Mochi Egg Custard Tart @ 85C Bakery Cafe - Irvine, CA

Those from Southern California are probably well acquainted with 85C Bakery Cafe, a Taiwanese bakery chain known for its sea salt coffee, countless varieties of fresh bread, and unending long lines and crowds.  I live 5 minutes away from the bakery yet almost never go unless it's with out-of-town visitors.  The bread is indeed delicious, but the crowds keep me away.  This past weekend, some friends brought over a dozen mochi egg custard tarts fresh out of the oven.  They even called ahead to ensure they'd get a fresh tray.  I've had egg tarts from 85C plenty of times, but never had I had one that was so fresh that it was still warm when I received it.  The crust was flaky and crisp, its sweetness fully evident.  The egg custard was warm and the layer of mochi on the bottom of the tart was soft and chewy.  The ones I've had before always had limp crusts lacking that sweet crisp and a mochi layer that was more tough and stiff.  What a difference!  This certainly renewed my desire for 85C Bakery pastries.  :)

85C Bakery Cafe
Diamond Jamboree Shopping Center
2700 Alton Pkwy, Ste 123
Irvine, CA 92606

Baked Shirred Eggs

Shirred eggs are basically baked eggs with a little cream, herbs, and cheese.  There are endless variations and it's easy to toss in whatever you find in your pantry.  We happened to have some sun-dried tomatoes, shredded mozzarella, and italian herbs. You can add onions or fresh herbs or even some smoked meat if you like.  The yolks came out soft like an over easy egg, making it perfect to sop up with a toasted slice of crusty bread.  This is a relatively quick and easy breakfast.  You can give each person their own ramekin with one egg or bake multiple eggs in a larger ramekin as we did.

Baked Shirred Eggs
serves 2

4 eggs
4 tablespoons heavy cream (milk works too)
2 tablespoons shredded mozzarella cheese
1 tablespoon chopped sun-dried tomatoes
Italian seasoning
Salt and pepper

1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Lightly grease a 6 inch ramekin. You can use a smaller size and adjust your cooking time for desired egg consistency.
2. Crack the eggs into the ramekin and pour the milk onto the eggs. Sprinkle the sun-dried tomatoes and cheese into the ramekin.  Season with Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper as desired. 
3. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes (12 for a very runny yolk, 15 for a firmer yolk), until the egg is 'set' to your preference. Serve immediately with toasted bread. Eggs will continue to set up as you eat, so get them to the table as soon as possible.

Spinach and Roasted Bell Pepper Strata

Last week, we decided to make a strata for Saturday brunch.  The ingredients were easily compiled on Friday night and left overnight to sit in the fridge.  On Saturday morning, we simply preheated the oven, popped the dish in, and an hour later we had a delicious morning meal.  With only two of us, the delicious leftovers served us for breakfast for several days after. Yay for easy-to-prep meals with leftovers!

Spinach and Roasted Bell Pepper Strata
Adapted from smittenkitchen
Serves 6-8

10 ounces fresh spinach (or frozen spinach that's been drained and chopped)
1 1/2 cups finely chopped onion (1 large)
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
8 cups cubed French or Italian bread in 1-inch cubes (1/2 lb)
8 ounces coarsely grated mozzarella (3 cups)
6 ounces roasted red bell peppers, diced (from a can or jar)
2 3/4 cups milk
9 large eggs
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1. Saute onions in butter in a skillet over medium heat until soft, about 5 minutes.  Add 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper and nutmeg and continue cooking for 1 minutes.  Add spinach and stir until spinach is fully cooked down.
2. Lightly grease a 9x13 glass baking dish with butter.   Spread half the bread cubes into the bottom of the dish.  Top with half the spinach mixture and half the shredded cheese.  Repeat with the second half of the bread cubes, spinach and cheese.  On the top layer, evenly spread the diced roasted red bell peppers.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the milk, eggs, mustard, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper.  Pour mixture evenly over the strata.  Cover the baking dish with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for at least 8 hours or up to one day.
4. When you are ready to bake the strata, remove it from the fridge and let stand in room temperature for 30 minutes while preheating the oven to 350F.  Bake uncovered for 45-55 minutes, until strata is puffed up and golden brown.  Remove from oven and let stand for 5 minutes before serving.  Any leftovers can be stored in the fridge and reheated in the microwave. 

Basil cucumber egg salad sandwich

With an abundance of hard-boiled eggs from the Easter weekend, an easy solution was to make egg salad and make lunch for the week.  The cucumber and celery added a satisfying crunch and the basil added an herby freshness.  I didn't have mayo on hand so ended up improvising with honey mustard, which was not as creamy but certainly a sweet, healthier alternative.  This was great on rye bread and would be good on any other hearty bread too (squaw, pumpernickel, whole wheat, etc.).

Basil Cucumber Egg Salad
4 servings/sandwiches
 
6 hard-boiled eggs, peeled
1/2 cucumber, peeled and seeded
3 stalks celery
handful of fresh basil, chopped 
1 tsp paprika
 salt and pepper, to taste
1/4 cup honey mustard

1. Dice the eggs, cucumber and celery and place in a large bowl.  Add basil, paprika, salt and pepper to taste and mix.
2. Add honey mustard and stir thoroughly.  Add more honey mustard or mayo if you prefer your egg salad more creamy.  Toast some bread of your choice, rinse some veggies and make yourself a sandwich!

Chinese braised beef and eggs

Shao bing jia rou (aka sesame pancake with braised beef shank) is a standard offering for Taiwanese breakfast. Fragrant toasted sesame bread filled with flavorful beef, scallions, cilantro and sauce...it's a nice filling way to start the day! We decided to make this for our Sunday School class this week. We braised the beef a few days ahead and also used the braising liquid to make soy sauce eggs.  As with many Chinese dishes, this one had no specific recipe beyond the list of ingredients provided by my mom. Below is my best guess at the details. :P 

Sesame pancake sandwich (Shao bing jia rou)
6 servings/sandwiches

1 6-count package sesame pancakes (available at a Chinese supermarket)
1 lb sliced Chinese braised beef (recipe below)
1 green onion, sliced into strips
a few sprigs of cilantro
1/4 cup braised beef sauce (see below), hoisin or plum sauce

1. Toast pancake in the toaster.  Carefully slice pancake in half longitudinally, leaving one length intact.
2. Spread desired amount of sauce inside the pancake and place 2-3 slices of beef (may vary depending on size/thickness of slices).  Add green onion and cilantro to your liking.  Repeat with remaining pancakes.

Chinese braised beef (Lu niu rou)
3lbs beef shank
2 cups water
1 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup rice wine
10 star anise
2 Tbsp szechuan peppercorns (optional)
1 stick cinnamon
5 slices ginger

1. Bring a large pot of water to boil.  Place beef shank into boiling water and let cook for 5 minutes.  Remove beef and discard water.
2. Place the water, soy sauce, rice wine and spices into a large stock pot on high heat.  After the liquid boils, place beef into the pot and let it boil for 5 minutes.  Reduce to medium-low heat and simmer the beef for about 3 hours, turning the beef over every 30 minutes so that each side of the beef gets its turn sitting in the braising liquid.  
3. Remove beef from the liquid and let it cool.  Refrigerate overnight and then slice the beef against the grain into thin slices.
4. The remaining braising liquid can be used to braise eggs, chicken, tofu, seaweed, etc.  After you're all done braising to your heart's content, simmer the leftover liquid on low heat until it reduces into a nice thick sauce, perfect for the beef or on plain white rice.