Egg & Bacon Breakfast Baskets

I saw this fun recipe in my 200 Really Easy Recipes cookbook and decided to make it for D for Valentine's Day breakfast--the cute cherry tomatoes in the middle of the egg mixture reminded me of breakfast cupcakes! Note: See Vegetarian option below.
Ingredients (Makes 8 baskets, serves 4):

Spray olive oil, for oiling muffin tin

75g (3oz) butter, melted

150g (5oz) smoked bacon rashers, rind removed, diced

(Note: we used cubed pancetta pieces)

2 eggs

125 ml (4fl oz) double cream/heavy cream

2 Tbsp fresh grated Parmesan cheese

8 cherry tomatoes on the vine

16 slices white bread (or wheat bread)

salt and fresh ground pepper

Preheat the oven to 400F/200C. First cut the crusts off the bread (try to make even squares) and discard, then flatten each slice by rolling over it firmly with a rolling pin, and brush each slice with the melted butter. Next place 8 squares diagonally on top one other 8 squares and carefully press them into eight muffin tin holes that had been sprayed with the olive oil. Bake the squares for 12-15 minutes until crisp and golden. Meanwhile fry up the bacon/pancetta pieces and prepare the egg mixture in a bowl by beating together the eggs, cream, cheese salt and pepper, then pull the bread baskets out of the oven to cool slightly.

After draining the fried pancetta, I divided it between the 4 bread 'baskets' and then poured the prepared egg mixture over the pancetta (about 2 tablespoons of egg mixture per basket is plenty). Last top each 'basket' with a cherry tomato, then place back into the oven for 12-15 minutes, or until eggs are set.

Note for Vegetarians: You can make this vegetarian by substituting fresh spinach for the bacon/pancetta. Cook the spinach with a small pat of butter in a frying pan until wilted, then add the spinach to the cases instead of the pancetta before pouring over the egg.

Scrambled Eggs w/ Pancetta, Asparagus & Orzo

For the pasta lover--you can even have pasta for breakfast! This is a great way to use up the remains of a bag of orzo (which I've been using a lot of lately!). I'm not usually a huge fan of asparagus as part of a breakfast dish, but I figured no vegetable could possibly taste bad after being stir-fried with pancetta & onions, and this was delicious. This recipe came from Giada de Laurentiis' Everyday Pasta, but I substituted baby bocconcini mozzarella instead of smoked mozzarella (which is expensive and not as easy to find here in England). It was fast & easy to make and made a delicious Sunday brunch with some fresh toasted Italian or sourdough bread.

Breakfast Pasta Scramble (serves 4--easily halved for 2 persons)

1/2 cup orzo (rice shaped pasta)

10 large eggs

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper

2 oz./100g smoked or plain mozzarella, torn or cut into 1/2-inch cubes

2 Tbsp thinly sliced fresh basil

1 Tbsp unsalted butter

4 oz./125g pancetta or bacon, coarsely chopped

1/2 cup chopped onion

8 thin asparagus stalks, trimmed, cut crosswise into 1/2 inch pieces

Directions:

1. Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add orzo and cook until al dente, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes, and drain.

2. Whisk the eggs, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl to blend. Stir in the cheese and basil, set aside.

3. Melt the butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the pancetta and saute until crisp and browned, about 5 minutes. Add the onion and saute until tender, about 2 minutes. Add the asparagus & saute for until crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Add the orzo to eggs and stir to coat. Add the egg mixture to pan. Using a rubber spatula, stir the mixture until the eggs are softly set, about 3-4 minutes. Serve warm.

Chocolate Chip Croissant Bread Pudding with Bourbon Ice Cream Sauce

I'm not sure where this recipe came from, but the author is Michael Chiarello, and it has been a big hit both times I served it, so I thought I would pass it along.

Serves 12

Ingredients:

1 stick/115g butter

1 cup sugar

1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

5 large eggs, lightly beaten

2 1/2 cups whole milk

8-12 small croissants, or six large

1/2 cup raisins

3/4 cup bittersweet or milk chocolate chips

For sauce:

1/2 pint/500ml vanilla ice cream

1 fl. oz. (~2 T) bourbon

Preheat oven to 350F/180C. Combine butter and sugar (using a mixer if available) and beat until well blended. Add cinnamon and vanilla, and combine till blended. Add in eggs one at a time mixing continuously. Add milk and combine well.

Lightly butter a 9" x 13" baking dish (glass is best). Break up the croissants into 1" pieces and layer the pan. Scatter raisins and chocolate chips over the top and gently mix to incorporate (bread should reach almost to the top of dish). Pour the egg mixture over the croissants; soak for 8 to 10 minutes. You will need to push croissant pieces down during this time to ensure even coverage by the egg mixture. Cover with foil and bake for 35 minutes. Remove foil and bake for an additional 10 minutes to brown the top. The croissant bread pudding is done when the custard is set, but still soft. Allow to cool.

For sauce: Remove ice cream from freezer 1 day before serving and refrigerate. Mix through bourbon with ice cream and drizzle generously over the top and pool around the plate.