New Year's Day Brunch

Nothing makes me happier than food and brunch is the best thing created since the dishwasher. If you aren’t hosting a New Year’s Eve Party, why not host a New Year’s Brunch instead? Martha Stewart’s Everyday Food has delicious recipes for pancakes, crepes, sticky buns and my favorite…French Toast. Here are a few recipes to get your mouth watering:

Buttermilk Pancakes

Ingredients (Makes nine 6-inch pancakes)

· 2 cups all-purpose flour

· 2 teaspoons baking powder

· 1 teaspoon baking soda

· 1/2 teaspoon salt

· 3 tablespoons sugar

· 2 large eggs, lightly beaten

· 3 cups buttermilk

· 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus 1/2 teaspoon for griddle

Directions
1. Heat griddle to 375 degrees. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar in a medium bowl. Add eggs, buttermilk, and 4 tablespoons butter; whisk to combine. Batter should have small to medium lumps.

2. Heat oven to 175 degrees. Test griddle by sprinkling a few drops of water on it. If water bounces and spatters off griddle, it is hot enough. Using a pastry brush, brush remaining 1/2 teaspoon of butter or reserved bacon fat onto griddle. Wipe off excess.

3. Using a 4-ounce ladle, about 1/2 cup, pour pancake batter, in pools 2 inches away from one other. When pancakes have bubbles on top and are slightly dry around edges, about 2 1/2 minutes, flip over. Cook until golden on bottom, about 1 minute.

4. Repeat with remaining batter, keeping finished pancakes on a heatproof plate in oven. Serve warm.

From Martha Stewart Living, January 2001

Silver Dollar Pear Pancakes

Ingredients (Makes about two and one-half dozen 4-inch pancakes)

· 4 Bosc or Bartlett pears

· 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup, plus more for drizzling

· 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

· 1/2 teaspoon unsalted butter

· Best Buttermilk Pancakes, batter

· Sour cream, for garnish

Directions

1. Core pears with an apple corer. Starting at the bottom, slice pears crosswise into 1/8-inch-thick rings, and toss in a small bowl with maple syrup and cinnamon.

2. Heat an electric griddle to 375 degrees or a heavy skillet until very hot. Brush with butter; wipe off excess with a folded paper towel. Place a few pear slices on the griddle, 2 1/2 inches apart. Let cook 1 minute. Ladle about 1/4 cup of the batter into center of each pear ring. Using the bottom of a ladle, gently push batter over edges of pears. Let cook until pancakes have bubbles on top and are slightly dry around the edges, about 2 1/2 minutes.

3. Using a spatula, turn pancakes over; cook until golden on bottom, about 1 minute. Repeat with remaining pears and batter. Serve with a dollop of sour cream and extra syrup.

From Martha Stewart Living, February 1998

Classic French Toast


Ingredients (Serves 6)
· 6 large eggs
· 1 1/2 cups heavy cream, half-and-half, or milk
· 2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
· 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
· Pinch of ground nutmeg
· Pinch of salt
· 6 slices (1-inch-thick) bread, preferably day old
· 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
· 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
· Pure maple syrup, for serving (optional)

Directions
1. Whisk together eggs, cream, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a medium bowl; set aside.

2. Place bread in a shallow baking dish large enough to hold bread slices in a single layer. Pour egg mixture over bread; soak 10 minutes. Turn slices over; soak until soaked through, about 10 minutes more.

3. Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Place a wire rack on a baking sheet, and set aside. Heat 2 tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in a skillet over medium heat. Fry half the bread slices until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer to wire rack; place in oven while cooking remaining bread. Wipe skillet, and repeat with remaining butter, oil, and bread. Keep in oven until ready to serve. Serve warm with pure maple syrup, if desired.

From Martha Stewart Living, April 2001

Caramelized Apple Crepes

Ingredients (Serves 6)
· 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
· Pinch of salt
· 2 large eggs
· 1 large egg yolk
· 1 1/4 cups milk
· 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
· 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
· 6 crisp apples, such as Mutsu, peeled, quartered, and cut into 1-inch chunks
· Grated zest of 1 lemon
· 2 tablespoon lemon juice (1 lemon)
· 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
· 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
· 6 tablespoons sugar
· 3 tablespoons Calvadosor, brandy
· 1 cup creme fraiche
· 3 tablespoons confectioners' sugar, plus more for dusting

Directions
1. In a medium bowl, sift together flour and salt. Whisk in eggs, egg yolk, and about 1 tablespoon milk, forming a smooth batter with a paste-like consistency. Add remaining milk and 1 teaspoon vanilla; mix until no lumps remain. Melt 4 tablespoons butter in a nonstick skillet, and stir into the batter; leave a film of butter in the skillet. Let the batter rest at room temperature about 30 minutes.

2. Heat oven to warm. Over medium-low heat, warm the skillet thoroughly. Stir batter, and carefully ladle about 1/4 cup batter into skillet. Rotate skillet so batter spreads out and thinly coats the bottom and edges of the skillet. Return skillet to heat, and cook crepe until edges turn golden brown and lacy, and start to pull away from the skillet, about 2 minutes. Using a knife or an offset spatula, carefully turn crepe over; cook other side until just golden, 30 to 40 seconds. Slide the crepe onto a heat-proof plate. Repeat with the remaining batter, stirring it before making another crepe. Stack cooked crepes on top of one another.

3. Loosely cover plate of crepes with aluminum foil, and place in the oven to keep warm.

4. Place apples in a medium bowl. Add lemon zest, lemon juice, cinnamon, and ginger. Toss to coat.

5. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a 12-inch cast-iron skillet set over medium heat. Add granulated sugar, and cook, stirring occasionally, until sugar turns amber in color, about 5 minutes. If caramel starts to get too dark, remove skillet from heat. Add apples, and cook, turning apples over, until soft and completely caramelized. Pour Calvados into a measuring cup, then pour into skillet. Carefully ignite the alcohol, and allow the flame to burn out, 2 to 3 minutes, shaking skillet to toss the apples in the syrup. Remove apples from heat; let cool slightly.

6. Combine creme fraiche, remaining 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, and confectioners' sugar in a chilled mixing bowl. Whip mixture until light, fluffy, and almost doubled in volume.

7. Remove the crepes from oven, and transfer to six serving plates. Spoon a scant 1/2 cup caramelized apples onto each crepe, and dust lightly with confectioners' sugar. Spoon a generous amount of creme-fraiche mixture over apples. Fold crepes, and serve immediately.

From Martha Stewart Living, October 1996

Honey Buns

Ingredients (Makes 9)

FOR THE DOUGH

· 2 tablespoons active dry yeast

· 1/3 cup warm water

· 1 cup whole milk, room temperature

· 8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

· 3 large eggs

· 1/3 cup honey (any type)

· 2 teaspoons coarse salt

· 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

· 5 to 6 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for surface

· Vegetable oil, for bowl

FOR THE FILLING AND TOPPING

· 4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter

· 1/2 cup honey (any type), plus more for brushing and drizzling
· 1/2 cup corn syrup
· 2 tablespoons sugar
· 1/2 cup mascarpone cheese
· 1/2 cup creme fraiche
· 1/2 cup chopped pecans

Directions
1. Make the dough: Sprinkle yeast over warm water in a small bowl. Let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.

2. Whisk milk, butter, eggs, honey, salt, and vanilla with a mixer on medium speed. Add yeast mixture, and whisk for 1 minute. Switch to dough hook, reduce speed to low, and add 4 cups flour. After flour is incorporated, raise speed to medium, and continue kneading.

3. Add remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, mixing until dough no longer sticks to the bowl. Raise speed to medium-high, and knead for 10 minutes. (Alternatively, knead by hand until smooth, 15 to 20 minutes.)

4. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead until dough is very smooth, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic, and set aside in a warm, draft-free spot until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

5. Make the filling and topping: Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in honey, corn syrup, and sugar, bring to a gentle simmer, then remove from heat. Let cool. Combine mascarpone and creme fraiche in a bowl.

6. Punch down dough. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface, and divide into 3 portions. Roll each into a ball. Freeze 2 for up to 3 months (thaw in the refrigerator before using). Roll remaining dough into a 10-by-13 1/2-inch rectangle. Brush lightly with honey, spread mascarpone mixture evenly on top, leaving a 1-inch border, and sprinkle with pecans. Starting on 1 long side, roll dough into a log. Pinch along seam to seal. Cut into nine 1 1/2-inch-thick slices.

7. Pour honey mixture into an 8-inch square baking pan. Place buns, cut sides down, in pan, 3 to a row. Let buns rise in a warm, draft-free spot until doubled in size, 30 to 40 minutes.

8. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place oven rack in lower third. Bake buns, rotating halfway through, until brown and bubbling, about 1 hour. (If buns darken too quickly, cover with foil.) Set a wire rack on a baking sheet. Immediately invert buns onto rack. Drizzle with honey, and serve warm.

From Martha Stewart Living, September 2008