatoes in the middle of a clean dish towel and gather the corners of the cloth together. Wring the excess liquid from the potatoes in the towel. In a medium mixing bowl, toss potatoes with olive oil and salt. Scoop a heaping tablespoon of the potato and press into the muffin tin to create a crust. Make sure to evenly cover the bottom and have the edges going up over the sides (it’s ok to go a bit higher the side because the potatoes shrink a bit). Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until the edges are golden brown and dry. Let cool and lower oven heat to 350 degrees.
2. For mushroom and spinach filling: In a skillet, add oil on medium heat. Add onions until they start to sweat, about 2 minutes. Add mushrooms, let cook for about 6 to 8 minutes until mixture is dry, stirring occasionally. Add the spinach and stir until wilted, about 30 seconds. Let cool slightly.
3. Aseemble the quiche. For mushroom and spinach quiche, add about 1 teaspoon of the filling and 1 teaspoon into each potato shell. For broccoli and cheddar, add 1 teaspoon of broccoli and 1 teaspoon of cheddar into each potato shell. In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, salt and pepper until light and fluffy. Carefully pour egg mixture over filling. If making both varieties, double the egg mixture. Bake for 15 minutes or until firm around the edges, but still wobbly in the middle. Let cool slightly and serve warm or at room temperature.
Caramelized onion and goat cheese quiche in a rectangular tin - perfect for dinner or lunch with a fresh green salad
One of my earliest posts was about having an elegant and delicious go-to recipe that would wow your guests without stressing you out. I also believe that this applies to brunch – having a couple of recipes up your sleeve to make your guests feel honoured and that you can do bleary-eyed. I love brunch for so many reasons – the food, the drinks (we do hard liquor and bubbly and coffee/tea), the lively conversations, and being able to relax without the bustle of waiting for a table/coffee refills/ketchup etc.
Normally a quiche has a pastry crust that’s both gluten and fat filled. You could always go crustless but for me, the crust is the best part so I thought I’d swap pastry for a potato. This recipe is adapted from one I found online here and the potato is actually way less fattening than traditional pastry but no less satisfying. It’s basically hash browns and eggs all in one dish – the perfect brunch combo, like juice and champagne.
I also use soy milk instead of cream which helps cut a few calories and great for lactose intolerant folks. I find if the fillings are tasty enough, dairy eaters don’t notice. To prep the potatoes, I recommend a food processor to grate the potatoes and wringing them in a clean kitchen towel. Just lay the towel on a surface, dump the shredded potatoes in the middle, gather the four corners of the cloth and lift up. You have a sac like situation and you just twist the bottom of the sac while holding to the for corners until you’re squeezing the liquid out of the potatoes.
I’ve made various versions of this recipe and served it both at brunch and dinner. When making this for smaller groups (I.e. four or less), I use a long tart pan. But I find the best way to feed a crowd is to use muffin tins – you can do a variety of fillings and these are the perfect size to sample a few. I did a mushroom and spinach version as well as a broccoli and cheddar. I’ve also done caramelized onion and goat cheese in the past which is uber yum but more dinner time for some reason. It’s great to be creative and experiment with different fillings – I’m always inspired by restaurant brunch menus and my next batch of quiche will be chorizo and goat cheese like the omelet at The School in Liberty Village.
Recipe Potato Crusted Quiche (Makes 12 individual muffin sized portions)
Adapted from Food Network’s Cook Yourself Thin
***Double the crust and egg mixture quantities if doing both fillings***
Crust:
- 2 to 3 medium Yukon gold potatoes, shredded
- 1 tsp olive oil
- pinch salt
Egg Mixture:
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup milk or cream ( I use plain soy)
- pinch salt and pepper
- Spray oil or canola oil for greasing pan
Mushroom and Spinach Filling:
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 cup mushrooms, finely sliced
- 1 cup baby spinach, washed and dried
- 1/2 cup shredded mozzerella (I use goat cheese)
Broccoli and Cheddar Filling:
- 3/4 cup broccoli florets, cut into tiny pieces (no stems)
- 1/2 cup medium to strong cheddar (I use goat cheese)
Special Equipment: 12 cup muffin pan (one pan if making one variety, 2 pans if making both varieties)
Directions
1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Coat muffin tins with spray oil or grease the pans. Place potatoes in the middle of a clean dish towel and gather the corners of the cloth together. Wring the excess liquid from the potatoes in the towel. In a medium mixing bowl, toss potatoes with olive oil and salt. Scoop a heaping tablespoon of the potato and press into the muffin tin to create a crust. Make sure to evenly cover the bottom and have the edges going up over the sides (it’s ok to go a bit higher the side because the potatoes shrink a bit). Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until the edges are golden brown and dry. Let cool and lower oven heat to 350 degrees.
2. For mushroom and spinach filling: In a skillet, add oil on medium heat. Add onions until they start to sweat, about 2 minutes. Add mushrooms, let cook for about 6 to 8 minutes until mixture is dry, stirring occasionally. Add the spinach and stir until wilted, about 30 seconds. Let cool slightly.
3. Aseemble the quiche. For mushroom and spinach quiche, add about 1 teaspoon of the filling and 1 teaspoon into each potato shell. For broccoli and cheddar, add 1 teaspoon of broccoli and 1 teaspoon of cheddar into each potato shell. In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, salt and pepper until light and fluffy. Carefully pour egg mixture over filling. If making both varieties, double the egg mixture. Bake for 15 minutes or until firm around the edges, but still wobbly in the middle. Let cool slightly and serve warm or at room temperature.
Caramelized onion and goat cheese quiche in a rectangular tin - perfect for dinner or lunch with a fresh green salad
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