Monday, April 30, 2012

Mother's Day Brunch

Hello! Hope you all had a great weekend! It was nice to finally see, and feel some sunshine! What a difference it makes! On another note, I can't believe we're already done April! Where did the month go? I guess I say this at the end of every month really- time is just flying these days! So now that we're going into May, I hope you all know what's coming up, Mother's Day! I know for a lot of my friends, this means Brunch, so here are 2 yummy ideas that you can bring to the table this year!



Baked 3-Cheese Tomato Strata

Preparation time 30 minutes

 

Ingredients

  • 450 g oval-shaped soft calabrese or country bread, about 14x6x3 in.
  • 1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 6 eggs, separated
  • 3/4 cup 18% cream
  • 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/4 cup chopped chives
  • 3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
  • 1/3 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes
  • 2 tbsp goat cheese
  • 1/2 cup finely grated parmesan cheese
Directions
  1. Position 2 oven racks in centre and bottom of oven. Preheat to 400F. Line 2 baking sheets with foil. Using a serrated knife, cut out centre of bread, leaving borders 1 in. thick around edge of loaf and about 1/2 in. thick on bottom. Do not cut through bottom crust. Hollow out bread using your fingers. Place bread shell on one baking sheet. Scatter tomatoes on other baking sheet and toss with oil.
  2. Whisk egg yolks with cream, Dijon and salt in a large bowl. Season with fresh pepper. Stir all but 1 tbsp chives into egg-yolk mixture along with cheddar and sun-dried tomatoes. Using a hand mixer, beat egg whites in a large bowl on medium until soft peaks form when beaters are lifted, 2 to 3 min. Stir 1/4 of egg whites into cheese mixture until blended. Fold in remaining egg whites.
  3. Pour or ladle mixture into bread shell. (If top of bread is uneven and filling is in danger of spilling over, prop up bottom of bread with a piece of scrunched-up foil to even it out.) Dot surface with goat cheese, then sprinkle with parmesan. Bake in centre of oven, uncovered, 10 min. Cover loosely with foil and continue baking until top is puff ed, 25 to 30 more min. Roast tomatoes in bottom of oven until soft and light brown around edges, about 30 min. Let warm strata stand 5 min, then scatter tomatoes and remaining chives overtop. Cut into thick slices.



Sounds and looks delicious right?





Now everyone loves sweets at the end of brunch, so this next recipe will for sure be a hit!


Caramel-pecan sticky buns


Preparation time 25 minutes

Ingredients

  • FOR SWEET DOUGH:
  • 3 cups all purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 1/4 tsp quick-rise yeast
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup hot milk (120F to 130F)
  • 2 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1 egg, at room temperature
  • FOR CARAMEL SAUCE:
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter
  • 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
  • 2 tbsp corn syrup
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 3/4 cup chopped pecans
  • FOR FILLING:
  • 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

Directions

  1. Whisk 1 cup flour with 1/4 cup granulated sugar, yeast and salt in a large bowl. Whisk in milk, 1/3 cup hot water, 2 tbsp butter and egg. Using a wooden spoon, stir in 1 3/4 cups flour and continue stirring until dough starts to come together. Knead dough in bowl until smooth and not sticky, adding remaining flour as needed, 3 to 4 min. Cover loosely with a damp kitchen towel and let rest until dough is doubled in size, about 1 hour.
  2. Preheat oven to 350F. Melt 1/4 cup butter with 1/3 cup brown sugar, corn syrup and vanilla in a small saucepan over medium. Cook until bubbly, 2 to 3 min. Pour into a 9 × 13-in. baking dish. Sprinkle with pecans.
  3. Combine 1/2 cup brown sugar with 1/4 cup butter in a medium bowl. Roll dough on a lightly floured surface into a 12-in. square. Spread brown sugar mixture over dough right to the edges. Tightly roll dough in jelly roll fashion. Slice into 12 rounds, about 1 in. thick. Lay rounds cut-side down in prepared baking dish. Spray tops lightly with oil.
  4. Bake in centre of oven until buns are deep golden, about 25 min. Cover with foil for the last 10 min if browning too quickly. Transfer to a rack and let stand 5 min. Cover dish with a baking sheet lined with parchment or foil. Carefully flip buns onto sheet. Serve warm.






Both recipes & photos are from chatelaine.com , I really enjoy their recipes, so be sure to check out the website or pick up the monthly mag for great meals & treats!




Cheers!

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