Saturday, May 16, 2015

Ultimate Breakfast in Bed : Overnight Yeasted Waffles with SundaeToppings, Homemade Hash Browns, Sausage, and Magic Cold Brew Coffee

Is there anything better than breakfast in bed?  It's pretty much the most indulgent way to start the weekend, and I love treating my honey to a special weekend morning.  This particular set of recipes is nice because you get lots of yummy dishes but many of them get started the night before so your morning is slightly less hectic.  Here's a run-down of all this deliciousness...

First, yeasted waffles! My mom has made these for me, but I had never tried them myself.  They have a great, slightly yeasty flavor and are extra light and fluffy.  I topped these with decadent sundae toppings -- strawberry syrup, Hershey's chocolate sauce, and lightly sweetened whipped cream.  Continuing the carb overload theme is homemade hash browns.  These are so, so good and much easier than I thought they would be! They do remind me of the best diner hash browns, with the bonus that you can season them up with whatever herbs and spices you like.  A cast iron skillet is key here for getting that really crispy crust.  Rounding out the plate is sausage patties -- we took the grocery store shortcut on these and picked them up pre-made in the meat case.

To drink, you have to try "magic" cold brew coffee from Food 52.  I've written about cold brew coffee before and how easy it is to make.  This recipe takes things to the next level by infusing the coffee grounds with cinnamon and brown sugar.  I recommend using New Orleans-style chicory coffee if you can find it for the extra layer of flavor, but either way this is a seriously delicious recipe...smooth, sweet, spicy, and of course super rich from a splash of heavy cream.  (If you're drinking this on a regular basis, you might want to sub in milk instead, but ohhhhh that cream is good!

All in all, pretty much a perfect breakfast in bed.  Just plan for a long nap after!


Game Plan:

The night before, make the waffle batter and the magic coffee concentrate.  You can also make the strawberry sauce ahead and reheat in the morning.

The next morning, start off by straining the coffee.  Then get the strawberry sauce going if you didn't make it ahead.  Whip the cream and set out other fixings (i.e. chocolate sauce for the waffles, ketchup for the hash browns, and unwhipped cream for the coffee).

Grate and drain the potatoes, and then start the sausage and hash browns on the stovetop. Cook the waffles and keep warm in the oven.

To serve, pour the coffee and plate up the waffles, hash browns, and sausage.  Enjoy!

Overnight Yeasted Waffles with Sundae Toppings (adapted from Smells Like Home and Just a Taste)
Makes lots, depending on your waffle maker -- I would say enough to serve 4-6 depending on appetite

For the waffle batter:
8 T unsalted butter
1-3/4 cups whole milk
2 cups all purpose flour
1 T sugar
1-1/2 tsp instant yeast
1 tsp salt
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla

For the strawberry sauce:
2 generous cups sliced strawberries
3/4 cups sugar
1-1/2 tsp lemon zest
Juice of 1/2 lemon

To serve:
Lightly sweetened whipped cream
Chocolate sauce

1. The night before, melt the butter.  Whisk the melted butter into the milk, and gently heat until warm (not hot) -- 30-second bursts in the microwave work well.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, yeast, and salt.  Whisk in the milk mixture, followed by the eggs and vanilla.  Don't over mix--small lumps are fine.
3. Cover and place in the fridge overnight.  Make sure there's room for the batter to rise and not overflow in your fridge.
4. The next morning. Combine the berries, sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice in a small pot.  Bring to a boil over medium heat, and then lower the heat and let simmer for about 15 minutes.  Remove from the heat and let thicken slightly while you cook the waffles.
5. Remove the waffle batter from the fridge and whisk to recombine the batter.  Cook according to your waffle maker's instructions, and keep waffles warm in a 250 degree oven before serving.
6. Serve the waffles hot with whipped cream, strawberry sauce, and chocolate sauce.

Homemade Hash Browns (adapted from the Kitchn)
Serves 2

10-12 ounce russet potato, peeled
Salt and pepper
Generous pinch of smoked paprika
1 T butter

1. Line a colander with a clean dishtowl.  Grate the potato into the colander.  Wrap up the towl and squeeze as much liquid out of the potatoes as possible.
2. Transfer the potatoes to a bowl and season with salt and pepper, plus a generous sprinkle of smoked paprika.
3. Heat a cast iron skillet over medium heat.  Melt the butter.  When it's hot and melted, add the potatoes -- depending on the size of your pan, you can make one big hash brown that you'll divide up later, or you can make two separate piles.  Flatten with the back of a spatula.
4. Let cook 3-4 minutes, until the first side is as crispy as you like it, and then carefully flip and cook the second side for 2-3 minutes.  Serve right away!


Magic Cold Brew Coffee (adapted from Food 52)
Serves 2-4 depending on how much coffee you like

3 cups water
2/3 cup ground New Orleans-style chicory coffee
3 T brown sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
Heavy cream and ice, to serve

1. The night before, whisk together the water, coffee, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a large container.  Cover and let sit at room temperature overnight.
2. The next morning, line a strainer with a large coffee filter and set over a bowl.  Carefully pour the coffee mixture into the filter and let drip until only the grounds remain in the filter.
3. For each drink you're preparing, fill a glass halfway with ice.  Fill about 3/4 full with coffee, and then top off with heavy cream.
4. Any leftover coffee concentrate keeps well in the fridge in a large Mason jar.

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