Every Christmas morning I get up early and make the same cranberry coffee cake I’ve been making for the past 20 years or more.
It just wouldn’t be Christmas without it.
Once the presents have been opened and the dust has settled, I love to sit back with a cup of tea and a piece of cake, listen to Christmas music and bask in the glow of that once-a-year day.
Breakfast on Christmas day doesn’t have to be elaborate. No one wants to spend hours in the kitchen and miss all the fun, but having a special dish that you make every year especially for Christmas is a lovely tradition.
Two of the recipes below can be prepared the night before, and the third takes only a few minutes to put together. I hope one of them becomes your Christmas morning specialty.
English Muffin Strata
8 English muffins (white or wholewheat)
½ lb Black Forest or honey ham, slices cut in half to make half-moons (get ham sliced about
one-eighth-inch thick. Halved slices should be about the same size as the halved muffins)
8 eggs plus two egg whites
2 cups homogenized milk
½ cup sour cream
1⁄3 cup shredded parmesan cheese
2½ cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
Generously grease a 9x13-inch baking dish. Separate English muffins into halves and arrange halved muffins alternately with the halved ham slices in the dish, with the ham overlapping the muffins about halfway (the arranged ham and muffins should be stacked like knocked-over dominoes).
Sprinkle parmesan and cheddar cheeses evenly over the muffins and ham. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, egg whites, milk and sour cream until well combined.
Slowly pour mixture evenly over the muffins, ham and cheese. Cover dish tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
The next morning preheat oven to 350° F (remove strata from refrigerator while oven is heating). Bake uncovered until puffed and set in the centre, about 60 to 80 minutes (cover strata loosely with foil if it browns before it puffs up). Let stand for 10 minutes before serving. Makes eight servings.
Bacon & Cheese Breakfast Pizza
1 roll refrigerated pizza crust dough
6 slices bacon, chopped
1 Tbsp butter
10 eggs, beaten
¼ cup milk
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
4 Tbsp mayonnaise
2 Tbsp salsa
2 green onions, chopped
Preheat oven to 400° F. Stretch the pizza crust out on a 10x15-inch baking sheet and bake for five to seven minutes until firm to the touch but not browned, then remove from oven.
While crust is baking, cook the bacon just until fairly crisp; with a slotted spoon place cooked bacon onto paper towels to drain. Pour all bacon grease out of the pan and wipe clean; in the same pan melt the butter over medium heat. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs and milk; pour into pan and scramble until just set but not runny, about two to three minutes.
Mix the mayonnaise and salsa in a small bowl and spread a thin layer over the pizza crust as a sauce. Evenly spoon the scrambled eggs over the sauce, then sprinkle with black pepper, cheese and bacon.
Bake the pizza for another five to seven minutes until the crust is golden and the cheese is melted. Remove from oven and sprinkle with green onions; cut into slices to serve. Makes six to eight servings.
Texas Toast With a French Accent
½ cup butter, melted
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 loaf fresh white Texas Toast bread (a thick-cut bread found in the sliced bread aisle; loaf usually weighs about 28 oz. You can remove the crusts or leave them on, whichever you prefer)
4 large eggs
1½ cups homogenized milk or light cream
2 tsp vanilla extract
3 Tbsp light brown sugar mixed with 1 Tbsp cinnamon
Icing sugar and pure maple syrup for serving
Add the cup of light brown sugar to the melted butter and stir until well combined. Pour mixture into the bottom of a well-greased 9x13-inch baking dish, spreading it evenly. In a medium bowl, beat together the eggs, milk or cream and vanilla; set aside.
Lay one layer of bread over the butter-sugar mixture, cutting pieces to fit if necessary. Spoon one cup of the egg mixture evenly over the bread and sprinkle with half of the brown sugar-cinnamon mixture. Repeat layers using the remaining egg and cinnamon mixtures.
Cover tightly and let chill in the refrigerator overnight. In the morning, preheat oven to 350° F (remove casserole from refrigerator while oven is heating). Bake casserole covered with foil for 30 minutes then remove foil and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes until golden brown.
Cut into squares to serve, being sure to scrape up the yummy sticky syrup on the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle with icing sugar and serve with maple syrup. Makes eight to 10 servings.
Angela Shellard is a self-described foodie. She has done informal catering for various functions. Contact: [email protected].
