Inspiration for me.....
The past two weeks I have been garden touring and lunching and my head is awhirl with thoughts and ideas...
Last week I was invited to a brunch hosted by Diane Muyskens, who is both a passionate cook and gardener. The above photo was taken of the table setting before we sat down to our wonderful meal. We all loved the bird cage idea (and I was proud of myself for buying a bird cage at a good price a month ago at the Stars and Splendid store). Maybe someday I will use a bird cage filled with flowers for a centerpiece, and if I do I will be sure to give Diane credit for the idea.
The brunch was delicious of course and was served on beautiful china garnished with a pink rose dusted with powdered sugar. I am going to give you the recipes for the French Toast and Bacon we were served....
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Make-Ahead French Toast with Strawberry Sauce
1 (16 ounce) challah bread, cubed*
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, cut into pieces
6 large eggs
4 cups half-and-half
1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted
1/4 cup maple syrup
2 cups fresh strawberries, sliced
1 (10-ounce) jar strawberry preserves
1. Arrange half of challah bread in a lightly greased 13 X 9 pan. sprinkle with cheese pieces, and top with remaining bread.
2. Whisk together eggs and next 3 ingredients, pour over bread mixture, pressing bread cubes to absorb egg mixture. Cover and chill 8 hours.
3. Bake, covered, at 350o for 25 minutes. Uncover and bake 20 more minutes.
4. Heat sliced strawberries and strawberry preserves to a saucepan over low heat, and serve over toast.
*Substitute French bread for challah.
To Lighten: Substitue 1 (8-ounce package Neufchatel cheese for cream chees, 1 1/2 cups egg substitue for eggs, and 4 cups fat-free half-and-half for regular half-and-half.
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Pecan Sugared Bacon
MAKES 6 servings; Prep: 15 Min.
BAKE: 25 Min. at 400o for 22-26 mins. STAND: 5 Min.
2 Tbsp. coarsely chopped pecans
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper
12 thick-cut bacon slices
1. Preheat oven to 400o. Process pecans in food processor 20 seconds or until finely chopped. Stir together pecans, brown sugar, and papper.
2. Dip bacon in the mixture of finely chopped pecans, pepper and brown sugar.
3. Place half of bacon in a single layer on a lightly greased wire rack in an aluminum pan.
(Note: Diane says they can be done up ahead and reheated and that they are good cold as well. She also adds more brown sugar and pecans than called for.)
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The meal was served with fruit and a lovely beverage called Rockin' Raspberry Lemonade in the sugar encrusted goblets pictured.
There were eight of us lucky enough to share, enjoy, and fully appreciate this repast, and you can be sure the conversation was lively.
Dessert was blueberry pound cake (the blueberries supplied by the Muysken's garden) served with coffee. We were all lulled into a state of total thrall between the delectable food and the spirited conversation.
After brunch we toured the expansive garden and marvelled at the beauty of the space, the usefulness of the vegetable garden and fruit and berry plantings, and the charming outbuildings which serve as workshops and storage for the Muyskens.
The photo above is just one glimpse of the garden.
Again for me another example of the creativity of northwest's talented people. A hearty thank you to Diane for having us all!!
signing off ....
Gayle@starsantique.com
photos courtesy of Diane Muyskens (Thank you Diane!!)
