I made blueberry pancakes for breakfast. Sunday just seems like a good time for a leisurely breakfast. A substantial kind of breakfast. I was lucky to have all the ingredients on-hand.
It's nice to sit out on the lanai to eat at least breakfast, but it was raining so hard the entire lanai got wet, even though it is covered. I love listening to the sound of the waves pounding on the sandy shore.
Lots of reading during the day as well as working on a new dessert menu for Gas Lamp. We will be offering ice cream sandwiches when the weather warms, so I have been practicing (research I like to call it). I recently made Ginger cookies with Lemon ice cream-a great combination!
Don't they look yummy?Lunch was a Croque-Madame, the French version of a grilled ham and cheese sandwich. The recipe is from "Tasting Table", an e-letter sponsored in part by Williams Sonoma. A great way to get new ideas as the editors look a new trends, new restaurant, new chefs and offer some great recipes.
Ingredients:
2 1/4-inch slices of artisan bread
2 slices of ham
2 Tbsp butter, softened, divided
Dijon mustard
1/2 cup shredded Gruyere chese
2 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
1 Tbsp all-purpose flour
3/4 cup of milk
Salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste
1 egg
Directions:
1. Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Butter both sides of your bread then place them on a foil lined baking sheet. Bake in the oven until lightly browned, about 5-8 minutes.
3. Melt 1 Tbsp butter in a small sauce pan. Add 1 Tbsp of flour and whisk for one minute until flour and butter are incorporated, then whisk in the milk. Heat, stirring constantly, until the sauce is thickened. Remove from heat and add 2 Tbsp Gruyere and 2 Tbsp Parmesan cheese. Season with salt, pepper and a dash nutmeg. Set aside.
4. Spread a scant amount of Dijon mustard on one side of each bread slice. Layer two slices of ham on one slice of bread. Top with 2 Tbsp shredded Gruyere cheese, then place the second slice of bread on top of the cheese, mustard side down. Place your sandwich back on the baking sheet.
5. Top your sandwich with the cheesy béchamel, sprinkle the remaining cheese over the sandwich and place back in the oven for 5 minutes. Turn on your broiler and broil the sandwich until the cheese on top begins to brown.
6. While your sandwich is baking, melt a scant amount of butter in a small frying pan. Crack your egg into the hot frying pan and cook, removing the egg from the pan before the yolk hardens. You do want the yolk to be runny. Place the egg on top of your sandwich after you remove it from the oven. Serve warm.
You have to hand it to the French, they do have a way with cooking!
The sun did come out for a while so we went grocery shopping for the coming week. I also managed to get some time sitting outside in the sun. The weather cleared for at least part of the afternoon-no complaints there!
Dinner was Prosciutto-Provolone Stuffed Chicken Breast with a Mushroom Sauce, mashed potatoes and mixed vegetables (baby carrots, broccoli and cauliflower) tossed with some balsamic vinegar and olive oil. You slice the cooked chicken breast at an angle, so that you can see the inside swirl of prosciutto and provolone-it makes for a lovely presentation!
The dessert du jour, was Coconut rice pudding with a spinkle of pumpkin spice mix. Nice and creamy and easy to make!
Ah, the versatility of a martini glass-not just for martinis any more!
More sitting out on the lanai after dinner. The ocean is very soothing.
It is now early Monday morning and still dark outside. We'll see if it rains today as it was forecasted to do. Otherwise, I think today will be a pool day!
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