Croissant French Toast

Toward the end of June we made a little trip up to Creswell, Oregon to visit with family/friends Pattie and Steve.  We had a great time, as usual.  They took us to a little place for breakfast in their little town.  The Creswell Bakery on 2nd St. was a real treat.  It was a Saturday morning and the Saturday Special was French Toast.  The description was "two pieces of soaked & pan seared honey whole wheat bread, fresh lemon curd, whipped cream, toasted hazelnuts & fruit".  It sounded good and we all ordered it.  Well, I have to say that I was very impressed by this little bakery.  This french toast was soooo good and their lemon curd was obviously home made.  The homemade bread was thick sliced, the fruit was strawberries and those yummy hazelnuts were just the right touch of extra crunch.  I have dreamed of that french toast ever since!  Oh, before we left that bakery we purchased a couple of cookies and some scones for the next day.  Anyway, I decided I was going to have to come up with a similar french toast to have here at home.  I had a small jar of lemon curd in the pantry (from Trader Joe's)  I had some Hawaiian Bread to slice, fresh blueberries from my sister in law, and all the other things I needed.  It was really, really good.  Well, I wanted it again this morning and the only bread I could find was a couple of croissants in the freezer.  Ta-da!  I made Croissant French Toast with lemon curd and  blackberry jam.  I can just imagine serving this for brunch to visiting house guests.  YUM!

                            CROISSANT FRENCH TOAST

2 large Croissants, split in half

3 large Eggs

1/4 cup Milk (or 1/2 & 1/2 for richer batter)

1 tablespoon Honey

1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

Canola Oil

1/2 tablespoon Butter

Fruit Jam (I had homemade blackberry that a friend made)

Lemon Curd (i had a small jar from Trader Joe's)

Powdered Sugar (for sprinkling on top)

Beat together the Eggs, Milk, Honey and Vanilla Extract in a shallow dish.  Coat each side of the Croissant halves in the mixture.  Set aside on a plate as you prepare the pan.  

Heat a large non stick fry pan to medium heat.  Add enough Canola Oil to pan to very lightly coat the pan.  Now add the Butter to the pan.  Once it is all melted together, begin frying your French Toast, cooking until each side is a nice medium brown, about 3 - 4 minutes on each side.  

This is great to serve with butter and syrup, but to make it a show stopper special, top with a little bit of good berry jam and a really nice Lemon Curd (I am always buying this at Trader Joe’s or when we are on trips).  You can be ambitious and make your own if you are so inclined.  Sprinkle on some fresh berries and a little powdered sugar and it’s soooo good!  Oh, that bacon on the side is just the right touch of salty to cut some of the sweet.  Give this one a try!

2 large servings

Basic Waffles with Apple, Bacon & Maple Topping

We had a waffle maker when our three sons were growing up but it didn't get used much.  It was just easier to make Pancakes or French Toast.  Those boys sometimes ate food faster than I could make it.  The machine got put away and someplace along the years it disappeared.  My husband John and I recently ate breakfast out and they had some waffles on the menu.  Well, I had to have some.  Well, then I had to have a new waffle maker to make them at home. Well, you know the story......

This is a good basic waffle recipe that is easy to increase or decrease.  For the two of us it is quick and easy to make.  I am hardly ever content to make 'just plain' anything so here are my waffles with apples, bacon and maple topping.  Oh, I also want to say that I think waffles are really good for brunch or dinner, as well as breakfast.  You can even add scrambled or fried eggs on the side if you like! That brown gob on the plate is crunchy peanut butter.  A yummy habit I picked up from John.  There is something about syrup and peanut butter!

                            BASIC WAFFLES

2 cups  All -Purpose Flour

3 Tablespoons Granulated Sugar

1 Tablespoon Baking Powder

3/4 teaspoon Salt

2 Eggs

1/4 cup Butter, melted

1 1/2 cups Milk

Combine all the dry ingredients in a medium size mixing bow.  Stir with a wire whisk to evenly mix everything together.  Add in the Eggs, Butter and Milk.  Whisk it all together to moisten and remove any large lumps.  The batter should be thick but pourable.  

Preheat your waffle maker according to your machines instructions.  

Pour 1/2 cup (or the amount suggested by your waffle maker) onto the hot waffle griddle.  Close the lid and press it down lightly to level the batter.  Bake until done according to your waffle maker.  Mine buzzes!  

Remove waffle and serve immediately or waffles may be kept warm in a 200˚ oven while you make additional waffles.    Makes 5-6 waffles

             APPLE MAPLE & BACON TOPPING

4-6 slices Smoked Bacon, cooked crisp, drained and diced - set aside

2-3 Apples, washed, cored and diced small (I leave the peel on)

1/4 cup Maple Syrup

1/4 teaspoon Cinnamon

Fry the bacon until crisp in a medium fry pan.  Drain bacon on a paper towel and when cool, dice bacon.  Set this aside.  In the same fry pan, remove all but 1 Tablespoon of the bacon grease.  Saute the diced Apples for about 4-5 minutes in the bacon grease. When the apple is just crisp tender, add the Maple syrup and Cinnamon. Cook until liquid reduces and you have a nice medium syrupy concoction, about 3 - minutes more or until the apples are done the way you like them.  

To serve, place warm Waffles on plate, top with butter, apple topping, diced bacon and drizzle with more maple syrup.  We also like a big spoon of peanut butter on the side!  

Cornmeal Pancakes

Who doesn't like pancakes?  These Cornmeal Pancakes are not your usual pancake.  These are light, filling and with a bit of crunch from the cornmeal.  We like our pancakes with butter, syrup and crunchy peanut butter.  Choose your favorite toppings and give these a try.

                                        Cornmeal Pancakes

3/4 cup Flour

1/3 cup Cornmeal

1 tablespoon Sugar

1 tablespoon Baking Powder

1/8 teaspoon Salt

1 Egg

1 tablespoon Vegetable or Canola Oil

3/4 cup Milk

In a medium size bowl, mix together flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder and salt.  

In a small bowl, whisk together the egg, oil and milk. Stir the liquid ingredients into the dry mixture just enough to make a nice batter.

Heat a lightly greased griddle on medium heat.  Test to see if griddle is the right temperature by putting a small tester pancake in the center of the pan.  When the temperature is right, pour batter by 1/4 cupfuls onto the griddle. Turn pancakes over when bubbles form on the top and the bottoms are brown.  Cook until the second side is  golden brown.  Serve with your favorite toppings, like butter, syrup and maybe peanut butter.  

Makes 8 pancakes