Tag Archives: Breakfast in Bed
Breakfast in Bed – Spätzle mit Eier
Post by Alison Hein.
Spätzle, or “little sparrow,” is a hand-cut egg noodle from the region of Southern Germany, Austria and Switzerland. I love spätzle fried in butter, liberally salted and peppered, and browned to a crisp perfection. Topping that with a gooey poached egg and specks of fresh parsley nearly sends me into a dreamy food delirium.
Making these eggy little pasta bites is easy – no need for fancy contraptions. My Austrian grandma taught me to make them with nothing more than a knife and spoon. Be careful as you gently push your thin globs of dough into the boiling water – wear gloved potholders, if you like, to be safe.
Fry them with bacon or onions, bake them with Swiss or Gruyere, spice them, sauce them, herb them but definitely serve them – for lunch, for dinner, or for a joyfully delirious breakfast in bed.
Ingredients
Spätzle
½ cup unbleached white flour
½ teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 to 2 tablespoons water
Spätzle mit Eier
2 tablespoons butter
2 eggs
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons fresh curly parsley, chopped
Preparation
To make spätzle, mix flour and salt together in small bowl. Whisk in eggs until smooth, thick batter forms. Gradually add water until you achieve the desired consistency. The batter should be somewhat thick, but thin enough to slide slowly off the edge of a spoon.
Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Scoop up a tablespoon of batter with one hand and hold over the boiling water. In the other hand, hold a butter knife parallel to the spoon, and gently (and carefully) push the strip of dough into the water. Repeat the process. As the spätzle cook they will rise to the surface. Skim them off and place in a separate bowl. When all the dough is gone and all the spätzle are cooked, rinse them in cold water and allow them to drain.
Makes about 2 cups of spätzle.
When ready to eat Spätzle mit Eier, melt the butter in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add the spätzle and cook until lightly browned, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. To poach eggs, fill a heavy saucepan with enough water to cover eggs (3 to 4 inches) and heat until very hot and simmering, but not boiling. Break eggs into individual small dishes. Or you can use an egg poacher. Carefully pour the first egg into the simmering water. Immediately use a wooden spoon to wrap the cooking white around the egg yolk to prevent the white from feathering. Repeat the process with the second egg, and cook for about four minutes, until the white is firm but the yolk is still soft. Remove from pan with a slotted spoon and drain. Trim edges if necessary.
Divide the spätzle into two equal portions. Top each portion with a poached egg. Add salt and pepper and garnish with chopped parsley. Serve immediately.
Makes 2 servings.
Breakfast in Bed: Maple Morning Cake
Post by Alison Hein.
Kevin and I took an old-fashioned vacation this summer. We unplugged our electronics, stocked up on books and movies, and hopped in our car for the five-hour drive to Vermont. Our “private camp” (otherwise known as a cozy little house) was nestled up tight against the banks of the bountiful Lake Champlain.
We had envisioned lazy days sunning on our tiny shale beach, punctuated only by cooling dips in the lake or sunscreen breaks. Instead, we arrived to a mighty, swelling lake, soon to reach its 100-foot flood mark level, and rainy, rainy days.
So I scouted out the best spots for farm fresh produce, local dairy products and my all-time favorite Vermont comestible – maple syrup. Then I moved my activities indoors to the small kitchen. Perhaps slightly decadent for daily breakfast, this Maple Morning Cake seemed fitting for our sleepy vacation. Lightly sweet, the rich, mellow maple flavor shines through. Skip the buttercream frosting, if you like, and sprinkle the top with some maple or cinnamon sugar.
Cool lake breezes, pattering rain, and blessed silence had us sleeping soundly, dreaming only of the morning ahead and our Vermont maple-y breakfast in bed.
Ingredients
Cake
1 cup light brown sugar
½ cup (1 stick) butter, softened
2 eggs
2 cups unbleached white flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
¼ cup maple syrup
½ cup sour cream
Frosting
½ cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1 cup confectioner’s sugar
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 tablespoon milk
Preparation
Preheat oven to 350°. Grease a 9×13-inch baking dish and set aside. In a large bowl, cream together the brown sugar and butter. Beat in eggs one at a time. In a separate small bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt.
Mix the milk and maple syrup together in another small bowl. Add alternately with flour mixture to the egg batter, until well mixed. Fold in sour cream.
Bake for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool for at least one hour before frosting.
To make frosting, mix softened butter and confectioner’s sugar together until well blended. Stir in maple syrup and milk, mixing until smooth. Apply a thin layer of frosting to cake using a butter knife or spatula. Refrigerate cake until ready to eat.
Breakfast in Bed: Strawberry Smoothies
Post by Alison Hein.
When the summer temperatures skyrocket and remain relentlessly above 90 degrees, when the air is so thick with water it’s hard to breathe, when the air conditioner gulps and strains to keep up the good fight against Mother Nature – those are the rare times when I don’t want any breakfast. My solution? An icy, frothy tall drink lush with fresh fruit and thick as a milkshake, tasting of summer and chilling like winter – a Strawberry Smoothie.
While fresh fruit/milk drink combos have been around for a long time, food historians generally believe the smoothie is a 20th century concoction, first appearing in West Coast health food stores during the 1920s, then later becoming popularized in the mid-1960s. Regardless of their history, they are delicious, nutritious, thirst-quenching and easy.
You will need a blender. After that, all you need is some fresh fruit, a handful of ice, and a little imagination. I like to put some low-fat vanilla yogurt in my smoothies – not just for thickness, but for a bit of protein. Experiment with different kinds of fruit, add a drop of honey or some protein powder. You can even use frozen fruit, and omit the ice entirely. Whatever you come up with, I’m sure it will be a recipe for a smooth, chill breakfast in bed.
Ingredients
2 cups fresh strawberries, plus 2 strawberries for garnish
1 cup ice
½ cup low fat vanilla yogurt
Preparation
Rinse strawberries and gently pat dry. Hull strawberries, except for the two garnish strawberries, using a small paring knife. Carefully cut around the green stem of each berry in a conical shape. Discard leaves and white inner part of berries. Make a small slit in the bottom of the two berries to be used for garnish, and slide one over the rim of each glass.
Place ice in blender. Add hulled berries and yogurt. Purée until thick and smooth, about 1 minute. Pour into glasses, add a couple of straws, and enjoy immediately.
Makes 2 smoothies.
Breakfast in Bed: Independence Day Aebelskiver (Danish Filled Pancakes)
Post by Alison Hein.
One of my favorite pastimes is browsing the discount shops. I’m not looking for splashy, red-heeled Christian Louboutins, or even a chic Balenciaga bag. Rather, I’m searching for the new and unexpected. The inspirational and one-of-a-kind. Like pepper-shaped grill racks, old-timey cast iron cornbread pans, and even Pacman oven mitts! Imagine my delight when I recently stumbled upon the perfect aebelskiver pan, at a fraction of the retail cost.
Aebelskiver means “apple slices” in Danish. With our usual laissez faire regarding foreign languages, Americans apply this term to all little spherical pancakes, whether filled with sweet and creamy apple middles or not.
Back to the pan. Usually made from cast iron, the heavy pan contains seven small, rounded wells. The pan is heated, batter poured, and the aebelskiver are carefully flipped. Instructions suggest using two skewers, but I asked my Danish friend Helen for the real low-down: “Some use apple pieces, which are added after they are baked a little time on the first side, and a lot like them with prunes .. and I use knitting needles to turn them ;-)which I learned from my mom … we normally eat them at Christmastime, with a little sugar or marmalade alongside.”
My Chinese-American friend Yane weighed in saying she uses chopsticks to flip her aebelskiver. Eureka! We’re a cultural melting pot that allows us to prepare Danish cuisine with Asian cooking utensils, and then serve it up for America’s big birthday breakfast in bed.
Happy Fourth of July!
Ingredients
1 cup unbleached flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
2 eggs, separated
Cooking spray (or melted butter)
8 ounces (1/2 cup) strawberry jam
Confectioner’s sugar
1 cup mixed berries (strawberries, blueberries and raspberries)
Special Equipment
Aebelskiver pan
Preparation
Combine flour, baking powder and salt in large bowl. In separate small bowl, mix together milk, cider vinegar and egg yolks. Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form and fold into batter.
Place aebelskiver pan on burner over medium heat. Spray each well of the pan liberally with cooking spray (or brush with melted butter). Spoon about 1½ teaspoons of batter into each well. Then place about ½ teaspoon of strawberry jam in the center of each aebelskiver. Finally, pour another 1½ teaspoons of batter on top, being sure to entirely cover jam.
Cook for about 2 minutes, until bottom of aebelskiver is dark golden brown. Carefully flip using two skewers, or a knife and spoon, or knitting needles as is common in Denmark, or chopsticks. Continue cooking until flipped side is also golden brown, another one to two minutes. Remove from pan and keep warm while making the remainder of pancakes. Adjust heat and regrease pan as necessary while cooking. Sprinkle aebelskiver with confectioner’s sugar, garnish with berries and serve immediately.
Makes 20 to 30 aebelskiver
Breakfast in Bed: Banana Pancakes
Post by Alison Hein.
My friend Lisa over at momalamode.net is full of creative ideas about food, fun and fashion. Almost a year ago, Lisa suggested I make Banana Pancakes in line with our Food Songs initiative. She kindly provided a link to Jack Johnson’s sultry song.
Sorry, Lisa, that it’s taken me so long to get around to this. The recent combination of rainy day weather and an overabundance of too-ripe bananas finally spurred me into action.
I like to use honey instead of sugar in my Banana Pancakes – its mellowness lets the pure fruit flavor shine through, and prevents the pancakes from becoming too “cakey”. Leave some larger pieces in your mashed bananas, if you like, for rich texture. Mushy bananas are wonderful for pancake batter, but be sure to have some perfectly ripened specimens on hand for the topping.
Lots of options for variations here, too. Add a little peanut butter to the batter (kids love this), or some toasted nuts on top. But there’s one thing you shouldn’t mess with – be sure to tune into Jack Johnson’s Banana Pancakes while you relish in your sultry breakfast in bed.
Ingredients
2 cups unbleached flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 medium overripe bananas
¼ cup honey
2 cups milk
2 eggs, separated
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 ounces (one half stick) butter, melted and slightly cooled
1 to 2 tablespoons butter, for cooking pancakes
2 firm, ripe bananas, peeled and sliced
Preparation
Combine flour, baking powder and salt in large bowl. Peel and mash overripe bananas.
In separate bowl, stir together mashed bananas, honey, milk, egg yolks and vanilla. Gradually add banana-milk mixture to dry ingredients. Slowly add melted butter to batter. Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form and fold into batter.
Place pan or griddle on burner over medium to medium high heat. Melt a small amount of butter in the pan for the first pancake. Ladle batter into pan and cook until small bubbles appear throughout pancake. Flip once with spatula and continue cooking until golden brown, one to two minutes, adding more butter and adjusting heat as necessary. Keep warm while making the remainder of pancakes. Top with banana slices. Serve hot with drizzled honey or real maple syrup.
Makes 12 to 14 4-inch pancakes.
