Charlotte’s Kitchen

Archive for the ‘Breakfast’ Category

Here’s a tasty coffee cake that makes a great way start your day.  This one would be perfect for Christmas or New Years morning. Read the rest of this entry »

With the holidays upon us, we can expect to have overnight guests at some point in the next two months. I found this recipe for a breakfast casserole that will wow your guests and won’t take you much time to make. I call it my Fast Break Breakfast Casserole. Read the rest of this entry »

Ingredients:

1 package (8 ounce) cream cheese, softened

4 T confectioners’ sugar

2 t Watkins Cinnamon

1/2 t Watkins Ginger

5 baking apples (about 2 1/4 pounds), peeled, cored and cut into 1/8-1/4-inch thick slices

3/4 cup granulated sugar

6 T unsalted butter

1 cup whole milk

4 large eggs

1 1-pound loaf brioche or soft French bread, cut into eight 3/4 inch thick slices

1/2 cup chopped toasted pecans

1/2 cup maple syrup

2 T vegetable oil

Directions:

In a medium bowl, stir together cream chees, confectioners’ sugar, 1/2 t cinnamon and the ginger until combined well. Set aside.

In a large bowl, toss together apples, granulated sugar and 1 t cinnamon. In a large nonstick skillet, melt 4 T butter over high heat. Add appple mixture and cook, stirring occasionally, until just softened, about 8 minutes. Remove from heat.

In a 13 x 9 inch shallow dish, whisk together milk, eggs and remaining 1/2 t cinnamon; set aside.

Spread a heaping 1/4 cup cream cheese mixture onto each of 4 bread slices. Top each with 2 T nuts and 6 to 8 apple slices. Cover with remaining 4 bread slices to make sandwiches.

Soak 2 sandwiches at a time in milk-egg mixture 5 minutes per side.

Add maple syrup to remaining apples in skillet and stir to combine.

Heat a griddle or large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 T oil and 1 T butter to pan. Add 2 sandwiches and cook, turning once. until golden brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Repeat with remaining 1 T oil, 1 T butter and the sandwiches.

Cut sandwiches in half and serve immediately topped with apples in syrup. Garnish with toasted nuts, if desired.

Makes 8 servings.

Ingredients:

1 3/4    cups flour

3           T sugar, plus a little extra for topping

1           T Watkins Baking Powder

3/4        t salt

3/4        t Watkins Cinnamon

3/4        t Watkins Ginger

5           T cold butter, cut into 1/4-inch pieces

1/2        cup light cream, plus a little extra for glaze

1/3        cup solidly packed pumpkin mash or canned pumpkin

1 1/2     T honey

Directions:

Heat the oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt cinnamon and ginger. Use your fingertips or a pastry blender to work in the butter. Keep mixing until the ingredients resemble a coarse, flaky meal, then stir in the chopped walnuts. In a smaller bowl, whisk together the cream, pumpkin and honey. Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour the liquid into it. Stir briskly until the dough pulls together, then let it sit for 3 minutes.

Flour your hands and your work surface. Gently knead the dough into a ball, then pat it into a 1-inch thick disk. Using a 2-inch biscuit cutter or drinking glass, cut the dough into rounds and place them on a lightly greased cookie sheet, leaving a couple of inches between them. Repeat this process until you’ve used all the dough. Brush the biscuit tops sparingly with cream and then sprinkle on a little sugar.

Bake the biscuits on the center oven rack until they are light golden brown, about 20 minutes. Transfer them to a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes before serving. Makes about 12 biscuits.

Ingredients:

1 1/2        cups flour

1/3           cup sugar plus 2 to 3 tablespoons sugar, depending on blueberries

3               teaspoons Watkins Baking Powder

1/2           teaspoon salt

1/2           teaspoon Watkins Almond Extract

1/4           cup melted butter

1/3           cup plain yogurt or sour cream

1/2           teaspoon Watkins Vanilla

2/3           cup ricotta cheese or dry cottage cheese

2               eggs

1                cup blueberries

Directions:

Heat oven to 375 degrees and grease 8 to 10 muffin tins.

Combine with whisk flour, sugar, baking powder and salt til well blended.

Beat almond extract, vanilla, melted butter, ricotta cheese and eggs.  Add this mixture to the flour mixture and incorporate well.

Carefully fold in the blueberries making sure to distribute them throughout the mixture.  Batter will be soft and lumpy.

Fill tins 2/3 full and bake for 20 minutes.

Allow muffins to cool for 2 minutes in the tins and then invert onto a metal rack to completely cool.

Ingredients:

2        cups flour

1/3    cup sugar

1        tablespoon Watkins Baking Powder

1/2    teaspoon salt

finely grated zest of 1 lemon

3        tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch pieces

1        cup heavy or whipping cream, plus a little for brushing

1        egg yolk, beaten slightly

1/2     teaspoon Watkins Vanilla

Lemon Glaze:

1        cup confectioners’ sugar

1        tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1/2    teaspoon Watkins Lemon Extract

1        tablespoon melted butter

2        tablespoons heavy or whipping cream

Directions:

Heat the oven to 400 degrees.  Grease a large, heavy baking sheet (preferably not a dark one) and set it aside.

Sift the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt into a large mixing bowl.  Add the lemon zest and toss the mixture with your hands.

Using your fingertips, rub the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles fine crumbs.

Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients.  Pour in the cream, the yolk and the vanilla and use a fork to blend the liquids within the well.  Then use a wooden spoon to combine all the ingredients, just until the dough holds together.

Scrape the dough onto a flour-dusted surface and then, using floured hands, knead it gently three or four times to form a ball.  Flatten the ball into a disk about 3/4-inch thick, then cut it as you would a pie into 8 wedges.  Transfer the pieces to the baking sheet, leaving at least 1/4 inch between them.  Brush the tops lightly with cream.

Bake the scones in the center of the oven until golden brown, about 16 to 18 minutes.  Allow them to cool on the sheet for a few minutes and then transfer them to a wire rack.

While the scones continue to cool, make the glaze.  Combine all the ingredients in a small mixing bowl and whisk them until the mixture is smooth.  If necessary, you can thin the glaze with water, stirring in no more than 1/2 teaspoon at a time.  When the scones have cooled for another 10 minutes, drizzle each one generously with glaze.  Makes 8 ascones.