One of our signature breakfasts, this rich breakfast treat is great to prepare ahead for a breakfast or brunch with friends. In the tradition of the French “pain perdu” (or “lost bread”), a dense, crusty even slightly stale loaf of bread works great for this recipe. We use eggy challah bread for extra richness. You can bake off the bread and custard mixture a day or two ahead and refrigerate. To serve, cut into nice thick slices and brown on a buttery griddle or pan.

1. Combine the following liquid ingredients in a medium saucepan and place over medium heat until lightly scalded (small breaking bubbles around the edge of the pan).

• 1 quart of heavy cream
• vanilla bean

2. Combine the following ingredients in a large bowl and whisk until creamy.

• 8 large egg yolks
• ¾ cup of sugar

3. Temper the egg yolks with warm cream and stir well to combine. Set aside.

Wrap the outside of a 10" spring form pan with foil. Butter the interior well. Arrange thick crusty bread slices along the bottom and pour ¼ of crème brulee mixture over. Add another layer of bread followed by crème brulee mixture until all ingredients are used (you should have 3 layers).

Cover with foil and bake in a water bath in 300F degree oven for approximately 1 ½ hour. Remove from oven and remove foil. Let cool and refrigerate until next day.

To serve: Remove from pan and slice in ½" thick slices. Brush liberally with butter and sprinkle and grill approximately 10 minutes. Sprinkle with turbinado sugar and serve with fresh strawberries, a dollop of sweetened mascarpone cheese, maple syrup — whatever sweet touch you desire.

Serves: 12

A long-time guest favorite and a great choice for breakfast or brunch party at your house. Serve with skillet redskin potatoes sautéed with butter and fresh parsley. You can split the preparation up between 2 days or prepare on the morning you wish to serve.

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

Lightly butter 9x13 baking dish or 14 ramekins.

Day 1
Line fresh seasoned bread crumbs on the bottom of the baking dish. Layer cheese, onion, spinach and tomatoes. Beat eggs well and add milk, nutmeg and white pepper. Cover the tops with the garnish ingredients which will result in a rustic appearance after the strata is baked. Cover the ramekins with foil and allow to rest in refrigerator overnight.

Day 2
Remove the ramekins from the refrigerator and bring to room temperature. Bake at 350 degrees approximately 45–50 minutes. Strata is done when the center is set, the top is lightly golden and puffed.

• Florentine Ingredients
• 3 cups of shredded white cheddar or mozzarella cheese
• 1 small onion finely diced and lightly sautéed
• 1 ½ pound spinach – lightly sautéed
• 1 cup of chopped seeded tomatoes, patted dry and combined with 1 T dried basil

• Egg Mixture
• 12 eggs
• 2 cups of half and half
• ½ tsp. salt
• ½ tsp. white pepper
• ¼ tsp. nutmeg

• Garnish (before baking)
• Evenly sprinkle the tops of the ramekins with the following:
• 1 cup of parmesan cheese
• 1 cup of torn bread crusts

This is the easiest scone recipe of all time. Infinite variations are possible — limited only by your imagination. Treat dough gently and you will have the lightest scone you’ll ever eat.

Yield: 24 scones

1. Combine the following dry ingredients in the bowl of a food processor and pulse 5–6 times to aerate:

• 6 cups all purpose flour
• 1 cup white sugar
• 3 T baking powder
• 1 ½ tsp. salt
• 3 ¾ cups heavy cream

2. With the blade running, add the cream and pulse until the mixture is processed to pea size, approximately 10 1-second pulses. Do not over-process.

3. Turn mixture into a large bowl, fold ½ of dried fruit* into the crumbly dough and pat-out onto counter into large oval. Cut into wedges or rounds using a dough cutter.

4. Place on ungreased baking sheet and brush with cream and sprinkle with turbinado sugar.

Bake at 425 degrees approximately 13 minutes.

*You can substitute currants, blueberries or dried sweetened cranberries, see variations below:

• Currants and cinnamon
• Cinnamon and toffee chips
• Craisins® and orange zest
• Lemon zest and poppy seeds
• Chocolate chips and dried cherries

With slightly overripe bananas and chewy textures from nuts, granola, dried fruit and coconut, these muffins never come out dry. You can vary the fruit or nuts depending on what you have on hand – raisins, dried pineapple pieces, crushed hazelnuts. Have fun. Enjoy!

Yield: 18 large muffins

• Ingredients
• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• ½ lb unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room temp
• 2 large eggs
• ¾ cup whole milk or buttermilk
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 ripe bananas, mashed
• 1 ripe banana, diced
• 1 cup diced walnuts
• 1 cup granola (plain or with dried fruit)
• 1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
• brown sugar (for top of muffins)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine dry ingredients and sift into stainless steel mixer bowl to aerate the ingredients and remove any lumps. Add melted, cooled butter and blend with electric mixer using a paddle attachment (you don’t want to overwork the batter). Using a spatula, combine in the wet ingredients, fruit, granola, nuts, and coconut. Spray muffins pans well with cooking spray and divide batter into the muffin cups. Sprinkle brown sugar on each muffin top and bake for 25–30 minutes at 350 degrees.