Cinnamon Raisin French Toast

My mom and I are big fans of French toast, so I decided to make some this morning for her birthday. Of course, whenever I do anything in the kitchen that involves more than two steps, my mom can't help but fuss around me while I'm cooking - moving dirty dishware, cleaning inadvertent drips, and asking what I'm doing every five minutes. I suspect these habits will never change.

I picked up this recipe card from my local Panera Bread and used their cinnamon raisin bread for the French toast, but you can probably use any bread you like. The perk about using cinnamon raisin is that the bread is already sweetened, so you can't really screw up on the flavor, and it was sweet enough that we skipped the maple syrup when serving.

Ingredients

• 8 slices of half-inch thick Panera cinnamon raisin bread (or other bread)
• 4 tbsp melted butter
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 3 large eggs
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp salt

Instructions

1. For the French toast custard, combine and whisk together the milk, heavy cream, eggs, honey, vanilla extract, and salt. This custard can be made well in advance. Give a brisk stir before making the toast.
2. Transfer the custard to a casserole or open shallow dish for dipping.
3. Dip one slice of bread into the custard and turn over after about 15 seconds. Transfer the slice to a plate while dipping another slice into the custard.
4. Place a large skillet on a medium fire. Allow the pan to heat thoroughly before pouring 1 tablespoon of the melted butter into the pan.
5. Place both slices carefully into the skillet and cook on each side until golden brown or about 2 to 3 minutes.
6. Repeat steps 3 to 5 until all the French toast is cooked.
7. An optional step is to place each finished French toast onto a baking sheet in a preheated oven until all are ready to serve. 
8. Serve warm with maple syrup, if desired. Makes four servings.

Cinnamon-Honey Waffles

I came across this recipe in a recipe leaflet from Lucky's, and since the photo looked so nice and my boyfriend had yet to try out his new waffle iron, I decided to give it a spin. The only waffles I'd ever made before were the Eggos from the frozen aisle, which I had long sworn off. Fortunately, making real waffles from scratch is nearly just as easy! These came out fluffy and sweet - perfect for weekend brunch. I like my waffles a bit crispier though, so next time I'll let them cook for just a tad longer.

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1 pinch of salt
• 1 large egg
• 3/4 cup plain yogurt
• 1/4 cup whole milk
• 2 tbsp honey
• 2 tbsp melted unsalted butter
• Optional: maple syrup, warm fruit topping, mint sprigs

Instructions

1. Preheat waffle iron.
2. In medium bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda and salt.
3. In separate medium bowl, whisk together egg, yogurt, milk and honey.
4. Stir wet mixture into flour mixture just until combined. Stir in melted butter and mix.
5. Cook waffles in waffle iron according to manufacturer's instructions.
6. Serve with maple syrup or warm fruit topping. Garnish with a dollop of yogurt and/or mint sprigs, if desired (I didn't have mint sprigs so I randomly used parsley for garnish). Makes approximately four waffles.
   

Brunchin' At Home

What better way to spend a Saturday morning than cooking up some brunch at home? And if I'm in the kitchen, I will default to my (usually) fail-proof omelets. I love omelets because they're so versatile; you can make them as simple or as fancy as you wish. I like folding mine in a half circle, just the way Remy does it in Ratatouille (which, incidentally, is still one of the best movies for foodies, in my opinion).

On this particular morning, I made some omelets with prosciutto, a shredded four cheese blend, onions, and a sprinkle of parsley flakes on top. I even took the time to pay some attention to plating since, let's face it, who doesn't like their food to look pretty?

The boyfriend also had a bag of pumpkin pancake batter mix from Trader Joe's, so we made some cinnamon-y pumpkin pancakes too. We're still experimenting on getting the heat and texture just perfect, but I'm sure we'll be pros in no time. Two foodies in the kitchen can't go wrong!

Looking forward to some good Dine About Town dinners in San Francisco this weekend! Eat on!

Special thanks to WongCo Food for the photos :)

Breakfast at Judy's

I have never been a morning person. I'm one of those shameless sleepaholics who keep hitting snooze and hugging my pillow until the last possible minute before reluctantly dragging myself from the warm nest of my bed. But there are some things that I happily wake up for, like shopping sprees, dim sum with the family, yoga class, road trips, and a really tasty breakfast. And a great place for breakfast or brunch in the city is Judy's Homestyle Cafe.

There's an eye-popping selection of omelets and scrambled egg breakfasts, along with other classics like french toast, and lighter choices like fruit and cheese plates. The omelets were wonderful -- soft, fluffy eggs stuffed with cheeses and other yummy fillings.

Spanish Omelet | salsa, sour cream, jack and cheddar cheeses

Farmhand Omelet | ham, onion, home-fried potatoes, jack and cheddar cheeses

Bacon Etc Omelet | bacon, avocado, sour cream, jack and cheddar cheeses

Each breakfast dish comes with your choice of a homemade pumpkin loaf, blueberry muffin, english muffin, or toast. At my friend's recommendation, I tried the pumpkin loaf, which turned out to be the most memorable part of my meal. The loaf had a lovely texture, with the sweetness of pumpkin and a slight touch of cinnamon. It was like pumpkin pie in bread form!

Pumpkin loaf

So if you ever need something to wake up to, keep this place in mind! And happy holidays!

Judy's Homestyle Cafe
2268 Chestnut Street
San Francisco, CA 94123
(415) 922-4588

Best "Study Breaks" Ever

The non-blogging part of my life has been consumed with incessant studying for the July California bar exam, so I apologize for the infrequent posts. Thankfully, I'm still taking time to enjoy some great food amidst the madness.

Shrimp and goat cheese omelet | Brenda's French Soul Food

Ham fritatta | Stacks Restaurant

Cantaloupe wrapped in proscuitto
Proscuitto de parma ($26.99/lb) from Bristol Farms

Chinese-style hot pot

Red velvet cupcakes | U.N. Plaza Farmer's Market

Passion fruit mousse | Cleo's Steakhouse
Definitely pay a visit here for their $19.99 Brazilian bbq buffet

Next up - a belated review of my Dine About Town dinner at One Market from last month!

Cravings

Being stuck indoors while sick and trying to study (a most unproductive combination) has led me to crave certain foods. And when I can't have them, looking at photos is the next best thing!

Roast pork

Gouda cheese

Naan and chicken curry (Naan-N-Curry, SF)

Stewed marinated pork (Hoshi, Santa Clara)

Strawberry crepe (Original Pancake House, Fremont)

My mother's steamed sea bass

Ti Couz

This is one of my favorite little restaurants in the Mission district - a super cute French shop with the look and feel of an old Parisian cafe. Ti Couz has a very comprehensive selection of crepes, from the savory to the sweet. And if you can't find something you like on the menu, you can create your own. The menu also features other French fare, including made-from-scratch soups (try their corn bisque if it's a daily special), salads, fresh seafood, plates of cheese and chacuterie, and wonderful desserts.

This is how most of their basic crepes look - simple and unassuming on the outside...

...but filled with goodies on the inside! Here's a ratatouille crepe filled with mixed veggies.

And no French restaurant would be complete without good coffee.

Ti Couz
3108 16th Street
San Francisco, CA 94103
(415) 252-7373

Brooklyn Diner

Brooklyn Diner definitely does breakfast right (or brunch, depending on what you want to call it).

I ordered the "60/30/10 Omelette", which was an omelette made from egg whites and Vermont cream cheese, topped with smoked salmon and accompanied with a bagel on the side. I'm still not sure what the numbers in the name referred to, but the dish was definitely tasty. I figured you couldn't go wrong with smoked salmon!

One of my friends ordered an omelette, which came with toast and their signature polenta (boiled cornmeal).

My uncle and my cousin ordered a simple breakfast with eggs, toast, polenta, and sausage.

Definitely a yummy way to start the day! And they have good coffee too!

Brooklyn Diner
212 W 57th Street (between Broadway and 7th Avenue)
New York, NY 10019
(212) 977-1957

New Omelette Variation

As I mentioned in a previous post, I love omelettes. So I tried a new variation today using peas!

Pretty simple recipe. Just beat 3-4 eggs in a bowl, season with salt and pepper, and stir in the peas. Heat a frying pan and pour in the egg-and-pea mixture and cook over medium heat for 3-4 minutes until the mixture sets. It should turn a nice golden color. Cut and serve immediately. I like to sprinkle a little pepper on top for extra color and flavor.

I used canned peas because that's all I had, but frozen peas would add more color and freshly shelled peas would add more flavor. If you like mint, you could also add some chopped mint leaves to the egg mixture before frying - it'll be a refreshing and tasty breakfast!

Omelettes are "egg"-cellent!

I do cook quite a bit, but it's all pretty simple stuff. My favorite breakfast food is a nice fluffy omelette. Actually, I could eat an omelette during any time of the day. And I love how versatile it is. All you basically need are two to three eggs, and you can put any ingredients you choose into the omelette or on top of it to garnish. Easy, simple, and delicious.

The omelette pictured here just has cheese bits on the inside and some salsa on top. Other things I like to use are ham and mushrooms. If I really feel like pampering myself, I use smoked salmon and chives on the inside and add a dash of sour cream on top to garnish.

Guess what I'm having for breakfast tomorrow? :)