Brie and Bacon Muffins #MuffinMonday

From the City of Love, fluffy, cheesy Brie and bacon muffins, perfect for breakfast, lunch or snack time. Take them on a picnic with a bottle of your favorite wine.

If you follow my page on Facebook  (and I thank you if you already do) you know that I am in Paris this week, visiting friends and enjoying the sweet life.  I’ve only been here since Friday but I’ve already strolled through the Saturday market and eaten my weight in cheese and fresh fruit and bread.  (The cherries, in particular, are divine!)  Yesterday, we took the train out to Versailles to watch the start of the final stage of the Tour de France.  What an amazing experience.  Despite the heat, Parisians were out in force to cheer on the racers and I managed to get a good shot of the guys who had been awarded jerseys as they took off for the warm up around the Chateau de Versailles.  There really is no more beautiful city than Paris when the weather is good!

Our Muffin Monday ingredient this week is bacon but, since I am in the city of wonderful cheeses, I chose a nice creamy Brie to accompany it.  The French also offer bacon they call lardons in handy packages, already chopped up, so I used one of those.  But you can easily use any bacon and just chop it yourself.  I also added in a little Piment d'Espelette, because it has been on my “want” list for months and my friend, whose kitchen I was using, happened to have some on the spice shelf.  I have since bought a bag of my own.

Ingredients

7 oz or 200g smoked bacon or lardons
10 1/4 oz or 290g Brie
2/3 cup or 150ml canola or other light oil
1 1/8 cup or 265ml buttermilk
2 eggs
3 cups or 375g flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/4-1/2 teaspoon Piment d'Espelette or hot paprika or cayenne pepper.

Method
Preheat your oven to 350°F or 180°C and prepare your 12-cup muffin tin by lightly rubbing it with oil or use non-stick spray to coat or lining it with paper liners.

Fry your bacon in a skillet and drain on some paper towels.   Set aside a few pieces for topping each muffin before baking.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together your flour, salt, pepper and baking powder.

Cut the Brie into cubes and add them a few at a time to the flour mixture, stirring between additions, so that they are coated by the flour and won’t stick back together.  Reserve some cubes for topping the muffins before baking, if desired.

Whisk the oil, egg and buttermilk in a smaller mixing bowl.

Pour your wet ingredients into your dry ones and stir a couple of times.

Add in the bacon pieces and fold to combine.

Divide the rest of the batter between the muffin cups and top with the reserved cubes of Brie and bacon.

Bake in your preheated oven for about 20-25 minutes or until the muffins are golden and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Allow the muffins to cool for a few minutes then remove them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Enjoy!

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One-Pan Full English Fry-up

Full English Fry-up is a quick, easy and delicious one-pan breakfast that includes all the traditional parts - bacon, sausage, tomatoes, mushrooms and eggs.

Years ago, I was watching a Jamie Oliver show – one of his very first ones from the era of his second published cookbook – and he was working all night in a friend’s restaurant, baking the bread for the next day.  After putting in some long, hot hours, he started a one-pan fry-up.  It reminded me of our very late dinners (or very early breakfasts) back in Abu Dhabi.  As I mentioned way back in January, we often cooked a full English breakfast at the end of a night out.  It is indeed a delight after a long night out, but they are equally tasty earlier in the evening as an alternative dinner.

We often have breakfast for dinner and the rest of the family would like pancakes or waffles, and I mostly give in, but this would be my choice every time.

A genuine full English breakfast would also include black pudding, but my local grocery store was out of stock, and baked beans, which are not my favorite.  If my elder daughter and/or husband were in residence, I would have had to add the Heinz baked beans.  They have to be Heinz.  Just so you know.

Also, I’ve made enough for two diners but, in this same pan, I’ve added bacon and sausages enough for four and still have room for four eggs.  Double either the mushrooms or tomatoes (not both) and you’ll be fine.

Ingredients to serve two
2 medium tomatoes
4 medium brown mushrooms
2 rashers or slices back bacon
2 good quality English sausages
Olive oil
2 fresh eggs
Sea salt
Black pepper
Bread for toast, and butter, if desired.

Method
Cut off the stem end of your tomatoes and then cut them in half through the middle, so you see a cross section of the tomato.  Clean your mushrooms and trim the hard stems.

Add your bacon and sausage to a large non-stick skillet.  Cook until the bacon and sausage are both browned.

Drizzle in a little olive oil if the bacon and sausage haven't given off any grease and add in the halved tomatoes, cut side down, and mushrooms and cook until they are also browned and roasty looking. Then turn them over to brown the other side.

Arrange the bacon, sausage, tomato halves and mushrooms evenly around the pan and make spaces for frying your eggs.

Put your bread in the toaster, if serving.

Crack one egg at a time in a small bowl and gently add each to the pan.

Push the button down on the toaster.  Cook your eggs until they are the doneness you desire.  We like runny yellows, so this doesn’t take but a few minutes.  Season the eggs with sea salt and pepper.

Remove the toast from the toaster and butter, if desired.  Serve each person bacon, sausage, tomatoes, mushrooms, an egg and toast.


Enjoy!

If you love breakfast for dinner like we do, you’ll want to have a look at all the other lovely Sunday Supper dishes this week.  Breakfast for dinner is the best!

• Almond Rice Crepes Stuffed With Sweet Potatoes & Peas from Sue’s Nutrition Buzz
• Apple, Bacon, and Dubliner Cheese Stuffed French Toast from Neighborfood
• Bacon ‘n Eggs Bread Pudding from gotta get baked
• Bacon & Brie Potato Bread Strata with Roasted Pears from Eat, Move, Shine
• Bacon and Egg Waffles from The Urban Mrs
• Bacon Egg and Potato Breakfast Tacos from Cookin’ Mimi
• Bacon, Spinach and Tomato Breakfast Pizza from Runner’s Tales
• Baked Berry French Toast from Table For Seven
• Banana Waffles with Peanut Butter Syrup from A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
• Basic Vegan Waffles from KillerBunnies, Inc
• Breakfast Bowls from Jane’s Adventures in Dinner
• Copycat Japanese McDonald’s from Ninja Baking
• Cream Dried Beef and Waffles from Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
• Crumpets with Whipped Orange Honey from Kudos Kitchen by Renee
• Crustless Spinach Quiche from The Hand That Rocks The Ladle
• Dark Chocolate, Orange & Pistachio Greek Yogurt Cups from Cupcakes & Kale Chips
• Denver Breakfast Ring from Curious Cuisiniere
• Dulce de Leche Stuffed French Toast from Basic N Delicious
• Elderberry Flower Pancakes from Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
• Florentine Benedict from Supper for a Steal
• Gluten Free Breakfast Pizza from Blueberries And Blessings
• Greek Frittata from Casa de Crews
• Homemade Lox from Growing Up Gabel
• Italian Turkey Meatballs (With a Secret) from What Smells So Good?
• Joe’s Special, the Original San Francisco Treat from  target="_blank"Webicurean
• Kale, Bacon, Brown Rice Crustless Quiche from Shockingly Delicious
• Leek, Mushroom and Gruyère Quiche from H target="_blank"ip Foodie Mom
• Oatmeal Ice Cream from Treats & Trinkets
• One Pan Full English Fry-up from Food Lust People Love
• Open Faced BTC Sandwich from Peanut Butter and Peppers
• Prosciutto, Gorgonzola and Rosemary Strata from That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• Red Pepper and Egg Galette from Healthy. Delicious.
• Saucy Ham and Cheese Breakfast Sliders from Daily Dish Recipes
• Sausage breakfast casserole from My cute bride
• Seattle Sandwiches (Lox, Shmear, & A Fried Egg) from Juanita’s Cocina
• Sour Cherry Crisp from Pies and Plots
• Steak & Egg Bagel Sandwich from All Roads Lead to the Kitchen
• Steak and Egg Tostadas from The Girl In The Little Red Kitchen
• Tres Leches Pancakes from La Cocina de Leslie
• Waffles – One Plate, Two Ways: Sweet & Savory from Foxes Love Lemons
• Zucchini Pancakes with Sautéed Tomatoes and Feta from  target="_blank"Ruffles & Truffles

Pin this One-Pan Full English Fry-Up!

Rough Puff Tomato and Olive Tart

Hands up, who has been to Paris?  Who’d like to go?  And what is one of the number one destination for tourists in Paris.  The Louvre, of course.  Well, guess what?  I saw some treasures from the Louvre today.  In Abu Dhabi.  Yes, that’s right.   Right here in the Sandpit.  Apparently, a new Louvre is being built, and it is scheduled to open in 2015.  The plans look fabulous and there is already a small museum to introduce the bigger one to come, full of painted treasures by the likes of Picasso, Gauguin, Klee, Magritte, Mondrian and Twombly, as well as sculptures, ceramics, metalwork, tapestry and even a fascinating mobile by Alexander Calder.  Appropriate to the educational mission of the Louvre Abu Dhabi - bridging and connecting cultures - two ancient religious texts, the Koran and the Pentateuch, sit side by side in one protective glass case.  Entrance to the current exhibit - Birth of a Museum - is free, along with the narrated audio guide.  Now I can’t wait for the whole Louvre Abu Dhabi to open.  It’s going to be a beautiful place filled with beautiful things.

And now you know why I am late in posting this recipe.   Let us tarry no longer.  We have tart to bake!

Ingredients
1 rectangle rough puff pastry dough from this recipe
7 oz or 200g large grape or tiny Roma tomatoes
2 spring onions
2 cloves garlic
4 1/2 oz or 125g (drained) fresh mozzarella
3 1/2 oz or 100g feta
15 whole black olives
2 eggs lightly beaten
Sprinkle cayenne – optional

Method
Preheat your oven to 400°F or 200°C.

Roll out your chilled rough puff pastry, with a floured rolling pin on a lightly floured surface.

Laying your tart pan on top, cut a circle out of the dough with a sharp knife.

Transfer the circle of dough to the tart pan.

Fold the top under to neaten the edge.

Use a fork to dock the bottom and sides of the dough.

Pop this back in the refrigerator while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.

(Stack the leftover dough and wrap in cling film and freeze for later use. Don’t make it into a ball or you will lose your layers.)

Thinly slice your garlic, chop your green onions and crumble your feta cheese.

Pit your black olives and halve them and then halve the little tomatoes.   In a small mixing bowl, lightly beat the eggs.

Okay, now, in a larger mixing bowl, add in your tomatoes, olives, green onions, garlic and the beaten eggs.  Stir to mix.

Fold in the feta.

Pour the mixture into your tart pan.

 I like to straighten out the tomatoes and olives and make the rounded sides face up, because I think it’s prettier that way, but if you don’t care, skip this step.  The flavor will be just as lovely.  Probably.

Now slice the fresh mozzarella into little pieces and poke them in and around the tomatoes and olives.

Sprinkle with a little cayenne pepper if desired.

If your tart pan has a removable bottom, you’ll want to put it on top of another pan before putting it in the oven.  This will make it easier to remove from the oven when hot.

Bake for 40-45 minutes or until the crust is nicely golden and the cheese on top is too.

Allow to cool for a few minutes and then remove the tart pan.  Slice into pieces.

Enjoy!