Brunch

For the love of brunch…the analysis

           

            When I think of brunch I think of a Sunday fun day, a day dedicated to relaxing, fun, friends, mimosa’s and a dish that I think most Americans have a place for in their hearts, and the savory Eggs Benedict. But where did brunch come from? Who made the first Eggs Benedict? The conception of brunch was first introduced in Britain by the upper-class. It started as a hunting lunch. It was a long leisure meal after the mornings hunt. It consisted of many meats, egg dishes and tons of booze. Sounds like brunch to me! The word brunch itself came from the time of day that it was served, closer to breakfast, but not too far from lunch, hence brunch. They also had a name for when you ate closer to lunch, blunch. Needless to say, blunch did not catch on. By the late 1920’s, brunch caught on in America. The first city that brunch became popular was Chicago, the Windy city, because of the multi-night trips on train that stopped in Chicago. Stars who travelled all night to get from coast to coast for business would stop in Chicago, and “on Sundays, actors like John Barrymore, Helen Hayes, and Clark Gable stopped to brunch at the famed Pump Room at the Ambassador Hotel”(www.history.com/news/hungry-history/the-goods-on-brunch). Brunch gained more popularity after World War II. People were attending church less and less and were looking for something to do with their time. Sunday was now the day to relax and have a leisurely brunch.
            My go to brunch is the Eggs Benedict, the dish with an interesting past. There are a few stories as to where the Eggs Benedict came from. The most popular of stories is as follows: A retired Wall Street stock broker, Lemuel Benedict went to the Waldorf Hotel in 1894, he was searching for a cure, a cure for his hangover. Sound familiar? He ordered “buttered toast, poached eggs, crisp bacon and a hooker of Hollandaise.” The maître d’hotel was impressed by the dish and added it to the breakfast menu, with a few twists. He substituted the toast with an English muffin and swapped out the bacon for ham, and there, my friends, you have the Eggs Benedict. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/eggs_benedict) Whether you enjoy a sweet brunch like French toast or Belgium waffles, or maybe you prefer a savory egg dish. No matter what you like, we all know this meal that has turned into a time to celebrate, relax and enjoy the company of family and friends. It is a time to create memories, because that’s what good food does, it brings people together. Happy brunching! 

Lasagna

For the Love of Lasagna...       

Lasagna is something my mom use to make my sister and I when we were going up. I'm sure it's a comfort food in most house holds. We would eat it for days! But all you want to do is take a nap afterwards... So I have made it a little lighter, but up-ing the flavor times ten! I love the juxtaposition of the sweet and spicy sauce. The texture of the zucchini mimics the noodles perfectly. There are so many ways to create  delicious and different lasagna's, add veggies, or use them as the noodles. You could use eggplant, or squash. I love zucchini, so I stick with it. It has come to my attention that the word Lasagna is more about the dish you cook the lasagna in rather than what the ingredients are, "Another theory is that the word lasagne comes from the Greek λάσανα (lasana) or λάσανον (lasanon) meaning "trivet or stand for a pot", "chamber pot". The Romans borrowed the word as "lasanum", meaning "cooking pot" in Latin. The Italians used the word to refer to the dish in which lasagne is made. Later the name of the food took on the name of the serving dish." (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lasagne) I love learning the history of how things came to be. Adding a story to something as simple and comforting as lasagna, to me, just adds depth and history to it. It's makes me appreciate what history has brought to what we do in our everyday life! Making this dish was time consuming, but I do believe that tomato sauce, or gravy, as some Italians would call it, taste way better when you let the flavors develop overnight. You might notice in my posts that every recipe requires love, you have to cook with your heart and soul. Or else, it's just food, not a meal. Food should be enjoyed, savored with friends and family. Happy cooking and bon appetite! 

Ingredients: 

1.5 lbs spicy Italian sausage or ground beef (or a combo)

1 onion (diced)

3 cloves garlic (minced)

Italian spices dried or fresh (oregano, thyme, parsley)

Red pepper flakes (optional)

Sautéed Mushrooms (optional) I like to sauté them first before adding to cook out some of the water. That way they soak up the flavors in the sauce.

1 jar store bought tomato sauce

16oz can tomato puree or dices (depending on if you like a smooth or chunky sauce)

3-5 large zucchini sliced into ribbons

8-16oz mozzarella (grated)

Start by browning the sausage in a sauce pot on medium high heat. When it has a good brown color take a slotted spoon and take the sausage out and put it to the side.
Add a little olive oil, depending on how much oil is left from the cooked sausage. You want it to coat the bottom of your pan.
Turn down the heat to medium and add the diced onions. Cook the onions down til they are translucent then add the garlic and cook for another few minutes until you can smell the YUM that is garlic cooking.

At this time add your spices whether they are fresh or dry and stir them around

Add the jar of store bought sauce and the can of tomato puree.  Turn the heat to low and let the sauce simmer for 20 minutes (add the red pepper flakes now for a little heat).

Taste the sauce, if it too acidic I like to add a little brown sugar or honey to take the bite away.
At this point, add the mushrooms and the sausage. Let it simmer for another 10 minutes and turn off the heat. Let it sit until it is room temp. I like to make my sauce one day in advice of making the lasagna, so it can develop flavor.

Now on to the zucchini..
Before using the zucchini as the noodles we need to prepare them.
First, either using a mandolin or a knife, cut the zucchini so it resembles the flat lasagna noodles.
Lay them on a cook sheet, add a little olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper and roast them for about 10-20 minutes, at 375, cooking time will depend on the thickness of your zucchini noodles. Basically what we are doing is roasting them to dry them out a bit, so you don’t end up with watery lasagna.
Let them cool to room temp.

Now we assemble!
Start with a layer of sauce on the bottom of the pan, this prevents any goodness sticking to the bottom. Then add a layer of zucchini followed by another layer of sauce, then add the mozzarella. Continue layering (zucchini, sauce, cheese) until you reach the top of your pan. The top layer should be a layer of cheese.
Time to bake
Bake 30 minutes at 375, checking half way through, if the cheese on top is browning too much, put some foil on it until it’s done.
Let sit for a little bit to cool and set.
ENJOY!!

  

Truffles

For the Love of Truffles...

~~Truffles~~

         

           Over the last few years money has been tight around the holidays, and I know I’m not alone out there. So for the family I make a batch of these little nuggets of love. Mmmmm who can say no to a truffle? No one in my family, that’s for sure. The great thing about truffles is that you can make a large batch of plain chocolate, and split them into smaller batches and add flavors. Above are three different kinds: white chocolate with Grand Marnier, milk chocolate, and Bailey’s with dark chocolate. You can get creative with them too. I added crumbled bacon to a batch I made a couple years ago, and white chocolate, orange creamsicle. All blissful. Make sure you have ample time to make these. It’s not a difficult process, but it is labor intensive, and you've got to add lots of love. Get some friends together with a nice bottle of bubbles and have everyone pitch in!

Ingredients

For the Ganache:

21 ounces chocolate. (I usually do ½ and ½ bittersweet and milk chocolate, but do it to your preference)

A generous 2 cups heavy cream

4 tablespoons soft unsalted butter, cut into pieces.

For the coating:

(All are optional, the possibilities are endless!)

Orange Liquor 

Baileys 

Crumbled bacon 

Shredded coconut 

Finishing salt

Cocoa powered

Directions:

Chop the chocolate so that it melts quickly and place it in a medium glass bowl. Glass will keep the chocolate melted longer.
Heat the cream in a small saucepan over medium heat until tiny bubbles are present on the rim of the saucepan.
Remove from the heat and add a little of the chocolate; whisk until smooth. Now, pour the cream mixture over the remaining chocolate in the bowl and let sit for a minute while the chocolate melts, about 30 seconds.
Beat with a whisk until all the lumps disappear.
Stir in the butter until smooth.
This is when you can separate into smaller batches and get creative!
Try some orange liqueur, perhaps a little peppermint extract, sea salt.
Grab some baking sheets and line them with plastic, leave an overhang of plastic wrap about the length of the baking sheet.
Pour the ganache (that’s the liquid love we just made), even it out on the tray, and fold the extra plastic back over the ganache.
Let it cool at room temp, or in the fridge.
Note: if you cool it in the fridge, you will have to bring it to room temperature when reading to start rolling truffles.
Let it cool for at least 4 hours and up to overnight.
Take a melon baller or something resembling a melon baller and scoop truffles on a parchment lined baking sheet.
When you’ve portioned them out put the baking sheets in the fridge for about 20 minutes or until pliable.

Roll ‘em up!

Place the chocolate mounds between both palms, squeeze slightly and roll in to a ball.
Refrigerate until you want to coat.

Coating: This is another fun and creative part. You can coat truffles in just about anything. My favorite coating that I used was crumbled bacon, big hit, needless to say. Ahh bacon..BRILLIANT! You could coat in melted chocolate, maybe use a different kind than you did in the ganache. Add some finishing salt, or shredded coconut. Use your imagination. Have your truffles reflect what you and your family enjoy. Make a ganache using white chocolate, or try butterscotch chips instead of chocolate. Don’t think too much, use your soul and put your heart in it.