Donna Leahy - French toast, waffles and pacakes for breakfast : comfort food for leisurely mornings: a chef’s guide to breakfast with over 100 delicious, easy-to-follow recipes

French Toast, Waffles and Pancakes For Breakfast: Comfort Food for Leisurely Mornings

A Chefs Guide to Breakfast with Over 100 Delicious, Easy-to-Follow Recipes

By Donna Leahy

Photography by Robert Leahy

Food Arts Fusion LLC

ISBN 978-1-942118-10-7

Copyright 2015, Donna Leahy

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Any unauthorized reprint or use of this material is prohibited. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system without the written permission of the author, except where permitted by law.

The information contained in this book is based on research and personal experience unless otherwise stated. It should not be substituted for qualified medical advice. Health-related information provided in this book is for educational and entertainment purposes only. Always seek the counsel of a qualified medical practitioner for an individual consultation before making any significant changes to your diet and lifestyle, and to answer questions about specific medical conditions. The author and publisher disclaim responsibility for any adverse effects that may result from the use or application of the recipes and information within this book. The publisher and the author make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this work, and specifically disclaim all warranties including, without limitation, warranties of fitness, health or weight loss for a particular purpose. This is work is sold with the understanding that the publisher and author are not engaged in rendering medical or other professional advice, and that neither is liable for damages arising from it.

Also by Donna Leahy

Eggs for Breakfast: Delicious, Healthy Recipes to Jump-Start Your Day

Morning Glories: Recipes for Breakfast, Brunch and Beyond from an American Country Inn

Recipe for a Country Inn

Thank you for purchasing this book. I am pleased to have you along for the journey to better health and better eating. I know you could have picked dozens of other cookbooks, so to show my appreciation Id like to offer you a bonus: Ten Easy and Delicious Recipes for Breakfast Drinks. Simply sign up on my website www.donnaleahy.com and I will send you the PDF. I will include you on my list for free stuff and also periodically send you exclusive special offerings.

As an experienced chef and author, I write cookbooks on a variety of topics and themes, so my other cookbooks may interest you as well. Please feel free to let me know what aspects of the book you enjoyed and what things you wish I had included. If you have any suggestions for future topics, Id love to hear them as well.

Finally, if you have a moment to review this book, Id really appreciate it. This type of feedback will help me continue to write the kind of cookbooks that you want to use. Thanks again, I look forward to hearing from you.

Chef Donna

Welcome to French Toast, Waffles and Pancakes for Breakfast, the second in a series of cookbooks devoted to elevating the morning meal. Were about to explore the comfort side of breakfast, with dishes that are nurturing (although sometimes decadent), and ultimately both soothing and satisfying. What could possibly conjure up a vision of comfort food more clearly than the idea of a leisurely breakfast at home? These soul-satisfying recipes will help you create restaurant-worthy breakfasts with ease, all in the comfort of your own kitchen.

Breakfast has always had a special meaning for me, both as a lover of good food and as a culinary professional. In my years as a chef at our country inn, breakfast was always my favorite meal to prepare and serve. My relationships with our guests mostly occurred in the morning hours, often affording me the first opportunity to actually meet many of them. Breakfast gave me the unique opportunity to offer a relaxing, comforting meal by creating exciting new dishes based on traditional breakfast fare. The creative breakfasts at our country inn became the inspiration for Morning Glories, my first published cookbook with beautiful photographs of many of the dishes we served. Since Ive always believed that breakfast should look as good as it tastes, these recipes are all written with both taste and presentation in mind.

Comfort food like French toast, waffles and pancakes can make the first meal of the day the starting point for a day of relaxation with good company, or one of blissful solitude. Remember that feeling as a kid, waking up and realizing you dont have to get dressed for school? Even now, as an adult, awaking to discover its your day to turn off your phone and blissfully sink back under the covers feels so comforting. These recipes for French toast, Waffles and pancakes will bring that warm, homey feeling to your breakfast table with easy-to-follow recipes.

But comfort food definitely shouldnt put you to sleep! Exciting culinary dishes deserve their place at the table in the morning hours, as much as any other time of the day. That being said, creating wholesome, satisfying dishes for breakfast should start your day off on a casual, unhurried pace. The challenge is finding recipes that dont require jumping out of bed to make them. Many of these recipes can be assembled the night before, or are easily prepared in the morning hours.

In our culinary tour of comfort food for breakfast, well devote an extensive chapter to each categoryFrench toast, waffles and pancakesemphasizing unique preparations and flavor combinations. First, youll enjoy a range of French toast recipes, from a make-ahead Stuffed French Toast filled with a mixture of cheeses to crowd-pleasers like Crunchy Peanut Butter French Toast with Grape Syrup. Next, the chapter on waffles emphasizes both sweet and savory, with flavors ranging from Carrot Cake Waffles to Cheddar and Thyme Waffles, finished with slightly sweet and salty Bacon Syrup. The following chapter on pancakes includes traditional whole grain flapjacks, crepes and oven-baked versions that are perfect for entertaining as well. For those mornings when you want a simpler preparation, like Buttermilk Pancakes or other basic comfort fare, chapter four includes my recipes for classic versions of French toast, waffles and pancakes, as well as slightly unusual dishes like torrijas (a Spanish version of French toast), Johnny Cakes and everything in between.

Finally, the pantry chapter will offer recipes for the components of many recipesranging from breads for French toast to syrups and preserves for flavoring waffles and pancakes. Since its important to understand whats in the food we consume, I believe the easiest and most satisfying strategy is to make the food ourselves. However, I understand that time constraints may limit your ability to do this. Additionally, if you have local sources for ingredients that are of high quality, such as artisan bakeries and farm markets, by all means, take advantage of them.