Table Talk Tuesday, February 10

Here are some great breakfast ideas to surprise your loved one on Valentine's Day.

Spanish-Style French Toast (Torrijas)

Recipes | Feb 4, 2026

Infused Milk

• 4 cups milk

• 1/2 cup white sugar

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 1 orange, zested

• 1 lemon, zested

• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 2 whole cloves

• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

  
  

The Rest

• 3 large egg yolks

• 2 large whole eggs

• 4 slices stale French bread or brioche

• 1 cup olive oil, or as needed, for frying

• 4 tablespoons turbinado sugar (raw sugar)

  
  

• Combine milk, white sugar, salt, orange zest, lemon zest, cinnamon, cloves, and vanilla in a saucepan, whisk, and bring to a simmer over medium-heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer gently for 5 minutes.

  
  

• Strain milk through a mesh strainer and transfer 2 cups into a shallow dish in which to soak stale bread; set aside. 

  
  

• Transfer remaining 2 cups infused milk into a saucepan to make the custard sauce; add yolks and whisk thoroughly. Return saucepan to medium-low heat, and cook, stirring with a spatula and scraping the bottom constantly, until the mixture gets hot and thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. Remove from heat; immediately pour through a fine mesh strainer. Let cool and refrigerate until needed. 

  
  

• Soak stale bread in milk, turning a few times, until most of milk is absorbed and bread is saturated. Remove to a pan or plate and refrigerate until needed. 

  
  

• Beat whole eggs in a wide shallow bowl. Coat bread on both sides in the egg. 

  
  

• Pour olive oil, 1/4  to 1/2 inch deep into a nonstick skillet, and heat over medium heat. Fry soaked bread in the hot oil until browned and puffed, about 4 minutes per side. When fully cooked, the bread will spring back when touched in the center.

  
  

• Remove to a plate. Top each slice with 1 tablespoon turbinado sugar. Use a blowtorch with a low flame to brûlée the surface. Serve immediately with custard sauce.

Baked Omelet

Recipes | Feb 4, 2026

• 8 large eggs

• 1 cup milk

• ½ cup shredded Cheddar cheese

• ½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese

• 3 ounces cooked ham, diced

• 1 tablespoon dried minced onion

• ½ teaspoon seasoning salt

  
  

• Gather all ingredients. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease an 8-inch square baking dish.

  
  

• Whisk eggs and milk together in a bowl.

  
  

• Stir in Cheddar, mozzarella, ham, onion, and seasoning salt.

  
  

• Pour into the prepared baking dish.

  
  

• Bake, uncovered, in the preheated oven until set, 40 to 45 minutes.

  
  

• Serve immediately and enjoy!

Valentine’s Day Strawberry Muffins

Recipes | Feb 4, 2026

• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

• 1 cup milk

• 1 ½ cups white sugar

• ½ cup butter, at room temperature 

• 4 large eggs

• 2 teaspoons lemon extract

• ½ teaspoon lemon zest

• 1 ½ cups chopped fresh strawberries

• 3 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• ½ teaspoon baking soda

• ½ teaspoon salt

• ½ cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips (Optional)

• 12 slices fresh strawberry

• 1 tablespoon white sugar

  
  

• Mix lemon juice with as much milk as needed to measure 1 cup; let soured milk stand for 5 minutes before using.

  
  

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line 24 muffin tins with paper liners.

  
  

• Beat together 1 1/2 cups sugar and butter in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Mix in lemon extract. Gradually stir in soured milk and lemon zest, then gently fold in strawberries.

  
  

• Mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl until combined. Stir into butter mixture until batter is just combined. Fold in chocolate chips until evenly distributed.

  
  

• Spoon batter into the prepared muffin cups, about 2/3 full. Place a strawberry slice atop each muffin and sprinkle the tops with 1 tablespoon sugar.

  
  

• Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool in the pans for 5 minutes before serving warm.

Heart-Shaped Pancakes with Chocolate

Recipes | Feb 4, 2026

• 2 tablespoons butter, melted 

• 1 large egg, separated

• 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• 1 tablespoon white sugar

• ¾ cup buttermilk

• 2 tablespoons buttermilk, or more as needed

• 1 teaspoon butter 

• 1 (4 ounce) bar milk chocolate, coarsely chopped

• 1 tablespoon confectioners’ sugar, or to taste

  
  

• Whisk melted butter and egg yolk together in a small bowl.

  
  

• Sift flour and baking powder into a large bowl; stir in sugar. Whisk in egg-butter mixture and 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons buttermilk until a smooth, thick batter forms. Add more buttermilk, 1 tablespoon at a time, if batter is too thick.

  
  

• Melt 1 teaspoon butter in a nonstick skillet over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and use a ladle to spoon 1/8 of the batter onto the hot skillet; fit as many pancakes on the skillet as possible without overcrowding. Cook until bubbles form and the edges are dry, 3 to 4 minutes. Flip and cook until browned on the other side, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a warm plate. Repeat with remaining batter.

  
  

• Use a large, heart-shaped cookie cutter to cut a heart in the center of each pancake. Discard scraps.

  
  

• Place a few chocolate pieces on top of a warm pancake and sandwich another pancake on top. Repeat with remaining pancakes and chocolate.

  
  

• Sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar and serve.

Blueberry and Raspberry Pancake Topping

Recipes | Feb 4, 2026

• 1 ½ cups frozen raspberries

• 1 cup frozen blueberries

• ½ cup white sugar

• ¼ cup water

  
  

• Combine the raspberries, blueberries, sugar, and water in a small saucepan; bring to a boil and cook at a boil for 5 minutes, scraping the bottom as needed to keep from burning. Reduce heat to low and simmer until thick, about 10 minutes. Serve warm.

Fluffy French Toast

Recipes | Feb 4, 2026

• ¼ cup all-purpose flour

• 1 cup milk

• 3 large eggs

• 1 tablespoon white sugar

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 1 pinch salt

• 12 (¾- to 1-inch thick) slices of bread

  
  

• Gather all ingredients.

  
  

• Place flour into a large mixing bowl; slowly whisk in milk until smooth. Whisk in eggs, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt until well combined.

  
  

• Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium heat. Meanwhile, soak bread slices in milk mixture until saturated.

  
  

• Working in batches, cook bread on the preheated griddle or pan until golden brown on both sides, about 2 minutes per side.

Recipes: theFencePost