Ham, Cheese and Fried Egg Crepes

This is definitely one of my favorite dinners I have made. My boyfriend does not agree, although he thought they were great. He still stands by the shrimp tacos. But I seriously loved these. They would also totally work for breakfast or brunch as well, but the first time I had savory crepes like these was in Paris. Two of my friends came to visit, Courtney being one of them, and after a full day of walking around the Marais, one of my favorite arrondissements of Paris, we ate a restaurant called Breitzh Cafe. It took us over an hour to find it (because I got us lost) and we also had to wait over an hour to be seated. But it was worth it. They were authentic Brittany-style crepes, and I couldn't leave Paris without trying them t least once. That day was one of my favorites from studying abroad, so making these crepes definitely brought back those memories. 

Crepes 

Ingredients 

1 cup all purpose flour

1 teaspoon white sugar

½ teaspoon salt

3 eggs

2 cups of milk

2 tablespoons of butter, melted

*Tablespoon of shopped chives for about 2/3 of the recipe, the other half of the recipe was used for dessert

good quality white american cheese
4 eggs

¼ lb thinly sliced ham 

In a medium sized bowl, mix together the eggs and milk with an electric mixer. In a separate, smaller bowl, mix together the flour, sugar and salt. Sift the flour mixer over the wet ingredients and mix to combine. Mix in the butter and chives.

Over medium heat, lift the pan off of the burner and pour the batter at an angle to cover the entire pan and to prevent creating a thick awkward center. - nonstick is also an absolute MUST

Preheat the oven to 350. Place 4 finished crepes on a cookie sheet. Using good quality white-american cheese, sprinkle a little bit in the center of each crepe. Gently crack the egg on top of the cheese and place two slices of ham on either side of the egg. Fold up the sides of the crepe. Bake for 15 minutes or just until the egg looks cooked (the whites have turned white). You don't want to over cook it because these crepes are best when the yolk is still runny. Season with salt, pepper and chives and serve immediately.

Homemade Buttermilk Biscuit Breakfast Sandwich

I think I'm either in a rut, or have an addiction. I can't stop making breakfast and Mexican foods (and ice cream...the cookie phase has passed for the most part - I ODed during that semester long project when I brought cookies to class almost every week). Is it college? Is it my boyfriend with the huge appetite? I've always been a morning person, so that I can understand. And once you get good at something it's kinda hard to stop. 

I have a system when I make breakfast on the weekends. It has become a peaceful way of getting up after a night of partying, believe it or not. 

My foolproof system:

Wake up and preheat the oven to 350° for the bacon. Brush my teeth, watch some tube until the boyfriend wakes up etc. Line the cookie sheet with tin foil (with raised edges so the grease doesn't drip) for the bacon (preferably center cut that has been cut in half so you can fit more - honestly so brilliant I wish I thought of it first). Pop that in when the man has risen and set the timer to 15 minutes. Prepare the scrambled eggs in a bowl with the splash of milk and dashes of Tabasco. Take out the cheeses from the fridge and place the everything bagel in the toaster, but don't toast it until necessary. (In this post's case I used biscuits - but I digress). After 15 minutes of baking, check the bacon and flip using tongs (not entirely necessary but I usually do) and bake for 5 more minutes. When the bacon is almost done, start heating the pan on medium low heat. When the bacon is ready, dry on a paper towel and pour the grease into the pan for the eggs. Pour in the egg mixture, frequently stirring with a rubber spatula. Turn the toaster on and top off the almost finished eggs with sharp chedder, salt and pepper. On the toasted bagel, butter the top and line the bottom with good quality american cheese. Place eggs and bacon and place the top back on. Cut in half and serve. BOOM. Perfect breakfast sandwich. I have been told by several that this is the best breakfast sandwich they have ever had...just saying....

I personally think that the sandwich photographed above is the best sandwich I have ever had. I am allll about biscuits. And the avocado was a last minute decision that seriously nailed it. My mouth is watering just thinking about the sandwich - I just can't. Drizzled with a little good quality maple syrup....oh man 

Buttermilk Biscuits 

Ingredients 

(recipe can be doubled – yields about 10 biscuits)

2 cups all purpose flour, plus more for dusting

¼ teaspoon baking soda

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

6 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 cup buttermilk

*2 tablespoons of butter, melted

*The dough can be made with a food processor, but mine isn’t big enough so I just use my hands.

**Also, try and bake these as late in the game as possible. They are 10x better when they are served warm and fresh out of the oven

Directions 

Preheat oven to 450°.

In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients.

Add the buttermilk and mix until just combined. It will be very sticky

Place the dough onto a floured work surface and knead until lightly covered in flour so it is no longer sticky – make sure not to overwork the dough so they can rise evenly

Gently pat out the dough until it is about 1 inch thick and cut biscuits out with a round biscuit or cookie cutter

Place the biscuits on a cookie sheet and bake for about 10-12 minutes until lightly golden on top. – A minute before baking is finished, brush melted butter on top of each biscuits (about 2 tablespoons are needed)

THIS IS THE BEST BREAKFAST SANDWICH EVER. At least to date...nothing can beat this. And I'm usually a sausage egg and cheese kind of girl, too. This bad boy has good quality white american cheese from the deli section, sliced avocado, cheesy eggs, crispy bacon and a light drizzle of good quality maple syrup on a homemade buttery biscuit. I mean could you ask for more?

Buttermilk Waffles

Out of the three years that Courtney and I have had a waffle maker in our apartment, I think we have used it two times. That is SO pathetic. Especially because it is such a treat to have fresh waffles for breakfast on Sunday after a long weekend, and it's actually a little less involved than making eggs, bacon etc. etc. I was also on a roll this past weekend with cooking because the weather is amazing. It’s officially Spring. This is when I spend WAY too much money buying food to make for other people. But I don’t care because I love it. It’s actually my favorite activity and this semester the more opportunities I have to host people at my place the better. It’s impossible to cook fun things without somewhat exotic ingredients anyway (and when I mean exotic I mean like shrimp, cabbage, buttermilk, chipotles in adobo sauce etc.); basically just “exotic” for a college student in the middle of nowhere with a pretty limited budget. (The shrimp tacos were a serious splurge – next time I host remember NOT to do any kind of seafood…)

After making these I really want to make savory ones now; like savory chive waffles with pulled pork on top...and crispy onions...

Buttermilk Waffles 

Ingredients 

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

¼ cup sugar

¼ cup cornstarch

2 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt

1 ¼ cup low fat buttermilk

2 large eggs

½ cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

*non stick spray (I used bakers spray, and I wish I had used regular pam. I think it prevented the waffles from getting as crispy because its general used for cakes etc.)

Directions 

In a medium sized bowl, mix together the dry ingredients.

In a separate bowl, combine the buttermilk, cooled butter, and vanilla and mix. Then add the eggs. (I suggest adding the eggs last because personally I didn't let my butter cool enough the first time and I thought the eggs might have cooked a little, so I had to start over) The butter might look weird in the milk if you don't let it cool enough (like form tiny clumps) but this isn't a big deal. It doesn't make a difference in the end result.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry and whisk until just combined. Pour about 3/4 of a cup of batter into the waffle iron and cook to your preference. (amount of batter my vary depending on the size of your iron so place a tray or towel under for easy cleanup)