Morning Foods – Page 10 – Rosemary and the Goat

Ham and Egg Brunch Cups

Who doesn’t like ham and eggs!

Every time we make a trip to Austin to see the kids I try and catch up on the Dexter series. We don’t subscribe to Showtime and I have already rented the first two seasons but the third season is not out on DVD yet. On this last trip to Austin, I finally made it through the last show of the fourth season. So, lately when I think of ham and eggs, I think of the intro to Dexter where he is cutting through a thick slice of ham and a big shake of hot sauce splashes across his eggs. Yum!

I first tasted this recipe at a Williams Sonoma technique class that I helped with. They were so easy and the girl teaching the class told the attendees, “I don’t cook, and if I can make these, so can you”. Well, they are super fast, easy and delicious. Working at Williams Sonoma gives me the opportunity (occasionally) to look through some of our wonderful cookbooks. This recipe happens to come from Gail Gand’s “Brunch” book. Although I hardly ever follow a recipe exactly, I did on this one because it is perfect the way it is.

I could not get two eggs in my muffin pans so I don’t know if Gail uses a jumbo muffin pan or had double yolk eggs. Recently I purchased a dozen eggs at a local “gourmet” store and every egg in the carton was a double yolk. Now these would be perfect for this dish. I’m going back to this store soon to see if they are labeled “double yolk” eggs. I always feel like I am getting a bonus when I find a double yolk.

May 5, 2010 By Sherry

Bread/ Muffins

Thyme, Onion and Chive Muffins

I love making things from my herb garden and it is so beautiful this year.

There’s just nothing like going out to your own herb garden and cutting some fresh herbs to use in a dish you are preparing.

Our herb garden seems to grow bigger each year, and this year I have planted three kinds of mint, chocolate mint, grapefruit mint and peppermint. I have several kinds of oregano, rosemary, thymes, lavender, arugula (not an herb), bay leaf and some dill. They are absolutely beautiful growning in pots with some day lillies and other flowers stuck here and there around them.

Today was a beautiful sunny day and I was stuck in the house all day drinking nothing but broth and eating popsicles (yuck). So, with nothing better to do, I decided to make my husband some muffins for a special treat tonight. This is a savory muffin with lots of onion flavor and they are quick and easy to make with no rising needed. Since I couldn’t eat any food today and I knew I wasn’t going to be able to try these, I took one pan of muffins over to our neighbors and my husband is left with 6 which he will probably finish off tonight.

April 20, 2010 By Sherry

Bread/ Morning Foods/ Muffins

Mississippi Spice Muffins

M-I-SS-I-SS-I-PP-I, that is the way I learned to spell Mississippi!

Funny how some things stick in your head. I remember learning to spell Mississippi saying it kind of like a rhyme M-i-ss-i-ss-i-ppi and also h-i-p-po-pot-amus. Kind of like skipping rope to a tune, something that just sticks in your head and you don’t forget.

I grew up in a small town in Missouri that sat right on the Mississppi River. In fact, our first street is “Third Street”. I don’t really know what happened to First and Second Streets. Honestly, I don’t remember ever seeing them and this town is only about 6,000 in population. They may be there and I just overlooked them for 21 years. I was told the last time we visited family there that we do actually have a 1st and 2nd street. BUT, our first usable street that you can actually drive on is THIRD Street.

It was fun growing up in a small town and driving “the loop” was our entertainment on weekends. Having a levy that separated the town and the river was a fun place to go when it snowed to go sledding and also as teenagers and dating, seems like we drove down to the levy to look around. Back then, our pranks were (I should say this was my twin sister’s idea) was to make a dummy and have it’s arm hanging out of the trunk of our car while we drove “the loop”. We would also go out on the sand bars with our parents and brother. My dad actually make a speed boat that we would go out on and he would fish the Mississippi River and bring home lots of catfish that we enjoyed. Small towns are nice, you know everyone and everyone knows you.

April 17, 2010 By Sherry

Cake/ Dessert/ Morning Foods

Butter Scrumptious Coffee Cake

Believe me this is a very scrumptious coffee cake…with lots of memories.

In honor of my grandmother who will be 97 years old this May, I want to share with you her recipe for Butter Scrumptious Coffee Cake.

A little history on my grandmother. She was born in 1913 in Alabama. She really had a hard life growing up. When she was young she had scarlet fever and lost all of her hair and when it came back in it was jet black. And that’s the way I remember her most of my life until she turned silver. Her mother died when she was young and she helped to raise most of her brothers and sisters. And, she did literally walk to school barefooted. She remembers picking cotton and pulling her little brother on the cotton sack. That was a hard life. Unlike when my sister and I were in high school we decided we were going to try and pick cotton to make some extra money and to see if we could actually pick cotton like our grandmother did. We went to the cotton patch with a friend. There we were in shorts, tank tops ready to put in a hard day’s work and everyone else had on big hats and long sleeve shirts. — WELL, our cotton picking days were short lived, we were fired by lunch time. We quickly found out there were no fun and games going on in the cotton patch.

I would say my grandmother had a very good life in the time she and my grandfather were married. Our family lived next door to our grandparents all of our lives and my twin sister and I spent every Saturday night with them. They took us to Florida every summer from the time we were three years old and I remember staying at the same beach house every year. It had a screened in porch with an old wooden ice box. As we got older we liked going to this little store that the owners of the house and motel owned to check out their two cute Cuban sons who worked there. We thought of any excuse to go to the corner drugstore to see them!

Our grandmother did everything for us. I guess you could say we were spoiled — BUT — far from rotten. She use to make this cake for us for breakfast and I still make this cake from time to and will always think of her when I make this recipe. It’s another great recipe for the freezer and it’s good anytime, not just for breakfast. My grandmother is still living in her own house and still cooks up her pot of chili when she knows we are coming for a visit.

I hope this will become one of your family favorites.

March 18, 2010 By Sherry

Dessert/ Morning Foods/ Pastries

Chocolava

Bakalava, Chocolava, anything made with phyllo dough is fantastic!

I have been making bakalava since the early 70’s and I can’t believe I have never been intimidated by working with phyllo dough. I love making anything with the stuff. I have made little baskets to use as vessels for different appetizers. I have roll it up into roses to use for platter garnishes. It is great to make asparagus cigars (asparagus, wrapped with prosciutto and rolled in phyllo). Spanakopitas, of course, are wonder. I have a delicious recipe for Chicken in Phyllo with a Lemon Veloute Sauce that is outstanding (will post this soon).

Baklava is a rich, sweet pastry made of layers of phyllo dough filled with chopped nuts and a sweetened honey/lemon syrup that is poured over the freshly baked baklava. This recipe has chocolate chips mixed in with the nuts and has melted chocolate drizzled over the top.

When we lived in Iowa back in the 70’s, I knew a girl who was Greek and she gave me a recipe for Baklava which I no longer have. But I remember her recipe had a mixture of walnuts, pecans and almonds and also used nutmeg and cloves with the cinnamon. My twin sister shared this chocolava recipe with me years ago. Her recipe uses orange and lemon juice for the drizzle. I made a few changes to her recipe using the extra spices and nuts I mentioned above. Hope you will try this version and it will be come a favorite.

Delicious! If I do say so myself.

Layered sheets of phyllo, nuts, phyllo, it’s just that easy.

This comes together very quickly.

Finished Chocolava after it has been drizzled with honey mixture and chocolate.

Chocolava

Ingredients

1 lb. phyllo dough
1 lb. nuts mixture of walnuts, almonds, pecans finely chopped
1- 6 oz. pkg. semi-sweet chocolate chips finely chopped (or use mini)
3/4 c. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
pinch of ground cloves
1 1/4 c. butter melted
3/4 c. orange juice
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. honey
1/2 c. water
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
2 squares 2 oz. semi sweet chocolate

Instructions

Thaw the phyllo dough according to package directions. Combine the finely chopped nuts and chocolate chips, the 3/4 c. sugar and spices; set aside.
Brush the bottom of a 1/2 sheet pan (15x11x1") with some of the melted butter. Layer 8 sheets of the phyllo dough in the bottom of the pan, brushing each sheet with a little of the butter. (If your pieces are too wide, just fold over that extra inch -- one time to one side and the next to the opposite side) Sprinkle about 2 cups of the nut mixture over the phyllo in pan. Top with another 4 sheets of the phyllo, brushing each with more of the melted margarine. Sprinkle with 2 more cups of the nut mixture and top with 4 more phyllo sheets, brushing each sheet with butter. Top with the remaining nut mixture and the remaining phyllo sheets. Drizzle remaining butter over top layer. Cut into diamond or triangle shape pieces, cutting to but not through the bottom layer. (About half way through will be good enough). Bake in 325° oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Watch carefully.
Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, combine the orange juice, the 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 c. water, honey and lemon juice. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes.
Immediately finish cutting diamonds or triangles. Pour over warm pan of phyllo. Cool completely.
In a small saucepan combine the chocolate squares and 2 tablespoons water, stir over low heat until smooth. Drizzle this over the Chocolava. Makes about 50-60 small pieces.

Recipe Notes

**Note-- Until you get fast working with phyllo dough you may want to keep it covered with a damp cloth so it doesn't dry out.

March 2, 2010 By Sherry

Bread/ Morning Foods

The Golden Egg Muffin

No this isn’t the golden egg that Jack found when he went up the beanstalk. But, these are the most delicious cinnamon muffins you will ever eat.

A month or so ago we were in Austin visiting our kids. My daughter-in-law and their baby Milo and I went to Sandra Bullock’s new restaurant called, Walton’s Fancy and Staple. It’s a gourmet delicatessen/bakery and cafe offering everything from one-stop floral services, catering, and delicious cuisine2go.

Along with a few other of their baked goods, we tried their Golden Egg Muffins. I have made a French Cinnamon Muffin recipe since the early 70’s that I had gotten from a friend when we lived in Iowa. They had nutmeg in them like this recipe and I always thought they couldn’t be beat until I tried the Golden Egg from Walton’s. So, to my surprise when I came home and googled Golden Egg Muffin recipe I came across this website Confections of a (closet) Master Baker (Gesine Bullock-Prado). It’s Sandra’s sister and she has a video of her Golden Egg Muffin recipe. I tried it and decided it tops my French Cinnamon Muffin Recipe any day. I may change the name to French Golden Egg eventually but for now it is the best, lightest, muffin recipe I’ve ever made.

I made this recipe twice over Thanksgiving weekend. They are the best fresh out of the oven, dipped in warm butter and then cinnamon sugar. I just happen to have a Wilton’s Egg muffin pan that I had bought years ago for Easter egg cakes. If you don’t have this pan, either line muffin pans with muffin papers (then you only dip tops) or spray non-stick pans with cooking spray and then you can dunk tops and bottoms in the butter/sugar mixture.

November 29, 2009 By Sherry

Appetizers/ Bread/ HotApp/ Morning Foods

Dijon Ham and Cream Cheese Biscuits

Dijon Ham and Cream Cheese Biscuits for holiday brunch.

I can still smell my mother’s homemade biscuits baking away in the oven. She made the best from scratch biscuits. My sister and I use to have her bang the pan on the counter so the biscuits would flatten out and you would have two crunchy sides with no middles. These days, people want big fluffy biscuits and I think, now, I prefer that type of biscuit, but what I wouldn’t give to have one of my mother’s.

A couple of years ago I was flipping through one of my food magazines and saw an advertisement for a Cream Cheese Ham Biscuit. They were $24/dozen and the first thing I thought of was “I could make those”. I love the challenge to try and make something I have tried in a restaurant or seen in a magazine.

I found these biscuits at a local store, bought some, baked them and then baked mine. Mine were really close and after tweaking the recipe I think I would rather save my $24 and make my version.

November 3, 2009 By Sherry

Dessert/ Fruit Dishes/ Pies/Tarts

Peach Melba Crunch

Summer’s best peaches put to good use.

This is the third peach recipe I promised in last week’s posting. After buying a sack full of peaches at the market, I had three recipes in mind. These peaches were not only beautiful, they were very tangy and sweet. The other two dishes I made were Peach and Arugula Salad with Pancetta Chips and a Peachy Raspberry Ice Cream. This recipe has two of my favorite fruits — peaches and raspberries.

As a kid, I remember picking mulberries and dew berries but I don’t think I remember eating fresh raspberries until I was an adult. Raspberries, blackberries, figs and blue berries go great with cheese and nut trays and I have also thrown in some dried fruits which makes for a nice presentation.

Years ago I remember making my first Peach Melba. It was an ice cream dessert and had vanilla ice cream, and poached peach halves and a raspberry sauce. You poached the peaches, cooled and then made ice cream balls, topped with a peach half (upside down) and then drizzled the raspberry sauce over all. I remember the recipe saying it will be as bright as the Pope’s hat. It was, and I think this dessert is just as delicious and vivid in color.

The raspberries were bought earlier in the season when I picked them up for 99¢ and of course I bought about twenty cartons to put in the freezer. I tend to go overboard when buying berries when they get down to 99¢. Last year I had a freezer full of blueberries I lost during the power outage from the hurricane. You would think I would learn my lesson but I’m always looking for a bargain.

August 13, 2009 By Sherry

Bread/ Breads/Biscuits/ Morning Foods/ Pastries

Ruby Tea Biscuits

Ruby Tea Biscuits and our 40th (Ruby) Anniversary

What do Ruby tea biscuits have to do with our anniversary? Well, Ruby is the symbol of the 40th wedding anniversary and that is what we celebrated over the weekend (actual anniversary on 16th).

We met when we were around 15 and I don’t remember where. I do remember going to a baseball game and him throwing a ball over the fence to me. I remember sitting in the bleachers at a football game that he was quarterbacking, waiting for the game to be over so we could go “ride the loop” around town for a few hours.

August 11, 2009 By Sherry

Appetizers/ Dessert/ Morning Foods

Coconut Banana Puffs

Sherry Sherry bo berry

Banana fana fo ferry

Fe fi mo merry

Sherry…..

The Name Game…………….. Boy do I ever keep dating myself.This song was really popular when I was a teenager. When I first thought of making these little banana puffs I thought of this song. Don’t know why this keeps happening, but I will go to make something for the blog and something pops in my head that reminds me of what I am about to make.

I think I am having Thurberish moments. James Thurber once said on writing, “I don’t believe the writer should know too much where he’s going. If he does, he runs into old man blueprint”. Hey, maybe that’s me trying to not get old. My mind wanders all over the place sometimes. Today, it’s wandering in the direction of making these Coconut Banana Puffs.

These delicious little puffs of coconut are just waiting to be gobbled up. I have made these for many showers and parties that I have catered over the years.

You can buy your creme fraiche but you will pay $4-$5 for it verses the cost of whipping cream and one tablespoon of buttermilk and it is better homemade.

Mise en place and ready to go. (Everything in place). Bananas ready to take their dive into the creme fraiche and then a roll in the coconut. I’m not sure if it is the acidity of the cream but these will stay fresh and not turn dark for several days.

Look at that creme fraiche. It is so easy to make, why buy it? If you have never made creme fraiche, it may take 24 hours, but it is really easy. You mix the whipping cream and buttermilk, cover, let set 24 hours and when you come back to it you have this wonderful cream that you can use on top of soups, entrees, desserts or dip your bananas in it like I am doing here.

And ready for a dive into the coconut.

Now, ready to be eaten.

Coconut Banana Puffs

2018-01-23 08:03:14

I've made these for "decades" now and still live the tartness of the creme fraiche and the bananas and coconut. Such a light little dessert.

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Creme Fraiche Ingredients

1- 8 oz. carton whipping cream
1 Tbsp. buttermilk
3-4 bananas, cut in 3/4-1″ pieces
Sweetened coconut

Instructions

Put the whipping cream and the buttermilk in a bowl, stir and cover loosely with either cheesecloth, napking or paper towel. Set this on the counter for 24 hours. When you come back to this, it will be nice and thick. Put in the refrigerador and chill, it can be stored for up to 2 weeks. After it has become nice and cold, you are ready to make the banana puffs.
Have everthing in place — a bowl of coconut*, bowl of creme fraiche, and banana pieces. Take one banana at a time, dunk it in the creme fraiche and using a knife take off any extra that may drip off. Now pop this in the bowl of coconut and roll to cover and set in container to be refrigerated when you are finished. That’s it! Enjoy.

Notes

*Tip — I put just a little coconut at a time in a bowl instead of the whole bag. If you do it this way, you won’t end up having big chumps of coconut that have gotten mushy from tossing the bananas.

Rosemary and the Goat https://rosemaryandthegoat.com/

July 16, 2009 By Sherry

Dessert/ Pastries

Nutella Cherry Dumplings

Life is like a bowl of cherries.

That was the title of a song sung by Ethel Merman in the movie Scandals in 1931. That is way, way before my time (a few years anyway). You have heard the expression give me lemons and I’ll make lemonade. Well, you give me Nutella and fresh cherries and I’m going to make these little Dumplings.

This is the perfect time of the year to buy fresh cherries. And if you don’t have a cherry pitter, you really need one. It makes pitting so much quicker. I love pitting cherries. Can’t tell you why I get pleasure out of that but, as the song says “live and laugh at it all”.

Cherries are one of my favorite fruits. I love cherry pie, cherry cobbler, cherry Kool Aid and even Luden’s Cherry Cough Drops. I use to love cherry Tootsie Roll Pops when I was a kid. Couldn’t wait to get to that chocolatety center. (Hum, maybe that is why I like these little dumplings so much.)

These are so simple to make and only take a few minutes of frying and a dust of powdered sugar. I tried making one just by folding it over in a half circle but it wasn’t as pretty. I’m going to freezing these before they are fried to see how they do once they are thawed and fried. — Sherry

Nutella Cherry Dumplings

Ingredients

1 jar of Nutella
Fresh Cherries pitted
Gyoza Wrappers or wonton wrappers
Powdered Sugar for dusting
Oil for deep frying

Instructions

Take the Gyoza wrapper or won ton wrapper and lay several out on your cutting board. Put about 1- 1 1/2 tsp. of the Nutella in the center and add about 1 1/2 chopped cherries to the center of the Nutella. If you are using the Gyoza wrapper they are round. Moisten the outer edge with a little water. Pull two sides up to meet and seal, now pull the other two sides up and press to make the little rectangular pouches. After you have several made, heat your oil to 350°. Fry the dumplings until golden brown and then drain on cooling rack. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve. These would be great with a bowl of cherry or chocolate ice cream.

July 5, 2009 By Sherry

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