Raspberry, Banana, Honey & Oat Smoothie

www.shropshirebreakfast.co.uk

Like many people I find it a bit of a struggle to eat healthily at this time of the year. It's made worse as I'm constantly baking for guests - mince pies and shortbread straight from the oven are so very hard to resist.

It's also difficult to find seasonal fruit to eat. I love clementines but there are only so many I can eat in a day!

So I try and at least start the day fairly healthily. This is my standard smoothie but by adding in the oats I make it a bit more substantial. Oats, of course, are great for lowering the cholesterol. The raspberries are frozen but you could use fresh.

This smoothie gives you almost 3 of your 5 fruit & veg. It's not particularly low calorie but I find it does keep me going till lunch and stops me raiding the leftover guest croissants. These ingredients make 1 big smoothie!

80g frozen raspberries
1 small banana
100ml apple juice
40g porridge oats
150 ml ( 1 standard small pot ) of natural yoghurt
1 tablespoon local honey

Put into blender and whiz for at least a minute.

Enjoy!

Mince Pies

www.shropshirebreakfast.co.uk

I'm not a keen pastry cook and, every year, have always searched in vain for a decent mince pie pastry recipe. However a couple of years I was recommended a recipe by Darren ( @urdygurdy on Twitter ) and chef at the Minfford Hotel near Tal-y-llyn in North Wales ( a stunning part of the country if you've never visited ).

The ingredients are from Darren but I can't blame him for the recipe. Also the orange zest is my own addition.

I couldn't decide whether to put the mince pies or the lemon drizzle in the guest rooms so I've put both in in the run up to Christmas.

5oz cold butter, cut into cubes
8oz plain flour
1oz sugar
zest of half an orange
1 egg
1 jar of mincemeat
a little water
1 small beaten egg

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C or Fan oven to 180 degrees C.

Rub the butter into flour until it resembles breadcrumbs ( I use the food mixer ), add the sugar and orange zest and mix well. Add the egg and mix well until it forms a stiff dough. You made need a few drops of water but not a lot.

I put the pastry wrapped in clingfilm for at least 30 mins.

Cut the pastry into 2 then roll out quite thinly on a floured surface. I use a large and medium pastry cutter to cut out 16 large and 16 medium sized circles. You'll probably need to pull together the trimmings of pastry and reroll them a few times.

Take a mincepie tin and line with the large circles. ( My mincepie tin only has 12 holes so I do it in 2 batches ). Put about a teaspoon of mincemeat in each ( be careful not to overfill ). Brush the edges with water and then put the smaller circles of pastry on top. Crimp the edges together. Brush with beaten egg and put in the oven for 20 minutes. My oven isn't very even so I time for 10 minutes then turn round the tin and cook for another 10 minutes..

Put on a cooling tray and dust with icing sugar.

Spiced Plums

www.shropshirebreakfast.co.uk

This dish is very popular on the breakfast buffet table. The plums go very well with granola and yoghurt, bircher muesli and even porridge.

It improves in taste overnight and will last a couple of days in the fridge. It's great for using up a surplus of plums and is also good with those rock hard plums you buy in the supermarket to "ripen at home"

It's been a bad year for plums here but, when I do have a glut, I cut the plums in half and freeze on a tray before putting into a bag in the freezer. I then cook them straight from the freezer.

It's also good as a base for a plum crumble or with rice pudding.

I've used ground cinnamon here but you could use a cinnamon stick instead and put in a star anise.

7 or 8 plums cut in half with stone removed
3 tbs soft brown sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
water

Preheat oven to 200 degrees ( 180 for fan oven ) or use the top oven in the AGA. Take a medium sized baking dish and pour in about 1/2 cm water. Add the sugar and cinnamon and stir around. Add the plums, cut side up.

Put in the oven for about 30 minutes. You need the plums soft but, preferably, not falling apart.

Apricot Almond Mini Cakes

www.shropshirebreakfast.co.uk

I have another lovely virtual Twitter friend, Deanna Morauski, who runs the Old Hen B&B in Snoqualmie Valley in Washington. Deanna and her husband have recently been featured on the Live Well Network in the USA ( details below ). I watched the video of it the other evening and it was great to see her in "real life"

Here Deanna shares her recipe for Apricot Almond Mini Cakes Recipe.

Apricot Almond Mini Cakes Recipe

Preheat oven to 350F.

CAKE INGREDIENTS:

• 4 large eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 tablespoon almond extract
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 3/4 cup apricot jelly (for topping)
• 1 cup sliced almonds (for topping)
• 2 cups (or 16 ounces) high quality semi-sweet chocolate (for dipping)

Place eggs in mixing bowl. Add sugar and beat on high setting for about 3 minutes or until well combined and frothy. Lower setting on mixer and add flour slowly. Add butter. Mix until butter is completely mixed into batter. Add almond extract, baking powder and salt. Place cake in two 9X13 baking pans that have been sprayed with non-stick baking spray. Bake until fork poked into center of each cake comes out clean - start checking at about 20 minutes.

When cake done baking, remove from oven and allow to cool. Heat apricot jam for about 45 seconds in microwave (not necessary but helpful for spreading). Spread jelly evenly on top of cakes. Chill cakes in fridge for about 20 minutes to firm up jelly and make cake easier to dip into chocolate. Make mini cakes but cutting with a 1 1/2 inch circle cookie cutter. Push the cookie cutter into the apricot topped cake and gently push the cake up through the top to remove from cookie cutter so that the jelly topping stays nice. Place on a parchment paper on a baking sheet.

Dip each mini cake into chocolate up to jelly (coating bottom and sides) using a fork or a chocolate dipping tool. Place dipped cakes back onto the tray covered with parchment paper to cool. When finished will all the cakes, place tray in fridge to set for about a half an hour.

Place in mini cupcake liners or candy liners on a pretty platter to serve.

This recipe makes about 60-70 mini cakes.

About Deanna:

You can see Deanna on Joey Fatone's new show "My Family Recipe Rocks" on the Live Well Network this month on October 27th. You can watch her episode here: http://livewellnetwork.com/My-Family-Recipe-Rocks/8432939 She will be making four scrumptious recipes throughout an entire episode filmed at her B&B, The Old Hen. Follow along on her Facebook page or on Twitter for updates .

Deanna’s love for baking and cooking began as she sat upon a baker’s stool as a little girl. Her love for people grew in the midst of church potlucks. She expresses her loves today creatively through speaking, writing for her foodie blog, television appearances as well as hosting guests, including celebrities, at her award-winning inn, The Old Hen Bed & Breakfast http://theoldhen.com in Snoqualmie Valley, Washington.

Gluten Free Banana Bread

www.shropshirebreakfast.co.uk

I often have guests with specific dietary requirements staying & am always looking for suitable alternatives to dish up for breakfast.

I've learned a bit about a gluten free diet from various guests over the years. Catering specifically for a coeliac diet can be a bit tricky as you can't let any wheat flour contaminate the food you're preparing.

Gluten free bread has to be toasted separately & you have to ensure that items like butter, jams etc haven't accidently got bread crumbs in them.

I buy brand new bags of gluten free, flour, sugar etc when I have to bake gluten free.

I made this banana bread for breakfast this morning - it worked very well and was almost indistinguishable from that which I make with normal flour.

I would have added a tablespoon of honey & 1 teaspoon of cinnamon instead of the mixed spice but both were open & I couldn't guarantee no random flour particles!

( BTW I forgot to take a photo of the bread so this is picture of my normal banana bread - looked exactly the same ;0)

50g softened butter
90g caster sugar
1 large egg
1 ripe banana
110g gluten free self raising flour
1 level tsp gluten free baking powder
1 tsp mixed spice
1 tbsp milk

Put all the ingredients in a mixer and beat for 2 minutes.
Put into a 1lb loaf tin lined with a paper liner and baked at 180 degrees ( fan oven ) for about 40 minutes until golden & firm.
Leave to cool a bit before slicing.

Three Fruit Marmalade

www.shropshirebreakfast.co.uk

It's about this time of the year that I start to run low on the Seville Orange Marmalade I made back in January. I do have some frozen seville oranges in the freezer for this but last last week I decided to make three fruit marmalade as it does seem very popular with the guests.

I need to confess that I don't like marmalade so I have no idea if it's good or not. I put the first pot on the breakfast buffet table this weekend and have just had a request to buy some so it must be OK :)

1 Large Orange
1 Red Grapefruit
1 large lemon
1 Kg sugar ( not Jam sugar, granulated, preserving or caster sugar is fine )
1.5 litres water
1 knob of butter
1 muslin bag
1 large pan
6 x 454g jam jars with lids

Scrub the fruit well. Halve the fruit and juice, retaining all the bits of flesh & pips that accumulate in the juicer. Scrape out all of the flesh from the fruit & put into the muslin bag along with the rest of the flesh & pips. Tie the top of the muslin bag securely.

Cut the peel as finely as possible and put in the large pan with the juice,water and the muslin bag. Bring to the boil then simmer very gently for 2 hours ( if you have an AGA the ideal place to do this is in the simmering oven ). You need to reduce the liquid by half so I use my Maslin pan that has a scale on it.

Put a couple of saucers in the freezer.

Whilst you're doing this put the jam jars and lids through the dishwasher on a hot cycle to sterilise them. Take them out and ensure they are completely dry then put the jars on a tray in a low oven to keep warm.

On a low heat, add the sugar to the pan. Wait for it to dissolve completely, stiring whilst you do this.
When the sugar is dissolved then increase the heat until you get a fast rolling boil ( one you can't stir down with a wooden spoon ). Boil for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and test for set - put the marmalade on a saucer from the freezer and draw your finger across it - if it wrinkles it's ready. If not boil for another 5 minutes. Repeat this process until you get a set.

Once it's ready take off the heat and add a knob of butter to remove the accumulated scum. Stir.
Leave for 15 minutes, then pour into the hot jam jars. Screw on the lids - hey presto-marmalade :0)

Apricot and Vanilla Compote

www.shropshirebreakfast.co.uk

It's getting to the time of year when strawberries aren't as sweet as they were and fruit compotes start to make their way onto the breakfast buffet table.

Today I had some leftover apricots from preserve making so decided to test a new recipe for apricot compote. I suspect, like most compotes, this is going to taste better the next day, though it's still tastes pretty good freshly cooked.

500g fresh apricots ( halved and stoned )
75g caster sugar
200ml water
a vanilla pod ( I used a rum soaked one out of my homemade vanilla extract )

Dissolve the sugar in the water over a low heat. Add the apricots and vanilla pod and simmer gently for 20-30 minutes until the apricots are soft.

Leave to cool and put in the fridge and serve next day for breakfast, or, this would taste fabulous with some rice pudding for dessert.

Lee House Cherry Almond Yoghurt Cake

www.shropshirebreakfast.co.uk

One of the things I love about social media is how it's created connections and friendships with other B&Bs all over the country. We share recipes and ideas and commiserate when things go wrong.

I was alerted to this cake recipe by Pauline at Lilac Tree Lodge in Sussex http://www.lilactreelodge.com/ who was given the recipe by Caroline of Lee House in Lynton in North Devon http://www.leehouse-lynton.co.uk/

The photo is by Pauline and the recipe by Caroline

Lee House Cherry Almond Yoghurt Cake

Ingredients

*1 x Stapleton Strawberry & Clotted Cream yogurt

1 x tub ground almonds

2 x tubs of sugar (granulated or caster)

2 x tubs of self-raising flour

1 x 200g carton of glace cherries

½ tsp baking powder; 1 x tub sunflower oil

3 x large eggs; ½

1 capful of almond essence

1-2 tbsp icing sugar for dusting (optional)

margarine and extra flour preparing the tin

Method

Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease and flour a 24cm Bundt tin/Savarin cake tin (at Stapleton we did not have either of these so we just used a regular round 20cm cake tin which has worked well too). To measure ingredients, pour straight from the packet into the empty yogurt pot. Ingredients should be uniformly level with the top of the pot for each ‘tub’ measure required.

1) Cut cherries into quarters. Empty the yogurt into a large bowl; use a flexible spatula to ensure you get every last drop of yogurt out of the pot.

2) Measure the ground almonds and pour onto the yogurt in the mixing bowl; repeat this process with the sugar. Measure out one tub of self-raising flour (no need to sift) and pour half the tub into the bowl. Drop in a few cherries, then alternate layers of flour and cherries until the remaining one and a half tubs of flour and cherries have been added to the bowl. Lightly mix cherries and flour together with your fingers to coat the cherries. Add the remaining ingredients (up to and including the almond essence) in the order listed above. Stir ingredients together with a wooden spoon until thoroughly combined.

3) Spoon mixture evenly around the prepared tin and spread the top level. Bake at 180°C for approximately 45–60 minutes (the shorter time for fan assisted ovens), until well risen and golden brown (if using a round cake tin, you may need to place some baking paper over the top of the cake to prevent it from getting too brown!). Test for ‘doneness’ with a metal skewer.

4) Leaving the cake in its tin, place on a wire rack to cool for 15 minutes. Ease the cake away from the edges of the tin with your fingers and then carefully turn the cake out onto the wire rack. Dust with icing sugar when cool if liked.

 Pauline's note *I couldn’t find that make so bought another make of strawberry and cream yoghurt in 150 g tub (large individual size) and this is the tub you use for other measurements.  There is a lot of mixture so if you cook in normal tin I would suggest lowering temp a bit and cooking for longer to make sure cooked through in middle.  It is a very moist cake when first cooked and we preferred it a few days later when not so moist. Freezes well

AGA Roast Tomatoes with Halloumi on Brioche

www.shropshirebreakfast.co.uk

This is one of our most popular specials at the B&B for vegetarians and meat eater alike. I use Greek Basil, which I love. It has tiny leaves so you don't need to do any chopping, just strip the leaves from the stem. It's also easy to grow from seed and, if you keep picking it, it lasts for ages.

I make brioche buns most mornings and use any that are leftover toasted in this recipe or for brioche french toast. You can slice them up and freeze them.

For one person

3 Slices Halloumi
8 or 9 Cherry Tomatoes, halved if too big
Sea Salt & Pepper
Olive Oil
Greek Basil ( or normal basil leaves torn into small strips )
Brioche sliced

Put the tomatoes in a small ovenproof dish. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt and pepper. Add the small basil leaves, retaining a few for garnish. Put in an oven at about 200 degrees C for about 20 minutes or until the tomatoes are soft and oil is sizzling.

Toast the brioche ( be careful as brioche has a high sugar content it can burn very quickly ).

In a small frying heat a couple of tablespoons of olive oil on a high heat then fry the halloumi until golden brown on both sides.

Put the toasted brioche onto a warm plate, spoon over the tomatoes with its juice, then lay the halloumi on top, sprinkling with the reserved basil leaves.

Bircher Muesli from the Ashton, Lancaster

www.shropshirebreakfast.co.uk

Mr B&B sometimes travels on business and he came back from one trip raving about the Bircher Muesli he'd been served for breakfast on his BA flight. It's not often I've been asked to replicate airline food at home, though I did once have a rather fabulous soy salad dressing on a flight to San Francisco that I've been trying to make ever since.

I know that James at The Ashton in Lancaster, currently holder of the title of England's Best B&B, had mentioned a Bircher Muesli recipe to me, so I asked him to send it through.

It's best to soak the oats overnight apparently but I've made it in the morning with just an hour to go and it tastes fine in my opinion. Serves 4 as a starter or 2 as a big main breakfast.

I've also seen recipes with currants, sultanas etc. I'm not keen so they're not in this recipe.

100g porridge oats
200ml apple juice
2 apples grated
150ml natural yoghurt
Toasted Flaked Almonds
Summer Berries

The night before, put the oats into a large bowl and pour in the apple juice, stir well and then cover and put in the fridge overnight.

In the morning grate in the apples, add the yoghurt and stir in the berries, leaving a few to sprinkle on top.

The sweetness of it will depend on the apple juice you've used. If it's not sweet enough for you, I reckon a drizzle of honey would be perfect.

Apricot Danish

www.shropshirebreakfast.co.uk

Apricot tarts & croissants are probably my favourite sweet pastry. Croissant pastry is complicated and takes a long time to make, but I've come up with a bit of a cheat that's quick & easy to prepare in the morning.

320g pack of ready rolled all butter puff pastry
Ground almonds
flaked almonds
16 ripe apricots
3 tbs apricot jam

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C
Cut the pastry into 8 rectangles and place on a baking tray.
Cut the apricots in half.
Sprinkle a couple of teaspoons of the ground almonds into the centre of each rectangle of pastry, leaving a small border of about 1 cm.
Lay 4 halves of apricot onto each pastry and then sprinkle with a few flaked almonds.
Bake for about 15- 20 minutes until the pastry is puffed and golden.
Melt the apricot jam gently, then brush over the pastry and apricots as soon as they come out of the oven.

Herby Mushrooms on Granary Toast topped with a Poached Egg

www.shropshirebreakfast.co.uk


I've recently put this onto the breakfast menu as a permanent feature and it's proving very popular. I pop it onto some homemade granary bread that has been toasted but it would also work well on toasted brioche.

4 or 5 medium sized flat mushrooms - mini portabella work well but it's also nice with chestnut
2 or 3 sprigs of lemon thyme ( or use normal thyme with a little lemon zest added )
2 or 3 sprigs of parsley
2 or 3 chives
salt
pepper
good knob of butter
thickly sliced granary bread
a poached egg ( see earlier recipe in this blog )

Slice the mushrooms thickly.
Strip the leaves from the thyme, Roughly chop the parsley. Snip or chop the chives into tiny pieces.
Melt the butter in a small frying pan. Add the mushrooms over a medium heat and fry till they start to release their juices. Season to taste with salt and pepper ( for me this is about a quarter teaspon of salt and 4 grinds of black pepper ). Add nearly all the herbs to the mushrooms, leaving about 1/2 teaspoon
Toast and butter the bread.
Pile the mushrooms onto the toast on a warm plate. Top with the poached egg and add the remaining herbs.

Brioche French Toast

www.shropshirebreakfast.co.uk

Sometimes only something sweet and salty will do at breakfast and that's when I cook up some french toast and bacon with maple syrup.

You can use normal white bread for this but I prefer it with brioche. It's great if you have bread that's a few days old as it works better and is less likely to fall apart.

I have a sliced loaf of homemade brioche in the freezer and pick out a slice whenever I fancy ( or a guest orders french toast )

My daughter is also a great french toast aficionado but finishes her by dipping it in a bowl of caster sugar......

Ingredients

1 thick slice of brioche
1 egg
2tbs milk ( preferably full cream )
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp caster sugar
A large knob of butter
a few drops of sunflower oil

Beat together the egg, milk, vanilla and sugar in a wide shallow bowl. Dip the bread in for a couple of minutes on each side until soaked.

Add the butter and few drops of oil to a frying pan ( the oil has higher burning temperature and will stop the butter from burning ). Heat to a medium to medium /high heat then put in the toast. It'll need a couple of minutes on each side but keep an eye on it as it can burn very quickly.

Fleur D'Oranger Brioche Buns

www.shropshirebreakfast.co.uk

We've just returned from a weeks holiday in the South West of France and very nice it was too. As usual I returned armed with a load of recipe cards and a recipe book - my first one in French. My O Level French isn't quite up to translating these cards so I've been getting some help from @KateDeCamont on Twitter. Kate runs a culinary retreat in Gascony and I've added a visit there to my bucket list!

I had a go at making a Fougasse, which is a sweet brioche type loaf. It was OK for a first attempt but needs more practise. The recipe included a mystery ingredient Fleur D'Oranger. With Kate's help I worked out this was the same as the Essence of Orange Water that you can buy quite readily in delis & some supermarkets in the UK ( If you're in Shropshire I got mine in Broad Bean in Ludlow but I think I have also seen it in Tuffins )

As I didn't have much time one evening I decided to return to my tried & tested brioche recipe. This is the recipe from the Panasonic Breadmaker book with my own adjustments. Brioche is quite a difficult dough to work with as it's quite wet, so it's ideal to do the mixing, kneading & rising in the breadmaker. I use the dough setting then form into rolls or a loaf, leave to rise overnight in the fridge and then bake in the morning. This is perfect for getting that fresh baked smell for your guests without having to get up at 4 in the morning.

You could, of course, make it in a mixer or by hand. Once the mix is kneaded to a soft dough, leave to rise for 1.5 to 2 hours then knock down and make into rolls as below.

Because brioche is such a soft dough it's usually made in a mould. I have traditional brioche moulds but they can stick, so I cheat and use a 6 hole silicon muffin tin ( or if I'm making a loaf, a 1lb loaf tin with a paper liner ) - works perfectly.

When I make a loaf I slice into thick slices then put in the freezer. Brioche is perfect for making French Toast. I also serve it toasted and topped with roast tomatoes & halloumi as a breakfast special. Just be careful when you toast it as it has a high sugar content and so toasts more quickly then normal bread.

A warm brioche roll with some homemade apricot preserve & freshly brewed coffee is one of my favourite breakfasts.

1 tsp Fast Action Yeast
250g Strong White Flour
3 tbsp caster sugar
1/2 tsp salt
75g soft butter
2 eggs
2 tbsp milk
2 tsp essence of orange blossom water ( or the grated rind of a washed orange also works very well )
1 egg to glaze

Put all the ingredients into the breadmaker in the order specified by your machine makers and put on the dough setting ( or mix together the dry ingredients, rub in the butter. Beat together the eggs & milk, add to the dry and mix together, then knead till you get a soft dough. Leave in an oiled covered bowl for 1.5-2 hours to rise )

Put the dough onto a well floured surface and knock out the air. Split into 6 balls and put into a 6 hole muffin tin ( Silicon doesn't require greasing or you can use a tin one with muffin cases ). Leave to rise till doubled in size - about 45 minutes in a warm place or overnight in the fridge.

If I rise them overnight I bring them out of the fridge to get them back up to room temperature before baking.

Put the oven on to about 200 degrees. Brush the buns with beaten egg and bake for about 15 minutes till they're very golden brown. If you're making a loaf this will about 20 minutes.

Apricot Preserve

www.shropshirebreakfast.co.uk

There's a point in June when I start making regular trips to Ludlow to see if they have apricots in stock. Apricots are probably my favourite fruit & apricot preserve, my favourite jam.

However there are apricots and there are apricots! The first ones to appear, and the ones you get in most supermarkets, are small & a bit pale looking with very firm flesh. However the "right" apricots are large and sweet and delicious, a very dark orange colour with a red tinge.

I will happily eat a whole bag straight off and I also love them in apricot tart ( but please no almonds or amaretto ! Just apricot, custard & puff pastry )

This is Delia's apricot preserve recipe but slightly adapted. She puts the kernels from the apricot stones into the preserve - no thank you Delia.

Apricots are high in pectin so you just need normal sugar not jam sugar as with strawberry jam. You also need to start the prep the night before.

1 kg apricots
1 kg sugar
juice of one large lemon
knob of butter

Halve the apricots and put in a large pan, layering with the sugar and lemon juice. Put on a lid & leave overnight.

In the morning, take the lid off and put the pan on a low heat. Heat until all the sugar has dissolved which takes about 15 minutes.

Increase the heat and bringing to boiling point, adding the knob of butter. Boil for 10 minutes ( stirring occasionally to stop it sticking ) then test for a set. The easiest way to do this is with a jam thermometer otherwise have some saucers in the freezer. Take the saucer from the freezer and put a teaspoon of jam on it. If after a minute it forms a wrinkly skin when you draw your finger across it you have a set. If not then reboil for 5 minutes and repeat the test.

Leave the jam for 15 minutes, then skim off any scum. Then pour into hot sterilised jars ( I sterilise my jars by putting through a hot dishwasher then put them in a low oven to dry & keep hot ).

This makes about 4 lbs.

Buttermilk Scones

www.shropshirebreakfast.co.uk

I made the first strawberry jam of the season at the weekend and I can never make strawberry jam without also making scones.

Scones are one of the easiest things to cook provided you treat them with care. They need a gentle touch & not too much mixing. Saying that I'm a lazy cook and will use my mixer whenever I can.

8oz self raising flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1.5 oz soft butter
1oz sugar
1 egg
1/4 pint buttermilk

Preheat oven to about 200 degrees C for a fan oven.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Put the flour, baking powder & sugar into the mixer and mix together. Add the butter and mix again until you have a mixture resembling fine breadcrumbs.

Beat together the egg & buttermilk.

With the mixer running gradually add the egg & buttermilk mixture till it just forms a very soft, slightly sticky dough. This is the point you shouldn't overmix. You probably won't use all of the egg & buttermilk mixture. Keep this aside, don't chuck it yet!

Roll out the dough on a floured surface till it's about 2cm thick. Cut out using a 5cm pastry cutter. Combine any leftover bits and roll out again, cutting scones till you've used all the dough.

You'll get about 8 scones. Put these on the baking sheet and brush with the remaining egg/buttermilk mixture.

Bake for about 10 minutes until golden brown. Eat straight away with strawberry jam & clotted cream ( though double cream is just as good ), whilst arguing whether it should be cream first, then jam or vice versa.

Strawberry Jam

www.shropshirebreakfast.co.uk

I have 2 favourite preserves - strawberry jam & apricot preserve. Neither are particularly cheap to make unless you have a surplus of strawberries & apricots but I think homemade is wonderful compared to the stuff you buy in the shops.

To set a jam or jelly or marmalade you need pectin. Some fruits are naturally very high in pectin but for strawberries you need to add pectin. You can make your own pectin from apples or you can buy pectin in the shops in the baking aisle ( look for Certo ). I cheat & use jam sugar.

Jam sugar has added pectin so it makes it very quick to make a quick tasy jam.

You need to sterilise the jars & lids. I do this by running them through a hot dishwasher. I then put them on a baking tray and put them in a low oven to dry them & make sure they are warm when you put the jam in.

You need a couple of punnets of strawberries ( 900g ) & 1kg of jam sugar. Prepare the fruit by taking the stalk off, then wash. I don't like whole fruit in my strawberry jam so I put them all in the blender and chop quickly till I have a lumpy blend.

Put the strawberries and sugar in a large pan and heat on a gentle heat till all of the sugar has dissolved. Don't boil until all the sugar has dissolved or you'll end up with sugar crystals in the jam.

Then bring to the boil, adding a knob of butter ( this reduces the amount of scum that forms on top of the jam ). When boiling, boil for exactly 4 minutes.

As soon as the timer pings, take the pan off the heat & skim off any froth ( scum ) on top.

Quickly decant into warm jars ( it will make about 4 x 1lb jars ), screw on the lids and you're finished.

Honey Oat Bread

www.shropshirebreakfast.co.uk

I make no apologies for using a bread machine as there are days when I don't have time to make the amount of bread I need at the B&B by hand. However I don't bake it in the bread machine but, instead, use the dough setting, form the dough into 2 loaves and bake in the oven. I think this makes a better shaped loaf and gives me 2 loaves for 550g flour.

This is a lovely dense loaf perfect for eating warm from the oven with soup, rather than to be used for toasting at breakfast.

1.25 tsp yeast
100g rolled oats
350g granary bread flour ( I really like Wessex Mill Six Seed Bread Flour )
100g strong white bread flour
2tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp thick set local honey
1.5 tsp salt
320 ml water

2 x 1lb loaf tins, which I grease with butter and sprinkle with flour

Place the ingredients in your breadmaker and place on the dough setting. ( Or mix by hand or use the dough hook on a mixer to knead till elastic, put in an oiled bowl and leave somewhere warm to rise till double in size - about 2 hours )

When the dough is ready, knock it down & split into 2 equal portions. Roll each piece of dough and put into the prepared loaf tins.

Place a damp tea towel or some cling film over the the tins and put in a warm place to double in size which takes about 30-45 minutes ( or you can put in the fridge overnight to rise slowly and bake in the morning ).

When it's risen you can split the top using a very sharp knife and sprinkle with oats.

Bake in an oven at 200 degrees C for about 20 minutes.

Eggs Benedict

www.shropshirebreakfast.co.uk

This is a very popular special at the B&B; my husband's favourite. It's quite convenient to make because there's no real last minute cooking - it's just a case of warming through and assembling.

You'll need the recipes from earlier in the blog on poaching eggs, making hollandaise and, if you're planning to make your own, baking English Muffins.

If you're cooking for a few people then I suggest you pre cook the poached eggs and make up the hollandaise and put it in a warmed thermos flask. Then you're only reheating & assembling ingredients

For 1 eggs Benedict you'll need

1 poached egg
1 or 2 tablespoons of hollandaise
2 slices of grilled bacon ( or thick slices of ham )
1 toasted English Muffin buttered

And that's it really! Put the half an english muffin on a warm plate, top with the bacon ( or ham ), put the poached egg on top and spoon the hollandaise over.

Saffron Buns

www.shropshirebreakfast.co.uk


Having come across a jar of saffron in the spice cupboard, I decided to have a go at making saffron buns. I remember these from camping trips to Cornwall at Easter as a kid. We used to get up very early in the morning on Good Friday and drive down the M5, stopping at the first bakers we could find in Cornwall.

You need to allow a bit of time for prep for this recipe as you need to infuse the saffron in the milk.

As with the hot cross bun recipe I use a Panasonic bread machine to make the dough and do the first rise. If you're going to do this by hand, or using a mixer, use easy blend dried yeast, melted butter & warm milk.

Ingredients

1.5 tsp of fast action dried yeast
1lb strong white bread flour
1.5 tsp salt
1 teaspoons of mixed spice
2oz butter
2oz caster sugar
5oz mixed fruit
1 egg, beaten
250ml milk
1 tsp dried saffron threads

Put the milk into a saucepan and heat until almost boiling. Take off the heat. Put in the saffron threads and leave for about 30 minutes.

Put the yeast into the bread machine, then the flour, then the rest of the ingredients except the dried fruit. I have a fruit & nut dispenser on the bread machine, so put the fruit in there if you have one. Otherwise you add it in according to the instructions on my machine. I set mine to the raisin dough cycle.

If doing by hand Mix all the dry ingredients together including the fruit, add the butter, egg & enough milk to get a soft dough. Turn out onto a floured surface & knead till dough soft & elastic. Put in an oiled bowl topped with oiled clingfilm or a clean tea towel and leave to rise somewhere warm till doubled in size.

Knock down the dough and split into 12 equal sized balls. I arrange them on a large oiled baking sheet. I put them quite close together so you get that lovely batch baking effect of soft sides when you pull them apart.

If I'm doing these for breakfast I'll put them in the fridge overnight covered with clingfilm. I then take them out the fridge in the morning and allow to rise somewhere warm until doubled in size ( about 30-45 mins )

I cook them for 15-20 minutes at 180 degrees in the fan oven.

We prefer our buns non sticky. The easiest way to get a sticky bun is to melt some local honey and brush it over the buns when they're just out of the oven. Or you can use apricot jam, warm it gently & sieve out the bits

Apple Cinnamon Butter

www.shropshirebreakfast.co.uk


I often make apple butter with the glut of apples from our orchard in the autumn ( the rest I leave for the fieldfares & blackbirds to feast on )

I've had an unopened pot of apple butter on the breakfast buffet table for a few months and all of my UK guests have looked at it suspiciously and moved onto the marmalade. It has taken some guests from Bermuda to dive in and announce it delicious :0)

In my opinion it is best served spooned onto warm homemade brioche. Though it would also work well in the middle of a rice pudding!

500ml strong dry cider
500g cooking apples, peeled, cored & sliced
500g eating apples, peeled, cored and sliced
Grated rind and juice of 1 lemon
700g granulated sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon

Put cider in preserving pan and boil till it is reduced by half. Add the apples, lemon juice and rind.

Cover the pan and cook for 10 minutes, then cook uncovered for 20-30 minutes till the apples are very soft. Leave mixture to cool. Puree with a stick blender, then add 275g sugar for every 600ml of puree.
Add cinnamon and stir.

Heat gently till all sugar dissolved then bring to the boil for about 20 minutes, stirring regularly until the mixture forms a thick puree and holds its shape when put on a cold plate.

Spoon into warm sterilised jars and store in cool dark place.

Breakfast Pizza from Cally @countrygate

www.shropshirebreakfast.co.uk

Sometimes you meet people online and just click with them instantly and, for me, Cally @countrygate, is one of those people.

I can't quite remember when I first "met" Cally - it was the days before Twitter - I think through WiRE.

Here Cally shares her great idea for breakfast pizza for teenagers - I agree with her about the homemade English muffins and the process of getting the kids involved with making the dough the night before is a great way to get them cooking. But if you really don't have the time - some shop bought ones can be nearly as good.......

Here's a little of what drives Cally, in her own words, followed by the recipe.

"Most of the work I've done cooking with and for kids has stemmed from running the gardening club at the school my three attend. In the last three years I've tried to breathe a bit of life into the way the kids relate to food - snacking and sipping garden full of munchies  for the little 'uns; salad bags full of leaves and edible flowers sold to parents; homemade lemonade and ginger beer at school cake sales, cooking historical recipes to tie in with what they're studying in history (the Anglo Saxon feast with veggie stew cooked outside on an open fire was a big hit) bread making, cooking cakes with vegetables, classes for parents on low incomes showing them how to grow and cook simple stuff - pasta sauces, pizza, bread... 

The breakfast pizza was the result of a discussion with another Mum about the numbers of kids leaving going onto secondary school and having a breakfast of chocolate from the local newsagents as they rushed to get to school on time. I am hoping to provide a pop-up breakfast bar on a more regular basis in the future. My own kids love making the dough the night before and in essence can manage to make the pizza themselves for breakfast."

Breakfast Pizza
Can be eaten on the go - though what mother wouldn’t prefer their offspring to sit and chat over breakfast? Great for both occasions.

To make your own muffins...and I have to admit I do - you’ll need.....

500g strong bread flour, wholewheat or plain
5g powdered dried yeast
10 g fine sea salt
325ml warm water
A drizzle of sunflower oil and a bit more for coating
A handful of semolina flour

Add flour, yeast, salt and water to mixer bowl. Mix on low speed with the dough hook fitted until combined. Then add the oil and leave to knead for 10 minutes.

If mixing by hand, mix the flour, yeast, salt and water to form a sticky dough. Mix in the oil and then turn out onto a clean surface and knead until smooth and silky.

Shape the dough into a round, coat with a little extra oil and place in a clean bowl. Cover with a plastic bag and leave to rise until doubled in size.

Tip out onto the work surface and knock back. Divide into 9 pieces, shape each into a round and flatten to about 1-2cm. Dust all over with semolina flour. Leave to prove on a linen cloth or wooden board, covered with a plastic bag until doubled in size.

Heat a large heavy based frying pan over a medium heat. Lay the muffins in the pan and cook for a minute or two. Then turn them over gently. Cook slowly for a further 10 minutes, turning every now and then. If using an Aga, cook directly on the warm plate for up to 15 minutes, giving them a quick blast on the hot side at the end, if you think they need it. Leave to cool on a wire rack.

To assemble your breakfast pizza, slice a muffin in half; top one half with a couple of large thin slices of tomato and then ¼ cup shredded mozzarella.

Place it on a baking sheet, along with the other half of the English muffin. Grill until the cheese is melted and browned in places.

Remove and add a few leaves of finely chopped or torn basil. Top with the other half of the English muffin and you’re ready to run.

My children are rather conservative in their tastes but you could add some fried sliced mushrooms, a fried egg or ham for more adventurous types. Simples!

Blueberry Pancakes

www.shropshirebreakfast.co.uk

The most popular special I serve is American style pancakes.

I’ve tried lots of different recipes for these pancakes and have finally settled on one I like. I have Nigella to thank for the idea of making up pancake mix in advance but the recipe itself is from an American cookbook, with some adjustment.

The great thing about this is that you make a large batch of the dry mix in advance, then just scoop out some mix when you feel like pancakes, mix with the wet ingredients and hey presto!

You can make the pancakes up with milk but using buttermilk creates the most sublime fluffy pancakes imaginable.

You can use fresh or frozen blueberries but only add them to the pancakes once you've put them into the frying pan or they'll turn the mix blue!

Bear in mind that the cups mentioned here are measuring cups, available from any good cookshop or supermarket, not teacups.

Pancake Mix

• 4 Cups Plain Flour
• 1/2 Cup Sugar
• 8 Teaspoons Baking Powder
• 1 Teaspoon Bicarbonate of Soda
• 1/2 Teaspoon Salt

Put all of the ingredients into a large jar – I use a large kilner jar. Put on the lid and shake really well to ensure all the ingredients are well mixed. Repeat this when you come to use the mix.
When you’re ready to make the pancakes. Mix the wet ingredients together.

• 1 pot of buttermilk ( just over 1 Cup ) or 1 Cup of milk
• 1 tablespoon of melted butter
• 1 egg

Take 1 Cup of the dry ingredients and put in a bowl and mix well. Add the wet ingredients gradually. You’re looking for a fairly thick batter as thick as greek yoghurt. You may not need all of the wet mixture.

Put a large frying pan over a medium high heat. Brush with melted butter or oil then drop the pancake mix in large spoonfuls ( I use an ice cream scoop to measure them out – thank you Ina Garten for that suggestion ).

Sprinkle 5 or 6 blueberries on each pancake.

Cook on first side until small bubbles start to appear on the upper surface and the edges are set, about 2 minutes. Then flip over and cook for 2-3 minutes until you have a nice golden brown colour.

Serve with crispy bacon and maple syrup – some English folks need persuading about this combination but you really need the bacon, pancakes & syrup to get the perfect taste.

Hot Cross Bun French Toast

www.shropshirebreakfast.co.uk

This is a good way of using up any leftover hot cross buns. This recipe serves one person but you can double up.

Ingredients

1 hot cross bun - a couple of days old, not too fresh
1 egg
2 tablespoons of milk
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1 large knob of butter
A drop of oil

Beat together the egg, vanilla & milk really well.

Slice the hot cross bun in 2 and put into the egg mixture to soak for 3 or 4 minutes on each side.

Heat the butter with a drop of sunflower oil until the butter is foaming ( the oil helps prevent the butter from burning ). Add the bun & fry until golden brown on both sides. Best served with maple syrup ( and for me a bit of crispy bacon )

Gluten Free Muffins Recipe 2

www.shropshirebreakfast.co.uk

I posted the gluten free muffin recipe I normally use last week but this morning decided to to risk just using my standard muffin recipe with gluten free flour.

On advice from Twitter friends @forfeng & @canalviewbnb I added extra milk as the flour is more absorbent than wheatflour. Roland @canalviewbnb also said that using butter provided better results than using any margarine type spreads, if you were thinking of using them.

I tested one & I thought they were barely distinguishable from a normal wheat flour muffin. But I knew my daughter, back from university for Easter, would jump on the muffins as soon as she came down so I waited, without telling her they were GF, for her reaction. She didn't notice - yay!

Dry Ingredients
1.5 cups Doves Farm Gluten Free Plain Flour
0.5 cups caster sugar
2 tsp gluten free baking powder

Wet Ingredients
1 pot of buttermilk ( ST Ives is 284ml )
0.3 cup milk
0.5 cup melted butter
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract

Streusel topping
0.25 cup Doves Farm Gluten Free Plain Flour
0.25 cup brown sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
0.25 cup of melted butter

1 cup frozen or fresh raspberries

Preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius ( for fan oven  )

Mix together the dry ingredients well.

Beat together the wet ingredients

Add the wet to the dry and mix quickly not over-mixing until ingredients only just combined. Quickly fold in the raspberries.

Divide the mix between 10 muffin cases in a muffin tin.

Mix together the dry streusel ingredients and then add just enough melted butter till you get crumbs - don't add all the butter at once as you may end up with sludge. Sprinkle the crumbs over the muffins and bake for 25 minutes.

Gluten Free Orange Shortbread

www.shropshirebreakfast.co.uk

I have some guests arriving with a wheat and gluten allergy. I'm baking the gluten free lemon drizzle cake for them but some people prefer biscuits in the room.

I got the original recipe from the Doves website but have adapted a little. I used orange rind and juice instead and baked in a 20 cm loose bottomed round sandwich tin as I suspected they would be quite crumbly. I also baked them for longer than the original recipe said.

Leave them in the tin to cool completely before cutting

You can't tell these aren't normal shortbread and I would quite happily have eaten them all.

200g Gluten Free Plain Flour
150g Softened Butter
100g golden caster sugar
rind and juice of 1/2 orange

Preheat oven to 160 degrees C ( for a fan oven ), 180 degrees for normal oven

Beat the butter and sugar together till it looks creamy in colour.

Add the rind, juice and flour and beat until it all comes together into a very soft dough.

Line the base of the cake tin with greaseproof paper, then grease the whole pan well with butter.

Press the dough into the pan, prick all over with a fork and cook for about 30-35 minutes until pale golden.

It does rise rather alarmingly but did settle down. Take out of the oven and just run a knife round the outside, then leave to cool completely in the tin.

Carefully take out of the tin and cut into wedges - easier to do quarters, then eighths then 16ths.

Asparagus topped with poached eggs & hollandaise

www.shropshirebreakfast.co.uk

Local Shropshire asparagus is now available at the Ludlow Food Centre and on Ludlow Market. I got a bit of a telling off by several people last week for eating it too early but as we also have it growing in our garden I'm guessing it's now in season!

I was reading today that asparagus can grow 5 inches in a day in hot weather.

I put it on as a breakfast special this weekend as I had a number of guests who seemed to be avoiding the meatier options.

To serve 4 people you need to make some hollandaise sauce - recipe here and poach 8 eggs - recipe here.

Steam the asparagus for 3-5 minutes. How long it takes will depend on how thick it is. test with a small sharp knife. I prefer mine on the crunchy side of just cooked.

Place 4-5 spears of asparagus on a hot plate, top with 2 eggs and a quarter of the hollandaise. Would be nice with some toasted crusty white bread or sourdough.

Orange & Rhubarb Muffins

www.shropshirebreakfast.co.uk

I bought some new season rhubarb from Ludlow market last week - half I turned into rhubarb compote and the other stick I used to make rhubarb muffins. I've never made rhubarb muffins before and, though I say so myself, they were very nice.

I was thinking of putting ginger with them but I already had ginger in the compote so I decided on orange instead. You could put a teaspoon of dried ginger into the streusel mix or even grate some fresh ginger into the muffin mix.

I think muffins need to be eaten warm from the oven but they will last a day & can be reheated.

Preheat oven to 180 degrees

Line a 12 hole muffin tin with 10 muffin cases

If you don't have buttermilk use milk and add a tablespoon of lemon juice a few minutes before using ( thanks to @ashtonlancaster for that tip ). You could also use natural yoghurt. You can just use milk & this works fine but I find the muffins are much lighter when you use buttermilk.

Muffin Ingredients

Dry Ingredients
1.5 cups plain flour
0.5 cup caster sugar
2 tsp baking powder
grated rind of 1 orange

Wet ingredients
0.5 cup melted butter
1 cup plus 2tbs buttermilk ( this is a St Ivel 284ml pot )
1 egg

100g rhubarb ( about 1 large stick ), sliced lengthways then chopped into small pieces

Streusel Ingredients
0.25 cup plain flour
0.25 cup brown sugar
0.25 cup melted butter

Mix all the dry ingredients together well.

Whisk all of the wet ingredients till well combined.

Add the wet to the dry ingredients - mix it all together quickly until only just combined. You really mustn't overbeat muffin mix. Then quickly fold in the rhubarb. Divide between 10 muffin cases. I use an ice cream scoop.

Mix together the flour & brown sugar for the streusel topping. Add the butter slowly, mixing until ou get crumbs. You may not need all the butter. If you add it all in one go you may end up with sludge instead of crumbs.

Sprinkle the streusel topping over the muffins. Then bake for about 25 minutes until just golden but not too burnt.

Lemon Drizzle Cake

www.shropshirebreakfast.co.uk

Every guest who arrives at Hopton House Bed and Breakfast, a luxury B&B here in beautiful South Shropshire,  has a whole cake waiting for them in their room to enjoy during their stay. Usually, unless I've had a special request, this will be a lemon drizzle cake.

This recipe is based on one of Mary Berry's, though I've adapted it to fit into 3 1lb loaf tins rather than making it up as tray bake. I've also upped the temperature which gives a nice cracked top to the cake which I like.
Replacing Mary's recommended milk with buttermilk makes the cake even lighter and fluffier

You need 3 1 lb loaf tins - I line mine with ready made paper liners.

Preheat oven to 180 degrees ( for fan oven )

Ingredients

For the Cake
10oz SR flour
8oz caster sugar
2 tsp baking powder
8oz softened butter ( I normally just use a whole pack of butter which is slightly over 8 oz)
5 Hopton House eggs ( which is about 4 large eggs )
4 tablespoons buttermilk
grated rind of 2 large lemons

For the Drizzle
6oz granulated sugar
juice of 2 large lemons

Put all of the ingredients into the bowl of an electric mixer and beat for 2 minutes.

Divide the mixture between the 3 loaf tins.

Put in the oven for 30 minutes - check after 30 minutes to see if the cake is firm on top. You will probably need longer but only allow 5 minutes at a time. You want just cooked.

Take out of the oven and leave for 5 minutes. Prick all over with a skewer ( I use my meat lifting forks - creates 4 holes at  a time - how lazy is that? )

Mix the sugar & lemon for the drizzle and pour over the cakes. After another 10 minutes take out of the tins & place on a wire tray - this is where is really helps having the ready made paper liners because it keeps any of the drizzle that has fallen down the sides in place.

This will keep for several days as it's so moist and they also freeze well.

Raspberry & Banana Honey Smoothie

www.shropshirebreakfast.co.uk

I try & offer some healthy options at the B&B and my berry smoothie is one. It's quick & easy to make if you have a blender.

Out of season I'll use frozen raspberries ( and sometimes blueberries ) for this. I do like to offer some berries every morning at the B&B and if they don't get eaten I'll pop them straight into the freezer and use them for smoothies - a great way of making sure you don't waste fruit that you're not going to be able to eat before it's past its best.

The weight of the ingredients here is just a rough guideline for quantity - I certainly don't weigh them out.

I prefer to use natural yoghurt but will use a fruit yoghurt if it needs using up. You can also use soya milk & soya yoghurt if you have someone who can't eat dairy.

For 2 people

150g raspberries
1 banana
150g natural yoghurt
a tablespoon of honey
200ml apple juice

Put all the ingredients in a blender & blend well until smooth.

Rhubarb & Ginger Compote

www.shropshirebreakfast.co.uk

I'm not a huge rhubarb fan, with one recipe exception, but I do like to see the lovely forced rhubarb stems when they arrive at Ludlow Market - a sign of spring.

I've made rhubarb compote today to go on the buffet table for breakfast. I have to admit it is very pretty. Any that doesn't get eaten will be pureed and frozen ready to go in the rhubarb dish I love which is Delia's rhubarb crumble ice cream.

I got the recipe from the Independent newspaper. In my opinion there was too much water in the recipe and too much ginger so I've altered it a bit.

The recipe needs to sit over night

125ml water
150g caster sugar
300g rhubarb ( one large stick )
40g fresh ginger grated

Put the water, sugar and freshly grated ginger into a pan and bring to the boil, then simmer for one minute.

If the rhubarb stick is quite thick then cut in half lengthways then chop into 1 cm pieces. Put into the sugar & ginger syrup and simmer for a minute.

Take off the heat & leave to cool, stirring occasionally. Put in the fridge overnight.

Cheese & Ham Toastie

www.shropshirebreakfast.co.uk

Not a conventional breakfast, but I remember going to Brierley Hill Baths most Sundays as a kid with my Dad and having cheese on toast for breakfast in the swimming pool cafe afterwards. I love cheese on toast but I love cheese & ham toasties even more.

I've made this one with my six seed granary bread but, if I'm feeling really indulgent I'll use white crusty bread instead.

The cheese you use needs to be quite sharp for the toastie over the ham can overpower it. I used one of our local cheeses, Little Hereford, but it wasn't quite sharp enough. If you're in Shropshire you might find Oakley Park Cheddar ( available from the Ludlow Food Centre ) a better match.

2 slices thick crusty bread
grated cheese
thinly sliced ham
butter

Make up the sandwich with the grated cheese & ham but with no butter on the bread. Melt a large knob of butter in a frying pan over a medium heat add the sandwich and quickly turn it so you get butter over both side. Fry until golden brown on both sides and the cheese has melted.

You can also butter the outsides of the bread first & put it straight into the pan with no other butter.

Honey Pecan French Toast from Brewster House B&B, Freeport Maine

www.shropshirebreakfast.co.uk

When I first started on Twitter there weren't many UK B&Bs on there so I spent a lot of time chatting to B&Bs in the US. One of those B&Bs was Brewster House. Scott & I became firm friends and, when we decided to take another trip to Maine ( a state we love ), we decided to stop off at Freeport & spend a few nights with Scott & Ruth.

Brewster House is a great B&B within walking distance of Freeport town with its famous outlet shops & restaurants. Rob & I took a short drive down to the coast & had a fabulous day watching ospreys feeding their chicks. We also took an evening puffin watching cruise with Scott & Ruth which was one of those trips of a lifetime.

Ruth really is a great cook & she and Scott are about to bring out a cookbook. So buy the book & try some of Ruth's fantastic recipes!

This recipe refers to half and half. If you're in the UK, use half single cream & half milk.

Website:http://www.brewsterhouse.com

Facebook: http://www.brewsterhouse.com/facebook.html

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/BrewsterHouseBB

Ingredients

 4 eggs beaten

3/4 cup half-and-half
1/2 Tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 thick slices soft crusted French bread (cut into 1 1/2" slices)
1/4 cup butter (1/2 stick)
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 Tbsp honey (or more to taste)
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup chopped pecans

Combine the eggs, half-and-half, brown sugar, and vanilla extract in a small bowl. Pour half the mixture into an 8x8 baking dish. Place the bread in the pan and top with the other half of the egg mixture. Refrigerate, covered, overnight or at least several hours.

Melt the butter in another 8x8-inch baking dish and stir in the brown sugar, honey, maple syrup, and pecans. Add the soaked bread slices. Bake at 350 degrees for

35-40 minutes until puffed and brown. Let sit for 5-10 minutes before serving.  To serve, slide a spatula under a slice of bread and invert the French toast onto the plate.

Garnish with a fanned strawberry and/or a few fresh blueberries and dusted with powdered sugar.

Serves 4

(Doubles easily in a 9x13 pan)