Lemon Ricotta Mascarpone Stuffed French Toast

Image

Berries are in season and there is nothing better like a bright, celebratory brunch punctuated with lemon, and this stuffed French toast is just that. Fluffy, custard-like slices of brioche  get filled with creamy ricotta  and mascarpone cheese  that is flavored with fresh lemon juice and zest, and then get toasted in butter until golden-brown. It’s the classic French toast you know and love, only elevated with a decadent center that makes it fit for a celebration.

Serves 4 to 6

INGREDIENTS:

One pound loaf unsliced brioche bread

1 large lemon

One 16-ounce container ricotta cheese

4 ounces mascarpone cheese

1/2 cup granulated sugar, divided

3 teaspoons vanilla extract, divided

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1 1/2 cups whole or 2% milk

6 large eggs

4 to 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided

For garnish: toasted pecans, cooked bacon crumbles 

For serving: fresh berries, maple syrup, powdered sugar and finely grated lemon zest


DIRECTIONS:

Trim the ends off an unsliced loaf brioche or challah bread. Cut crosswise into 2-inch thick slices (4 to 6 slices total). Cut a pocket into each slice: Arrange it cut-side down on the cutting board. Position a small knife parallel to the cutting board and use it to cut a pocket into the side, being careful not to cut all the way through. Insert your fingers into the pocket and gently press around with your fingers to compress the bread slightly.

Finely grate the zest of 1 large lemon into a medium bowl (about 2 teaspoons); juice the lemon into the bowl until you have 2 tablespoons. Add ricotta cheese, mascarpone cheese 1/4 cup of the granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon of the vanilla extract, and 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt. Stir until the sugar is almost completely dissolved.

Transfer into a piping bag or large plastic zip-top bag. Cut off one bottom corner of the zip-top or the tip of the piping bag and generously pipe the filling into the pocket of each bread slice. The filling should completely fill the pocket but not overflow, and you may have leftover filling.

Place 1 1/2 cups whole, 6 large eggs, remaining 1/4 cup granulated sugar, and remaining 2 teaspoons vanilla extract in a 9×13-inch baking dish and whisk until smooth and no streaks of unincorporated egg are visible. Fit a wire rack inside a rimmed baking sheet.

Place as many bread slices as can fit in a single layer into the milk mixture. Soak, flipping once, until the bread is saturated but not soggy, about 30 seconds per side. Transfer the bread slices to the wire rack; repeat soaking the remaining slices.

Melt 2 tablespoons of the unsalted butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add as many bread slices as can fit in a single layer with space around each one. Cook until golden-brown and the custard in the bread is cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes per side (reduce the heat as needed to cook the toast for the full amount of time). Transfer to serving plates and tent with aluminum foil if not serving right away or keep warm in a 250ºF oven.

Cook the remaining bread slices, melting 2 tablespoons of the unsalted butter in the pan before each batch. Garnish with pecans, bacon crumbles, and mint, if deired. Serve with a dusting of powdered sugar, maple syrup, berries, and more lemon zest if desired.

RECIPE NOTES
Make ahead: The cheese filling can be made up to 3 days ahead and refrigerated in an airtight container. Storage: Leftovers can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Hello Friends!

All photographs and content, excepted where noted, are copyright protected. Please do not use these photos without prior written permission. If you wish to republish this photograph and all other contents, then we kindly ask that you link back to this site. We are eternally grateful and we appreciate your support of this blog.

Thank you!

 

 

Waffles with Peaches and Pecan Praline Sauce

Image 1 Comment

Image result for waffle peaches pecans

 

Let me tell you about this dish…..With just one full bite off the fork, you will have thought that you have died and gone to waffle heaven with a taste of the South in your Mouth! It’s a perfect dish to serve for brunch during the month of May, as we continue carrying on a Kentucky theme. 

 

Serves 4

Ingredients:
For the Pecan Praline Sauce:
1 cup packed light brown  sugar
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup chopped pecans, toasted
3 ripe peaches, halved, pitted and sliced

For the Waffles:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
Rounded 1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 cup whole milk
1 cup sour cream
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoons pure cane sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs
Nonstick spray or melted unsalted butter, for waffle iron
Confectioners’ sugar, for garnish
Sprigs fresh mint, for garnish

 

Directions: 
For the sauce: In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the light brown sugar, butter and salt. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Whisk in the cream and cook for an additional minute, continuing to whisk. Remove from heat and stir in the pecans and peaches. Keep warm over a double boiler.

For the waffles: Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cardamom and in a large bowl. Whisk together the milk, sour cream, butter, cane sugar, vanilla and eggs in a medium bowl. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and whisk until just combined. Let rest for 10 minutes.

Preheat a waffle iron and lightly spray with nonstick spray or brush with butter. Add about 1/2 cup of the batter per waffle. Close the lid and wait until the steam has stopped emerging from the cracks of the iron, about 4 minutes.

Serve the waffles with the toasted pecan praline sauce, dust with confectioner’s sugar and garnish with a sprig of mint.

 

Louisville’s Legendary Hot Brown

Image

brownhotel-dining-thehotbrownheader-internal-597ba6d56575f-1500x375

With so much to boast about —award-winning dining; breathtaking turn-of-the-century architecture; attentive, caring service—some may wonder: “Why the Hot Brown” was created at The Brown Hotel? Briefly here is history behind this now legendary dish.

In the 1920’s, The Brown Hotel drew over 1,200 guests each evening for its dinner dance. By the wee hours of the morning, guests would grow weary of dancing and make their way to the restaurant for a bite to eat. Sensing their desire for something more glamorous than traditional ham and eggs, Chef Fred Schmidt set out to create something new to tempt his guests’ palates. His unique dish? An open-faced turkey sandwich with bacon and a delicate Mornay sauce. The Hot Brown was born!

Available in The Brown Hotel restaurants, bar and through in-room dining, the Hot Brown continues to exemplify our unending dedication to serving their guests. Such culinary prowess and commitment, of course, doesn’t go unnoticed. The Hot Brown—a Louisville tradition with worldwide appeal—has been featured in Southern Living, The Los Angeles Times, NBC’s Today Show, ABC News with Diane Sawyer, Travel Channel’s Man v. Food, and The Wall Street Journal, and is a regular entry in many of the world’s finest cookbooks.

The Legendary Hot Brown

Serves 2

Ingredients:
1 1/2 tablespoons salted butter
1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1/4 cup Pecorino Romano cheese, plus extra for garnish
Pinch of ground nutmeg
Salt, to taste
Ground black pepper, to taste
14 ounces sliced roasted turkey breast, slice thick
4 slices of Texas toast, with crusts trimmed
4 slices of bacon
2 Roma tomatoes, sliced in half
Ground smoked paprika, for garnish
Finely chopped parsley, for garnish

Directions:
In a two-quart saucepan, melt butter and slowly whisk in flour until combined to form a thick paste or roux. Continue to cook roux for 2 minutes over medium-low heat, stirring frequently. Whisk heavy cream into the roux and cook over medium heat until the cream begins to simmer, about 2-3 minutes. Remove sauce from heat and slowly whisk in Pecorino-Romano cheese until the Mornay sauce is smooth. Add nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste.

For each Hot Brown, place one slice of toast in an oven safe dish and cover with 7 ounces of sliccd turkey. Take the two halves of Roma tomato and two toast points and set them alongside the base of turkey and toast. Pour half of the sauce over the dish, completely covering it. Sprinkle with additional cheese. Place entire dish under a broiler until cheese begins to brown and bubble. Remove and cross two pieces of crispy bacon on top. Sprinkle with paprika and parsley and serve immediately.

hot-brown-credit-chris-witzke-3