Spiced Challah French Toast Stuffed with Wild Huckleberries and Cream

Believe it or not, this recipe is actually perfect for a morning campfire breakfast (assuming you have a cooler while camping). Whodathunk you could make such a decadent breakfast while camping? You can mix the eggs ahead of time and cook the toast on a skillet right over an open flame. On your morning trek, pick a few wild huckleberries, bring them back to the campsite and prepare this delicious breakfast.

What You’ll Need:

• 4 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon butter
• 4 slices of day-old challah bread, 1” thick
• ½ cup fresh huckleberries
• ¼ cup cream cheese at room temperature
• 2 pomegranate pluots, plums, or plumcots for garnish, cut into wedges
• Confectioner's sugar for dusting
• Maple syrup (optional, but highly recommended)

1. Combine the eggs, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a bowl and whisk until the egg yolks and whites are thoroughly combined.
2. Next, melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. When the butter has melted, gently coat the challah slices in the egg mixture and lay flat on the skillet. You should hear a slight fizz when the challah touches the hot skillet. If you don’t, your skillet is not hot enough. Cook the toast until golden brown on both sides, about 4 to 5 minutes each side.
3. Remove the toast from the skillet and gently spread the cream cheese on 1 side of 2 of the toasts. It is VERY important that the cheese is at room temperature - if it isn’t it will be too hard to spread and it will glob. Next, spread the huckleberries on top of the cream cheese. Place the undressed toasts on top of the cream cheese and huckleberries (you’re essentially making a sandwich).
4. Finally, garnish with pomegranate pluots (my personal favorite), plums, or plumcots. Sprinkle confectioner’s sugar over top and drizzle with maple syrup.

Serves: 2

Sweet Potato Danishes with Strained Yogurt Cream

I must say, I've outdone myself. It's not often that I praise the things I make - I always seem to find something that can improve, but these are simply marvelous.

These danishes are deliciously sweet and hearty. The sweet potato is perfect with a hint of spice and brown sugar and the cream is delicately tangy and light. These are the ultimate in rustic breakfast pastry. They do take a little time to prepare, but it is well worth it. Serve them on a snowy Sunday morning with a hot cup of coffee and eggs. For an explanation about Strained Yogurt, check out my previous recipe, Strained Yogurt and Almond Tart.

The dough recipe is courtesy of Williams Sonoma Baking Cookbook.

What You'll Need
For the Pastry:
1 package active dry yeast
1/8 cup sugar
1/4 cup warm water
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons melted butter
1 whole egg plus 1 yolk
1/2 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
3 to 4 cups all purpose flour

For the Butter Package:
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/8 cup all purpose flour

For the Filling:
2 medium or 3 small sweet potatoes
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1 cup heavy cream

For the Topping:
1/4 cup strained yogurt or cream cheese
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup heavy cream

To make the dough, in a small bowl, dissolve the yeast and a punch of the sugar in warm water. Let stand for 5 minutes. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the remaining sugar, salt, melted butter, eggs, milk and vanilla and mix on medium speed until combined. Add the yeast mixture and then add the flour, 1/2 cup at a time. Mix just until the dough clings together in a rough mass. If it is still very soft, add an extra 1/4 cup at a time until it is no longer sticky.

Turn the dough onto a floured cookie sheet and pat into a rectangle, about 1" thick. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 45 minutes.

While the dough is chilling, make the butter package. Use a rolling pin or the heel of your hand to knead the butter on a work surface. Flatten it and warm it so it is pliable but not mushy, adding the flour as you work to keep it from sticking to your hands. Shape the butter into an 8" by 7" rectangle. If the butter becomes too soft as you work, wrap it in plastic wrap and chill it in the refrigerator.

Time to laminate the dough. A laminated dough is simply a dough that is created by pressing together alternating layers of pastry and butter. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and roll it out into a rectangle, roughly 10" by 16". With the short side facing you, place the butter package on the lower half, leaving a 1" margin. Fold the upper half over the butter and press the sides together. Next, roll the dough out into a 12" by 20" rectangle. With the short side facing you, fold the bottom third up and the top third down, as you would a letter. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 15 minutes. Repeat this rolling and folding process 3 more times. After the 4th turn, refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to overnight before shaping.

While the dough is chilling, let's make the filling. Bring a large pot of boiling water to boil over high heat. Peel and half the sweet potatoes and place them in the boiling water. Cook until very soft, about 30 minutes. When a fork is inserted in each potato it should go all the way through with ease. Strain the potatoes and place them in a medium sized bowl. Add the sugar, vanilla and allspice and beat with a hand mixer on medium-high speed until mixture is smooth. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled, about 30 minutes.

As the potato mixture chills, in a small bowl, beat the cream until stiff peaks form. Remove the potato mixture from the refrigerator and add a forth of the cream and mix it in to lighten the potatoes. Once fully incorporated, add the remaining cream and gently fold it into the potato mixture until fully incorporated.

Time to form the danishes. Remove the dough from the fridge and cut it into 16 equal pieces. Form each piece into a disk and roll it out until it is about 1/4" thick. Place about 1 to 2 tablespoons of the filling in the center of each disk, leaving about a 2" margin on all sides. Using your fingers, twist the margin of dough along the edges to bring it up to the filling. This is not a science, you can really do whatever you think looks best. Repeat this until all the danishes are formed.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cover the danishes with a warm kitchen or tea towel and let rise in a warm, draft-free spot for 45 minutes. Place in the oven until the pastry becomes golden, about 12 to 14 minutes. Remove them from the oven and let cool slightly.

As the danishes cool, prepare the topping. In a medium bowl, combine the strained yogurt or cream cheese, sugar and vanilla. Beat on medium-high speed until smooth and light. Add the cream and continue to beat until the mixture is very airy. Scoop the mixture into a plastic bag and snip the tip.

Pipe the filling over the danishes - you can do swirls or stripes. Top with a few sliced almonds and powdered sugar.

Whew!

Yield: 16 danishes

Lavender Souffle Pancakes with Persimmon and Plum Compote

This is the perfect morning breakfast for a sunny, autumn Sunday. These pancakes are light and airy (not to mention low in calories) and the persimmon and plum compote offers a seasonally sweet alternative to syrup. Try adding fresh blackberries to the mix. 

What You'll Need

For the Pancakes:
2 eggs, separated
3 teaspoons sugar
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon dried lavender flowers
1 tablespoon flour
1/8 cup milk (I like to use Vanilla Almond milk)
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

For the Compote:
1 persimmon
1 plum
2 teaspoons turbinado (raw) sugar

1. Let's make the compote first. Peal the persimmon and the plum. Cut the plum in half and remove the pit. Chop the top off of the persimmon. Dice each fruit into small 1/4" cubes. Add the cubes and sugar to a small saucepot and heat over medium heat for about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and place in a bowl. Set aside.
2. On to the pancakes. Add the butter and the lavender flowers in a microwave safe bowl and cook in the microwave until the butter is melted, just about 1 minute. Let the butter cool. Once cooled, strain out the lavender flowers.
3. Using an electric mixer, beat the egg yolks and 2 teaspoons of the sugar on medium high speed until they are light in color and thick.
4. Add the butter mixture and the flower to the egg yolks and continue to beat at medium high speed. Beat in the milk until all ingredients are fully incorporated. Set aside.
5. In a separate bowl with the egg whites, add the cream of tartar and the last teaspoon of sugar. Using and electric mixer, beat on medium high speed until stiff peaks form. (Note: if you are using the same electric mixer, be sure that the beaters are completely free of any egg yolk whatsoever. The presence of egg yolk will prevent your egg whites from fluffing)
6. Add 1/4 of the whites to the egg yolks and fold in, just to lighten the yolks. Once that is fully incorporated, add the rest of the egg whites and gently fold in. Be sure not to fold too rigorously else the batter will lose air and your pancakes will not puff when cooking.
7. Place a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Use either a light cooking spray or butter to grease the pan. Scoop out 1/4 cup full of batter onto the pan. Let cook until you see little bubbles appear in each pancake. Once the bubbles appear, flip the cake over to cook the other side. Remove the cake once each side is golden brown and the puffed sides are cooked through. 
8. Remove pancakes from heat and arrange on a plate. Serve with the Persimmon and Plum Compote. 

Serves 2

Fresh Jersey Cream Yogurt

"What is jersey cream?" you ask. Well, I will tell you. Jersey cream is cream produced by jersey cows of course! "Well then… what are jersey cows?" Jersey cows were originally bred on the island of Jersey located in the English Channel. They are much smaller than other breeds and their milk has a higher butterfat content, making it much more creamy and delicious than other cows' milk. The jersey cream gives this yogurt a rich, smooth texture. It is surprisingly easy to make and absolutely heavenly when served with fresh fruit or, my favorite, strawberry rosewater jam (keep your eye peeled for this post in July).

Where to find Jersey Milk:

There are many resources on the internet to help you find a store that sells jersey milk near you, however I have found the best website to use is the Jersey Cattle Association website. I have provided the link below:

Jersey Cattle Associaition

What You'll Need:

Half Gallon of Jersey Milk (skim, 1%, 2%, or whole will do)

½ cup plain starter yogurt*

Thermometer

Slow cooker

*For the starter yogurt, just buy plain yogurt at the grocery store. Whatever yogurt you purchase will dictate the type of yogurt you will make. We love greek yogurt, so that is the type that we bought. Just be sure it says "Active Live Cultures" in the ingredient list. Once you have made your first batch of yogurt, you can use ½ cup as a starter for your next batch.

1. Place a few paper towels in the bottom of the ceramic bowl of your slow cooker. Fill half way with water, cover, and switch it to the "warm" setting.
2. Next, in a medium saucepot over medium-high heat, heat the milk to 185^oF, stirring constantly to make sure it heats evenly.
3. Next, turn off the heat, remove the pot from the burner, and let the milk sit until it reaches 110 ^oF. This will take about 15 to 20 minutes.
4. Once the milk has reached the right temperature, mix in the starter yogurt. Make sure the yogurt is fully incorporated. Make sure there are no clumps other wise the texture of your yogurt will suffer.
5. Next, pour the mixture into mason jars and loosely secure the lids. Place the jars in the water bath in the slow cooker for 12 hours.
6. When the 12 hours are up, refrigerate the yogurt for 12 hours.

And there you have it - delicious yogurt at a fraction of the cost!