brunch Archives - The Midnight Baker

Johnny Cakes

Judith Hannemann — Sat, 13 Aug 2022 23:00:33 +0000

You can’t get more New England than Johnny cakes. They’re a real weekend breakfast treat.

Johnny Cakes Are Pure New England

Even though there’s a Jamaican version of Johnny cakes which are something unto themselves, this version is a New England staple.

Johnny cakes are a substantial pancake that many find reminiscent of cornbread. They are in a way and then again, they are not. This version has a texture somewhat like cornbread, but I don’t think they taste similar in any way.

There are many different versions of the same thing, but this is the basic recipe for the New England style cakes.

The Cornmeal

Traditionally, white cornmeal is used. I always have yellow on hand so I use that. It really doesn’t make any difference unless you don’t wish to have the yellowish color in the pancakes. As always, use what you have or what’s available.

Because cornmeal must hydrate not to be gritty, the batter has to stand for about 10 minutes and hot milk has to be used. I make mine with milk and butter. However, there are other ways to do this and I even found one recipe that uses bacon fat in place of butter. Whilst I love bacon, I don’t think that flavor in Johnny cakes would send me. But again, it’s up to what your tastes are so proceed with that.

Enjoy Like Pancakes

Johnny cakes are enjoyed just like regular pancakes with butter and maple syrup or the syrup of your choice.

One caveat is they take a bit longer to cook that regular buttermilk pancakes. They will take about 10 minutes and should be flipped when they are brown on one side. For this I use the griddle that came with my stove and I use medium heat. They can be done in a large cast iron frying pan and personally, I think that’s the best way. However, with the skillet you will have to cook in batches. An investment in a cast iron double burner griddle would be a good choice for this.

The Recipe

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Johnny Cakes

A New England special

Prep Time5

Cook Time10

Batter Standing Time10

Course: Breakfast, Brunch

Cuisine: American

Keyword: cornmeal pancakes, johnny cakes, new england traditional foods

Servings: 6

Calories: 220kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups milk
1 tbs unsalted butter
1 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup flour
2 tbs sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 egg beaten
Butter for griddle

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Place milk and butter in a small saucepan and heat until it simmers. Remove from heat.
In a large bowl, combine the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Whisk this together so it's well mixed.
Add the milk mixture and whisk until it's well combined then whisk in the egg. Let this stand for 10 minutes.
Heat a large non-stick pan or griddle over medium heat. Add a pat of butter to grease the griddle.
Drop about 2 tablespoons of the mixture in the pan and swirl with the back of a spoon to make a round "pancake" about 3-inches7.5 cm wide.
Cook about 10 minutes total flipping when one side is brown.
Serve with butter and maple syrup.

Nutrition

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Hashbrown Egg Nests

Judith Hannemann — Tue, 07 Jul 2020 23:00:37 +0000

What better way to start Saturday or Sunday than with a weekend breakfast of scrambled eggs in a nest of hashbrown potatoes?

Weekend Breakfast

There’s something very special about weekend breakfasts. Since the work week is over, you’ve slept a little later and can linger a little longer over breakfast.

Because there’s more time on weekend mornings to prepare a fancier breakfast, these special scrambled egg cups are just the ticket. You’ve got all the elements of a diner-style breakfast but all in one package. They are easy to prepare and there’s nothing very involved in the preparations. If you can make scrambled eggs, you’ve got this!

Eggs Dressed Up Or Down

The filling for these nests is scrambled eggs.

You can dress them up or down depending on what extras you have on hand. The basic add-in here is bacon. Bacon can be prepped in advance so all that’s necessary is dicing it when the time comes to prepare these egg nests.

You can easily substitute cooked and crumbled sausage for the bacon. The choice is, of course, up to you and what you have on hand.

The other basic add-in is shredded cheese. Here, you can use any variety of cheese you like–and have on hand. You can also combine cheeses. What I did here was use a Mexican blend and added in some finely dice jalapeño for a little zip.

My other “secrets” to creamy scrambled eggs is cooking them over medium-low heat and putting some cream in them.

These are nice with my orange breakfast rolls.

The Potatoes

The best choice here is to use prepared refrigerated hashbrowns. Just a reminder that it’s the shredded kind–not the patties.

The refrigerated potatoes are the easiest choice because they’re ready-to-use and are dry enough to use right out of the package.

If all you have are frozen shredded potatoes, take them out of the freezer the night before so they are completely defrosted by the time you make these egg nests. Remember to dry them well by either using several layers of paper towels or squeezing them in a clean tea (dish) towel.

The last option is to make your own. That does involve some work and if you completely prep them ahead, they will discolor so keep that in mind. However, the discoloration isn’t spoilage at all and there is no “off” taste.

The Recipe

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Hashbrown Egg Nests

Perfect for a weekend breakfast or brunch

Prep Time10

Cook Time30

Course: Breakfast, Brunch

Cuisine: American

Keyword: creative ways with hash browns, fancy egg recipes, weekend breakfast

Servings: 6

Calories: 309kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

20 oz refrigerated shredded hash brown potatoes
6 large eggs
1/4 cup cream see NOTES
1/4 cup milk see NOTES
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbs butter
6 slices cooked bacon crumbles
1 jalapeño diced, optional
1 cup shredded cheese

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400F/200C. Spray a standard 12 muffin tin with non-stick spray.
Divide the potatoes up between the cups in the pan. Press into the bottom and up the sides. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until golden brown.
While the potatoes are baking, whisk the eggs, cream, milk and salt in a large bowl.
Melt the butter in a large non-stick skillet over medium-low heat and pour in the eggs. Stir until eggs are set and no liquid egg remains. Add the bacon, jalapeño and 3/4 cup of the cheese; stir until cheese is melted.
Divide the egg evenly between the cups. Top with the remaining cheese and bake for about 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Notes

1/2 cup milk may be substituted for the cream/milk combination

Crumbled cooked sausage may be substituted for the bacon

Any shredded cheese may be used. I used Mexican blend because of the jalapeños

Nutrition

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Mini Fritattas

Judith Hannemann — Sat, 23 Aug 2014 23:00:00 +0000

Mini Fritattas

Cross between a quiche and a fritatta! Great for a light dinner or grab-and-go breakfast. Make a bunch; they reheat well.

I love quiche and I also love a good fritatta. I was wondering whether I could marry the two so you’d get the reheatability of a quiche along with the hearty, packed-with-goodies taste of a fritatta.

Make an excellent brunch or light dinner

Answer is–you can! I used a higher proportion of eggs to cream, although more cream than a true fritatta would use (it’s really only a puffy baked omelette), it produces a texture somewhere in between an omelette and a custardy quiche.

These have a definite Italian-style flavor since I used my beloved Asiago cheese and Italian sausage–and threw in some diced green/red peppers I had laying around in my freezer–but this can be made with any leftover meat and veggie combination that you can think up. And here’s where canned whole potatoes come in handy–I used those since they’d keep their shape and not get mushy. I diced up regular sausages, but bulk Italian sausage that has been browned can be substituted here. Use any cheese that suits you too.

Reheats well too!

These make a good light supper or brunch served with a green salad, but since they reheat well, they can be popped in the microwave for about a minute and stand in as an on-the-go breakfast or snack.

I tend to use something richer than regular milk in these types of dishes because the taste is richer and they turn out less watery. I didn’t try this with milk (I only use whole milk for cooking) so I cannot state whether they would turn out quite the same. Probably would, but be a tad more moist. However, since I didn’t test this, I can’t recommend it.

Grab-n-go breakfast

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Mini Fritattas

Cross between a quiche and a fritatta! Great for a light dinner or grab-and-go breakfast. Make a bunch; they reheat well.

Prep Time10

Cook Time30

Total Time40

Course: Appetizers, Breakfast, Brunch, Comfort Foods, Everyday Meals, lunch

Cuisine: Mexican

Keyword: fritatas

Servings: 12

Calories: 110kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

3 large eggs
1 1/2 cups half-and-half cream
2 tbsp diced green bell pepper
2 tbsp diced red bell pepper
1/2 cup diced cooked potatoes
1 cup diced cooked Italian sausage
1/2 cup shredded asiago cheese
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Spray or grease a 12-cup regular-sized muffin pan.
In a large bowl, beat eggs well. Beat in the cream. Stir in remaining ingredients.
Spoon into prepared pan, filling cups almost to the top.
Bake for 10 minutes at 400 degrees F then reduce oven heat to 350 degrees F and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until centers are set.
Remove from oven and let stand for 5 minutes. Remove fritattas from pan and serve.

Nutrition

Mini Fritattas

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