(Mass Appeal) – There is a formula for a successful brunch! The numbers are adjustable depending on the number of guests you have, but according to Ashley Tresoline, owner of Bella Foodie, you should have one savory dish and one sweet dish. So that’s what we’re making! First up, a breakfast pizza followed by a Spring French toast casserole.
Breakfast Pizza
Ingredients:
1 cup fresh basil
2 tbs. sundried tomatoes
¼ cup, plus 2 tbs. olive oil
1 pound fresh or frozen pizza dough
4 to 6 oz. mozzarella cheese
¼ cup pecorino romano or parmesan cheese
3 oz. arugula
4 eggs
Salt and pepper to taste
Optional: ½ tsp. crushed red pepper
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 425°. In a food processor add the fresh basil, sundried tomatoes, and olive oil. Pulse to well combined. Season with salt and pepper. Lightly grease a baking sheet with the remaining 2 tbs. of olive oil. Split the dough into two pieces. Hand stretch the dough either into a circle or rectangle whichever you prefer. Place the stretched-out dough onto the baking sheet. Top the pizza with the sundried tomato pesto. Cover the pesto with mozzarella and pecorino romano.
Bake for 8-10 minutes until the crust starts to puff. Remove pizzas from the oven and crack up to 4 eggs on top. Season with salt and pepper. Place the pizzas bake in the oven and cook for another 7-8 minutes or until the whites are set on the eggs and the centers are a little runny. When the pizzas come out top them with fresh arugula and drizzle with some more high-quality olive oil.
Spring Blueberry French Toast Casserole
Ingredients:
1 loaf of bread, cut into cubes (challah, French bread, or brioche)
6 large eggs
1 cup milk
¾ cup plain yogurt
½ cup maple syrup
1 ½ tsp. vanilla extract
½ tsp. ground cinnamon
¼ tsp. salt
Zest of 1 lemon
2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
Directions:
Prepare a 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray or you can use butter. Cut bread into cubes, no larger than 1 ½ inches thick. In a medium bowl whisk together eggs, milk, plain yogurt, maple syrup, and vanilla until smooth and thoroughly combined.
Finally, add in the salt, cinnamon, and lemon zest to the egg mixture. Layout half the bread cubes in the baking dish, in an even layer. Pour half the egg mixture over the bread a sprinkle with 1 cup of blueberries. Repeat this process until you use up the rest of the ingredients.
At this point, you can tightly cover the casserole and place it in the fridge for a minimum of 1 hour or up to overnight. Preheat the oven to 375°, and bake for 30-35 minutes uncovered until just set. Let cool for 10-15 minutes before cutting.
Optional: top with more maple syrup and extra berries.