Easy Simple Fast Savory Pie Crust [Zack]

I’m a big fan of keeping a pack of puff pastry sheets in my freezer because I’m normally too lazy to make crust the traditional way.  We were in the mood to make a breakfast quiche and I realized we didn’t have any of the puff pastry sheets.  We found a 4-ingredient recipe online that took about 5 minutes to make.  It cuts out the fuss of using a food processor or letting it rest in the fridge.  As a bonus, it ended up having a better flavor and texture than the puff pastry sheets!  It was more firm and crumbly. 

Process:

Mix the flour and salt together.  Add a few ice cubes to a glass of water, and stir vigorously with your finger.  Loosely mix the oil and water together in another bowl.

Gradually stir the liquid into the dry ingredients.  Use a fork to mix together.  Once it's all combined, if it's still sticky, add a touch more flour until it becomes solid.  Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface into the shape that you need.

Add quiche ingredients (I used roasted pumpkin, crispy bacon, shiitake mushrooms, feta cheese, and rosemary).  Bake for 35-40 minutes at 375F/185C.

Ingredients (recipe from Food.com)

1 cup flour
1/4 cup ice cold water
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 tsp salt

Song: Mathieu Boogaerts - Ondule 

Cafe Bonbon - Espresso with Sweetened Condensed Milk [Zack]

That cheesy Folgers commercial is right.  Whenever I smell coffee in the morning, I am transported back to breakfast/brunch with my parents.  I loved the smell/taste of coffee so much, I remember sitting on the kitchen counter as a child, eating the spent grounds out of the filter. 

I don’t drink coffee regularly, but I sometimes treat myself to a cup on the weekends.  Since it’s a special occasion, I’m forever on the quest to find my favorite cup of coffee.  Lauren and I were visiting Berlin and we stopped in the Impala Café.  Their self-named “Impala Coffee” happened to be my favorite I’ve ever had (I later found out this is called a Cafe Bonbon).  The preparation was simple:  super-strong espresso poured over sweetened condensed milk in a shot glass.  As you sip and stir the coffee, the condensed milk adds a creamy sweet flavor, which perfectly balances the bitter and rich coffee flavors.  I had to remind myself that I couldn’t drink 8 of them, or else I wouldn’t be able to walk out of the shop.

Process:

Brew your favorite brand of super strong coffee/espresso.  If you have an espresso machine, use it.  I just packed a French press with a larger-than-recommended dose of grounds.  Add a small pinch of salt to the coffee grounds to bring out the depth of flavors.

Get a shot glass or other glass vessel and add the sweetened condensed milk to taste.  A large part of the experience is visual, so make sure they can see through the glass to see the beautiful contrast of the deep brown coffee and the white espresso.  My personal ratio is about 2/3 coffee, 1/3 sweetened condensed milk.

Pour your espresso into the glass, and serve with a spoon alongside so you can stir the drink.

Ingredients:

espresso or very strong coffee – brewed with whatever contraption you have
a small pinch of salt

sweetened condensed milk

a clear glass

a spoon

Song:  D’angelo: Spanish Joint  (I can’t get enough of this song)

Kale for Breakfast or an Appetizer

Recently I saw a recipe of the Food Network using kale with squash so decided to try it.  Turns out it wasn't what I expected and we ended up with a HUGE bag of kale.  So off to the internet to search out other recipes.

We're always looking for something different for breakfast on our days off, so thought we'd try this one.

Sauteed Kale with Toast & Eggs (for 2)

Remove stems from approximately 1 cup of kale.  Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil, add 1 clove of chopped garlic, 1 tbsp of bacon bits and kale.  Cook about 2 minutes.  We preferred it slightly crunchy rather than wilted.

Take 2 slices of a nice, crusty bread.  Spread with butter or a little olive oil and toast (or not).

Spoon kale mixture onto bread and top with fried or poached egg. 

Tom put the eggs into a ramekin and cooked in a pot of water. 

Top with shaved parmesan.

As an Appetizer -
Use the same basic recipe - leave off the egg and you have bruschetta!  Top with a dollop of goat cheese and you're ready to serve.

Puff Pastry Vegetable Tart [Zack]

I am always trying to find uses for the puff pastry sheets in my freezer.  This breakfast "pizza" was created using all of the ingredients in our fridge.  Feel free to get creative!

Process:

Lay down some foil on a baking sheet, and butter it.  Defrost 2 puff pastry squares and pinch them together to form a long rectangle.

Slice onions into moons and throw them in a pan with some butter to caramelize them.  Cook for 5 minutes or so over medium heat.  Add some sliced mushrooms to the mix if you want.

Spread the red pepper paste over the top as you would tomato sauce for a pizza (leaving a small border for crust).  Place your caramelized onions and mushrooms on top, then shave the parmesan on top.  Some slices of a red or yellow pepper will give it color.  Top with shredded kale and a drizzle of olive oil.

Bake for 10-15 minutes until the crust is golden brown

Ingredients:
2 puff pastry squares
1 small tab butter
1 T red pepper paste
shaved parmesean reggiano
a few slices of red or yellow pepper
1/4 cup mushrooms
1/2 medium onion
1/2 cup shredded kale

Song:  Kanye - Champion

Pumpkin Cinnamon Cream Cheese [Zack]

Pumpkin and cinnamon are the two flavors that most remind me of fall.  This 3 ingredient spread is simple and very flavorful.

The pumpkin adds sweetness without the need of sugar and the cream cheese adds a savory depth.  It checks the box for my favorite savory-sweet flavor combination and is great to serve during brunch.

Process:

Pre-heat your oven to 350F / 175C.  Slice the pumpkin in half and scoop out the guts (you can squeeze the seeds out and toast them in butter, brown sugar, and a touch of salt).  Slice the outer skin off of the pumpkin and cube it into 1/2 inch pieces.  Toss in a bit of vegetable oil and salt lightly.

Roast the pumpkin in the oven for 20-30 minutes until the pieces are soft.  Let it cool off for about 5 mins.

Put the cream cheese into a food processor and add the 1 cup of pumpkin and puree.  Sprinkle cinnamon to taste and run the food processor again.

Serve with toast or scones.

Ingredients:
1 cup / 200g Philadelphia cream cheese
1 cup roasted pumpkin
1 sprinkle cinnamon
1-2 T of veg oil to roast the pumpkin

Song:  Gorillaz - HillBilly Man

Mushroom, Spinach, and Emmental Quiche [Zack]

Quiche is one of our weekend go-to meals.  It gives us a great opportunity to use up a lot of odds and ends from our fridge.  Most everything works well together - here are some examples of our most recent quiches:

• spinach, goat cheese, pumpkin, pine nuts
• roasted red pepper, leeks, feta cheese
• sundried tomatoes, pesto, walnuts, haloumi cheese
• smoked salmon, cream cheese, red onion, dill
• roasted chicken, roasted veggies (squash, eggplant, etc)
• bacon/speck, onion, potatoes

This is the reason why we keep puff pastry sheets in the freezer.  You don't have to leave the house as long as you have eggs and a few random leftovers that will work together.

Process:

Slice the red onion into moons, clean the mushrooms, chop the garlic, and wash the spinach.  Start a pan on medium heat and sautee the onions until starting to slightly brown in butter.  Add the mushrooms and cook for 5 mins.  Add the garlic and spinach and cook until the spinach has wilted.  Make sure there is not excess water in the veg, or else you will have a watery quiche.

Butter a pie pan and patch together the puff pastry sheets to form a crust.  Let your veggies cool off and then put 3/4 of them in the pie crust.  Add some sliced emmental cheese.

Crack your 6 eggs into a bowl, and whisk in 1/2 cup of milk or cream.  Add salt and pepper to the eggs.

Pour the eggs over the veggies in your pie crust and then add the rest of the veg and a few more slices of cheese on top.  You add the second portion to make sure all of the filling isn't grouped on the bottom of the quiche when it's finished cooking.

Bake at 350F/175C for 30-45 minutes until the middle is set.  If the top is browning too quickly, you can put a loose piece of tin foil over the top.

Ingredients:

6 eggs
150ml of milk (a little over 1/2 cup of milk)
4 puff pastry sheets
1/2 T of butter
1 medium red onion
3 cloves roasted garlic (or 2 cloves fresh garlic)
1.5 cups mushrooms (I used a mix of 4)
1 cup fresh spinach
1/2 cup sliced or shredded emmental cheese

Quiche Baking Song:  Justin Timberlake - TKO

Cinnamon Rolls from Pizza Dough + Yogurt Icing [Zack]

Lauren makes the best cinnamon rolls.  When she makes them, we bash them.  Even after she made a round for some guests we had for a brunch, I still had a hankerin'.

We had some pizza dough that I had made a few days ago sitting in the fridge.  Since we weren't in the mood for pizza, but were in the mood for cinnamon buns, we transformed the dough to the naughty side.

Here's a quick run-through of how it's done!  Measurements were on the fly, so you'll have to just work your way through it.

Process:

Start kneading your pizza dough on a lightly floured surface.  Put about 1/4 cup of powdered sugar on the board and work that into the dough.  It will sweeten it up a bit.

Roll out the dough out into a rectangle, and cover the whole thing with melted butter.  Don't be stingy.  Mix together brown sugar and cinnamon and coat the entire area of the dough.

Butter a baking dish.  Roll the dough like a cigar and slice into rounds about 1 inch thick.

Place them into the baking dish and let it rest for 30 mins while your oven heats up.  If you want, you can brush the tops with butter and add more brown sugar/cinnamon to the top.  I did.

Heat up your oven to 400F / 200C and pop the cinnamon buns into the oven for about 15 minutes.  When the tops are starting to brown and aren't doughy, they are finished.

Meanwhile, mix some powdered sugar into plain vanilla yogurt.  The powdered sugar will thicken up the mixture and make icing.  I added some of the brown sugar and cinnamon mixture because I made too much.  The yogurt makes it nice and tangy!

Remove the rolls from the oven, let them rest for as long as you can stand, and then top with the yogurt icing.

Ingredients:

pizza dough
cinnamon
brown sugar
yogurt
powdered sugar
butter

Song:  Tyrese - Signs of Love Makin'

Swiss Rosti - Savory potato, pancetta, egg, and cheese breakfast [Zack]

Switzerland is an awesome country for many reasons.  It has beautiful scenery, amazing skiing/hiking, and nice people.  But my favorite thing to do in Switzerland is to eat a Swiss Rosti in a ski lodge after a long day outdoors.  A Swiss Rosti is a piping hot fajita skillet filled with fried potatoes, Swiss Cheese, bacon, onion, and an over-easy egg.

I was starving this morning (due to spending almost 6 hours on my bicycle yesterday) and I knew I had some potatoes in our cupboard.  I also had some awesome pancetta from Italy, plus the usual Emmental cheese, eggs, and onions in the pantry.  I've had the Swiss Rosti on the brain for the last month, and my appetite gave me a guilt-free chance to make it happen.

This Rosti will satisfy the deepest hunger and comfort the noisest bellies.

Process:

Slice the 2 onions and put them in a saute pan with a little bit of olive oil.  Cut the potatoes into 1/4 inch slices and add them to the pan with the onions.  Sprinkle crushed red pepper and garlic over the potatoes.

Add 2T of water to the pan and allow the potatoes to steam.  Use the same process as cooking a risotto: cook the potatoes until the water has evaporated, and then continue add an additional small amount of water water until they are fork-tender.  Make sure you cook off all of the excess water once they are cooked through so your Rosti is not runny.

Once the potatoes are finished, salt them lightly to taste (remember the bacon is salty as well, so don't overdo it).

Slice your pancetta (or bacon) into matchsticks.  In a separate sauce pot, slowly brown the pancetta over low heat.

You'll want it nice and crispy so it adds a nice crunch to the end product.  Remove the crispy pancetta from the pan and discard the fat.

Add the cooked potatoes and the pancetta to a baking dish.

Top it with the shredded Emmental cheese and make two divots to hold the eggs.  Crack the eggs individually into a bowl so you can easily guide them into their allotted slots.  You can crack some black pepper on top if you want.

Roast in your oven for 12 minutes at 375F / 190C until the egg is set and the cheese is browned slightly.  Enjoy and imagine the Sound of Music playing in the background (I hate that movie).

Ingredients:
2 medium onions
5 potatoes
1tsp crushed red pepper
3 cloves garlic
5 slices pancetta, cut into matchsticks
3/4 cup Emmental cheese

Hearty breakfast song:  Sonnentanz by Klangkarussel

Sweet Potato Hash Browns

In college, one of my "specialties" was to make hash browns for my roommates for breakfast on the weekends. I had created a very complicated recipe - I used a bunch of different powders, spices, and techniques.  It always took me forever, but I didn't mind because I was having a blast.   I'd make a nice side of bacon, scramble some eggs, and serve the home fries alongside.

I still like having crispy potatoes with my breakfasts.  It's interesting to see how my recipe has evolved from my college days.  I have distilled my crazy "hangover cure" recipe down to the essential steps and ingredients, and it's still as good as before.

Process:

Start by sautéing 1 diced onion in a pan in a little bit of olive oil over medium heat.  Let the onions soften, and then add cumin seeds, toasting them to bring out the flavor.  Add 1T of garlic butter.  Once you can smell the cumin and garlic, the sweet potatoes should join the party.

I pour some water into the pan (you can cover it if you like), and then steam the suckers.  Keep adding water like you would for risotto until the potatoes are fork-tender.  This should take about 20-30 minutes.

When the potatoes are a nice texture, let the water cook off.  Let the potatoes fry on the bottom of your pan, turning occasionally when one side is browned.

Serve next to some type of delightful egg dish.

Ingredients (serves 4 as a side dish):
2 sweet potatoes
1 large onion
1 tsp cumin seeds
1T paprika powder
salt and pepper
1T garlic butter (or normal butter mixed with 1 clove of chopped garlic)
1tsp olive oil

Funky Potato Song:  Jamie Lidell - What's the use?

Cinnamon Toast [Zack]

We had a snow day and I therefore wasn’t able to drive into work. I had no intention of going out in the elements to get ingredients to make myself a breakfast. I looked around my kitchen and found the ingredients to make a nostalgic breakfast treat that my mom used to make for us as kids: cinnamon toast and cheese toast!

My mom would make this a as a treat on weekends. She’d give us 2 pieces of toast with melted cheddar (for protein, but probably more importantly to clear her conscience) along with the cinnamon toast. And always some type of fruit too. The butter melts together with the sugar to create a crispy and delicious salty-sweet combination on the toast. Cinnamon adds a nice dimension to the whole thing.

This is definitely the most simple recipe that I’ve posted so far on the website. All you have to do is make sure that you don’t burn the toast in the oven.

Process:

Set your oven to broil, and get a baking tray out. Slice off a few pads of butter and put them on the toast. Sprinkle your sugar to lightly coat the whole piece of toast, then hit it with the cinnamon. If you’re in the mood for some cheese toast, put some sliced cheese on bread and add it to your baking tray.

Broil the toast until the corners are lightly browned, the cheese has melted, and the sugar has melded with the butter to make a crispy light-brown crust. Serve with some semblance of fruit so your parents don’t give you the stink-eye.

Ingredients:

• Whole wheat or white bread
• A few thin pads of butter per piece
• ~2 tsp of white or brown sugar per piece
• A sprinkle of cinnamon on top

• Cheddar or Emmental cheese (optional)

Song:  Kanye West - Heard em say

Cinnamon Braided Monkey Bread [Zack]

We had guests staying with us this past weekend (the mountain climbers/beef jerky friends). While they were still asleep, I got the crazy idea to try to bake a monkey bread. I had seen the name pop up multiple times in the last few weeks and I guess it was stuck in my head.

I googled how to make Monkey Bread, but I didn’t have the requisite bundt pan. I therefore deviated from the normal recipe of tearing dough into balls, coating them in sugar, and packing them into the bundt pan. I’ve always wanted to learn how to make a braided bread, so this was my first attempt.

Our guests were beckoned awake by the yeasty, cinnamon-y, and sugary smells coming from our oven. I was very proud of my bread creation because I had minimal help from Lauren (I am still a novice at baking).  Funny enough, Martina exclaimed, “Oh, this bread looks just like the bread they have all over my hometown Prauge!” So, instead of impressing our guests with something new, I guess I was able to remind her of  home!

It reminds me of a Mitch Hedberg Joke:
"I wish they made a cinnamon roll incense because I don't always have time to make a pan. Perhaps I'd rather light a stick and then have my roommates wake up with false hopes. "

Process:

The first step is to get your yeast going.  Put 1 cup of warm water (warm to the touch) into a glass with the brown sugar and honey.  Give it a mix and leave it alone for 10 mins.  It should look like this:

While your yeast is activating, mix together your AP flour and 1.5 tsp salt in a large bowl.  Add your yeast mixture plus the rest of the water, and the olive oil into the bowl.

Knead the dough until it is smooth and doesn't stick to your hand.  If it is too sticky, add more flour, if it's too try, wet your hands slightly and keep mixing.

Once it's a smooth ball, wash out your big bowl, dry it, and coat it lightly with olive oil.  Put the dough back in, spin it around in the oil, cover it with a dish towel, and let it rise until doubled.  It should take about an hour.

When it has risen, it should look like this:

Punch the dough back down, form it into a ball again, and quarter it.

Roll each quarter into a ball, then roll out long snakes with your hands until they are 1 inch wide.

Your 4 snakes should be roughly the same length.

Now comes the girly part:  you need to learn to braid the strands together.  I can handle braiding 3 strings, but the 4th threw me for a loop.  Luckily Google had my back.  I'll explain it simply.  Lay the strands next to each other and pinch the far-away ends of each of the strands together.  Start by crossing the outside 2 pairs over each other.  Cross the right strands over the left ones:

Then, cross the two middle strands over each other, but this time, do left over right.

Tighten up the strands, but don't pull so hard that you over-stretch them.  Repeat the process: cross the two outer strands, right over left.  Then the middle two, left over right.  Keep going until you run out of runway.

It's really not that difficult folks.  Mine somehow came out presentable.

When you get to the end, cut the strands so they are even, pinch the ends together, and tuck the end slightly  under.

Now comes the fun part.  Melt 1T of butter in a sauce pan.  Put a sheet of aluminum foil on a baking tray and paint the foil with the melted butter where the bread will rest.  Carefully transfer the bread to the baking tray.

Generously paint the bread with the butter so you can get your brown sugar and cinnamon topping to stick.

Don't be scared, really paint that sucker.  Mix the brown sugar and cinnamon in a bowl and sprinkle it on top of the bread.  Don't be dainty!

Let the bread rest and rise for 30 minutes while you heat up your oven to 350F / 175C.  Pop it in the oven and bake until it's golden-brown and the sugar has caramelized on top.  It will take about 20-25 minutes.

Let the bread rest for 10 minutes, then slice it with a serrated bread knife so you don't lose the shape.

Serve warm with a pad of butter and dip it in your morning coffee like Mike Koulermos.

Ingredients:
2 packets of yeast
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 cups warm water
5 to 6 cups AP flour (or 00 flour is even better)
1/4 cup olive oil
1.5 tsp salt

topping:
1 tsp cinnamon
2T brown sugar
1T butter (melted)

Since baking is more of a Lauren activity, here is a Euro Laurie jam:  Disclosure - Latch