Snowdonia has Monday Brunch

Image by Snowdonia

Visiting Snowdonia recently, I enjoyed their fancy cocktails and laid back atmosphere.  As I was hangin' with a bunch of stagehands (Dan being one of them), our friend Mo informed us that Snowdonia features brunch every Monday in addition to the weekend, to service the prominent theater clientele in Astoria.  I think it's a great idea and a nice way of catering to your audience (pun intended).  Here's just a sampling of the interesting brunch eats you can enjoy there on Mondays from 12 p.m. - 4 p.m.

Sandwiches:
Skate and Eggs - Crispy skate, scrambled eggs, caper mayo and beer pickles on a hero roll...$10
Portabella and Eggs - Roasted portabella mushrooms, scrambled eggs, fontina cheese and arugula on a hero roll...$10
Pork and Eggs - Spicy pulled pork, scrambled eggs, roasted onions and salsa verde on a hero roll...$10

Cold Plates:
Granola and Ricotta - House-made whipped ricotta with granola and honey...$8
Smoked Salmon Plate - House smoked salmon with capers, scallions, herb cream cheese and grilled bread...$11

Mains:
The Half English - Two eggs, vegetarian baked beans, Welsh banger and chorizo sausages...$13
Sausages and Grits - Coarse grits with two eggs, breakfast sausage and caramelized onion jam...$12
Brisket and Eggs - Braised beef brisket, two eggs, roasted potatoes and salsa verde...$15
French Toast - French toast with two eggs, bacon or breakfast sausage...$13

Desserts:
Sticky Toffee Bread Pudding...$7
Oatmeal Stout Panna Cotta...$7

Snowdonia - 34-55 35th Avenue, Astoria NY 11106
347.730.5783
N/Q Train to 36th Avenue
snowdoniapub.com

Baked Apple Dessert with Chocolate Granola

Having my brother Peter over the other night while Dan made his signature pizza, I decided to whip up an easy and healthy dessert, totally improvising the whole thing. I had fresh, organic apples on hand as well as my favorite Bare Naked Chocolate Chunk Granola, so I decided to pair the two, along with some lemons, cinnamon, fresh sage and maple syrup for a quick impromptu dessert.

I was happy to see that the dessert was well received, as there were compliments flying around and I was only too happy to receive them. If you’d like to try this at home, and change it up with the fruit of your choice, here’s my rough recipe:

Baked Apple Dessert with Chocolate Granola Ingredients (serves 3)
2 golden delicious or granny smith apples (I prefer organic), sliced into ¼ inch slivers. You don’t have to peel the apples.
½ cup of chocolate chunk granola (I prefer Bare Naked brand, but you can use whatever kind you like) Juice of half a lemon
Dash of ground cinnamon
2 tbs of pure maple syrup
Fresh sage leaves (you can omit this, but I think it adds a hint of intrigue and originality)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Combine the apples, maple syrup, lemon juice and the cinnamon in a medium sized bowl. Mix until well incorporated and the maple syrup is no longer thick.

Place into soufflé ramekins or something similar and top with chocolate granola and a sage leaf.

Bake for about 20 or 25 minutes, until the apples get soft and when a delicious cinnamoney smell emanates from your kitchen.