Mother's Day Brunch Recipes

Hope you all had a happy Mother’s Day!  I tried two new recipes this past weekend for our brunch. It was at my parents’ place, but I didn’t want my mom to have to make anything.  My dad made our traditional “John Wayne” casserole along with bacon and cinnamon rolls. I made a sweet potato crusted quiche and a fruit tart.  And my Grandma Anne brought some beautiful tulips.

The quiche was a huge success – it was healthy and a lot simpler than I expected.  I’ll definitely make that again. 

The fruit tart looked beautiful, but unfortunately it was a way more complicated recipe than I had planned for. I should have read ahead of time that it requires several hours or up to a day of preparation, so it didn’t set properly. The pastry cream was more of a yogurt consistency and after putting it in the freezer to try to get it to firm up, the crust was so hard we couldn’t cut through it.  So we ended up serving it more like a parfait instead. 

I’ll also post the recipe for the “John Wayne” casserole. This is one of my dad’s all-time favorite dishes to make. My Grandma Anne came across this recipe in a magazine years ago and it’s been in our family ever since. If you’re looking for a healthy egg dish, this is not your thing. It is loaded with two pounds of cheese and has evaporated milk to give it a creamy consistency.  The green chiles give it just the right amount of spiciness. 

Sweet Potato Crusted Quiche (adapted from Cooking Light)

Ingredients:

·        2 medium sweet potatoes

·        1 teaspoon canola oil

·        1 (5-ounce) bag baby spinach

·        1/2 cup 1% low-fat milk

·        1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

·        1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

·        1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper

·        4 large eggs

·        2 large egg whites

·        1.5 oz feta cheese, crumbled

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°, then peel and slice sweet potatoes into rounds.

2. Coat a pie dish with cooking spray, then fill the bottom of the dish with a layer of sweet potato slices. Cut the sweet potato rounds in half and fill around the edges of the pie dish; round side facing up.

3. Once the entire dish is filled, coat one more time with cooking spray. Bake for 20 minutes. Turn heat up to 375°.

4. For the filling, heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add spinach; sauté 3 minutes. Remove from heat; cool.

5. Combine milk and next 5 ingredients in a bowl; stir with a whisk. Arrange spinach mixture in crust; pour egg mixture over spinach. Sprinkle with feta. Bake at 375° for 35 minutes.

Fruit Tart with Vanilla Pastry Cream (adapted from Erica’s Sweet Tooth)

Ingredients:

Crust:

·        1 large egg yolk

·        1 tbsp heavy cream

·        1/2 tsp vanilla extract

·        1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour

·        2/3 cup confectioners' sugar

·        1/4 tsp salt

·        8 tbsp unsalted butter, cold and cut into 1/2" cubes

Pastry cream:

·        2 cups whole milk

·        1/2 cup granulated sugar, plus 2 tbsp

·        4 tbsp cornstarch

·        2 egg yolks

·        1-1/2 tsp vanilla extract

·        3 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into pieces

Topping:

·        Whatever fruit you’d like! I used strawberries, kiwis, blackberries, blueberries and raspberries, but use whatever is in season

Directions:

Crust:

1. Whisk together the egg yolk, cream, and vanilla in a small bowl and set aside.

2. In a food processor, combine the flour, sugar, and salt and pulse briefly to combine. Add the butter pieces over the flour mixture and process until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs - about 15 1-second pulses. With the machine running, add the egg mixture until the dough just comes together (about 15 seconds).

3. Turn the dough onto a sheet of plastic wrap and press into a 6" disc. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 2 days.

4. When the dough is ready, unwrap and roll the dough out onto a lightly floured surface into a 13" round. Transfer the dough to a 9" tart pan and mold the dough to the sides of the pan. Freeze the pan for 30 minutes.4

5. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Put the tart pan on a baking sheet and press foil over the frozen shell and fill with pie weights. (I didn’t use the pie weights…perhaps this would have helped)

6. Bake for 30 minutes, rotating halfway through. Remove from oven, remove the foil and weights, and then bake another 5-8 minutes longer until golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Pastry Cream:

1. Combine the milk and 1/2 cup sugar in a saucepan over medium-high heat and stir until simmering.

2. Meanwhile in another bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and remaining 2 tbsp of sugar for about 15 seconds. Then add the cornstarch and mix until pale yellow and thick.

3. When the milk has reached a simmer, slowly add the milk to the egg yolk mixture, whisking constantly as you combine. Return the mixture to the saucepan and return to medium heat, whisking constantly until the mixture just starts to boil and the mixture is thickened.

4. Remove from heat and whisk in the butter and vanilla extract. Strain pastry cream through a fine mesh sieve set over a medium bowl.

5. Cover pastry cream with plastic wrap, making sure the wrap touches the top of the cream so that a skin doesn't form. Refrigerate until set, at least 3 hours and up to 2 days.

Topping:

1. Spread pastry cream evenly in tart shell and top with desired fruit.

John Wayne Casserole (family recipe)

Ingredients:

·        2 cans (4 oz) chopped green chilies

·        1 lb Monterrey Jack cheese, grated

·        1 lb cheddar cheese, grated

·        2/3 cup evaporated milk

·        2 tomatoes, sliced

·        1 T flour

·        ½ t salt

·        4 egg whites

·        4 egg yolks

·        1/8 t pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 325°.

2. Drain and dice green chiles. Combine the grated cheeses and chiles in buttered shallow casserole dish (12x8x2).

3. In a large bowl, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. In a small bowl, combine egg yolks, milk, flour, salt & pepper. Mix until well blended.

4. Gently fold beaten egg whites with a rubber spatula into the egg yolk mixture. Pour the mixture over the cheese in the casserole dish using a fork to ooze it through the cheese.

5. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and arrange the sliced tomatoes on the casserole. Bake for another 30 minutes or until the cheese in the center is firm. (If you do not use the tomatoes, bake for the full hour, but check periodically and once the top begins to brown, cover with tin foil).

Enjoy! 

The Corner Store & Parkesdale Farm Market – Plant City, FL

Yesterday we spent our day wandering Plant City.  Besides going to the Strawberry Festival once in high school, I don’t think I’ve ever spent time in Plant City, even though it’s only a half hour away. 

We started off with some lunch at The Corner Store (which I’d read about on the blog Eat a Duck).   It’s in a cute brick building on the corner of E. Reynolds St. and N. Palmer St in downtown.  The atmosphere is warm and inviting – it feels like an old-timey general store.  The menu consists of salads and sandwiches – with most of the ingredients organic and local.  We ordered our food at the window, and then walked around to check out the shelves stocked with local honey, spices, homemade soaps, and sweet treats. 

We sat by the front window to people watch while enjoying our food.  Lance had The Italian Job – ham, salami, provolone, red onion, spinach, tomato, mustard, mayonnaise, and Italian vinaigrette on a ciabatta roll.  

I ordered The Goat – which had goat cheese, roasted red peppers, red onion, tomatoes, and spinach on multigrain bread.   

They also serve beer, wine, and sangria, so Lance had a Jai Alai and I had an Abita Strawberry Harvest Lager (seemed appropriate for Plant City).  They didn’t skimp on the ingredients on my sandwich.  It was oozing with goat cheese, and my strawberry beer paired perfectly.  I would definitely visit again. 

We wandered the quaint downtown shops afterwards – there were about a dozen antique stores within a few blocks of each other. 

That afternoon we headed to Parkesdale Farm Market – the largest family-operated strawberry & citrus market in Florida.   

It has a wide selection of decently priced fruits and vegetables grown on their hundreds of acres of farm land.  It’s been around since 1969, and while it is charming, I don’t think it’s had many updates since then.  It looks like someone went a little overboard decorating with tinsel garlands and fringe that has faded over the years.    

Food Network claims that Parkesdale has “America’s Best Strawberry Milkshake,” so we ordered a shake and a parfait.  Wow they were sweet - the shake was so thick I had to eat it with a spoon.  The parfait had large chunks of strawberries and was loaded with whipped cream on top. 

We picked up a watermelon and some Strawberry Rhubarb spread to take home (we bought the no-sugar-added kind that’s just sweetened with natural juices).    

After all the food, we ended our afternoon at Edward Medard Park – a pretty state park with boardwalks, campgrounds and a big lake.  The short trip to Plant City was the perfect way to relax and get out of the "big city" feel of Tampa for the day. 

The Corner Store is located at 121 E Reynolds St, Plant City, FL 33563 and is open 10am – 3pm Tuesday through Saturday and closed Sundays & Mondays.  First and Third Saturdays of the month they are open until 9pm.  The Parkesdale Farm Market is located at 3702 W Baker St, Plant City, FL 33563 and is open every day from 9am – 6pm (they are closed on Mondays from May through September and closed the first two weeks of August). 

Yogurtology – Tampa, FL

My friend Thu is heading back to school in Boston soon, so we met up with her again tonight for fro-yo at Yogurtology.  It is my favorite yogurt place in Tampa – they have a nice variety of sweet and tart flavors that constantly change, and an extensive variety of toppings.  It is charged by weight ($0.54 per ounce), so you can get as little or as much as you’d like.  I love the self-serve machines because you can mix whatever flavor combinations you feel like. 

The interior is modern and bright, almost futuristic with TV screens throughout.  There is seating inside and outdoors.  It seems very clean and well maintained. 

They try to encourage you to get “bottomings” to start off with before your yogurt and toppings – things like cookies, donuts, and cake.  I usually skip that though since it’s not worth the weight in my opinion – I’d rather get more yogurt. 

Their monthly flavor for August was honeydew – I tried a sample and it was crisp and refreshing.  I ended up getting the s’more, peanut butter, and mocha java chip (all sweet flavors!). 

They have almost every topping you could think of – a variety of fruits, boba, cereals, candies, nuts, and fudge.  I topped mine with fresh raspberries, white chocolate pretzels, almonds, fudge, and a Reece’s cup.

The yogurt is healthier than typical ice cream since it is filled with probiotics that fight off the bad bacteria in your body – although by the time you add all the toppings I’m sure it cancels out any health benefits.  But a nice place to meet up with friends and enjoy something sweet!

Yogurtology has several locations.  Tonight we visited the one at 3017 W Gandy Blvd, Tampa, FL 33611 and is open from 11am – 10pm Sunday through Thursday and 11am – 11pm Fridays and Saturdays.