Peeps® it's what's for Brunch

My wife and I are often asked why we have not posted a single breakfast recipe. There is one simple reason. Lucky Charms™ are the Peeps® of the morning. And as much as I love those cute marshmallow chicks, the savory sweetness of Peeps® is really better reserved for Lunch or Supper. We love our Lucky Charms™ and feel they make excellent ingredients in Frittata, Breakfast Quiche and of course as a holiday filling in my lovely wife’s Beef’n Charms Sausage.

Our one “Brunch” suggestion how ever is:

Papa B’s Peeps® and Yogurt energy drink.
This is a real pick me up. I find that Brunch is best appreciated after a hang over. Why else would you wait until 10 or 11 in the morning to eat breakfast? This energy drink relies on lots and lots of honey. We have slowly removed all but about 1 tsp of milk from this drink. If you don’t have Yogurt you can substitute crème cheese. One of the best features of this recipe is it is gluten free!

1½ cups of honey (I like a full clover honey because of the pH)
½ an Orange peeled
Zest of the other half Orange
15 gms of Red Hots
Peeps® (yellow)
2 Cremesicles® split length-wise then brought to room tempature

Remember to clean the Blender between uses, and this means turning it off before you put your hand in the bottom. We love our trusty Blenderizer with it’s 3 hp engine, but most sturdy table top models will produce a silky consistency. Place the orange half in the bottom of the blender along with the red hots and Peeps®. Remember it is always 12 Peeps® to a gallon so count your guests and adjust accordingly. The other ingredients seem to stretch very well. Once the mash is the consistency of pancake batter, turn the blender up about 3 clicks until bubbles are seen on the top of the slurry. It is important to pour the honey and Cremesicles® in quickly, as you slow the blender. Serve in Martini glasses and dust with the orange zest. Grain alcohol can be added to further release the tannins in this "energy drink."



Bon AppaPeeps™

Halibut with Coconut Peeps® Aioli

My wife loves, loves, loves this recipe! We make it about once a week. We know that Halibut is a little pricey, but please splurge on this once. Halibut is a very porcine fish so the sweetness of Peeps® is not overwhelmed by the aromatics one experiences with a Catfish or Carp. Halibut is also one of the only fish that is exclusively caught in the Atlantic so you know it is safe from the Nuclear Fallout that is still coursing through the ecosystem of the Pacific from surface nuclear tests done until the late 1960s. We adapted this recipe from a Creamy Avocado sauce we had at Long John Silvers. Since there are no green Peeps® we combine equal numbers of yellow and blue Peeps®. Not using avocados cuts the fat content of this dish way down, so you can save some points for dessert. We have removed the oil from the common Aioli recipe and substituted Karo Syrup, but a light molasses also works it just darkens the “Aioli.” Coconut flavoring is used but you can substitute vanilla, cinnamon or even mint.

Side Note: (Some long term readers of this blog have a very hard time with Peeps® colored anything but yellow or pink. I generally agree but this dish really benefits from a green hue so I urge some of you to branch out and try this. As always Bunny Peeps® are not recommended.)

Ingredients
1lb Halibut Filets
6-12 Peeps® (equal numbers of blue and yellow)
1 cup Karo syrup
¼ cup granulated sugar
1tbs Coconut Flavoring
Salt
Pepper
Lemon wedges
Coconut covered marshmallows to garnish

In a small food processors place the Peeps® and while on low slowly add the Karo Syrup. I know I don’t generally advocate using anything but a very sharp knife or razor to cut Peeps®, but to get the aioli just right you need a food processor or you will be mixing all day! If you add the syrup too quickly you can get a cotton candy effect (our British readers know it as candy floss.) When it is thoroughly mixed add the sugar and flavoring.

The fish is easy to prepare, just season with salt and pepper and place on a oiled broiling pan. I like to get the pan as close to the broiling element as possible so I prop it up on match books or bottle caps with the top shelf rack set as high as possible. The fish should be done in 5-10 minutes or when the meat is no longer clear.
Garnish with the marshmallows and lemons.

Serves 3

We often serve this with lima beans in the shell, or circus peanuts.
Most wine over powers this dish and we often drink a pineapple based cocktail with this dinner.

Bon AppaPeeps!™

Chicken with Peeps® and Jelly Bean Stuffing

We love this recipe it is so easy and now is the best time make it. Peeps are on sale and frankly we think that stale Peeps have a more sophisticated texture. Like most of our recipes we suggest you avoid JellyBellys®, because of the pesticides needed to grow such an over bred bean. Good old Jelly Beans do just fine. I use a real maple syrup to make the gravy but some feel this is too sweet.

Ingredients
3 ½ lb Roasting Chicken (look for one near the expiration date)
6 Peeps (yellow or blue, after Easter to get the stale ones)
2 large handfuls of Jelly Beans
4oz. Maple Syrup
1tbs butter (unsalted)
Salt
Pepper
Spices that might go with chicken i.e. Rosemary, Thyme, Cinnamon, Mustard …


Pre-heat oven to 350°
Clean and blow dry Chicken, remember WASH YOUR HANDS after handling raw chicken. Using a very sharp knife carefully cut open the tail of the peeps using a single horizontal slice. Stuff each peep with one or two beans, (I choose randomly; my wife likes to pick out the purple ones for the gravy.) Because of the delicate flesh of the peeps I find that kitchen twine is too cumbersome and use a common office stapler to close each peep. Pack the peeps into the chicken cavity tightly, I use my hand but some people like to use the back of a wooden spoon for this.

Season the chicken with salt, pepper and other things. Then close the chicken with kitchen twine. Place chicken in a roasting pan lined with foil. Place on middle rack and roast for 90 minutes or until flames shoot from the bird’s rear.

Our simple Jelly Bean and Syrup gravy. In a deep saucier melt butter and sauté the jelly beans until they just begin to smoke. Remove from heat and add Maple Syrup remember to continue to stir until all the jelly beans have dissolved. You can reheat the gravy in the microwave.

After the bird has rested and the smoke has cleared from the kitchen, carve and plate the chicken garnish with chocolate eggs and serve immediately.

This entrée goes well with a fruit cup with heavy sauce, canned peaches or both. We also like to have a platter of donuts.

Almost any sweet German Riesling is an excellent compliment.

Bon AppaPeeps!™