Posts in brunch

while i like to think of myself as cautiously optimistic, i most definitely have a sunny disposition when it comes to life. so i'm sure it won't come to a shock to you that i LOVE valentine's day.

yeah yeah, it's hallmark manufactured holiday designed to sell candy and flowers, blah blah. you could look at it that way. or, you could look at it as a special day to be a little extra grateful for the love in your life. your parents, your kids, your besties, your pets. they all love you. celebrate it!

this morning i celebrated with my sixteen students, zee, the front desk girl who works with me in the mornings on tuesdays and thursdays, and this amazing sponge cake.

start by preheating your oven to 375 degrees f. sift together the flours, baking powder and salt and set it aside. if you like, you can take the extra time to cut hearts or other fun shapes with your grapefruit and blood orange slices. it's your loaf. go wild.

in the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment or with a hand blender, combine the egg yolks and half the sugar.

blend on high until pale yellow and thick. about 5 minutes.

pour the egg and sugar mixture into medium bowl land set it aside. clean the bowl and whisk.

add in the egg whites and whip on high until soft peaks form. about 2-4 minutes.

with the mixer on high, pour in the remaining sugar and continue whipping until stiff peaks form. about 3-5 minutes more. you will know they are ready when you can flip your bowl upside down and nothing moves.

while your eggs are whipping, combine your butter, honey, zest and vanilla beans in a small bowl. mix well.

then, using your rubber spatula, fold a large scoop of the egg whites into the egg yolk mixture so it becomes light.

then add the egg yolk mixture into the egg whites and fold it all together. just till it is no longer streaky.

fold in your flour mixture.

fold in your butter, honey mixture. spray your loaf pan with baking spray.

pour your batter into the loaf pan and bake for 15 minutes, until the to begins to set.

pull the loaf out, place your grapefruit and blood oranges slices as you like and pop it back in the oven for 20-30 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.

the top should be golden brown.

remove the loaf pan onto a raised cooling rack (you don't want the bottom to steam) and allow it to cool for 10 minutes. remove the sponge from the pan, slice and serve. you can store it in an airtight container for a few days.

xo, a

vanilla + citrus sponge cake serves: 8 prep time: 25 minutes bake time: 40 minutes
cool time: 10 minutes
total time: 1 hour 15 minutes.
ingredients: 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted. .5 cup all purpose flour. .25 cup cake flour. .75 tsp baking powder. .5 tsp fine salt. 1 tbs honey. 1 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped (or you can sub .5 tsp vanilla extract). 3 large egg yolks. 7 egg whites. 1 cup granulated sugar. 1 blood orange zested and sliced thin. 1 small grapefruit zested and sliced thin. 1 9x4 loaf pan. rubber spatula. mixer or hand blender. baking spray.
start by preheating your oven to 375 degrees f. sift together the flours, baking powder and salt and set it aside. if you like, you can take the extra time to cut hearts or other fun shapes with your grapefruit and blood orange slices. it's your loaf. go wild.
in the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment or with a hand blender, combine the egg yolks and half the sugar.
blend on high until pale yellow and thick. about 5 minutes. pour the egg and sugar mixture into medium bowl land set it aside.
clean the bowl and whisk.
add in the egg whites and whip on high until soft peaks form. about 2-4 minutes.
with the mixer on high, pour in the remaining sugar and continue whipping until stiff peaks form. about 3-5 minutes more. you will know they are ready when you can flip your bowl upside down and nothing moves.
while your eggs are whipping, combine your butter, honey, zest and vanilla beans in a small bowl. mix well.
then, using your rubber spatula, fold a large scoop of the egg whites into the egg yolk mixture so it becomes light.
then add the egg yolk mixture into the egg whites and fold it all together. just till it is no longer streaky. fold in your flour mixture. fold in your butter, honey mixture. spray your loaf pan with baking spray.
pour your batter into the loaf pan and bake for 15 minutes, until the to begins to set. pull the loaf out, place your grapefruit and blood oranges slices as you like and pop it back in the oven for 20-30 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. the top should be golden brown.
remove the loaf pan onto a raised cooling rack (you don't want the bottom to steam) and allow it to cool for 10 minutes. remove the sponge from the pan, slice and serve. you can store it in an airtight container for a few days.

cake, egg white, baked, honey, sweet treats, grapefruit, dessert, grapefruit zest, sponge cake, brunch, egg yolk, baking, blood orange, butter, treats, eatAngela SamuelsFebruary 14, 2017blood orange, sweet treats, eggs, baking, cake, baked, dessert, grapefruit, baker, vanilla, sponge cake, egg yolk, brunch, egg white, citrus, vanilla bean, holiday, sweetsComment

maple + bacon + bourbon monkey bread

i'm not going to lie to you. the food coming out of our kitchen lately has been pretty insane. wes and i are really hitting our stride as far as taste and technique go and the results have been magic. and in my world, lots of good food comes with lots of good photos.

so i'm doing that common dance many of us do. deleting things from our phone to make space for new music, photos and apps. so i've been rummaging through old photos, deciding what i need and what i don't, and i stumbled upon this gem.

we like to bust this recipe out for easy sundays in, or catering brunches. it is easy, a real crowd pleaser and is a stunning centerpiece to any breakfast buffet.

start by cooking your bacon. you can cook it two different ways. you can place the strips on parchment paper on a baking sheet and bake at 400 f for 20-22 minutes till crispy. or you can cook your bacon in a large frypan over medium low heat for 20-30 minutes until they are crispy. flipping a couple times. either way, when your bacon is cooked, pat it dry and roughly chop it into pieces.

while your bacon is cooking, combine bourbon, brown sugar, butter and maple syrup in a small saucepan. cook over medium high heat until the sugar dissolves. about 5-7 minutes. set the sauce aside to cool. whatever you do not use can be stored in the fridge for a month or two.
preheat your oven to 350 degrees f.

slice your biscuit rounds into quarters and lightly butter your pan. combine your white sugar and a cinnamon in a medium bowl.

a few at a time, dunk pieces of biscuit into the remaining smelted butter. when lightly coated with butter, dump them into the sugar and cinnamon mixture and then create a bottom layer in your baking pan.

when you have a complete layer, sprinkle one third of the bacon over the top and drizzle with some of the brown sugar sauce.

continue on with another row of biscuit dough. sprinkle with one third of the bacon and some more of the sugar sauce.

finish off with one more row of dough, the remaining bacon and an additional drizzle of brown sugar sauce.

cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes covered. uncover and bake for an additional 15-25 minutes till golden browned and cooked through.
remove from the oven and allow to cool, covered, for about 10 minutes. turn the pan upside down on a cake stand or plate and serve hot with additional sauce for those who like it extra sweet.

xo,a

maple + bacon + bourbon monkey bread
total time: 1.5 hours
prep time: 10 minutes
active time: 80 minutes
ingredients: 2 16 oz packages refrigerated biscuit dough. 1 cup white sugar. 2 tbs cinnamon. 1 cup butter, divided. 3 slices crispy cooked bacon, roughly chopped. 1 cup brown sugar. 2 tbs bourbon. 2 tbs maple sugar. angel food or bundt pan. aluminum foil.
start by cooking your bacon. you can cook it two different ways. you can place the strips on parchment paper on a baking sheet and bake at 400 f for 20-22 minutes till crispy. or you can cook your bacon in a large frypan over medium low heat for 20-30 minutes until they are crispy. flipping a couple times. either way, when your bacon is cooked, pat it dry and roughly chop it into pieces.
while your bacon is cooking, combine bourbon, brown sugar, butter and maple syrup in a small saucepan. cook over medium high heat until the sugar dissolves. about 5-7 minutes. set the sauce aside to cool. whatever you do not use can be stored in the fridge for a month or two.
preheat your oven to 350 degrees f.
slice your biscuit rounds into quarters and lightly butter your pan. combine your white sugar and a cinnamon in a medium bowl.
a few at a time, dunk pieces of biscuit into the remaining smelted butter. when lightly coated with butter, dump them into the sugar and cinnamon mixture and then create a bottom layer in your baking pan.
when you have a complete layer, sprinkle one third of the bacon over the top and drizzle with some of the brown sugar sauce.
continue on with another row of biscuit dough. sprinkle with one third of the bacon and some more of the sugar sauce.
finish off with one more row of dough, the remaining bacon and an additional drizzle of brown sugar sauce.
cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes covered. uncover and bake for an additional 15-25 minutes till golden browned and cooked through.
remove from the oven and allow to cool, covered, for about 10 minutes. turn the pan upside down on a cake stand or plate and serve hot with additional sauce for those who like it extra sweet.

breakfast, brown sugar, whiskey, brunch, bacon, maple syrup, dessert, brunch treats, treatsAngela SamuelsNovember 8, 2016biscuit, bacon, whiskey, baked, sweet treats, bourbon, maple syrup, breakfast, dessert, brown sugar, brunchComment

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