Restaurant Recreation: Bfast Tots Hash

Lulu’s Allston has this so decadent White Trash Hash that is tots, topped with braised short ribs, hollandaise, with poached eggs. It came in a close 2nd place at a brunch battle event and I totally thought it should have won. I recreated at home during my mini stay-cation. A day home alone calls for brunch, with a 2nd cup of coffee. The pups watched me take my plate out and must have been thinking: ‘what, the heck is going on?’ or ‘can I have some?’. I made a cheesy sauce since it is easy to make a small amount.

The Three Bite Rule - Bfast Hash
Sooo good! Using the toaster oven made it surprisingly quick. My eggs weren’t 100% perfect but a bit runny. They’re the most testy part of putting this together. Mr. J is suuuper skilled at pealing soft boiled eggs. I am not. I use a metal insert for poaching eggs- which takes a bit of practice. I’m getting there.

Bfast Tot Hash (for 2)

Ingredients:

2 cups tator tots
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons cream cheese
1 cup cheddar cheese
1 teaspoon butter
2 eggs

Directions:

Bake the tots until very crispy. (I popped mine in the toaster oven on broil so they only took 15 minutes.)
In a small sauce pan over medium low heat, mix together the milk and cream cheese until melted and whisks smoothly – about 5 minutes. Then whisk in the cheese and butter.
The Three Bite Rule - Bfast Hash
While the cheese sauce cooks, poach or soft boil the eggs.  (poach in water = ~3 minutes; poach in insert= ~4 minutes; soft boil= ~5 minutes)
Lay the tots on plates, then drizzle cheese sauce, top with the egg, another drizzle of cheese sauce, and salt & pepper.
The Three Bite Rule - Bfast Hash
Poke that yolk and enjoy!

Mini Fruit Tarts

I’m back! I’ve resurfaced for air now that work is quieting down. Phew! I made these cute buggers back for Easter, and I took a little shortcut to make them even easier. I used sugar cookie dough for the bottom and it made them come together so quickly! I baked the cookie base the night before and whipped up the pastry cream. The Three Bite Rule - Mini Fruit Tarts

Sugar Cookie Fruit Tarts

Ingredients:

refrigerated sugar cookie dough
1 1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon light colored jelly (apricot, marmalade, apple, peach)

Directions:

Warm the milk over medium low heat until it steams, but doesn’t boil.
Whisk together the sugar, flour, salt and egg yolks into a paste.  (I used a stand mixer.) Add in a little of the milk and keep mixing. Pour in the rest of the milk slowly while mixing.
Pour it back into the pot and warm over low. Stir while it cooks and thickens. Don’t let it boil!
Spoon through a mesh strainer to strain any lumps out.
Refrigerate at least an hour, or until ready to serve. Lay a piece of plastic wrap ontop of the pastry cream so the top doesn’t form a pudding skin.
Bake the cookie into cups by pressing into muffin tin cups. Allow to cool then spoon the pastry cream into the cookie cups.
The Three Bite Rule - Mini Fruit Tarts
Top with berries or sliced fruit.
The Three Bite Rule - Mini Fruit Tarts
Then, brush with some jelly, microwaved for 10 seconds.
The Three Bite Rule - Mini Fruit Tarts
So cute! The pastry cream is light and tasty. I was glad for the cookie crunch and a little fruit for freshness. They’re cute as mini cups but would be pretty in a springform or tart pan.

I made these for Easter brunch along with Sausage, Egg, & Cheese Everything Bagel Bake. These worked well together since I had egg whites left from the pastry cream!

Sausage, Egg & Cheese Bagel Bake

Sausage, egg, and cheddar bagels for everyone! I made this savory bread pudding with my favorite bfast sandwich fillings for an Easter brunch. It was SO good and perfect for a group since I prepped it the night before and just popped it into the oven. It puffed up and was nicely soft. The leftovers were delicious too!

The Three Bite Rule - Sausage, Egg, Cheese Bagel Bake
Smitten Kitchen made this with cream cheese, onion, capers, and smoked salmon. I went with my preferred sausage/egg/cheddar combo.

Sausage, Egg & Cheese Bagel Bake

Ingredients (serves 6):

3 everything bagels
6 links breakfast sausage
4 oz sharp white cheddar cheese
5 egg whites
3 eggs
1/4 cup cream cheese (at room temperature)
1/4 cup milk

Directions:

Chop the bagels into bite size pieces. Chop the cheese into 1/4 inch cubes.
Pan fry the sausage until cooked through. Then chop into bite sized pieces.
Spray a baking pan with non-stick spray. Add in half the bagel pieces, then top with half the sausage and cheddar pieces.
The Three Bite Rule - Sausage, Egg, Cheese Bagel Bake
Place the remaining bagel pieces and the remaining sausage and cheese pieces on top. Turn the very top bagel pieces over so the outside of the bagel is facing out. Sprinkle with salt & pepper.

The Three Bite Rule - Sausage, Egg, Cheese Bagel Bake
Whisk together the egg whites, eggs, milk, and cream cheese.
Pour over the bagel, sausage, and cheese pieces.
The Three Bite Rule - Sausage, Egg, Cheese Bagel Bake
Cover and refrigerate over night, or until ready to bake.
Bake at 400-degrees for about 45 minutes.
The Three Bite Rule - Sausage, Egg, Cheese Bagel Bake
Poke a knife in to see that the egg is fully cooked. It shouldn’t be runny in the middle.
Serve and enjoy!

It puffs up and is so great! The chewy bagels are soft but such a great texture. I loved the everything bagel-ness with the sharp cheddar, the sausage, and the eggs. The mostly egg whites made it a touch lighter!

Epic Breakfast Sandwich

Breakfast sandwiches are one of my fav foods so I decided to give it a twist with hashbrowns and a sweet sauce, crisp bacon, and sharp cheddar. Yesssss.
The Three Bite Rule - Epic Bfast Sandwich
Also. I baked the hashbrowns in the bacon drippings. Necessary.

Epic Breakfast Sandwiches

Ingredients:

4 slices bacon
4 hash brown patties
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
1 tablespoon mayo
1 teaspoon maple syrup
2 eggs
2 slices sharp cheddar

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375-degrees. Set up a baking sheet (one that has edges) topped with a cooling rack. Spray with non-stick spray and lay the bacon onto the cooling rack. Bake for 7-10 minutes, until crisp.
When the bacon is crisp, remove and let drain on paper towel.
Careful (it is hot!) remove the cooling rack, and pop the hash brown patties onto the baking sheet and bake according to the package – flipping partway through. Mine took about 18 minutes to get very crispy.
While the hash browns are cooking, mix together the mustard, mayo, and maple syrup.
The Three Bite Rule - Epic Bfast Sandwich
When the hash browns are crispy on both sides, pan fry the eggs. Flip and add the sliced cheese on top.
(Some sauteed spinach or greens would be nice here too – mine had gone too far so I had to skip it).
While the eggs cook, smear some maple-dijon sauce onto the bottom hash brown (then greens if you’re using).
The Three Bite Rule - Epic Bfast Sandwich
Top with bacon then with the egg & cheese.
The Three Bite Rule - Epic Bfast Sandwich
Then top with the top hash brown.
Enjoy!
The Three Bite Rule - Epic Bfast Sandwich
Yum. I loved these. They were a tiny bit tricky to pick up…more of a fork-and-knife dish. I really wanted some garlicy wilted greens inside here, but my greens were slimy. No thank you.

The Three Bite Rule - Epic Bfast Sandwich
This little place near work makes a breakfast sandwich with this maple-y mustard sauce. It is just the surprise to keep this alive. I mellowed mine out with 1 part mayo because for some reason this dijon is knock-yo-socks off tangy.

Coconut Caramel Smoothie

This smoothie was for breakfast, but definitely suggested dessert. The coconut was light and the caramel felt like a treat. Whenever bananas are on their way out I chop them into chunks and freeze them. They make smoothies so creamy. I kept it as simple as possible for a breakfast, but would also love this with a touch of chocolate or coffee.

The Three Bite Rule - Caramel Coconut Smoothie

Coconut Caramel Smoothie

Ingredients: 1 serving

1 frozen banana
1 1/4 cup coconut almond milk
1 cup ice cubes
6 oz coconut Greek yogurt
2 teaspoons caramel ice cream topping + 1 teaspoon for garnish

Directions:

In a blender, add in the banana, coconut almond milk, ice, and yogurt.
The Three Bite Rule - Caramel Coconut Smoothie
Add in the caramel sauce. Blend again. Pour in another drizzle of milk, if needed.
The Three Bite Rule - Caramel Coconut Smoothie
Pour into a cup, and drizzle with caramel. Enjoy!IMG_6135

SO good! It was sweet, but so delicious. The banana, the yogurt and the almond milk made it filling while the caramel made it delightfully special. And if we’re being real, sometimes that’s exactly what a Tuesday needs.
The Three Bite Rule - Caramel Coconut Smoothie