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"It's so beautifully arranged on the the plate – you know someone's fingers have been all over it." – Julia Child

Posts tagged breakfast

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My partner in crime, Maria has been on location for a bit, so I whipped up one of my basics to share on the blog. Almond milk has  been one of my favorite milk alternatives for years. It’s a simple process, and so worth the effort. Trust me, once you make your own, you’ll never buy it in a store again.

I’m a bit of a purist, and I like to keep my milk on the simple side. That said, there are multiple ways to jazz it up if  you’d like. I have some recommended variations that follow the recipe.

One of my recent obsessions is Dorset Maple Reserve -Vermont Maple Syrup, Bourbon Barrel Aged.  It is amazing! I’ve been using it to sweeten my almond milk and my coffee.

ALMOND MILK

Makes about 3 cups

1 cup raw soaked almonds
3 ½  cups filtered water
pinch of good salt
sweetener of choice – maple syrup, honey, agave
cheese cloth or nut milk bag
blender

– Soak the almonds in filtered water for at least 6 hours, or just soak overnight.

– Drain, rinse and place the almonds in a blender.

– Add the 3 ½ cups of filtered water and the salt.

– Blend on high for about 2 minutes. Taste, and add a sweetener if desired. I prefer maple syrup, but use what you like. Start with a small amount, about  ½ teaspoon. You can always add more if you need it.

– Strain the almonds with a cheesecloth-lined strainer, or a nut milk bag. Press or squeeze the milk through the strainer in order to get all the milk.

– Store the milk in a jar in your refrigerator for up to 2 days.

Variations: Try adding cinnamon, vanilla bean or vanilla extract, trading out the almonds for raw cashews or raw Brazil nuts.

– You can save the almond meal to use for  things like “breading” for chicken, fish, pork, or casseroles. It can also be added to oatmeal, smoothies or yogurt as a topping.

– Simply line a baking sheet with parchment paper and bake at 200°F for about 2 hours until it is dry and crumbly. Store in an airtight container.

-If you decide to make nut milk more than once, a nut milk bag  will really come in handy, and they’re environmentally friendly. There are plenty to choose from.

 

Sweet, salty, crunchy, gooey, toasty, buttery, sticky, porky, beefy, cheesy: you can have all of these flavors and textures at once if you like when you have breakfast.  And what’s not to like?  Forget a rushed bowl of cereal and come to the diner with us.

A toasted bagel with lox is one of the most impeccably balanced food combinations. Make sure you start with a good bagel and lox or smoked salmon, and have the appropriate condiments when assembling one: fresh dill, cream cheese, capers, red onions, and lemon wedges.

Steak and eggs, if you’re feeling like extra-ravenous! Pick a quick-cooking steak like strip, flat iron, hanger, or skirt. Allow to meat to come to room temperature (pull it out of the fridge 30 minutes before cooking). Pat the meat dry with paper towels, season it generously with salt and freshly ground pepper on both sides.  Head 2 teaspoons vegetable in a large skillet over high heat and add the steak to the pan when it starts to smoke. Add the steak and cook it for 1 to 2 minutes, then turn it and let it cook on the opposite side for about 30 seconds. Continue flipping the steak for 4 to 6 minutes total for medium-rare, longer if you prefer it more done.

For the seasoned potatoes seen alongside, get ready to raid your pantry. To serve 2, scrub 2 russet potatoes and cut them into 1-inch chunks. Place them in a medium saucepan, add 1 tablespoon salt, and add enough cold water to cover by about 2 inches. Bring the water to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to medium and boil the potatoes until they’re fork tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Drain the potatoes and let them stand to dry out for 5 minutes.

In a small bowl, combine 1 tablespoon paprika, 1 tablespoon garlic powder, 1 tablespoon onion powder, 2 teaspoons ground black pepper, and 1 teaspoon dry thyme leaves. Melt 4 tablespoons unsalted butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the potatoes and season them generously with the spice mixture. Cook, shaking the pan and tossing the potatoes occasionally until they’re golden and crisp. Season with salt to taste.

Pancakes. From the box to greatgrandma’s recipe, I’ve griddled it all, but this recipe adapted from The Gourmet Cookbook is the one that I keep coming back to. They’re buttery and light and so delicious you might even pass on the syrup.

RUTH’S PANCAKES

Makes about 8 pancakes

1 cup whole milk
2 large eggs
3 tablespoons plus ½ teaspoon vegetable oil
1 stick (4 ounces / 8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 cup all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking soda
4 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt

– Whisk together milk, eggs, and 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in a medium bowl, then whisk in the butter. Stir together the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt in another medium bowl. Whisk in egg mixture until just combined. Heat ½ teaspoon oil in a large nonstick skillet* over medium heat until hot but not smoking. Working in batches, pour 1/3 cup measures of batter into the skillet and cook until bubbles have formed on the top and broken, 2 to 3 minutes. Flip pancakes with a spatula and cook until undersides are golden, 1 to 2 minutes more.

-Serve with maple syrup. Keep pancakes warm in a preheated 200°F oven on a baking sheet if you want to make all of them and serve at once. I much prefer using an electric griddle to make pancakes. It makes for more even ones, and also, if you’re the cook, you get to eat with your crowd and not alone at the very end of the meal!

Diner DeluxeThese waffles have a bit of crunch with the addition of cornmeal. I call for 1 stick of butter, but you can add up to 2 of them: the more butter in the batter, the crispier the waffle. Keep the waffles warm in a preheated 200°F oven directly on the racks while you make the rest. Freeze the leftovers for a weekday breakfast.

WAFFLES

Makes 4

 Whisk together in a large bowl:
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
¼ cup medium grind yellow cornmeal
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 tablespoon granulated sugar

Whisk together in another bowl:
3 large eggs
1 stick of butter, melted and cooled
1 ½ cups milk

– Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ones. Gently whisk them together with a few swift strokes. Cook waffles according to your griddle’s instructions and serve with butter and syrup or fruit syrup.

Fried eggs seem to be a mystery to many, but they’re really very easy to make. Heat a tablespoon of butter in a medium nonstick skillet. Once melted, crack in an egg or 2 and season them with salt and pepper. Cook the eggs until the egg whites are opaque and set and the yolk — well, if you like a runny egg, serve it when the whites are done, but if you prefer a firm one, let them cook a while longer, until you start to see the yolks firm up.

Homemade Granola & Yogurt

All the chubby-cheeked cupids, bows-and-arrows, and glittery cards screeching out love songs are a bit much for me…and don’t even get me started on heart-shaped bakeware. Perhaps years of being the only girl who didn’t get bouquets of flowers or “Be Mine”-inscribed sugar hearts made me wary of Valentine’s Day, but I’ll be a good sport this year, especially because it involves larger-than-life scones that are also cinnamon rolls (a genius recipe from Tate’s) and eating in bed.  Treat your better half — or yourself — on Valentine’s Day, or any other day for that matter.

Recipe note: Prepare the dough for the scones up to 1 day in advance and keep them refrigerated and wrapped in plastic. Bake the following day.

ORANGE-ROSEMARY GRANOLA

Makes about 5 cups

½ cup honey

1/3 cup olive oil

2 tablespoons finely grated zest plus 1/3 cup juice from 2 oranges

½ teaspoon salt

3 cups whole rolled oats

1 cup walnuts or hazelnuts, chopped

¾ cup unsweetened shredded coconut

½ cup fresh rosemary, chopped

Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 325°F.

Whisk together honey, oil, orange juice, and salt in liquid measuring cup. Using hands, combine oats, nuts, and coconut in rimmed baking sheet. Pour honey mixture over oat mixture and use hands or rubber spatula to thoroughly combine. Spread out into even layer.

Bake 20 minutes, then stir in orange zest and rosemary. Continue baking until golden and fragrant, 15 to 20 minutes longer. Transfer baking sheet to cooling rack and cool to room temperature, about 1 hour.

Store granola in airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 month, or frozen for up to 2 months. Bring frozen granola to room temperature prior to serving, or quickly warm through by toasting desired amount in a dry skillet over medium heat, 2 to 3 minutes.

Serve atop yogurt.

QUICK BLACKBERRY JAM

Serves 4

This quick jam is a prefect complement to the Orange-Rosemary Granola. Prepare it up to 1 day in advance.

2 cups fresh blackberries

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

2 tablespoons water

Pinch salt

Combine 1 cup blackberries, sugar, water, and salt in small saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring and smashing berries with wooden spoon, until mixture is thick and jam-like, about 8 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in remaining 1 cup blackberries. Cool to room temperature and serve with yogurt and granola.

Breakfast in Bed

We love Tate’s crunchy, buttery cookies, and when we got the opportunity to cook and shoot a few things from their inspired creator, we jumped at the chance. These Maple, Bacon, and Date Scones and extravagant Cinnamon Swirl Scones are perfect for spoiling your significant other – or yourself.

The following recipes are from Baking for Friends by Kathleen King, creator and owner of Tate’s Bake Shop

Maple, Bacon, and Date Scones

Makes 16 scones

1 ¾ cups whole wheat flour

1 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour

¼ cup firmly packed dark brown sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

10 tablespoons (1 ¼ sticks) cold salted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes

1 ½ cups pitted and chopped dates

12 ounces sliced bacon, cut into ½-inch-wide pieces, cooked until crisp, drained, and cooled

1 cup buttermilk

1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon Grade B pure maple syrup

1 large egg

1 tablespoons Demerara or other raw sugar

Position oven racks in the top third and center of the oven and preheat the oven to 400°F. Line 2 large rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.

To make the scones: In a large bowl, whisk together the whole wheat and all-purpose flours, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Using a pastry blender or your fingertips, cut in the butter until the mixture is crumbly with some pea-sized pieces of butter. Add the dates and toss to coat with the flour mixture. Repeat with the bacon. Whisk the buttermilk and 1/3 cup of maple syrup together in a measuring cup. Pour into the flour mixture and stir just until combined. Do not overmix.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead a few times. Roll out into a 1-inch-thick round. Using a 2 ½-inch round cookie cutter, pressing firmly to cut through the dates, cut out the scones as close together as possible to avoid excess scraps. Arrange at least 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Gently press the scraps together roll out again, and cut more scones.

In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and remaining 1 tablespoon maple syrup.  Brush the tops of the scones lightly with the egg mixture and sprinkle with the Demerara sugar.

Bake, switching the positions of the baking sheets from top to bottom and front to back halfway through baking, until the scones are golden brown, about 20 minutes.  Let cool on the pans for 10 minutes. Serve warm.

Cinnamon Swirl Buns

Cinnamon Swirl Scones

Makes 12 rolls

Filling

8 tablespoons (1 stick) salted butter, at room temperature

½ cup firmly packed dark brown sugar

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

Dough

4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

½ cup granulated sugar

2 tablespoons baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

8 tablespoons (1 stick) cold salted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes

1 cup dark raisins

1 ¾ cups half-and-half

Icing

½ cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon water

Position oven racks in the top third and center of the oven and preheat the oven to 375°F. Line 2 large rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.

To make the filling: In a small bowl, mix the butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon until smooth.

To make the dough: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Using a pastry blender or your fingertips, work in the butter until the mixture is crumbly with some pea-sized pieces of butter. Do not overmix. Mix in the raisins. Stir in the half-and-half and mix just until the ingredients are moistened.

On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the dough into a 17-by-12-inch rectangle about ¼-inch thick. Spread the cinnamon filling evenly over the top of the dough, leaving a ½-inch border on all four sides. Starting at the long side, tightly roll the dough up into a log. Cut the dough into 2-inch slices and arrange them, cut sides up, 4 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.

Bake, switching the positions of the baking sheets from front to back and top to bottom halfway through baking, until the rolls are slightly golden, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool on the pans for 10 minutes.

To make the icing: In a small bowl, mix the confectioners’ sugar and water with a fork until smooth. Drizzle over the buns. Serve warm, or let cool to room temperature.