One more stop on the Banana ingredient in this little ingredient game that we are up to this winter: Banoffee Waffles, with Banana Cream, Salted Caramel + Toffee Crunch. I hadn’t actually intended to make these — I thought maybe Banoffee Doughnuts, but then I didn’t want to wait for yeast to do it’s thing so I went with these instead. They are sweet — between the pudding cream layer, the salted caramel and the toffee bits, this will definitely send you to sugar overload. I even intentionally made the waffles and whipped cream fairly neutral to cut the sweetness. Maybe better as a dessert than a breakfast thing. They are delicious, just very sweet, so if that is your thing…
Breakfast/Brunch
More bananas! Just like a few days ago was “National Croissant Day”, Monday is “World Nutella Day” (back in 2022, I did a whole series of nutella recipes for that), so I thought that I would get a head start on that “holiday” by making these Crêpes with Nutella and Bananas. They always remind me of markets in Europe, particularly France and Germany, were there is inevitably someone making these fresh to go. It’s something about the banana and Nutella combination that is also so reminiscent of childhood. Their quick to make and a super snack or dessert.
So January 30 is National Croissant Day, as designated by someone, somewhere, so I thought that I would make this casserole along the banana theme using croissants. Call it a French Toast Casserole or a Bread Pudding, same thing really. Either way, pretty yummy. Note: the recipe calls for a full 8 x 8-inch baking dish, which serves 4, but pictures is my 4 x 4-inch mini pan which is half a portion for just me (the other half isn’t pictured).
Make-ahead Spinach Mushroom and Cheese Breakfast Sandwiches
I love breakfast sandwiches. I don’t, however, love cooking every morning, so I started making batches of this style of breakfast sandwiches — baked eggs with “mix ins” on English muffins, ready to wrap and chill or freeze. They are very versatile: don’t like spinach and mushrooms, you can use chopped red bell peppers, ham, bacon bits, or even kimchi or asparagus. Swap out the cheese for swiss or gouda or raclette. Once made, can be kept in the fridge for up to 4 days or frozen up to 3 weeks.
Breakfast on a miserable, wet, depressing Friday morning: Puff Pastry Croque Madame! What is a Croque Madame? Well, a Croque Monsieur (literal translation from French: Mr. Crunchy) is a fancy grilled cheese sandwich. A Croque Madame (Mrs. Crunchy!) is a grilled cheese sandwich with a fried egg on top — so a double fancy grilled cheese. I decided to make these open-faced and with store bought puff pastry. And OMG are they good. Light, fluffy, flavorful, pretty in a messy kind of way. And this recipe feeds a crowd (makes 8 and one is really filling; note that the recipes can be halved). It might take a little longer than a grilled cheese, but definitely much much better. Not only breakfast food, this could be lunch with a light salad or part of a brunch spread.