Recipes up for Breakfast in Bed !!

Almond crusted French toast

To serve 2

Pumpernickel bread slices – 4

2 eggs

½ cup of milk

Cooking spray

1 Tbsp of butter

½- 3/4 cup of almond slices

Whisk eggs and milk together and pour in a shallow plate. Make a sandwich of 2 slices of bread and the about 2 Tbsp of the cherry compote. (Will yield two sandwiches). Dip in the egg mixture and then roll in the almonds on both sides.

Cook in a shallow pan with some cooking spray and half the Tbsp of butter on both sides. (for about 3-4 minutes on each side). Repeat for the second sandwich. Cut diagonally and serve with some cherry compote and egg custard for dipping.

Cherry ginger compote

1 pound of Bing cherries, rinsed and stems removed (deseeded if you have them)

1-2” of ginger root, skin peeled and smashed/grated

½ cup of sugar

In a deep pot, mix all the above ingredients. Add ½ cup of water and cook on medium heat for about 14-15 minutes till the cherries are soft and mashed up. Use a potato masher to “smoosh” the cherries. You may have to add more water as necessary. Try to keep the consistency almost jam like. Remove from heat when the sugar and the cherries have reduced to almost 1/3 the original volume.

Let cool. Pick the fruit stones with a spoon.

Vanilla egg custard

1/4 – 1/3 Cup Sugar
2 Tablespoons Cornstarch
2 egg yolks
2 Cups Milk
1 teaspoon vanilla

Whisk together sugar, cornstarch, and milk in saucepan. Cook stirring constantly over medium heat until it simmers. Whisk eggs in a bowl. Temper the eggs with a little bit of the warm milk and then pour the eggs in to the saucepan. Reduce heat to low and cook 1 minute stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Chill

Spanish eggs with vegetable and chorizo hash

To Serve 3-4

Mexican chorizo sausage (soft) – 1 pound

4-6 eggs

Veggies for the Hash

Shallots – 1 medium diced fine

Any firm vegetables diced – 2-3 cups of use the below

Sweet potatoes – ½ cup diced

Potatoes – ½ cup diced

Bell peppers – ½ cup diced

Corn – boiled or roasted – ½ cup

Grape tomatoes – handful

1-2 cloves of garlic smashed

2-3 Tbsp of parsley and basil chopped

Brown sausage on medium heat till cooked for about 10-12 minutes. Drain the access fat. Reserve the sausage on the side.

Sautee shallots and garlic in a Tbsp of OO for 2-3 minutes till pink and limp. Add the veggies and cook on low- medium heat till the potatoes are cooked but still firm.

In a shallow baking and serving dish, layer the vegetables and the chorizo. Make 4-6 wells in the hash. Carefully break the eggs in the wells. Break the eggs closer to the pan so as not to splash the eggs everywhere.

Bake the dish in a pre heated oven at 350 degrees for 14-15 minutes till the eggs are set. Season with salt and pepper if desired. Garnish with the fresh herbs.

Chocolate painted bacon with sea salt and cayenne

To Serve 2

4-6 slices of thick cut bacon (skewered on BBQ sticks- optional)

Sea salt and cayenne pepper

Line a baking sheet with foil or use a grated shallow baking sheet. (This will help for all the drippings to fall into a pan while the bacon is baking)

Bake 4-6 strips of bacon in a preheated oven at 400 degrees for 15-16 minutes.

Keep an eye on the bacon as it may burn if in the oven too long. The cooking time may vary a bit according to the thickness of the meat.

Take the cooked bacon out from the oven and pat in between paper towels to absorb access fat. Let cool at room temperature.

For chocolate paint

1.5 cups of semi sweet chocolate chips

2 Tbsp of butter/margarine/shortening

On a low heat, melt chocolate and butter in a double boiler. Alternatively, you can use a microwave. Melt the chocolate and butter in a microwaveable bowl at 30 seconds intervals. Use a spatula in between the cooking time to beat/melt the chocolate. (Total cooking time about 2-3 minutes)

When chocolate is melted, take a pastry brush and “paint” the bacon.

Sprinkle lightly with sea salt and cayenne pepper (optional).

Let chill in the fridge till the chocolate sets. (5-7minutes)

Pear-granate spritzer