Mixed Berries and Chocolate Chip Bread Pudding

Thinking of a gift for mother's day? Why not surprise your mom, (or the mom of your kiddos) to a breakfast-in-bed with this super easy bread pudding. It's so easy to make that I did it during my lunch break! It takes 5 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to bake. How easy is that? However, if you have time, I would recommend you let the bread soak in the milk mixture for a good 20 minutes before you pop in the oven to absorb the flavor.

Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients:
4 slices of white loaf bread, cut into 1 inch squares
4 eggs 
1cup fresh milk 
1cup heavy cream 
1/2 cup sugar*
1/2 tsp cinnamon powder 
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt 
a few shavings of nutmeg 
1 and 1/2 cups frozen mixed berries 
1/2 cup bittersweet chocolate chips 
maple syrup, to serve (optional)
*If not using maple syrup, sugar may be adjusted from 1/2 to 1 cup.


Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 200*c. 

2. Except for the bread, berries and chocolate chips, mix everything together in a saucepan over low heat. I don't intend to cook the mixture, I just find it easier to mix together when its warmed, 3-5 minutes. 

3. Butter 4 ramekins. Divide the bread, berries and choco chips into 4 ramekins. Pour over cream mixture (Note: If you're not in a hurry, leave it for 20 minutes in the fridge so the bread will soak up more of the cream). 

4. Put the ramekins into a roasting pan with water halfway to the ramekins and bake bain marie for  20 minutes. You may also sprinkle sugar on top 1 minute before you get it out of the oven and crank the heat to broil so you'll have a bruleed crust. But watch closely, you want the top bruleed not toasted.

5. Serve hot drizzled with maple syrup on top.

Serves 4.

Homemade on 23 April 2013

Sausage & Chorizo Hash Skillet

Sausage & Chorizo Hash Skillet - All Rights Reserved © Haidee Vaquer 2012

I was watching an episode of Cooking for Real by Sunny Anderson on Food Network 2 weeks ago when my husband joined-in. Normally he would ask me to change the channel, but when he saw what was cooking, a breakfast skillet with chorizo and beef hash, he was intrigued and watched the show with me. When the dish was done, he said, "Oh my God, that looks so good!" "Would you like me to make some for you tomorrow?", I asked. And he answered with a resounding, "Yes, please!"

 So the following morning, which happens to be a Saturday, I made him a breakfast skillet. It was not exactly the same dish prepared by Sunny; hers was chorizo and ground chuck hash, mine was with sausages... big and chunky sausages!

The Sausage and chorizo pair is a match made in heaven, they complimented each other perfectly; it's a spicy-savory combo. Add some potatoes and crack a few eggs on top and it's one good brekky-in-a-pan! A great way to start anybody's day. My husband loved it so much he requested an encore last weekend!

So here it is, my Sausage and Chorizo Hash Skillet.

Difficulty: Easy

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 20-25 minutes
Total Time: 30-35 minutes

Ingredients:

1/2 of 225 g Chorizo Burgos, finely diced

4 pcs (225 g) pork sausages, skinned and crumbled
1 large (approx. 2 cups) potato, diced
1/2 medium yellow onion, diced
6 cloves garlic, minced
4 eggs
2 tbsps extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), add as needed
1/2 tsp salt, adjust to taste
1/2 tsp pepper, adjust to taste
1 tbsp chopped parsley, garnish

Groceries Tips for my Bahrain-based readers: I used Broad Oak Farm Pork Sausages and La Cordobesa Chorizo Burgos; both can be found in the pork section of any Al Jazira Supermarket.

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 180*C.
 Tip: You may pop in the skillet in the oven while you prep; that will save you time on pre-heating the skillet on the stove-top.

2. Heat the EVOO in the skillet and swirl it around to coat the inside of the skillet. Cook the sausage and chorizo for 3-4 minutes. Do not cook all the way through, just enough for the sausage to release some of it's oil but the meat are still medium cooked and tender. Transfer the meat in a bowl and leave the oil in the pan.

3. In the same oil, sauté the potatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Cook covered for 8-10 minutes until the potatoes are done but still firm, stirring every 2 or 3 minutes. You want the edges of the potatoes to brown but not burnt!

4. After 10 minutes, add the garlic and onion and cook for another 2-3 minutes until the onion is semi-translucent. Feel free to add EVOO if needed.

5. Add the sausage and chorizo and stir until well mixed. Taste for seasoning. 

6. Make 4 indentations and crack eggs on those dents. Pop it in the oven for 5 minutes or until the eggs are cooked to your preferred doneness. Garnish with chopped parsley and freshly cracked pepper. Serve with toasted crusty bread and herbed butter.

Makes a hearty servings for 2.

 31 August 2012
Home-cooked Meals

Sausage & Chorizo Hash Skillet - All Rights Reserved © Haidee Vaquer 2012

Sausage & Chorizo Hash Skillet - All Rights Reserved © Haidee Vaquer 2012

Green & Sunny Skillet

Green & Sunny Skillet

This is my first post on skillet cooking and I promise you there's going to be plenty of them in the future. I mean, just look at that skillet, isn't it a thing of beauty? I bought it new and unseasoned and I'm putting a lot of hours lovingly seasoning it. I cannot wait until it turns into a beautiful black patina.

But enough about the skillet. Maybe I would blog about how to properly season and care for this heirloom-worthy pan some other time. But today, I'm going to share the easy recipe I prepared on my birthday brunch, Green & Sunny Skillet-- a spinach and roasted pine nuts egg bake.

I adjusted the recipe from the original egg bake that I made. I used 200g of fresh spinach at that time, (2 bags). I thought that was more than enough...NOT! When it wilted, I ended up having about 2 cups of it. So, to "beef" it up, here's the adjusted recipe. By the way, it tasted great, that is why I was left wanting for more!


Difficulty: Medium

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time:25-30 minutes
Total Time: 35-40 minutes

Ingredients:
500g fresh spinach or 5 cups frozen spinach
4 tbsp pine nuts
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 large eggs
2 tbsp EVOO
1 tsp sea salt + few sprinkles on top of eggs
1/2 tsp pepper + few grounds on top of eggs
parmigiano reggiano, shaved (optional)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 180*C.

2. Toast the pine nuts in a dry, non-stick pan over medium heat. Shake the pan frequently to ensure even browning. Once the nuts are slightly browned, remove from heat and transfer the nuts into a bowl. Set aside.
Note: Do not leave the pine nuts in the hot pan or else the nuts will continue to brown.

3. Prepare the cast iron skillet by coating the inside of the skillet with EVOO (that's Extra Virgin Olive Oil), about 1 tbsp. Once coated, add the rest of the EVOO and turn the stove top to medium heat.

4. Saute garlic until medium brown. Add the spinach and stirring occasionally until slightly wilted. Then add salt, pepper and roasted pine nuts until well combined. Be sure to taste and add salt and pepper if desired. Turn off the heat.

5. Make 4 evenly spaced indentations for the eggs. Crack the eggs onto those dents or wells one at a time. Bake for 8-12 minutes depending on how you like your egg. 8 minutes will give you a soft-yolked and runny egg, which is how I like it. If you want a firmer set, leave it for a minute or 2 but keep an eye on it, you wouldn't want a rubbery-textured egg, that will ruin this beautiful dish.

6. To serve, sprinkle freshly ground sea salt and black pepper on top of the eggs and sprinkle freshly shaved parmigiano reggiano on top. Serve in the skillet of course!


If you like the recipes in my Barefoot Contessa Birthday Brunch, here are the links:
1. Hasselback Potatoes
2. Sauteed Mushrooms with Garlic and Herbs
3. Green & Sunny Skillet
4. Flavored Butter
5. Roasted Garlic Spread (posting soon!)
6. Bacon Chocolate Cupcakes
7. Summer Iced Green Tea (posting soon!)



14 April 2012
Home-cooked Meals

Lemon-Garlic Chicken

Got this delicious chicken recipe from pinterest which was originally from Annie's Eats. I slightly modified it to suit my taste and have altered some of the ingredients, like, I used dried basil instead of fresh rosemary. Not that I don't like rosemary but I only had dried basil available in my kitchen when I made this. This dish is so easy to make and it tasted absolutely yummy! The herb and spices did come together wonderfully.

For Annie's Eats recipe, click here. For my adaptation, keep reading.

Difficulty: Medium

Prep Time: 15 (marinade), 10 minutes (pre-cooking)
Inactive Time: 2 hours to overnight
Cooking Time: 70 minutes
Total Time: 3 hours, 25 minutes

Ingredients:

900g chicken thighs, bone-in, skin on
juice of 3 lemons
zest of 3 lemon
1/2 head of garlic, minced
1 tsp fresh thyme
1 tsp dried basil
1/2 stick of  unsalted butter, melted

 for garnish:
thin slices of lemon
2 sprigs of thyme

Directions:

1. Combine lemon juice, lemon zest, garlic, thyme, basil, salt and pepper in a bowl.

2. In a large, rectangular container, arrange the chicken thigh, skin-side up. Pour the lemon marinade. Cover and marinade the chicken in the fridge for at least 2 hours or overnight.

3. Preheat oven to 200*C.

4. Place the chicken in a roasting pan or baking dish, skin-side up. Pour half of the marinade. Brush the top of each chicken with melted butter.

5. Bake the chicken for 60-70 minutes.After 30 minutes, add the rest of the marinade and brush the remaining butter on top of the chicken. If you don't want the extra juice on your chicken you can skip adding the rest of the marinade. Rotate the pan and wait until the chicken is done.

6. To serve, garnish with slices of lemon and sprigs of thyme.

7. Serve immediately. Great paired with white rice or mashed potato.

30 March
Home-cooked Meals