overnight blueberry french toast casserole

Not that I’m exactly a pro, but I’m learning that hosting in-home events can be a challenge. Especially if, like me, you don’t cook often. The timing can be tricky and you don’t want for your guests to be stuck waiting for too long without enough to eat. Everything coming out once everyone has left would definitely be a hostess faux pas.

I’d never tried an overnight french toast casserole but thought it was the perfect addition to the line-up for Dixie’s recent birthday brunch (AKA my annual excuse to have all of my friends over for brunch in February). I adapted it from this version I found online.

Ingredients:

• 12 slices day-old bread, cut into 1-inch cubes (or, if you’re like me and bought new bread, oatmeal thick style bread worked quite well – added a bit of additional flavor)
• 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, cut into 1 inch cubes
• 1 cup fresh blueberries
• 12 eggs, beaten
• 2 cups milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon bourbon (whatever you have will work – optional, but delightful)
• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• 1 cup white sugar
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup fresh blueberries
• 1 tablespoon butter

Lightly grease a 9×13 inch baking dish. Arrange half the bread cubes in the dish, and top with cream cheese cubes. Sprinkle 1 cup blueberries over the cream cheese, and top with remaining bread cubes.

Mix the eggs, milk, vanilla extract, bourbon, and syrup in a large bowl. Pour the mixture over the bread cubes. Cover, and refrigerate overnight.

Take out the bread cube mixture from the refrigerator about 30 minutes before baking and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Cover, and bake 30 minutes. Uncover, and continue baking 25 to 30 minutes, until center is firm and surface is lightly browned.

In a medium saucepan, mix the sugar, cornstarch, and water. Bring to a boil. Stirring constantly, cook 3 to 4 minutes. Mix in the remaining 1 cup blueberries. Reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes, until the blueberries burst. Stir in the butter, and pour over the baked French toast.

The result was quite good. The recipe claimed that it would serve 10, but I think most at the event were able to get a bite of this. Perfect for splitting at an event like this.

In addition to lots of great food and conversation, my little five-year-old pup was completely exhausted with all the fun she had. Win!

 

double-date brunch at buttermilk channel

I’d been meaning for a long time to go check out brunch at Buttermilk Channel. But brunch at Buttermilk Channel is extreme on all levels. Portion sizes? Generous. Wait times? Be ready to just grow roots and stick it out. No reservations with crowds that don’t let that send them away means there will likely be a wait at just about any hour – even if you plan to get there early.

This particular Saturday, we got there around 11am and only found about a 30 minute wait. Not too bad, in the grander scheme of things. We sat down and ordered right away, having perused the menu while waiting at the bar. Our friends ordered a short-stack to enjoy as they waited for their main dishes. Look at this. Just a taste of what was to come.

Our food came out fairly quickly, though we were missing one dish. As we started to eat what had already come out, they kindly sent out one of their jelly doughnuts for my BF to eat while he waited on his meal.

I was unable to resist the allure of the pecan pie french toast with bourbon, molasses, and toasted pecans. My oh my. Sometimes I’ve found things such as this to be too much for me – even with my significant sweet tooth. Yes, there was definitely some sugar on my plate – but it was just teetering at the line of excess, and worked perfectly for me. Note, I did not need dessert the rest of the day (I was also not complaining).

The fried pork chop with cheddar waffle wasn’t just big – it was massive! The flavors were excellent and paired perfectly with the cheddar waffle – hanging out beneath the pork chop fully dwarfed by its size.

Is this somewhere I’ll indulge to eat at on a weekly basis? No. Is this somewhere I’ll definitely be making a return visit? Why yes.

Buttermilk Channel – 524 Court Street (at Huntington) – Brooklyn – 718.852.8490
Reservations for parties of 5 or more only

 

les turned hamptions at grey lady

I’ll admit that I randomly opt in for lots if Urban Daddy and Thrillist specials. I try to remember to check and see if they have appalling reviews but, more often than not, when friends email wanting to go, I’m in. Especially if it’s a good offer. And chances are if, like this one, it involves lobster – I’m in.

Grey Lady – Lower East Side

It wasn’t until I was sitting in Grey Lady that I realized why it was so oddly familiar. A quick peek on the Googles confined what I suspected – this was the old White Slab Palace space. A place that served generic cocktails with an inflated pricetag that tried way too hard. It was quite different to see it now as such a bright space. I mean, I could actually see my friends’ faces – though to be fair, it was all of noon on a Saturday. The feel of the restaurant was crisp yet cozy. I felt like I was in the Hamptons. Mission accomplished without requiring the LIRR. 

Dark and Stormy – Grey Lady

The special included a brunch main and unlimited cocktails for $35. For cocktails, you could choose from filling your glass with a mimosa, bloody mary, or dark and stormy. I started with a mimosa, which was good but standard, before progressing to the dark and stormy. Warning – that one means business.

Lobster Roll – Grey Lady

For mains, it wasn’t a true choice as far as I was concerned. I knew coming in that it was all about the lobster roll. On their regular menu, that alone will set you back $25. The preparation was simple. There’s a buttered split top roll. Lobster was plentiful – check out this claw meat! Mayo was light – just like I prefer it to be. It’s paired with a light portion of potato chips and a celery salad. Summer on a plate!

I’d like to come back and check out their dinner menu. In the meantime if you’re like me and are not quite ready to let summer go, add this one into your rotation. It’s almost like you’re at the beach. Almost.

Grey Lady – 77 Delancey Street (at Allen Street) - 646.580.5239

 

french toast tasting at duo

When a French Toast tasting brunch at Duo Restaurant and Lounge popped up on Urban Daddy, the question wasn’t if I’d go … it was when I’d go. The special included unlimited mimosas alongside a sampler plate of three kinds of French Toast. All good. But wait. It was the three kinds of French Toast that won me over. Ready for it?

First, we have the Cookies ‘n Creme French Toast – with vanilla bean creme and crushed cookies. Tasty and borderline more aptly classified as a dessert (not that I’m complaining).

Next, their Peanut Butter and Jelly Stuffed French Toast. Oh yes. Taking that childhood favorite to a whole new level.

Finally, there was a more staple variation of “out there” French Toasts – the Nutella and banana option, with the bananas caramelized.

We were still a bit hungry though and ordered their crab cake appetizer and French fries (shoestring style) to round out the meal. Both were the perfect addition.

The restaurant was surprisingly fancy. The below light fixture in the center of the dining room sums it up nicely.

The crowd was light for brunch and the special lead me to believe the bulk of their customers comes from other meals. Service though was attentive. The management was even super accommodating in honoring our special even though (gasp) someone else apparently had already redeemed it due to a system snafu of sorts.

I’d be curious to check out this spot for drinks. Looks like it would draw a swanky crowd.

Duo – 72 Madison Avenue (b/w 27th/28th ) – 212.686.7272
Reservation Suggested

 

sunday brunching, columbian style at cafecito bogata with google nyc

Yesterday I went for the second time to Cafecito Bogota, this time with the wonderful Power User crew from Google Places. I remember the first time I visited, it was a swelteringly warm day in June. The kind that’s so warm, people choose to stay in rather than even head out to bask in the sun. Yesterday though it was a gorgeous taste of spring kinda Sunday that the streets of Greenpoint were hopping, as was the restaurant.

On my first visit, I remember my goal was to get the most filling option off of the menu – after having been through quite the workout to get there (that day the train wasn’t running the whole way so I’d gone train to bus to a brisk run to get to the restaurant). The Llanera (one of their “Arepas Montadas”) definitely hit the spot – an arepa piled high with caramelized beef in a chimichurri sauce, topped with avocado slices. Their dishes also come served with sliced bananas and a mixed green salad. The beef was tender and perfectly seasoned and their arepa was soft yet flavorful.

The brunch dishes (priced at $16,50) come served with three brunch drinks – mimosas, sangria, or refajo (half beer and half cream soda). The first time I went, the daily mimosa fruit flavor was blackberry, which was quite good and not as overpowering as I’d originally feared. Yesterday, the flavors were passion fruit or a Columbian fruit which tastes like a mix of lime and kiwi. The latter was interesting as the citrus balanced out the sweetness of the champagne – but I preferred the passion fruit version – and the sangria surprisingly trumped all.

Yesterday I wanted something less filling and went with the Columbian Pericos eggs, a dish our server explained is the Columbian breakfast standard. The scrambled eggs came in a circular mound, with the scallions and diced tomatoes perfectly sprinkled evenly throughout the eggs, all topped with bacon. The arepa was light and fresh – the perfect accompaniment.

To finish, one of the servers brought us a round of aguardiente, a warm shot of an anise-liquor they’d prepared with sugar cane, cloves, and something I seem to be forgetting. A distinct flavor, for sure and a nice gesture from a restaurant who was super generous and accomodating to our group. Thanks to the staff and to Google Places for the fun brunch outing!

Highly recommend this brunch spot. Depending on where you live, this might take some time to get to, but it’s worth the travel. And while you’re in the area, I recommend walking another stop back up along the G and making a pit stop to pick up breakfast for the next day at Peter Pan Bakery – might as well while you made the trip, right?

Cafecito Bogota – 1015 Manhattan Ave. - Greenpoint, Brooklyn – 718.569.0077
No Reservations

 

southern brunch at seersucker

I’d been dying to try Seersucker and figured it was a perfect time when two of my Southern friends were in town back in November.We instantly noticed that the wood pieces along the wall, mounted at a set interval, were intended to align to the ridges in seersucker fabric. Nicely done.

Seersucker - Carroll Gardens

We had a plate of their biscuits – $10 for 4. They were served with three different types of spreads and preserves.

Biscuits with Homemade Preserves and Molasses Spread - Seersucker

I really enjoyed my blackened catfish tacos (I was a bit antsy about doing that for brunch – but they worked well with the other items we ordered). They were prepared with cabbage, radish, lime, and hoppin’ john. Next time I’d probably do the buttermilk pancakes with salted molasses butter and bacon. Mmmmm bacon. Service was very attentive as well. Portion sizes were generous but not ridiculous. Just right.

Blackened Catfish Tacos - Seersucker

The verdict on the pork hash was that it was good, though a little lacking on flavor. Gorgeous presentation though, as you can see below.

Pork Hash - Seersucker

Probably the most surprising dish out of our party was the … vegetable salad? Yes, that’s right. Comprised of only vegetables from the local market. Not your usual salad, as there was no lettuce in this salad. Colorful and fresh, it looked like fall on a plate. Now that it’s winter, it seems to have rotated off of the menu. Here’s hoping for a return of this concept except with a spring twist come March.

Vegetable Salad - Seersucker

Brunch Crew @ Seersucker

Seersucker – 329 Smith Street, Brooklyn – 718.422.0444
Reservations Suggested – Note: Brunch Sunday Only

 

shopping + pane e vino

I used to live up by the main Bloomingdale’s location which proved to be very dangerous. I wasn’t a big fan of the neighborhood (Sutton Place is far from happening – and no one seems to know what to do do with it. Is it Midtown East? Is it the Upper East Side? People seem confused and indifferent altogether to its existence).  And the only thing I really liked was Bloomingdale’s, which was not good for my bank account. When I lived there, I found few restaurants in the area that I really liked, even though I was constantly trying to find new ones. Somehow I missed Pane e Vino, until I needed to book a brunch/lunch spot for this weekend.

Dining room - open and looking out to Lexington Avenue

Before lunch, we went to the Met to the McQueen exhibit. Short commentary? Go to it. Stat. Now to lunch. You could choose from their full menu, which was quite extensive. Or they also had their brunch menu available until 3:30PM. For $19.50, you had your choice of a brunch cocktail, a starter of either the soup of the day or a mixed green salad, and your brunch main course. I was tempted by the Frittata Contadina, which was a frittata with onions, Italian sweet sausage, and fontina cheese, but ended up going with the Focaccia di Casa, served with cured salmon, grilled tomatoes, and fresh mozzarella in balsamic-extra virgin olive oil. Each main also came with hash brown potatoes.

My friend's beef carpaccio

As suspected, this was nothing compared to what would follow. Resist. You'll thank me later.

Focaccia di Casa

Linguine Vongole e Vino Bianco - Linguine with baby Manila clams in a white wine sauce

When my main course arrived, I was pleasantly surprised. I was expecting maybe an open-faced sandwich – more bruchetta-style. Instead, it was a nicely assembled sandwich, with the bread not overpowering in the least. With focaccia that is a serious talent! The hash brown potatoes were more like thin, fresh fries. Nice surprise and not overly fried, which worked well with the light, summery feel of the sandwich. It was a perfect brunch option in my book. Not as heavy as when something like this is served on a bagel. Wish I could find this more often!

Biscotti

I knew since my friend Nikki was in town that dessert would be a must. We were greeted by a plate of biscotti (fresh and soft – nice change) along with her coffee as we contemplated the finale. I had the server name off all of the dessert options, which all sounded amazing. We’d seen a large sampler platter go by earlier to a table celebrating a birthday so we knew they would all come out quite nicely. They had your standards – tiramisu or a ricotta cheesecake. My ears perked up when he named off a grape pie. Grape pie? I’d bever heard of such a thing. Our server’s eyes lit up when we expressed interest. “Yes! Yes! Very good!” he exclaimed. And what I liked about the server was you could tell he knew their food well and that he was passionate about it. Perfect.

Grape Pie

When it arrived, I was pleased to see unlike many blueberry pies, this didn’t have a lot of filler. It was straight fruit mixed with only a bit of vanilla cream. The crust was almost like a thin layer of shortbread. Usually I find crust a bit disappointing, but I could have eaten much more of this one. And then the plate was finished off with a scoop of fresh vanilla ice cream. It was a bit steep for a dessert – $10 – but was plenty for the three of us to share. If I came back here, it would be hard to skip this.

I think I’ve found my Bloomie’s meal companion. Done. It felt like we were tucked in an Italian side street. It seems that this place has yet to be discovered by those shoppers looking for a meal before or after. It wasn’t crowded, the service was attentive, and the food was phenomenal. Highly recommend.

Pane e Vino – 691 Lexington Avenue (at 60th Street) – 212.355.2277
Reservations Optional

 

brunch special-ing at caliu

I’d place Caliu in a lengthy list of restaurants tucked somewhere in the West Village that I’d likely never know of unless (1) I were still dating someone over there or (2) they jumped on the latest trend and popped up on one of the numerous deal sites/mailing lists. This time, it was the latter. Usually their brunch is $25 per person, and includes an entree and your choice of unlimited sangria, mimosas, or bloody marys. With the special though, it was $25 for two people. Deal.

Their website gave us the impression that they didn’t accept reservations for smaller parties, so we opted for plan B – getting there when the opened to land a table. Usually this works with even the craziest of restaurants. However, we were greeted by a hostess who didn’t agree.

Chorizo Sandwich - Caliu

She pursed her lips and looked back up. “Reservations?” We nodded no. She sighed, flipping through the list of the “haves” for emphasis. “Well, fine but you can only stay until 1. Then we’ll need the table back,” she said, emphasizing the word back as if it were an attempted slap. We meekly explained the website wasn’t clear reservations were an option. C’mon. We’re the reservation girls. I’m the Open Table Queen. Seriously! Anyhow, we were finally permitted to sit down in the dining area, where after all that struggle we found ourselves in the middle of a sea of empty tables. Oh irony. We were brought menus and mimosas appeared soon after, served in tiny glasses that made me think they were aiming to force cardio on their servers.

Chorizo Sandwich, Interior View

Their menu was pretty interesting. After reading a bit online and reviewing the choices, the no-brainer option for me was the chorizo sandwich, prepared with spicy chorizo, fried egg, and salsa verde, which was served with truffled hash browns and a salad. Once I’d de-runny’d my egg, I really liked the dish. The chorizo had been formed into a standard sausage patty shape, but with the distinct bold flavor of chorizo. I knew from the moment I first tried it in Spain I’d found a new lifelong friend. It was on the heavier side though, so if I had it all to do over, I’d make reservations and eat more slowly – that’d solve all problems.

My friend had their grilled cheese – which was prepared using thick slices of bread and equally thick slices of cheese. I’d have a hard time resisting the grilled cheese if I were to return back. It just looked so darn good.

In the end, the server nicely allowed us to stay as long as we wished, eventually moving us over to a high-top table in the bar. Which was fine. More than fine. Perhaps it was a disconnect in approach. The hostess just needs to get on board. If I go back, it would be to try their tapas which we did not get to experience. Always enjoy the chance to compare a restaurant’s jamon serrano (delish).

Caliu Tapas – 557 Hudson Street (b/w W. 11th. & Perry St) – 212.206.6444
Reservations (Obviously) Recommended

 

pumpernickel bagel – a newbie in lic

I get really excited when something new comes to Long Island City. Okay. Really excited. So yesterday when I saw a new place as I walked over to the Post Office, Pumpernickel Bagel, with streamers and such flying announcing its arrival, I couldn’t wait to figure out a time to visit. And I didn’t wait long, as I was there first thing this morning to give it a go. Newly embracing eggs for breakfast, I’ve taken to bacon, egg, and cheese on a bagel. Nice option and it’s definitely more filling and I’d like to think at least slightly more healthy than say an almond croissant.

Pumpernickel Bagel - LIC

When I walked in, I was impressed by the full range of offerings. They have an entire case display of carbs galore – muffins, croissants, pastries. You have to walk all of the way to the back to find their sandwich offerings, which is more of the egg-and-meat variety in the morning hours. They feature Boar’s Head meats, a plus in my book. They also have a huge assortment of every cream cheese you can imagine. Want a walnut cream cheese spread? Yes please. Good news, they have it here.

Cream Cheese Galore!

I opted to have my bacon, egg, and cheese on a poppy seed bagel when I found they were out of everything bagels. And I might have been disappointed to miss out on the everything if they hadn’t told me they were already out of them and were baking more in the oven right then. Any bagel place that’s still baking stuff fresh throughout the morning automatically gets more points in my book. And my sandwich? Just perfect. The bagel was fresh, the cheese perfectly melted, and the bacon present enough yet not too heavy either. And their iced coffee was good and the service warm and friendly to boot. What was there to not like? Who’s going to be making a trip back over? This girl! 

Bacon, Egg, and Cheese Sandwich

They also have all sorts of great things for lunch. Panninis, sandwiches, and burgers. Curious to see how those are. They are open until 6pm during the week and do free delivery as well. Stop by and see what you think!

Pumpernickel Bagel - 23-10 44 Drive, Long Island City – 718.361.9422

 

pumpkin scones (w/ cinnamon sugar glaze)

I’ve mentioned before I have a bit of a pumpkin problem. Whereas some people see it as a fall thing, I just like it in recipes, period. Year round.

When I was preparing the line-up for brunch a few weeks back, I saw a large can of pumpkin looking at me in my pantry. I’ve made muffins before, even pumpkin hummus, but was curious as to what else I could find. I hopped on one of my favorite food blogs, Love and Olive Oil, and came across this recipe they’d found from Pinch my Salt. As a first time scone maker, I found this one super easy and tasty. The pumpkin made the scones have a more moist texture and the glaze? Well, it was just awesome. Very cinnamon-y.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1 cup cake flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/3 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• 6 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Glaze:

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (or to taste)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.

Cut the butter into small pieces, and place in a small bowl to be refrigerated until ready to use. In a medium bowl, whisk together both flours, baking powder, salt, and all spices. Place bowl in freezer.

In another bowl, combine pumpkin, heavy cream, brown sugar, and vanilla and mix well. Freeze or refrigerate (I just refrigerated).

Combine butter pieces with flour mixture. Using a pastry blender, cut the butter into the flour until it resembles coarse crumbs (alternately, you can slice up the butter in thin slices – this is what I did). Add cold pumpkin mixture and stir until dough is just moistened. The dough will be very crumbly so you know what to expect. Turn the mixture out onto the counter and push the pile together with your hands. It should stick together fairly well. Knead it just a couple of times until it starts to come together. Don’t knead it too much or the dough will get too sticky.

Shape the dough into a circle 3/4 to 1 inch thick. Cut into 8 wedges. Arrange on baking sheet. Bake for about 15 minutes, or until barely light brown on the bottom. The tops will darken as they cool.

For glaze, mix together powdered sugar, milk, and cinnamon. Add additional sugar or milk as needed to achieve the desired consistency. Brush or drizzle onto warm scones. Makes 8 scones. Enjoy!