Aebleskiver

Our new favorite breakfast treat!  There's a special pan you will need to cook these.  I like the cast iron one.



Aebleskiver

2 cups buttermilk
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. baking powder
2 eggs
2 Tbls. sugar
2 Tbls. melted butter

Heat the pan and brush a little butter in each hole.  Use a small cookie or ice cream scoop to place batter in each hole.  When the sides start to look a little done (just like a pancake) use a wooden skewer to turn the aebleskiver by lifting a little on the side and letting it drop back down into the pan to cook on the other side. When done, lift out with a wooded skewer or toothpick.  Baste pan with butter again and continue cooking batter.
Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve with raspberry sauce, jam, syrup or whatever you like.  You can also stuff yummy things into the center of the aebleskiver while they are cooking like apples, jam, chocolate, etc.  Just be sure to put it in right after you drop the batter into the pan.

Perfect Pancakes

Perfect Pancakes from the Pioneer Woman are the best I've tried yet.  I usually half the recipe for my small family and I normally use all purpose flour (just a little less than the cake flour the recipe calls for).

3 cups Plus 2 Tablespoons Cake Flour
1/2 teaspoon Salt
3 Tablespoons Baking Powder
2 Tablespoons Sugar
2 cups Milk
2 whole Large Eggs
3 teaspoons Vanilla
4 Tablespoons Butter
Extra Butter
Maple Or Pancake Syrup

Preparation Instructions

Mix together dry ingredients in large bowl.
Mix together milk, eggs, and vanilla in a separate bowl.
Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients, stirring very gently until just combined.
Melt butter and add it to the batter, stirring gently to combine.
Cook on a greased skillet over medium-low heat until golden brown. Serve with an obscene amount of butter and warm syrup.

Vanilla Syrup

Vanilla Syrup
1 cup sugar
½ cup butter
½ cup buttermilk (or sour milk*)
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla

In a saucepan, boil sugar, butter, buttermilk and baking soda about 1 minute (the mixture will bubble up so watch the pan).  Remove from heat and mix in vanilla. Stir until froth mixes back into syrup.

*1 cup sour milk = 1 Tbls lemon juice and add regular milk to make 1 cup (half this for the recipe above)

Mormon Muffin

If you're from Utah you probably know what these are.  Here's the link to the actual recipe http://www.rainbowgardens.com/muffinrecipe.html.

2 cups boiling water
5 teaspoons baking soda
1 cup shortening
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 quart buttermilk
5 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
4 cups All Bran Cereal
2 cups 40% Bran Flakes
1 cup walnuts (chopped)

Directions:
Add soda to boiling water and set aside.  Whip shortening and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add the eggs slowly.  Mix well.  Add the buttermilk, flour, salt and mix again.  Add the soda water very slowly.  Gently fold the cereals and the walnuts into the mix.

Spoon 1/8 cup into greased muffin tins.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.  Let cool for 5 minutes.

Muffin mix must sit in the refrigerator over night before baking.  Muffin mix will last one week, covered and refrigerated.  Yields 3 dozen muffins.

Belgian Waffles

Belgian Waffles
Recipe courtesy Wayne Harley Brachman, Retro Desserts, Harper Collins Publishers, 2000

2 cups cake flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 cup milk
2 eggs
1/4 cup melted unsalted butter
Nonstick vegetable spray for coating waffle iron

Preheat a waffle iron. In a large bowl, stir together the dry ingredients. Make a well in the center and add the buttermilk, milk, eggs, and melted butter. Mix together just until combined (DON'T OVERMIX THE BATTER!). The batter should look slightly lumpy.
Spray the waffle iron with the nonstick vegetable spray. Pour 1/2 cup of the batter or the amount recommended by the waffle-iron maker onto the waffle iron; bake as directed by the manufacturer.

*Substitutions -
1 cup cake flour - 1 cup all-purpose flour minus 2 tablespoons (I would use cake flour, I thought they tasted better)
1 cup buttermilk - 1 Tbls lemon juice and add regular milk to make 1 cup

Hash Brown Casserole

Hash Brown Casserole


1 26-ounce bag frozen country-style hash browns
2 cups shredded Colby cheese
½ cup minced onion
1 cup milk
½ cup beef stock or canned broth
2 Tbls butter, melted
Dash garlic powder
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 425º. Combine the frozen hash browns, cheese, and onion in a large bowl. Combine the milk, beef broth, half the melted butter, the garlic powder, salt, and pepper in another bowl. Mix until well blended, then pour the mixture over the hash browns and mix well. Heat the remaining butter in a large ovenproof skillet over high heat. When the skillet is hot, spoon in the hash brown mixture. Cook the hash browns, stirring occasionally, until all of the cheese has melted (about 7 minutes). Put the skillet into the oven and bake for 45 to 60 minutes or until the surface of the hash browns is dark brown.

*I usually saute the onions in the butter and then just combine everything in a large casserole dish (I skip the cooking of potatoes and cheese in the skillet). If you do this, just make sure you stir the potatoes about every 20 minutes in the oven so the milk mixture doesn't burn on the bottom.

Coconut French Toast with Grilled Pineapple and Tropical Salsa and Vanilla Syrup

Coconut French Toast with Grilled Pineapple and Tropical Salsa

Salsa:
2 tablespoons flaked sweetened coconut
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
2 peeled ripe mangoes, chopped
1 pint strawberries, chopped

French toast:
1 cup egg substitute
1 cup light coconut milk
1 cup 1% low-fat milk
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1 (16-ounce) loaf French bread, cut into 16 slices
Cooking spray

Remaining ingredients:
1 medium pineapple, peeled, cored, and cut crosswise into 8 slices
Powdered sugar (optional)

To prepare salsa, combine first 4 ingredients; cover and chill.

Preheat oven to 400°.

To prepare French toast, combine egg substitute and next 6 ingredients (egg substitute through eggs) in a large bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Place bread in egg mixture; press down with spatula to completely submerge bread in egg mixture. Let stand 15 minutes.
Arrange soaked bread in a single layer on a jelly roll pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 400° for 12 minutes or until set. Remove from oven, and keep warm. While bread bakes; heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Arrange 4 pineapple slices in pan; cook 4 minutes on each side or until pineapple begins to brown. Remove from pan; keep warm. Repeat procedure with remaining pineapple and cooking spray. Arrange 2 toast pieces on each of 8 plates; top each serving with 1 pineapple slice and 1/2 cup salsa. Sprinkle with powdered sugar, if desired. Yield: 8 servings

*I usually don't make the salsa with this recipe. I make a fruit salsa with 1 pint strawberries, 1 small can mandarin oranges, and 1 kiwi and use a hand chopper or food processor to chop until salsa consistency. Then I serve it with this syrup:

Vanilla Syrup
1 cup sugar
½ cup butter
½ cup buttermilk (or sour milk*)
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla

In a saucepan, boil sugar, butter, buttermilk and baking soda about 1 minute. Mix in vanilla.

Orange Glazed Blueberry Scones

Orange Glazed Blueberry Scones

2 cups unbleached flour, plus more for rolling berries
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup unsalted butter, chilled and cut in chunks
3/4 cup buttermilk or cream
1 egg
1 pint fresh blueberries

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, salt and sugar; mix thoroughly. Cut in butter using 2 forks or a pastry blender. The butter pieces should be coated with flour and resemble crumbs.
In another bowl, mix buttermilk and egg together, and then add to the flour mixture. Mix just to incorporate, do no overwork the dough.
Roll blueberries in flour to coat, this will help prevent the fruit from sinking to the bottom of the scone when baked. Fold the blueberries into batter, being careful not to bruise. Drop large tablespoons of batter on an ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until brown. Cool before applying orange glaze.
Orange Glaze: 2 tablespoons unsalted butter 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted 2 oranges, juiced and zested
To prepare Orange Glaze: combine butter, sugar, orange zest, and juice over a double boiler. Cook until butter and sugar are melted and mixture has thickened. Remove from heat and beat until smooth and slightly cool. Drizzle or brush on top of scones and let glaze get hazy and hardened.
*I usually only make 1/4 of the glaze and just use the microwave to melt the butter then add juice and powdered sugar.