A Biltmore Breakfast

Many of the recipes in the winter section of the Biltmore cookbook are breakfast items. Perhaps that is because the days are shorter and when it is cold outside, who wouldn't rather stay in bed with a delicious breakfast or brunch? They are ultimate comfort foods, after all, no matter what time of day you serve them.

 Pumpkin Pancakes with Toasted Pecan Butter (pg. 160)

These are much tastier than your regular home cooked pancakes; definitely restaurant worthy. The recipe only calls for 1/4 cup of pumpkin, so they are not overly flavored. The special touch is the toasted pecan butter made with a little maple syrup and vanilla. Make the butter ahead so that it has time to chill. In fact, you can prepare that and mix the dry ingredients the night before for faster morning pancakes. I did find out that it's important to thoroughly sift the baking powder so that it does not clump, so don't skip that step.

Chrorizo Bread Pudding with White Chocolate Cheese and Scallions (pg. 147)

Here's another dish you can make ahead. It reheats well. It is heavier than a normal breakfast, so I think it makes a great brunch item. I used foccacia bread instead of croissants, which will be my preference when I make it again. The spongy bread texture works well with the cheese and eggs. If you buy a sausage with spices, adjust or leave out the cayenne pepper that the recipe calls for.

Homemade Cinnamon Rolls (pg. 159)

I can drool just looking at them. This is one of my first bread related ventures, so I was very impressed that they turned out so well. The dough is light and fun to manipulate. You make the dough in a mixer, let it rise, roll it out into a rectangle and brush a cinnamon/ butter/ sugar mixture all over. Then roll it into a log, slice into individual rolls, let rise again and bake. It takes some time, but all really good things do. And it makes your house smell wonderful.