Christmas Breakfast – Liege Wafels

These waffles, or wafels as they’re called at wafels and dinges, are life changing. You’ll never look a waffle the same way again. Thank you Bobby Flay for showcasing Wafels and Dinges on throwdown and opening my eyes to the liege wafel. They’re crispy and crunchy on the outside, but thick and chewy on the inside. The pearl sugar perfectly caramelizes around the edges. You can eat them plain or with a plethora of toppings. My favorite is speculoos and fresh whipped cream. Now that Sur la Table is stocking pearl sugar, I can make these little gems at home! So thank you Sur la Table for making Christmas morning special!

Liege Waffles
3 1/2 cups of flour
1 pack dry yeast
3/4 lukewarm milk
2 sticks butter, softened
2 eggs
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1 bag (8 oz) pearl sugar

Dissolve yeast in milk. Add all ingredients together, except the pearl sugar. It will be a thick dough, not a batter. Let the dough rise until it doubles in size, approximately 30 minutes. Add in pearl sugar. Place spoonful (about 3 ounces) in prepared waffle iron. Do not remove with your hand! The pearl sugar is extremely hot. Top with Nutella and strawberries, speculoos (cookie butter) and bananas, dulce de leche and whipped cream.

If you don’t know, now you know! Get it at central market.

Jason on totally rocked this amazing ham, gruyere and thyme breakfast bake. Guest blog post coming soon!

Asparagus and Cheese Tart

 

This is one of my all time favs! The melty cheese, the crisp asparagus, the flavorful shallot and super flakey crust. Heaven! The best part is how easy it is. It’s perfect for brunch or make mini versions for an appetizer. Plus I just love how fancy it looks. =)

1 pound asparagus, trimmed
1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
1 cup grated fontina cheese
1 cup grated comte or gruyere cheese
1 tbsp minced shallot
2 large egg yolks
3 tbsp whole milk

Fill a large bowl with ice water. Bring about 1 inch of water to a boil in a large skillet. Add the asparagus and cook until bright green, about 2 to 5 minutes, depending on the thickness of the asparagus. Drain and transfer to the ice water to stop the cooking. Pat dry. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Roll out the puff pastry into a rectangle on a floured surface. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet and prick all over with a fork. Bake until light golden brown, about 12 minutes. Let cool slightly on the baking sheet.

Meanwhile, mix the fontina, comte, shallot, egg yolks, milk and a pinch each of salt and pepper in a bowl until combined. Spread the cheese mixture evenly over the puff pastry, leaving a 1-inch border on all sides. Arrange the asparagus on the tart and bake until the cheese mixture is slightly puffy, 15 to 20 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Chicken with Mustard Cream Sauce, Potato and Onion Skillet and Lemon Pepper Green Beans

Now that I have free weekends, I try to plan and prepare a great family dinner for Saturday night. So here is this weeks Saturday night special from mahogany trail. Enjoy, we sure did.

Chicken with Mustard Cream Sauce

4 chicken breast
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste
1/4 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon dried tarragon

Add olive oil to a large skillet and preheat over medium-high heat. Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Add chicken to skillet and brown on both sides. Finish cooking in the oven for about 10 minutes at 400. Pour chicken broth into hot skillet. Whisk in the cream, mustard and tarragon. Cook and stir for about 2 minutes. Pour sauce over chicken and serve.

This was so good Collin ate 2 chicken breast! The sauce is amazing. Awesome tangy flavor. This was my first time to use tarragon.

Potato and Onion Skillet

2 1/2 tablespoons butter
12 sprigs thyme, strip the leaves from the stems
1 large onion, sliced thick
1 lb. red potatoes, very thinly sliced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup grated gruyère
1/2 cup crumbled feta
1 cup grated mozzarella

Preheat oven to 400°. Melt the butter in a cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add the thyme and onion and cook for 5 minutes. Place the potato, oil, cheeses, salt and pepper in a bowl and toss to combine.
Top the onion with the potato mixture and bake for 45 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through. Turn upside down to serve.

AMAZING…that is all…

Lemon Pepper Green Beans

1 pound green beans
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
3 tbsp butter
4 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp lemon pepper

Prepare a large bowl of ice water and set aside.
In a large pot of boiling, salted water cook green beans for about 3 minutes. Drain beans and transfer them to the bowl of ice water. Allow beans to cool completely.Heat olive oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Add green beans and butter to pan, tossing to coat with oil and butter. Add lemon juice and lemon pepper. Toss and continue to cook for about 3 minutes.

Classic green beans inspired by my mothers famous original lemon pepper green beans.