Breakfast For Champions

Cookbook author and food blogger Katie Lee Joel likes to serve her overnight guests a hearty breakfast -- but one that doesn't require her to wake up at dawn to put together. These recipes are a good compromise between serving hearty fare and getting some shut-eye.

Breakfast Bread Pudding
(6 to 8 servings)
Says Katie: "Only make this bread pudding for people that you really love because they will want to be at your breakfast table every morning after they try this. I make it the night before and then pop it in the oven when I wake up. The smell drifts throughout the house and calls everyone to the kitchen."

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, minced
1 pound breakfast sausage, crumbled
3 cups milk
10 large eggs
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 loaf day-old brioche or country white bread, cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes (about 12 cups)
2 cups shredded cheddar (about 6 ounces)

Heat olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add onions and sauté until translucent, about 7 minutes. Add sausage and brown, about 5 minutes. Remove from the pan using a slotted spoon. Transfer to a shallow bowl and let cool to room temperature.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk eggs, milk, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Stir in bread, sausage mixture, and cheese. Pour mixture in a buttered 9 x 13 baking dish and cover with foil. Let the dish sit in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour and up to overnight.

Bake with foil in a preheated 350 degree F oven for about 45 minutes. Remove foil and allow to brown, about 10 or 15 minutes more. Serve immediately.

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Inactive Prep Time: 1 hour to overnight
Cook Time: 1 hour

Fruit Salad with Custard Sauce
(Serves 6 to 8)
Joel remarks, "Whenever I am having houseguests, I like to make a fruit salad ahead of time and store it in the refrigerator for breakfast. Everyone loves starting their day with the fresh flavors and beautiful bright colors. The custard sauce can also be made ahead of time and it adds such a nice elegant touch."

Fruit Salad:
1 medium pineapple, cut into chunks (about 3 cups)
1 seedless orange, peeled and cut into chunks
1 medium apple, cut into chunks (about 1 cup)
1/2 cantaloupe, cut into chunks (about 2 cups)
1/2 honeydew, cut into chunks (about 3 cups)
1 cup strawberries, stems removed and sliced in half
2 kiwi, peeled and cut into chunks (about 1/2 cup)
1 cup blueberries
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh mint
1/4 cup fresh-squeezed lime juice
1/4 cup superfine sugar

Custard:
2 cups whole milk
1 vanilla bean pod
4 egg yolks, lightly beaten
1/4 cup sugar
1/8 t. nutmeg

For the fruit salad: In a large bowl, toss together all ingredients. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

For the custard: Place the milk in a double boiler with one inch of warm water in the bottom. Slice the vanilla bean pod vertically and scrap the beans into the milk and stir to combine. Heat the double boiler over medium heat until milk is steaming but not boiling. Turn off the heat. Add 1/4 cup of the warm milk with the eggs yolks in a small bowl, stirring constantly. Add another 1/4 cup of milk, stirring constantly to warm the egg yolks. Add the egg and milk mixture into the milk in the double boiler. Stir in the sugar. Return the heat to medium under the double boiler and cook the milk mixture, stirring constantly, until the mixture begins to thicken slightly, about 10 minutes. The custard should be about the consistency of a creamy salad dressing and thickly coat the back of the wooden spoon.

Meanwhile prepare an ice bath. When the custard mixture is thick, remove from heat and put top pan of the double boiler in the ice water bath. Stir in nutmeg. When the custard is cool, drizzle over individual servings of fruit salad and serve extra sauce on the side.

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes

Monkey Bread
" When I was in high school, I always looked forward to sleepovers at my friend Erica's house because her mom always made this monkey bread. We would stay up all night eating it and gossiping about boys. Today, I like making it for breakfast when I have houseguests and we can all sit around eating it in the morning as we drink our coffee.

Ingredients:
4 12-ounce cans regular-size flaky biscuits (such as Pillsbury)
2/3 cup sugar, plus 1/3 cup
1 tablespoon cinnamon, plus 1 tablespoon
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Cut biscuits into quarters and roll into balls. Combine the 2/3 cup of sugar and 1 T. cinnamon in a shallow dish. Roll the biscuit balls in the cinnamon-sugar. Place the cinnamon-sugar-coated balls in a greased Bundt pan, sprinkling some of the cinnamon-sugar over the balls occasionally while filling the bunt pan.

Melt the butter with the remaining 1/3 cup sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Warm, stirring occasionally, until the sugar dissolves. Pour the melted butter mixture over the top of the biscuits balls in the Bundt pan. Bake for 30 minutes, or until the top of the bread is golden and caramelized. Remove from the oven and let sit at least 5 minutes. Unmold the Monkey Bread onto a cake plate. Slice and serve.

Yield: 12 servings
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes

Anne's Spiced Coffee
(4 servings)

" My dear friend Anne is known for her coffee," says Katie. "She is the perfect houseguest because she gets up early and puts a pot on, filling the house with its spicy aroma. I especially like it during the holiday season and winter months."

8 scoops ground coffee beans
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon whole cloves
Zest of 1 orange

Fill coffee filter with ground coffee beans, cinnamon, cloves, and orange zest. Fill the coffee maker with water to make 8 cups of coffee and brew.

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes