I prefer eating breakfast foods later in the day, so brunch is one of my favorite meals. Following are four recipes that I think would be a delicious part of any Mother’s Day brunch menu…
Best Banana Muffins
Yield: One dozen muffins
Ingredients:
- 1 stick of unsalted butter (room temperature)
- 1 cup of sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 1/2 cups unbleached flour
- 1 tsp of baking soda
- 1 tsp of salt
- 1 cup of mashed, very ripe bananas (Approximately 3 bananas)
- 1/2 cup of sour cream
- 1 tsp of vanilla extract
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place a light coating of butter on the bottom and sides of the muffin pan (or use cupcake holders).
2. In a bowl, cream together butter (that is at room temperature) and sugar until it is light and fluffy.
3. Add the eggs to the butter and sugar mixture and beat all three ingredients together well.
4. In a separate bowl, sift the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda and salt). Combine them with the mixture in the first bowl and blend everything together well.
5. Add the mashed bananas, sour cream and vanilla to the bowl with the rest of the ingredients. Stir everything together well.
6. Scoop the batter into the muffin pan and let the muffins bake uncovered for 16 -18 minutes. (When a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, the muffins are ready.)
French Toast Recipe
(Serves 2 – 3)
Ingredients:
-2 eggs
-1/2 cup of milk
-2 teaspoons of sugar
-1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon
-butter
-4 to 6 slices of day-old bread (4 if thickly cut/6 if regularly sliced sandwich bread)
Instructions:
1. Whisk the eggs, milk, sugar, and cinnamon together in a large, shallow bowl.
2. Dip both sides of each slice of bread in the mixture thoroughly coating the bread. Place the battered slices of bread to the side.
3. Coat your 10-inch nonstick sauté pan or griddle with a thin layer of butter and heat on medium heat until it is hot. (You can tell that it’s hot enough by letting a few droplets of water fall on it. The water will sizzle/ “dance” when the pan/grill is ready.”)
4. Place the battered bread in the heated pan or griddle and cook until golden brown on each side. This will take approximately 3 – 5 minutes per side. If you’re cooking with a pan, then you will be able to cook 2 slices at a time.
The thing that I love about basic recipes like this one is that you can always change them up based on who is eating the meal. How do you like your French toast? My brother is simple, so he just wanted French toast made with whole wheat bread. However, you can use thicker cuts of bread like challah, brioche, etc. As another option, you can also add vanilla to the dipping mixture. Once the toast is cooked, you can sprinkle it with confectioner’s sugar for a “pretty” touch. You can add sliced fruit (bananas, strawberries, etc.) on top.
Pancetta Chobani Fritatta
(Recipe courtesy of Chef Jason of Chobani Kitchen)
Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients
8 eggs
Fresh thyme (? how much thyme)
1 cup 0% plain Chobani
1 tsp olive oil
2 oz diced onions
¼ cup diced pancetta
2 oz asparagus
2 thinly sliced Peruvian potatoes
6 cherry tomatoes sliced
4 slices of Gruyere
salt and pepper to taste
Cooking Directions
1. Whisk the eggs, thyme and Chobani together until the Chobani is smoothly blended with the egg.
2. Place a nonstick pan on the stove at a medium high heat. Pour the olive oil in the pan and sauté the onions in the oil until they are caramelized. Remove the onions from the pan.
3. Place the pancetta into the pan and cook it until it is tender. Remove the pancetta from the pan, but leave the oil in the pan.
4. Cook the asparagus in the pancetta fat and remove it from the pan.
5. Then add the potatoes to the pan and cook them until they are crispy.
6. Place the egg mixture (from Step 1) into the pan and cook it on medium heat. Add the pancetta, asparagus and onions to the egg mixture. Place the tomatoes and cheese on top of the egg and place the pan into an oven until everything is done (approximately 3 minutes). Season and serve.
Serena’s Homemade Pancakes
Yield: 6-8 pancakes
Ingredients
- 2 eggs
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/4 cups of reduced-fat milk
- 3/4 cup of ricotta cheese
- 2 cups of fresh fruit (I used blueberries, raspberries, and blueberries.)
- 2 tbsp of butter
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 3 tsp baking powder
- 1 tbsp of lemon juice
- pinch of cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp of butter
Cooking Instructions
- Mix the flour, sugar and baking powder together in a large bowl. Next, add the eggs, milk and ricotta cheese to the mixture. (You can add additional milk if you want thinner pancakes.) Then, add the lemon juice, cinnamon, and fresh fruit to the mixture. Mix everything together until the batter is smooth and has reached your desired consistency.
- Add approximately one tablespoon of butter to a large frying pan. Turn the flame to a low setting and let the butter melt in the pan. Use a small measuring cup to scoop out the batter and add it to the pan. (As an alternative, you can use a ladle or large spoon to scoop the batter.) Let the pancakes cook on one side. When they start to “bubble”, turn them over and let them cook on the other side. Serve the pancakes while they are warm along with your favorite toppings (maple syrup, butter, sugar, or plain). Enjoy!
