Five of our favorite recipes for a snowy winter morning.
Crab, roasted pepper, bacon and scallion bread pudding.
Eggs in purgatory.
Biscuits and sausage gravy.
Chia pancakes.
Crab, Roasted Pepper, Bacon and Scallion Bread Pudding
4 cups heavy cream 10 eggs 2 teaspoons kosher salt 12 cups French bread, cut into ½-inch dice (about one 1 pound loaf) 1 ½ pound jumbo lump crab, shell pieces removed ½ cup roasted peppers, finely diced 6 strips applewood smoked bacon, cooked and diced ¼ cup scallion (about 1 bunch), green parts sliced thin
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix cream, eggs, and salt in a large bowl with a whisk or immersion blender. Add diced bread and soak for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until custard is absorbed. Mix in crab, peppers, bacon and scallion.
Grease and flour eight 1 ¼-cup soufflé dishes or large ramekins. Spoon mix into soufflé dishes and fill to the top. Place dishes in a large roasting pan. Fill roasting pan with hot water about a third of the way up the soufflé dishes. Cover roasting pan with foil and bake for about 45 minutes, until bread puddings are springy.
When cool enough to handle, gently remove from dishes. If serving later, they can be cooled and stored in the refrigerator at this point. To reheat, place on parchment-lined sheet pan and bake at 350 until hot and puffy, about 20 minutes.
Serves 12
Quail Eggs on Toast
8 slices cocktail-sized bread 1 pound spinach 2 tablespoons butter Salt and pepper to taste 8 quail eggs
Lightly toast bread in toaster oven. Melt butter in a sauté pan. Add spinach and stir lightly until wilted. Cook eggs 2-3 minutes in a lightly greased, non-stick pan, until whites are cooked and yolks are still runny. Divide spinach evenly and place on toast. Top with eggs.
Serves 4
Eggs in Purgatory
½ cup olive oil 2 large onions, sliced thinly 2 red bell peppers, cut into strips 2 yellow peppers, cut into strips 2 teaspoons sugar Salt and pepper to taste 1 bay leaf 1 thyme sprig 2 tablespoons chopped parsley 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes Approximately 1 cup water 8 eggs
In a large pan, heat olive oil, add onions and sauté for 5 minutes. Add peppers, sugar and herbs and continue to heat for 5 more minutes. Add tomatoes, salt and pepper, reduce heat and cook on low for 15 minutes, adding water from time to time to maintain sauce consistency. Remove thyme and bay leaf. Make four wells in sauce. Carefully crack two eggs into each well. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover with a lid and cook gently over very low heat 8-10 minutes. Garnish with parsley and cilantro.
Serves 4
Chia Pancakes
coconut oil (for frying the pancakes) ½ cup of almond meal (almond flour) 2 tablespoons of chia seeds ½ tablespoons of baking powder 1 egg ½ cup of unsweetened almond milk 1 tablespoon of almond butter 1 tablespoon of desiccated coconut
In a small bowl, whisk the egg then add the almond milk. Combine all dry ingredients in a separate bowl then pour the wet ingredients into the dry. Whisk to combine and allow to stand while the chia seeds absorb some of the liquid and expand. (If the batter gets too thick, thin it out with some additional almond milk).
Heat a frying pan or skillet over medium/low heat. Add a dollop of coconut oil and allow it to melt.
Spoon out pancakes into the pan and fry, around 3 – 4 minutes each side, until golden. Top with extra coconut flakes and fresh fruit.
Makes 6-8 pancakes
Biscuits and Sausage Gravy
2 cups all-purpose flour 1 tablespoon sugar 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon baking soda 2 tablespoons baking powder 5 tablespoons cold butter 1 cup buttermilk
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place butter in freezer for 15 minutes to chill. Mix dry ingredients and blend well. Using a box grater, grate the frozen butter into the dry ingredients. Toss to coat evenly. Add buttermilk and mix until the dough just begins to come together.
Turn dough onto a floured surface. Roll ½ thick into a rectangle. Fold sides toward the center, so that the dough is divided into thirds. Repeat three more times.
Cut into rounds or squares. Bake on ungreased cookie sheet until lightly browned, about 25 minutes.
For the gravy: 1 pound pork breakfast sausage, ground 1 onion, finely diced (approximately 1 cup) 1 teaspoon black pepper 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour 3 cups whole milk 1 cup buttermilk ¼ cup green Sriracha sauce In a medium saucepan over medium heat, brown the sausage. Do not drain. Add onion and cook until translucent. Add pepper and flour, whisk constantly to cook the flour for three minutes. Add the liquid in thirds, stirring constantly. Simmer until thickened, and add Sriracha. Add salt to taste and serve over hot biscuits split in half (recipe below). Serves 8
