Tag Archives: Breakfast Recipe

Breakfast in Bed – Valentine’s Eggs, Sunny Side Up

Post by Alison Hein.

If there’s one perfect day for serving breakfast in bed, it is, of course, Valentine’s Day. Well, it’s right around the corner, so now’s the time to start thinking about making a festive morning meal for your special someone.

For starters, pull out a tray. Then dress it up. Try linen napkins, a red rose, a tiny goblet of fresh berries, a love note, or even your dear one’s favorite newspaper tied up with golden ribbon. If you have a shocking red plate, by all means, place that front and center. Now, what to put on the plate? For just a couple of dollars, you can purchase a heart-shaped egg ring – a thin metal band in the shape of a heart, reminiscent of a large cookie cutter. Simply set the ring directly in a heated frying pan, drop a cracked egg into it, then let it cook a couple of minutes until the white is set and the yolk is glossy and golden.

You can use the ring to make accompanying heart-shaped toast, if you like. Or cook up some bacon first, then fry your heart-shaped eggs in the rich, salty drippings. Or, use your rings to make a few heart-shaped pancakes. Use your best judgment to tailor the quintessential breakfast in bed for your loved one. Then, don’t be upset when your heart gets broken. 😉

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Equipment
Heart-shaped egg rings

Ingredients
2 slices bread
1 to 2 teaspoons olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
2 eggs
Salt and pepper, to taste

Preparation
Use the heart-shaped egg ring to cut out two hearts from the bread slices. Set aside while cooking eggs.

Heat a heavy frying pan over medium-low heat. Add olive oil and butter, continuing to heat until butter is melted. Crack one egg into a small bowl, making sure the yolk is intact. Place a heart-shaped ring in the frying pan, then carefully pour the egg into the ring. Repeat for the second egg. Season liberally with salt and pepper. If you like, baste frequently with the oil / butter mixture to accelerate cooking time. Cook until whites are cooked through and yellow centers are still soft, about 2 to 3 minutes.

While eggs are cooking, toast bread. Place toasted hearts on a warmed plate, then top with the sunny side up eggs. Serve immediately.

Makes 1 serving.

You can find heart-shaped egg rings in local kitchen specialty stores, or on many popular websites, such as Amazon.com

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Breakfast in Bed: Walnut Bread

Post by Alison Hein.

Finding myself with a plethora of mixed nuts on hand after the holidays, I decided to make a sweet, dense walnut bread. Dark brown sugar provides a lovely colored base and texture for the deep, nutty flavor. A couple of eggs and a healthy dollop of sour cream add the needed lift, and a dash of cinnamon infuses a faint, lingering spice after each bite.

I wanted to give some Walnut Bread to a couple of friends, so I used three mini-bread pans for baking. You can also use a muffin tin, if you like. Just be sure to check on and monitor your baking a little earlier in the process to avoid over-cooking. Other types of nuts such as pecans or hazelnuts can also work well here, of course depending on your preference. Or, halve the amount of nuts used and add an equal amount of raisins or dried cranberries.

It doesn’t take long to mix up and bake this batter, but be prepared to wait until your bread is completely cooled before slicing or you may find yourself with a handful of sweet crumbles instead of sweet, crumbly slices.

A little more cakey than bread, and definitely more bready than cake, Walnut Bread is delicious at tea time with a strong cup of English Breakfast tea. Or, if you prefer, save it for the morning, slice it up properly and enjoy a sweet, nutty breakfast in bed.

Ingredients
6 tablespoons butter, softened
¾ cup dark brown sugar
1 cup unbleached white flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon cinnamon
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
½ cup sour cream
1½ cups chopped walnuts

Preparation
Preheat oven to 350°, and lightly grease 1 large bread pan, or 3 mini bread pans.

In a large bowl, beat butter and brown sugar until fully blended and slightly creamy. In a separate bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Gradually add dry ingredients to the butter mixture, stirring until mixed to a light, sandy texture. Mix in eggs one at a time. Add vanilla and sour cream until smooth batter forms. Fold in chopped walnuts. Spread batter in greased pan(s). Bake at 350° for 45 to 50 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool on rack at least one hour before slicing.

Note: If using mini-pans, bake for 35 to 40 minutes, then test with toothpick.

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Breakfast in Bed: Vannilekipferl

Post by Alison Hein.

Once upon a time, long before Google search, people had to work very hard to obtain special recipes. Finding just the right one might involve a trek to the library and a search through hundreds of cookbooks; tricking friends and neighbors into giving up their family secrets; or hours and hours of trial and error and a messy, messy kitchen. Vannilekipferl was just that hard won.

Every Christmas a friend’s mother would whip up batches of these melt-in-your-mouth holiday specialties. Year after year I begged her for the recipe. After about three years, she agreed that I could help her bake. The following year she finally relented and gifted me her hand-written, cherished instructions. Next obstacle – translate the directions from German to English, and convert the quantities from metric to US measurements (my friend’s mother was Austrian). Again, an easy task today with Google translate and a multitude of online converters. But back in the day, it took time and a little fudging to get it just right. I have made these sweet, nutty crescents annually ever since, and they continue to be the favorite cookie on our holiday plate.

Make sure you chill the dough thoroughly before you begin the fussy shaping process. With no eggs in the batter, the dough can be a little finicky. Same holds true when you remove them from the oven. Fragile when hot, they can break easily, so be gentle and give them lots of support when transferring to a cooling rack and rolling them in sugar. If you break a few, by all means, indulge immediately. If you can hold out, save some for a hard won, special breakfast in bed.

As they say in Austria, Frohe Weihnachten!

Ingredients
1 cup butter, softened
½ cup confectioner’s sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup finely ground walnuts or pecans
1¾ cups flour

Preparation
Beat butter, confectioner’s sugar and vanilla in a large bowl with electric mixer until fluffy. Add nuts and mix until blended. Gradually mix in flour until just blended. Wrap dough and chill until firm enough to handle, at least 2 hours. Heat oven to 325°. Divide dough into 8 equal pieces. On lightly floured board, form each piece into a ½-inch thick rope, then cut into approximately 1½-inch lengths. Bend into crescent shapes, tapering ends slightly. Place 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake 12 to 15 minutes until light golden and firm. While warm, roll in confectioner’s sugar to coat. Let cool on racks. Recoat with confectioner’s sugar. Store in waxed paper-lined tins for up to 3 weeks.

Yield: 8 to 9 dozen.

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Breakfast in Bed: Tuscan Kale Scrambled Eggs

Post by Alison Hein.

After all the Thanksgiving foofaraw and pumpkin pie overdoses, I craved a somewhat lighter breakfast. Deep in my fridge, behind the neatly-stacked containers of leftover turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and candied yams, I came across a forgotten bag of Tuscan kale. Perfect!

I had homemade dipping oil on hand and remnants of a hearty, rustic bread round. Some finely-chopped shallot sautéed in the seasoned oil and a handful of grated parmesan would give my dish a Tuscan-inspired flavor. Score! The kale turned out delightfully spiced and crispy – the perfect foil for rich, fluffy eggs. Little bits of near-caramelized shallots and peppery heat from the oil perked it all up. I used my rustic bread, shovel-like, to scoop and gobble it all up. Maybe not as light as I would have liked, but green and compelling nonetheless.
If you want to try the Homemade Dipping Oil, mix it up a couple of days in advance to allow the flavors to meld. Then you’ll be ready to fry up some shallots and kale for a (maybe-not-so-light) Tuscan-inspired breakfast in bed.

Ingredients
2 teaspoons seasoned olive oil or Homemade Dipping Oil (recipe below)
1 shallot
1 cup loosely packed fresh Tuscan kale (or other variety)
2 eggs
1 teaspoon milk or cream
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese (optional)
Salt and pepper, to taste

Preparation:
Heat seasoned olive oil in small, heavy pan over medium heat. Finely chop shallot and sauté in hot oil until softened, 1 to 2 minutes. Wash, chop and dry kale. Place kale in pan and cook until cooked through and starting to crisp, stirring occasionally, about 6 to 8 minutes. Reduce heat to medium low. Break eggs into small bowl and whisk well with milk or cream. Add eggs to heated pan and allow to cook slowly and gently, folding over around kale. Stir and lift frequently with wooden spoon to avoid sticking. Toward the end of cooking, fold the parmesan cheese into the eggs, if you like. Season with salt and pepper.

Slide eggs out onto plate. Serve immediately, with a thick slice of rustic bread.

Makes 1 serving.

Homemade Dipping Oil
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning (or mix of dried herbs such as basil, oregano and parsley)
¼ teaspoon garlic salt
Dash or 2 of cayenne
Salt and pepper, to taste

Mix all ingredients together and store in airtight glass bottle. Shake before pouring, and add a drop of balsamic vinegar for dipping bread.

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Breakfast in Bed – Brown Butter Eggs

Post by Alison Hein.

Brown butter is a delicious and decadent way to dress up a dish. I love it on top of butternut squash ravioli, with some toasted fresh sage tossed in. And one of my very favorite dishes growing up was, believe it or not, cauliflower. My mother would cook the cauliflower, then melt up a big wad of butter and keep it on the heat until it turned a rich, bubbling brown. The final step was to add plain breadcrumbs, and stir them around until they reached the same lovely brown color, and the deep, nutty flavor of the butter. Then she spooned the breadcrumbs over the cauliflower to make a superb side dish.

Well, how about applying that same principle to eggs? It’s best to cook them simply – boiled, poached, or baked – and then let the nut-brown butter add all the depth and flavor. In this recipe, a drop of butter and dash of breadcrumbs has been added to the bottom of the baking dish for a heartier feel.

I recently learned that adding vinegar while heating the butter helps it to brown deeply and evenly. No need to butter your toast rounds – simply dip them right through the buttery layer deep into the heart of the eggs for a delicious and decadent breakfast in bed.

Ingredients
3 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons breadcrumbs
4 eggs
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 teaspoon cider vinegar
4 slices of sourdough bread
1 teaspoon fresh curly parsley, chopped

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°. Melt one tablespoon of butter and pour equal amounts into two small ramekins. Pour an even layer of breadcrumbs on top of melted butter in each ramekin. In a separate small bowl, carefully break eggs one at a time. Make sure the yolks are intact, then pour the eggs one by one into the ramekins, two eggs in each. Season with salt and pepper.

Place ramekins in a baking dish which has been filled with about 1 inch of warm water. Place baking dish in oven, and bake about 20 to 25 minutes until egg whites are firm.

Toward the end of baking, cut the sourdough bread into four rounds and toast until golden brown. Melt the remaining butter in a small pan over medium heat. Continue to cook for a minute or two until the butter starts to bubble. Stir in vinegar and continue to cook for another minute or so.

Pour brown butter equally over each of the two baked egg ramekins, and top each with half of the chopped parsley. Serve hot with toast rounds.

Makes 2 servings.

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