I am making some food for my lovely neighbor who is having surgery. I wanted something different and a bit special, to make her convalescence more tolerable, and something her husband would really enjoy. They are so easy to please, they just love everything I make and even if I mess up, they are so kind, they would just tell me it was delicious.
I once made meat loaf out of turkey for a neighbors daughter, who had just moved into my street, when I lived in California. It was more like sloppy joe’s than meatloaf. It was my second attempt and the first attempt was a hit, so I have no idea what I did differently. I didn’t hear a peep from her after I took her the food, so I knew it was a total failure. I even had to go round to get my pans back. It must have been really bad!!! I haven’t tried to cook meatloaf since.
These breakfast baskets are not paleo and not the kind of thing I would usually make, but sometimes it’s fun to make something totally indulgent and tasty for someone you really like.
If you like onion, caramelized onion is sweet and delicious and makes everything taste gourmet. They take a while to make, but you don’t have to be in the kitchen the entire time. Use a cast iron skillet and they will turn out perfectly (if you don’t have one, I strongly suggest getting one. The best ones are in garage sales that have been sitting unused for 50 years). The chipotle gouda is available at most stores, and pairs perfectly with the sweet onion.
I never make pastry, so I just found some frozen puff pastry sheets in the store. It takes so long to make pastry from scratch, I don’t like to bother. With this little cheat in hand, these baskets were a breeze to make.
You can also turn these into a vegetarian dish or even a dinner party dish by using salmon or shrimp and cream as the filling. I had a few slices of ham left over from my 91 year old father-in-laws lunch, so I threw those into one for the baskets just to get rid of them. I don’t use red meat usually, by at 91, he gets whatever he wants. I also added some fresh parsley. You can really be creative and use up what you have in the fridge.
These little pies are great for preparing the day before if you are having guests. If you want to serve something special, they are really easy and will blow everyone’s mind with how delicious they are. You can even take them to a party and eat them cold.
- 1 Sheet Puff Pastry
- 2 Tbs Oil or Ghee
- 2 Onions - Sliced
- 1 Clove Garlic
- 4 Rashers Bacon - Chopped
- 4 Cherry Tomatoes
- ¾ Cup Chipotle Gouda - Grated
- Freshly Ground Sea Salt and Black Pepper
- 2 Free Range Eggs - Beaten with a little mustard
- Heat oil or ghee on medium in a skillet and saute onion and garlic until caramelized, about 45 minutes. Stir often. Set aside.
- Add bacon to skillet and cook until browned. Chop.
- Defrost pastry, cut into 4 squares.
- Place a tomato, some onion, bacon, grated cheese and seasoning in the center of the square.
- Fold the edges into the center, pinching each crease together.
- Beat egg and brush pastry. Gently pour a little egg into each basket.
- Cook for 15-20 minutes on 400F until golden.
- Cool on a cooling rack.