They Call Me "Big Fluffy"

The Background

It wasn't until after high school, when I got into the restaurant business that I really did a lot of cooking.  I wasn't necessarily one of those kids that loved to cook from a young age.  My mom did almost all of the cooking in our house, and my sisters would spend a good bit of time with her while they cooked.  I did too from time to time, but not nearly as often.  There were probably a dozen other things going on that I would rather spend time doing during the dinner prep time, and it simply didn't interest me in the same way, at least not at that time.  I learned enough that I knew I wouldn't starve during my bachelor days, but I wasn't cooking for pride or entertainment.  And certainly, I didn't have that itch to experiment with flavors and textures.

 But there was one notable exception, pancakes.  Pancakes was the first "meal" that I learned to make, entirely on my own.  Now as a kid, pancakes meant using a box of Bisquick.  And to be truthful, that was the case for many, many years.  As a matter of fact, had they not done something to alter their ingredients 10 or so years ago, I'd probably still be using Bisquick to make pancakes.  I am not sure what they did, but after 20 years using the exact same recipe, something changed, and the only thing I didn't have direct control over was whatever blend of dry ingredients that they put in that box.  They didn't come out with a "new and improved" recipe, but I definitely know that something in that package changed.

 Since that time, I have tried many scratch recipes.  I love pancakes, and I even enjoy how varied the recipes are.  Some create flat, dense or crispy pancakes, some are made to benefit from a cast iron skillet, some are filled with fruit flavors, but my favorites have always been big, fluffy pancakes.  Not too sweet (that's what syrup is for), very cake-like, delicate sponges for melted butter with a light crumb.

 To achieve these kind of results, we will need to talk about the batter.  Now, I have provided ingredient quantities here, but I am going to tell you that you will need to use your culinary common sense here when it comes to consistency.  There are many variables that won't go into the mixing bowl that will affect your batter, and there is no recipe that can account for that.  Everything from the temperature of the kitchen to the barometric pressure outside will impact your batter.  And we also have to consider the age of the flour we are using and the age of the leavening agents.  Are they stale, or fresh, just how long has that sack of flour sat in your pantry?   For this pancake recipe we want a thick batter.  You should have to shake it out of the measuring cup onto your griddle.  You shouldn't be able to pour it out.

 Be mindful though, because over-stirring the batter on the way to this  thick cake-like batter can result in losing the delicate crumb.  By mixing the wet ingredients and dry ingredients separately, we will be able to mix the heck out of the eggs and milk without kicking the baking powder into overdrive.  And please, pay attention to the flour type.  I used self-rising flour, not all-purpose flour, and it does make a big difference.

The Ingredients 

• 3 Cups Self-Rising Flour
• 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
• 3 Tablespoons Baking Powder
• 1 Tablespoon Cinnamon (optional)
• 3 Cups Milk
• 2 Extra-Large Eggs
• 1 Tablespoon Vanilla Extract
• 2 Tablespoons Sugar
• 4 Tablespoons (1/4 cup) Butter (melted)
• 1 Cup Greek Yogurt (I used full-fat, plain)
• Butter and Syrup for topping pancakes

 Making It Work  

1. Preheat your griddle to 350 degrees. 
2. Mix together the flour, salt, baking powder, and cinnamon (if using) in a large bowl.  Make sure that the ingredients are well mixed.
3. Mix together yogurt, eggs, milk, sugar, vanilla in a separate bowl.  Whisk these together until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is a creamy, custard-like consistency. *Note: we are treating the sugar like a wet ingredient, rather than a dry ingredient.  It will dissolve in milk and eggs, and the extra whisking to get there won't upset the leavening process.
4. Whisk the melted butter into the wet ingredients
5. Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour the wet ingredients into the center.
6. Gently fold the flour mixture into the wet mixture until it is just incorporated.  Don't try to beat out all of the lumps, you will over-mix if you do.
7. This is the time to add more flour if the batter is too thin, or add more milk if the batter is too thick.
8. Scoop the batter onto your hot griddle.  (I use a 1/3 cup measuring cup for portioning).  With the thickness of the batter, this will make about 18 pancakes that are about 5-6 inches in diameter.

Notes:

1. Put your hot pancakes on a rimmed cookie sheet with a cooling rack, and cover with a towel.  Set oven to 200 degrees and they will stay hot until you are ready to serve, or until sleepy, late-risers make it to the table.  Don't get stuck manning the griddle while everyone else enjoys the pancakes in the dining room.  It is good for the cook to get to eat with the family.
2. This recipe is not the time to substitute fat-free or sugar-free ingredients.  These pancakes will be a thick, cake-like treat.  Enjoy them in reasonable quantities with real maple syrup and lots of butter, or with fruit compote and whipped cream.  They are a treat and should be enjoyed as such. "Everything in moderation... including moderation"!
3. Eat pancakes for dinner, it's just the right thing to do every once in awhile, or weekly, like at my house.

Syrupy Banana-Nut Overnight French Toast

 The Background

Okay, I don’t typically re-post recipes exactly as they are written.  I confess to being one of “those” people who has to try something, dabble with it, fidget with it, fix it, forget it, re-fix it and then… post it.  Typically, if I am searching for inspiration I will hit tons of recipe sites, peruse countless recipes.  I will discredit some poor guy or gal I never met, scoffing at whatever process or ingredient they are using, then find another similar dish and apply recipe one’s thought, to recipe two’s ingredients and combine it with something I think I dreamt up, but was probably bastardized from yet another source.
Not today.  Today, maybe it’s because I was appalled at how long it has been since I posted a recipe, or perhaps because we had this for Mother’s Day brunch and it was “lick the pan” delicious exactly how it was written, I proudly repost… Syrupy Banana-Nut Overnight French Toast.  And I would like to thank the fine folks at Good Housekeeping for awesome recipe.  Oh, I can’t wait to try other fruit variations with this recipe
. 

The Ingredients

6 tablespoon(s) butter or margarine

1 1/2 cup(s) packed brown sugar

5 large ripe bananas, cut diagonally into 1/2-inch-thick slices

1 (12-ounce) long loaf French or Italian bread, cut crosswise into 1-inch-thick slices (I used Challah – and loved it!)

6 large eggs

2 cup(s) milk

2 teaspoon(s) vanilla extract

1 teaspoon(s) ground cinnamon

1/2 cup(s) sliced almonds or coarsely chopped walnuts or pecans
Read more: Syrupy Banana-Nut Overnight French Toast - Good Housekeeping

 

Making It Work

In microwave-safe small bowl, heat butter in microwave oven on High 1 minute or until melted. Stir sugar into butter until moistened. With fingertips, press sugar mixture onto bottom of 13-inch by 9-inch glass baking dish. (It's okay if mixture does not cover bottom.) Spread fresh or dried fruit over sugar mixture; top with bread slices, cut sides down.

In medium bowl, with whisk, beat eggs; whisk in milk, vanilla, and cinnamon. Slowly pour milk mixture over bread; press bread down to absorb egg mixture. Sprinkle with nuts. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight. (My wife is not a fan of nuts, so we toasted pecans to sprinkle on top rather than baking them into the French toast)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Remove plastic wrap from baking dish. Bake, uncovered, 45 to 50 minutes or until bread is golden brown and knife inserted in center comes out clean. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Note: If you don't have bananas, substitute 3 to 4 very ripe pears or peaches (about 1 1/2 pounds), sliced; or 1 cup dried cherries, cranberries, or raisins.
Read more: Syrupy Banana-Nut Overnight French Toast - Good Housekeeping

Nutella and Banana Stuffed French Toast Bake

The Background

I have wanted to find a way to do French Toast in a manner that would make it easier to serve to a larger crowd, something that can stand up to a little time in a chafing dish.  A quick Google search will give you a ton of inspiration for baked French Toast recipes.  Some are more akin to bread pudding, others more like a casserole.  As usual, this recipe is a combination of inspirations from across the web, twisted in my own mind to meet a distinct flavor.

The Ingredients

1 loaf French Bread

2-3 bananas, sliced

Nutella

For the custard:

• 6 eggs
• 3 cups half and half
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 1/2 cup brown sugar

For the topping:

• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/2 brown sugar
• 1 stick butter
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon

 

Making It Work

One of my favorite things about this recipe is that much of the work and mess is done the night before.  Begin by slicing the loaf of French bread into thick slices.  I like my slices to be about 2 inches thick.  The end pieces won’t be used, the crust won’t absorb the custard.  Take each piece of bread and slice to, but not through the bottom crust.  This creates a pocket for your stuffing, in this case, the Nutella and bananas.  I can tell you though that there is no need to stop there,  I made an equally delicious variation where I whipped cream cheese and apple butter for the stuffing. 
Spread a thick, healthy portion of Nutella inside each slice of bread, and top the Nutella with several slices of banana.

Lay each stuffed toast piece into a buttered casserole dish, packing them together tightly.
In a medium mixing bowl, make the custard by stirring together the half and half, eggs, vanilla and brown sugar.  Make sure that the custard is well mixed, and that the sugar dissolves completely.
Pour the custard mixture evenly over the top of the bread pieces.  Cover the dish tightly with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for several hours or overnight.  By the morning, the custard should have absorbed into the bread, with very little remaining pooled in the bottom of the dish.

When you are ready to cook, remove the dish from the refrigerator and allow it to begin to warm to room temperature while the oven preheats to 350 degrees.

For the topping, slice a stick of butter into thin slices and mix in a small bowl with the flour, brown sugar and cinnamon until the mixture is the consistency of wet sand.  Sprinkle this over the bread, covering well.

Bake for 45 minutes.  The topping should be browned and bubbling.  If not, return for another 10 to 15. 

This definitely does not need any maple syrup, but would do well topped with fresh fruit.  I probably don’t have to say this, but this is a rich, decadent dish.  A small piece of this dish served as part of a larger brunch offering is probably the best use of this recipe.

Muffin Tin Frittatas

 The Background

I am always looking for easy, no fuss ideas for holiday meals, especially the “lead up” meals to a big event.  Everyone knows that Thanksgiving Day is all about a turkey dinner, and you probably remember all sorts of yummy eats that you enjoyed at last year’s feast.  But do you remember what you had for breakfast that morning?  Just because the day is all about dinner, doesn’t mean that breakfast should consist of slurping down a bowl Post Toasties while you wait for the oven to pre-heat.
No, we need something suitably special.  Something that will stand out in our memory of the day, without causing the dishwasher to rise up in revolt of another dirty kitchen.  Christmas mornings of my past are filled with breakfast casseroles, which were easy enough to prepare the night before and only mess up a single dish in the morning.  My wife has also done cinnamon rolls, for much the same reasons.  And, it is worth mentioning that both of these are perfectly fabulous options, I am just looking for something different.
Recently, my family has been serving our church by providing brunch for our hardworking worship staff.  These guys and gals are at the church early, work through 3 services and are often some of the last to leave.  We get to rotate with other families to make sure these wonderful people get to have something nice for brunch between services.  Last Sunday was one of these occasions, and these muffin tin frittatas, adapted from several online recipes I found were perfect!  This recipe is super simple, and much of the prep work can be done a day in advance to make this a great option for those busy holiday mornings.  This recipe is also so easy to adapt for a variety of tastes.  The recipe below is a basic ham and Swiss variety, but I also made some with asparagus and potato.  Other combinations that sound good to me are bacon and cheddar, salmon and capers with red onion, wild mushrooms and rosemary, crab and sweet corn, spinach and bacon with Gouda… oh man, I better stop.  I am sure you get the idea.

The Ingredients

• 1/4 lb. Ham, sliced deli-thin, and chopped
• 3 Eggs
• 1 cup Egg Whites (approximate – see notes below)
• 2 tbsp. Milk
• 1 cup Swiss Cheese, grated
• 1 oz. Parmesan Cheese, grated
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• Cooking Spray

Making It Work

1. Start by preheating the oven to 400 degrees, with a rack in the middle position.
2. Spray a full-size muffin tin very liberally with cooking spray.
3. Divide the chopped ham and grated cheese between the cups.
4. In a 2 cup measuring cup, crack the 3 eggs.  Depending on the size of eggs you have, the quantity will vary.  Add liquid egg whites to fill to 2 cups total, then add the milk and whisk to fully incorporate.
5. Spoon the egg mixture into each cup of the muffin tin, filling to about 3/4 full.  If everything was measured correctly, you should be able to fill all 12 cups on the muffin tin.
6. Gently give each cup a stir so that the ham and cheese are even distributed in the egg mixture.
7. Bake the frittatas for 20 minutes.
8. After 20 minutes, remove from the oven, sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese, and return to the oven for another 5 minutes to brown the Parmesan.

Serve these hot, straight from the pan, or they will hold up nicely if you want to re-warm them for sleepy heads who are late coming to breakfast.  They also store really well, if you want to freeze some for later.  Feeling fancy?  A dab of Hollandaise sauce would be awesome.  But for my family, they are great plain, or with a bit of hot sauce or salsa for me.
So there it is, a holiday-worthy breakfast or a brunch treat suitable for the voices of angels.  Dress it up, or keep it simple.  Try these out, and be sure to let me know if you add your own flavors too!   I would love to hear what you do differently.