Southern Comfort Bed and Breakfast (New Orleans, Louisiana)

Our guests love this!

1 cup whole milk
4  large eggs
3 tbs sugar
1 tsp vanilla
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp cinnamon
2/3 cup all purpose flour
4 tbs unsalted butter
2 or 3 golden delicious apples, thinly sliced
3 tbs light brown sugar
powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 425. Whisk milk, eggs, sugar, vanilla, salt, and cinnamon in large bowl until blended. Add flour and whisk till smooth. Place butter in 13x 9 inch glass baking dish. Place in oven until butter is melted, about 5 minutes. Remove and place apples in overlapping rows atop melted butter. Return to oven and bake until apples begin to soften  about 10 minutes.

Pour batter over apples and sprinkle with brown sugar. Bake until puffed and brown, about 20 minutes. Sprinke with powered sugar. Serve warm.

These pancakes are light and airy.

2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup sugar
5 tbs melted butter
1 cup whole -milk ricotta
1 1/2 cups milk
2 eggs separated
Zest of 2 lemons
Butter for spreading, 1 pint strawberries, sliced ,Maple syrup, powdered sugar

Mix dry ingredients together in a large bowl. In another bowl, whisk together the melted butter, ricotta, milk, egg yolks, and lemon zest.
Combine the wet ingredients with the dry. Beat the egg whites until they hold a soft peak and fold them into the batter.

Tips to make good pancakes There are a few simple rules to follow to ensure that you will have excellent pancakes every time. Always mix the dry ingredients first. Mix wet ingredients separately and then fold into the dry. Do not over mix the batter or your pancakes will be tough. Mix until the ingredients are just barely combined. Heat your pan or griddle on high than reduce to medium-high. Put a few teaspoons of butter in the hot pan and melt it, coating the pan. Ladle the batter into the pan, about 1/2 cup for each cake, resist flipping the cakes until bubbles form on the top. Flip the cakes and cook 1 to 1/2 minutes more until they are set.

This is sooooo good! I serve this with sweet potato and pecan waffles.

The key ingredient is Steen’s Cane Syrup. Since 1910, five generations of Steen’s have produced this cane syrup in Abbeyville Louisiana. They still use the original recipe, steam equipment and open kettle method to make pure cane syrup. It is thick and dark with a very distinct and robust flavor.

1 pound good thick cut bacon
4 TBS cane syrup
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup pecans, toasted and chopped fine

Combine the brown sugar and pecans and set aside.

Cook the bacon in the oven at a temp of 400 degrees. I place the bacon on a wire cooling rack atop a cookie sheet to catch the grease. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes, half way through use a scott towel to soak up any excess fat on the bacon.

Move the bacon strips close together and brush with the cane syrup. Generously sprinkle the sugar mixture on top . Return to the oven for an additional 5 to 10 minutes of cooking.

You can try maple syrup in place of Steen’s but the result just won’t be the same. Steen’s can be purchased on line and isn’t expensive. You’ll find manys ways to use it…. especially in salad dressings and glazes.

Larry Watts, owner of the 1896 O’Malley House , another New Orleans B&B, shared this recipe with me. I have served it several times now and the plates come back empty. You might give it a try, its quick and easy.

Ingredients:
7 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp cinnamon
1.5 cup sugar
2.5 cups of milk
6- 8 croissants
2.5 cups frozen blueberries

Topping:
1.5 cups sugar
1 tsp cinnamon

Directions:
Place 1″ slices of croissants in greased 9 x 13 baking dish. Scatter blueberries evenly on top of bread.
Mix first 5 ingredients and pour over bread and blueberries.
Mix topping and sprinkle over top. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
Bake at 350 for 40 to 45 minutes.
Serves 8 – 10