One of Virginia’s very own could bring home the bacon in Eggland’s Best’s national competition, “America’s Best Recipe.”
Ashburn resident, Laruen K. entered her recipe in which she
calls “Brunch in the Commonwealth Casserole” and it is now a semi-finalist of the Southeast region.
The dish contains smoked ham, Brie cheese, Granny Smith apples, Va. blackberries, and of course… England’s Best eggs.
Click Here to support your fellow Virginian. You can cast your vote up until July 29th.
Below is the full list of ingredients and instructions, if you are feeling up to the challenge of making it for yourself.
Recipe Ingredients:
◦ 3 tablespoons butter, divided
◦ 2 Virginia-grown Granny Smith apples, cored and thinly sliced
◦ 1/4 cup brown sugar
◦ 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
◦ 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
◦ 1 teaspoon cinnamon, divided
◦ 1 loaf challah bread or brioche, thinly sliced
◦ 8 ounces Virginia Smoked Ham (Smithfield)
◦ 6 ounces mild Brie cheese, thinly sliced
◦ 7 Eggland’s Best Large Eggs, beaten
◦ 2 1/2 cup half and half
◦ 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
◦ 3 tablespoons turbinado or raw sugar
◦ 1 cup Virginia Blackberry Wine
◦ 1/4 cup Virginia local honey
◦ 8 ounces Virginia Blackberries
Preparation Instructions:
◦ Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9 x 13 inch baking dish with non-stick spray.
◦ In a large skillet over medium heat, saute 2 tablespoons of the butter and apples together until softened slightly.
◦ Add brown sugar, ginger, cloves, and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon.
◦ Sauté for 1-3 minutes until sugar caramelizes and coats apples. Let cool.
◦ Layer 1/2 bread slices into and even layer on bottom of prepared pan.
◦ Cover evenly with ham, sliced Brie, and cover with apple mixture. Top apples evenly with remaining bread slices, completely covering the filling.
◦ In a large mixing bowl, combine eggs, half and half, granulated sugar, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon.
◦ Whisk well and pour over bread. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour (and up to overnight).
◦ Sprinkle top with turbinado sugar and dot with remaining tablespoon butter. Bake uncovered for 45 minutes until puffed and golden brown. Let cool 5 minutes.
◦ Slice into squares and serve warm with honey-blackberry sauce (recipe follows). Serves 6-8.
◦ In a small sauce pan over medium-high heat, reduce blackberry wine with honey until half its volume.
◦ Add half the fresh blackberries and continue to simmer until fruit gets very soft.
Crush blackberries with back of a spoon. Simmer until thick. Remove from heat and add remaining whole berries. Serve warm over French toast.
