Perfect Fall Brunch: Breakfast Pizza and Fried Apples

Breakfast Pizza with Fried Apples

The weather has turned decidedly cooler this weekend here in Central VA. I've had apples on my mind -- sweet, tart, crispy apples. Yesterday for lunch I made a fruit salad filled with apples, red grapes, pineapple and orange slices. This morning, I made Fried Apples to go along with our Breakfast Pizza Casserole. They were a favorite of my mom, and something she made many weekend mornings.

This Breakfast Pizza is a long time family favorite, and while it is really, really kid friendly, adults like it too. It goes together quickly and will feed 8 easily. You could definitely add some veggies if you've got ambitious eaters or all adults -- roasted red peppers, onions, mushrooms, a little spinach -- all of those would be good, I'm sure.

This is the way I made it when my kids were younger. I've cut way back on the fat in the original recipe simply by making smarter purchases. Instead of regular Jimmy Dean pork sausage, I bought the lower fat version. And when they say "low fat" they mean it! There was barely ANY grease in the pan when I fried it up to use in the casserole, as you can see in this picture:

I have to say that it tasted great in the casserole... I didn't miss the grease at all! I also purchased Low Fat Crescent Rolls instead of the original. You absolutely can NOT tell the difference!

Pillsbury Reduced Fat Crescent Rolls

The next time you need something for more than 2 people to make for brunch, try this. Whether it's a special occasion, or you just want to make it special, this is a great way to go. It's really prefect on a cool fall morning. Your family and friends will eat it up!


Breakfast Pizza
serves 6 - 8

1 pkg. Pillsbury Reduced Fat Crescent Rolls (8 count)
6 eggs
1/3 c. low-fat milk (I used 1%)
1 roll Jimmy Dean reduced fat sausage, regular flavor, 10 oz.
1 1/2 c. part skim shredded mozzarella cheese
pinch of salt and pepper
a few chives for serving
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. In a large non-stick skillet, cook your sausage, breaking it up into small pieces. Cook it until completely done, with no pink showing. Remove the sausage to a small bowl and wipe any excess grease from the pan. Set aside to use for the apples. Spray a 9X13" Pyrex casserole dish with cooking spray. Unroll the crescent rolls in one piece and fit them into the bottom of the dish, pressing the seams together, like this:

Unroll the crescent rolls in one piece for the crust.

Layer the cooked sausage over the crust and sprinkle with the cheese:

Crumble the sausage on top of the rolls  

Add cheese on top of the sausage.

Beat the eggs together with the milk and a pinch of salt and pepper. Pour the egg mixture evenly over the pizza. Cook at 375 degrees for 20 minutes until lightly browned and "set" in the middle. Sprinkle with chives if desired, because after all, it's got to look pretty too! We eat with our eyes first, right? 

Breakfast Pizza

While the pizza is cooking, prepare your apples.

Fried Apples

5-6 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and sliced
2 T. Land o' Lakes Butter
2 tsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
Melt the butter (medium heat) in the same pan you cooked the sausage. Add the apples, making sure they have good contact with the pan, so that they begin to brown slightly. After a few minutes, stir them gently, with a spatula, and turn them over so that both sides of each slice gets cooked. Sprinkle the apples with the sugar and continue to cook for about 5 minutes and then add the cinnamon. Be sure not to over-do the cinnamon. You want them to be lightly sweetened with just a touch of cinnamon. 

Sprinkle them lightly with cinnamon.

Continue to stir the apples until they begin to soften and release their juices. When you are there, cover the pan, and cook for 3 more minutes. Don't want to cook them to mush, you want them to retain their shape and texture. Turn them off and hold them until brunch is ready to be served. 

Fried Apples. There are 5 fairly large Granny Smith apples in the skillet.
They cook down a bit. You can add them gradually as you cook them so they don't fly all over the kitchen! 

Bon Appetit! 

Deconstructing Boef Bourguignon

I've always loved Boef Bourguignon. My mom made an abbreviated version of it while I was growing up, using 2 different kinds of canned soup. Once I started to cook on my own, I wanted to do it the correct way. I've followed (almost) the recipe of the original celebrity chef, Julia Child, for many years.

If you read this blog, I've written about my love of Julia and all things French several times. Here's my original Boef Bourguignon post from a while back. I still love that recipe, but I decided to tinker around with it a little bit.

Since I love to cook, and it was my birthday, I got to cook and eat what I wanted. That's always been our family tradition: You get to pick your birthday dinner and eat what you want on your special day. My husband can make a great breakfast, and is an excellent sandwich maker, but I pretty much rule at dinnertime. SO, I did exactly what I wanted to do this past weekend: I tinkered around with a recipe and made what I wanted, and what I did was to deconstruct Boef Bourguignon.

What I mean was that instead of using bits of stew beef or the end of a larger roast, I used a whole steak. I got the idea for this watching Ina Garten, my current favorite Food Network chef, making a dinner to deliver to a friend for a dinner party. Ina was a caterer first, so I figured she'd know all about celebratory meals and presentation. I've altered her recipe a bit, eliminating some of the butter and thickening agents she recommended. I used my favorite cut of steak, an inch thick piece of tenderloin. In the original recipe, the beef is summered a long time in rich, wine gravy and then served over something, either noodles, or potatoes, or even rice, as my mom served it. In this version, I seared the steaks, made a delicious sauce and served it with mashed potatoes. This recipe has the advantage of allowing you to serve the steaks RARE, which is the way I really enjoy them. It was a winner! I wrote this recipe for 2, since only my husband and I were at home, but you could easily double it. Using a whole steak per person made it seem like more of a celebratory meal unlike a stew, which while delicious isn't the most elegant meal. This meal has the added bonus of one that is very easily made in advance. You only have to heat the sauce and finish cooking the steaks at meal time.

Deconstructed Boef Bourguignon with Mashed Potatoes

Deconstructed Boef Bourguignon

For 2

2 1" thick pieces of beef tenderloin

2 rashers of bacon

2 T. butter, divided use

1 c. dry red wine

1/2 cup beef broth, stock or consomme' 

1 tsp. minced fresh garlic

6 - 8 baby carrots, thinly sliced

3 sprigs of fresh thyme

1 T. tomato paste

12 oz. cremini mushrooms (baby portobellos)

12 pearl onions (frozen is fine, that's what I used)

Kosher Salt and Fresh Ground Black Pepper

Mashed potatoes, baked potatoes or egg noodles for serving

First and very importantly, dry your steaks by draining them on a paper towel. They won't brown properly unless you do this. I know that the picture is kind of gross, but this is a very important step. 

Dry those steaks! 

While the steak is drying, mince the garlic and clean the mushrooms. Cut them in half or quarters if they are very large. Dry them as well, draining on a paper towel. This is important for the same reason as the beef, they need to be dry to cook properly. NEVER argue with Julia. 

Heat a medium sized frying pan over low heat. Choose a pan at least 3" deep, with a heavy bottom, so that the steaks will brown evenly and not stick. Add the two rashers of bacon and fry them until crisp. 

Remove the bacon to drain on yet another paper towel. Pour off almost all the bacon grease from the pan, leaving just enough to keep the steak from sticking. Turn the heat up to medium and add the steaks. Cook the steaks about 2 minutes per side, turning once. you only want to sear them. 

Sear steaks briefly, only a minute or 2 to brown them.

After searing put the steaks aside on a plate, and add 1 T. butter to the skillet. Scrape up all the browned bits in the bottom. Don't let the butter burn! Add the garlic and sliced carrots to the pan, and keep stirring and scraping for a minute or so. Add the red wine and keep on scraping and stirring. Let it come to a boil and then add the beef broth. Drop the thyme and tomato paste into the sauce. Sprinkle in 1/2 tsp. Kosher salt and a few grindings of fresh black pepper. 

Fresh time and tomato paste going into the sauce. 

Bring this to a boil, cover the pan, turn it down to low heat and let the sauce cook for 20 - 30 minutes, stirring every now and again to make sure nothing is sticking. This will smell heavenly and make everyone in the hungry. While the sauce is cooking, melt 1 T. butter over medium heat, in a small non-stick skillet. When the butter is melted and the foam has subsided (wait for the foam part, or Julia will haunt you), and then add the mushrooms. Cook the mushrooms until they are lightly browned, stirring them to make sure each surface area is browned. Turn them off while waiting for the sauce to finish cooking. When the carrots are tender, add the mushrooms, crumbled bacon and the pearl onions to the sauce.

We love mushrooms! The pearl onions make it seem special. 

Doesn't that look good? Cover that pan once again, and let the flavors come together, cooking for at least 10 minutes. Taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning, adding a little more salt and pepper as needed. Be careful here, you may not need any more (I didn't). It depends on how salty your beef broth is, how strong the wine flavor is and how much liquid the mushrooms give off. TASTE! Don't just add. You can remove the thyme stems if they are still whole and visible. The leaves will just fall off. 

At this point, you can refrigerate everything (Separately! Don't put the steak in the sauce until you are ready to reheat it!) and heat everything up later in the day, or even the next day. When you are ready to eat, get the sauce hot again, and add the steaks into it. Cover and let them cook for 4 - 5 minutes for rare steaks, 6 -7 minutes for medium. If you like your meat well done, don't bother with tenderloin, just follow the first, original recipe. No need to spend the extra money on good steaks! 

Serve along side mashed potatoes (our choice) or over baked potatoes or egg noodles. 

I promise, this was YUMMY!

Veal Piccata with Lemon and Mushrooms

Veal Piccata with Lemon and Mushrooms 

There used to be a restaurant in Richmond, back in the '80's, that served the most wonderful veal dishes. We used to go there with a group from my husband's office. No one was more enthusiastic about this restaurant than his boss. The boss LOVED Italian food, and especially the veal, but admittedly, the cost was a little high. Back then, we were the parents of young children, and money was often in short supply. We were comfortable, but we never had a life style, we just had a life. That's not to say it wasn't a good life, and a rich one, but rich in love, fun and family as opposed to the monetary kind.

My husband loved one veal dish in particular -- me too! --  so I figured out how to make it. I dragged out my old Intro to Italian Cooking cook book (ca. 1971), much splattered and stained even back then, and read up on veal. There was no recipe that looked identical to the one we loved, but "Picatta Di Vitello Al Limone" was pretty darn close!  I used that recipe as a template and added fresh mushrooms, cooked it in olive oil instead of the recommended butter and added fresh garlic. It was a winner then, and it's still a winner. I will tell you honestly, this dish is a little trouble and a little costly for everyday fare, but as a special occasion dinner, it's a WOW! Since the amount of veal used is relatively small, it can be called a "little splurge"!

Look for thinly sliced veal scaloppini in the meat department of your grocery store. You'll need only one cutlet for each serving, as this is a pretty rich dish, especially when served with the recommended noodles on the side. Why noodles instead of pasta, you may ask? Well, the first time I made it, all I had on hand were egg noodles, and we liked is, more than the next time when I made it with fettuccine. I think the delicate nature of the egg noodles simply complemented the veal. Next time you want to celebrate, a birthday, a promotion, an anniversary -- or even if you just feel like puttering around in the kitchen -- give this wonderful veal dish a try.

Veal Scaloppine with Lemon and Mushrooms
(4 servings)
3/4 lb. veal (4 pieces veal scaloppine)
1/4 c. all purpose flour
2 T. grated Parmesan cheese 
1/2 tsp. Kosher salt + more for seasoning
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper + more for seasoning
2 T. chopped garlic
12 oz. fresh mushrooms, sliced or halved**
1 1/2 c. dry white wine ( I used a pinot grigio from Trader Joe)
1 lemon, washed, thinly sliced and seeds removed. 

First, prepare your veal: Lay the scaloppine out on a piece of parchment or wax paper.

Veal on waxed paper, before pounding.

Cover the veal with another piece of paper. 

 Cover the veal with another piece of paper and pound the cutlets until they are very thin and uniform in thickness. I used the smooth side of the meat mallet so as not to tear the thin slices of veal.

Floured veal, ready to fry.

 Prepare the breading mixture by mixing together the flour, cheese salt and pepper in a shallow dish or on a large plate. Dip each piece of veal into the mixture and press down a bit, so that both sides are covered in the flour/cheese mixture. Set the veal aside while  you prepare the pan to fry the veal.
In a large, heavy, deep frying pan, add enough olive oil to completely cover that bottom of the pan. The oil doesn't have to be more than a 1/4" deep, but it must cover the bottom and be enough to fry the meat. Heat the oil over medium high heat. The oil is ready when a little bit of flour dropped into it immediately begins to sizzle and floats to the top. When the oil is hot enough, add the veal, one piece at a time, being careful not to crowd it. I find it better to cook only 2 pieces at once.

Veal frying in olive oil.

Don't crowd the pan and fry the veal until golden brown, turning once. Then drain it on paper towels.

Drain the veal on paper towels. 

While the veal is draining, make the sauce. Turn the heat down to low. Pour off almost all the oil in the frying pan,leaving about 2 T. of oil. Then, add 2 T. all purpose flour to the hot pan.

Add the flour to a little bit of oil in the pan.

 Stir the flour into the remaining oil until all the white is absorbed into the olive oil. Turn the heat up to medium and add the white wine to deglaze the pan, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pan so that all the browned bits are incorporated into the sauce.

Add the mushrooms to the sauce,
I like a combo of white and brown ones. 

 When the liquid begins to bubble, add the mushrooms, the chopped garlic,
a 1/2 tsp.Kosher salt and a few grindings of fresh black pepper. Stir the mixture gently to coat the mushrooms, turn down the heat a little bit, then cover the pan and let the mushrooms cook for about 5 minutes on a low, gentle bubble. Don't let them start to stick. The liquid shouldn't get too thick -- if it starts to look pasty, add a little water, just a T. at a time.

Put the veal back into the pan, on top of the mushroom mixture. 

The fried veal is laid out over the mushrooms and sauce.
Add the sliced lemon on top of this.

Lay the sliced lemon on top of the veal. Spoon a little of the liquid in the pan over the veal, put the top on and simmer gently for 20 to 30 minutes, stirring now and then to make sure nothing is sticking or getting too thick.

Serve the veal with the sauce next to egg noodles, which have been cooked and drained. While the noodles are draining, melt a T. of butter in the hot noodle pan. Add the noodles back into the butter, sprinkle them with salt and pepper and toss with a little Parmesan cheese. Perfect side dish for your veal! 

**COOKS NOTE: My old cookbooks recommends "the whitest mushrooms you can find" at your supermarket, but I prefer a half and half mixture of white mushrooms and baby Portobello (also called "cremini") mushrooms in this dish.

Creamy Hot Crab DIp

Creamy Crab Dip on Crackers

                                       
OK, this is a "treat" kind of recipe, I know. However, my husband recently had a birthday and I'd saved some crab meat in the freezer from when we'd picked crabs back in July. So it was a given that I make the King some Crab Dip! I can tell you, picking crabs to save the meat is a true labor of love. I had to pick 12 crabs to get 1/2 pound of clean crab meat! We'd picked all the "big" ones while we were eating them, so I was left with the ones that everyone picks up, experimentally weighs by lifting them over the pile and then drops them back on the pile while they search out another heavier one. If you've never had or picked Chesapeake Bay Blue Crabs read all about it in my post here from Father's Day 2012.

This crab dip has more than great taste for us, it also holds great memories. I catered our wedding myself (yes I know that is crazy, but I was on a budget) and crab dip featured hugely in the spread we set out. In addition, it's made an appearance at every Christmas party we've ever had, and we've had a few. It's not quite as ubiquitous as my husbands famous Shrimp Dip, but almost. (That shrimp dip is a story for another blog, another time.) Let me also say that the recipe you see here is much lighter than the original one, which included an entire stick of butter, as well as whole fat sour cream and cream cheese. I honestly don't miss the additional fat, it still tastes creamy and rich to me.

Enough talk, here it is, in all it's glory. Fabulous, creamy Crab Dip. I've written the recipe for a whole pound but it's easily halved or doubled. If the picture doesn't look like it's much, it's because I've halved it. I must say, that this recipe will make a little bit of crab meat go a LONG way!

Crab dip saute'ed with butter

Creamy Crab Dip 
1 pound crab meat, picked clean
1 tsp. finely minced garlic
5 T. salted butter
1 T. lemon juice             
1 dash Worcestershire sauce                
8 oz. light cream cheese
8 oz. light sour cream
1/4 - 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 T. dry sherry
1 cup grated Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese

Have your butter and cream cheese at room temperature. In a large skillet, melt butter over medium heat and add minced garlic. Saute' the garlic for a few minutes until it begins to soften (not brown!) and add the creab meat, folding it into the butter/garlic mixture until completely combined. Add the lemon juice and stir it in. Next fold in the softened cream cheese. I find it easier to do if you score the block into smaller squares so that they incorporate more evenly. 

Add the cream cheese and stir until the crab and cream cheese are totally mixed together.

Now stir in the sour cream, Worcestershire sauce, cayenne pepper and dry sherry, making sure that all ingredients are well combined. Regarding the cayenne, 1/4 tsp will make the dip mildly hot, 1/2 tsp will give it just a little kick. If you don't like things hot at all you can sub Old Bay Seasoning or plain paprika. 

Dry Sherry, be SURE to buy DRY Sherry! 

Lastly, fold in most of the cheddar, saving a little to sprinkle on top. Transfer the dip into a baking dish that has been sprayed lightly with cooking spray. OR if you plan to make this for a big group, and need to keep the dip hot for a longer time,  put the dip into the serving vessel of your chafing dish. That's the way I serve this special dish when I am having a lot of different appetizers for a holiday party (or a wedding reception!). Sprinkle the reserved cheddar over the top of the crab. At this point, you can bake it immediately for 30 minutes at 350 degrees or refrigerate it (covered) for up to two days and then bake it when you  need it (be sure to bring it to room temperature by setting the casserole out on the counter for at least 20 minutes before putting into a hot over.)

Hot baked Crab Dip! 

Serve with assorted crackers or toast points.We like a combination of crackers, like Triscuits, Club and Whole Wheat. Toast points are good as well, but a little more trouble. No matter how you do it, it's delicious! 

Makes at least 10 appetizer servings. Now, go and find something to celebrate! 

CELEBRATE!

Don't Save This Dish For a Special Occasion Creamy Crab and Shrimp with Linguine

There is simply nothing like crabmeat from the Chesapeake Bay. I've tried lots of different types from all over the world, and you will never convince me that there is any better than our local favorite. The one drawback, naturally, is the price. Even in season, in Richmond, VA, the price hovers around $16 per pound. I created this dish to make that pound go a long way and feed a crowd. Rich and creamy, with a little shrimp thrown in for added texture, this will satisfy your yen for crabby goodness!
Creamy Crab Casserole
1 lb. regular crabmeat, picked clean of shells and debris
1/2 lb. large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 stick butter
1 clove minced garlic
1 T. Worcestershire sauce
2 T. flour
8 oz. light cream (table cream, not heavy whipping cream)
2 T. light cream cheese
2 - 3 T. white wine or sherry (totally optional, a matter of taste)
about 10 basil leaves, rolled and thinly sliced.
1 lb. linguine cooked to just al dente (should be firm to the tooth)
Melt butter in a large, deep skillet and add the minced garlic. Saute for a few minutes and add your picked over crab meat (DO NOT omit picking over the crabmeat for shells and cartlidge -- no matter who you buy it from, there will be stuff in there you don't want to chew!). Add the Worcestershire sauce and stir till well combined. Grind in a little black pepper, and stir in the flour. Saute this mixture until ALL of the flour is absorbed, then add the cream, wine and cream cheese. Continue to stir until the cream cheese melts and you have a smooth, creamy, crabby sauce. At this point you may want to taste the mixture for seasoning, it may need a little salt, or more pepper. If it still has a little raw flour taste, continue to saute over low heat for a few more minutes.
Spray a 9"X13" pan with cooking spray. Layer the barely cooked linguini in the bottom and top with the crabmeat mixture, thinly sliced basil and the raw shrimp. Over the top sprinkle 1/2 c. parmesan reggiano cheese, if desired. (I know, I know, no cheese with seafood, but I like it!)
At this point you can cover and refrigerate your dish for up to 2 days or bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes, until hot throughout and the shrimp on the top have turned pink.
This dish will serve 6 adults as a main dish. If you make a 'surf and turf" kind of dinner, with a grilled meat, you can easily serve 8 to 10 people. This is a rich, decadent kind of casserole that makes it perfect for company -- but don't just serve it on special occasions -- treat yourself now and then!