Tag Archives: Breakfast Recipe
Breakfast in Bed: Dutch Apple Babies
Post by Alison Hein.
You may recall from my last post about Mulled Cider that I recently bought, uh, a few apples. I couldn’t fathom how to use them all. Then I remembered a wonderful recipe my friend Tricia gave me years ago for Dutch Baby Pancakes. Tricia’s version doesn’t call for apples, but this oven-baked gem resiliently allows for lots of fiddling – varied fruits, for starters.
I prepared the apples pie-like, sweetening them with sugar, spicing with cinnamon, and sautéing in butter. Before popping my Dutch Baby in a hot oven, I spread the lightly caramelized apples in the bottom of the frying pan, then poured the crêpe-like batter on top.
Twenty minutes later I pulled my giant baby out of the oven, all puffed up, golden brown and ready to eat. Don’t forget to use potholders and handle the fiery-hot pan with care. The pancake will fall after a minute or two, but don’t fret – there is no change to the scrumptious layers that await. Be sure that with each bite you fork up a bit of buttery crisp bottom, soft eggy middle, and sugary sweet top. Oh, and don’t forget to snag a few apple slices, too, for a wonderful, oven-baked breakfast in bed.
Ingredients
2 large apples
¼ cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
6 tablespoons butter
3 eggs
¾ cup milk
¾ cup flour
½ teaspoon salt
Preparation
Place a 12–inch diameter cast iron frying pan, or other oven-proof pan, in oven and preheat to 425°.
Peel, core and slice apples. Place apple slices in a large bowl and stir in 1 tablespoon of sugar and cinnamon until evenly mixed. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a large frying pan, add apples and sauté until soft and lightly caramelized, about 3 to 4 minutes. Set aside.
Crack eggs and add to a blender or food processor. Mix until thickened and frothy, about 1 minute. Turn blender or food processor to low speed. With blender or food processor running, gradually pour in milk until mixed, then gradually add flour and salt until well mixed.
Remove heated frying pan from oven. Add remaining 4 tablespoons of butter. When melted, spread apple slices evenly across bottom of pan. Pour blended batter over apples and return to the oven. Bake pancake until puffy and well-browned, about 20 to 25 minutes. Sprinkle top with remaining sugar and serve immediately.
Makes 1 large Dutch Apple Baby; or 2 to 4 servings.
Breakfast in Bed: Scallion Pancakes
Post by Alison Hein.
Sometimes I feel like Mother Hubbard. It’s not that my cupboards are bare, exactly. Just that I find myself with an odd assortment of ingredients. Take the other day, for example. I was looking for the makings of a nice breakfast. We had no bread, milk, or bacon, and were down to one egg. The best looking thing I could find in my fridge was a handful of bright green scallions, left over from my last post, Succotash Hash.
That got me thinking about the delicious roasted scallions I enjoyed recently at my favorite Japanese restaurant,Yamagata. Yama-san, the proprietor, kindly shared the recipe with me: “Broil the scallions. Put them in 1-1-1 sauce, and leave them in the refrigerator overnight.” What, you might ask, is 1-1-1 sauce? It’s equal parts of what some might call the Japanese trinity – sake, soy sauce, and the sweet rice vinegar, mirin.
Now, I’m thinking about scallions, thinking about 1-1-1 sauce, and thinking about my one egg. As it happens, I always have a store of organic red miso in my freezer, so now I’m thinking about how to make Asian-style scallion pancakes.
Perhaps not traditional, but scrumptious nonetheless. The scallions lose their sharp edge in a quick sauté, and the 1-1-1 sauce adds a sweet mellow note to a breakfast in bed that even Mother Hubbard would enjoy.
Scallion Pancakes
6 scallions
½ cup flour
¼ teaspoon salt
¾ cup water
1 egg
1 tablespoon miso
1 – 2 tablespoons sesame oil
Preparation
Wash and trim scallions. Cut into 2-inch lengths and set aside.
Mix together flour and salt in large bowl. Whisk in water, egg and miso mixing until batter is thick and smooth. Let batter rest a few minutes before cooking.
For each pancake, heat about 1 teaspoon sesame oil in a heavy 6-inch pan over medium heat. Add one quarter of the scallions, and sauté for 1 to 2 minutes, until softened but not cooked through. Add one quarter of batter to the pan, swirling to cover bottom. Cook pancake 1 to 2 minutes until cooked through and lightly browned, flipping once. Keep warm while cooking remaining pancakes, monitoring heat and adding oil as necessary.
Serve warm with 1-1-1 Sauce.
Makes 4 pancakes.
1-1-1 Sauce
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons mirin
2 tablespoons sake
Mix soy sauce, mirin and sake together. Serve at room temperature.
Breakfast in Bed: Egguins
Post by Alison Hein.
I can’t stop leafing through Janet’s retro cookbooks that we used to plan the menu of her 1960s-themed birthday bash. Some recipes, like Red Tomato Mold, are not all that appealing. And others, namely Tutti-Frutti Tortoni, and Po Po, will make you laugh. But these little party animals are sure to grab your heart.
You only need a couple of hard-boiled eggs, a carrot, a few black olives and a handful of toothpicks. If you have some kids around to help you assemble these adorable little egg penguins, even better. If you need to make more, just throw a few extra eggs in the pot.
Then, use your cute egguins to dress up a party platter, add cheer to a plate of deviled eggs, or become the centerpiece of a breakfast tray for a heart-warming, retro breakfast in bed.
WARNING!: You may come away hungry as some find these little guys too cute to eat.
Ingredients
2 eggs
1 carrot
4 jumbo black olives
Equipment
Toothpicks
Preparation
Place eggs in small heavy saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil on high heat and cook for one minute or so. Turn off heat, and let eggs remain in hot water for 10 minutes, until hard-boiled. Immerse in cold water and carefully peel eggs. Allow to cool thoroughly before assembling.
When ready to assemble, cut a thin slice from the large end of each peeled egg, just enough so each egg can stand levelly. Peel carrot, and cut a long ¼-inch thick slice lengthwise. Cut 4 “feet,” each approximately ¾-inch wide in front and tapered to about ½-inch in the back. Use a paring knife to notch some “toes” in the front. Tuck feet under standing eggs. Whittle 2 thin “beaks” from remaining carrot and set aside.
Place an olive “head” on top of each egg and secure with a toothpick. Cut another olive into 4 slices and use as wings, and secure 2 to each penguin with a toothpick (cut toothpicks in half if necessary). Cut 2 lengthwise slivers of olive for each “necktie” and toothpick in place. Push “beaks” into “heads.”
Makes 2 Egguins
Recipe adapted from Better Homes & Gardens Meals with a Foreign Flair, 1963
Breakfast in Bed: Jello?
Post by Alison Hein.
My sister wanted a 1960’s theme for her birthday bash – music, decorations, clothing and yes, food. As we collaborated on the menu, Janet loaned me a couple of old cookbooks for inspiration.
I paged through many recipes when the idea struck. A Jello mold! Sadly, ingredients such as raw egg, cream cheese, canned fruit and other oddities didn’t feel right. So I followed one of my favorite bits of cooking wisdom – when in doubt, add booze. I knew I was on track when I peeled the foil from the proseco bottle and spied the tiny smiley face printed on the cork.
Lots of fresh fruit added a colorful, decorative touch, and the frosted grapes shimmered and sparkled in a perfect party-like manner. Janet couldn’t find her old jello mold, so I used one of my grandma’s old cake pans. Any pan will do, but be patient and let the jello set to just the right consistency for the fruit to “float”. 2 ½ hours was right for the size of my mold.
Jammin’ and jiggly, our shimmery jello was an evening birthday party smash! And the next morning, who’s to say it wasn’t a real groovy breakfast in bed?
Jammin’ Jello Mold
2 cups water
1 6-ounce package of raspberry Jell-o
2 cups proseco, chilled (or use ginger ale as a non-alcoholic substitute)
1 lemon
2 cups (1 dry pint) blueberries
6 ounces raspberries
1 small head Boston lettuce
Frosted Grapes (see below)
2 cups mixed berries (or other fruit) for garnish
Preparation
Pour water into a heavy, medium-sized pot and bring to a boil. Remove from heat. Pour in contents of Jell-o package and stir for 2 minutes, until completely clear and smooth. Stir in proseco. Pour mixture into mold and refrigerate until partially set, about 2 to 2 ½ hours. Texture should be firm enough that fruit will remain “floating” when immersed in the jello. Slice lemon into very thin rounds. Press lemon slices down and arrange in a pleasing pattern to cover the bottom of the mold. Add the blueberries and raspberries, pressing down to “float” throughout the mold. Return the mold to the refrigerator, and chill for at least another 2 hours, or better, overnight.
When ready to serve, run a small, sharp knife blade around the rim of the jello to loosen. Then very briefly put the mold in warm water. Place a platter on top of the mold and carefully flip. Arrange lettuce leaves around mold, then garnish with Frosted Grapes and mixed berries. Serve immediately.
Makes 10 to 12 servings.
Frosted Grapes (adapted from Better Homes and Gardens All-Time Favorite Salad Recipes)
1 bunch green grapes
2 egg whites, lightly beaten
½ cup to 1 cup sugar
Preparation
Wash and trim grapes. Dip grapes into egg whites and shake off any excess amount. Dip and roll in sugar to cover fruit. Let dry on rack at least 2 hours before serving.
Breakfast in Bed –Crêpes Mandarin
Post by Alison Hein.
I’ve got orange on my mind – the color, that is. Warm, vibrant, fiery orange. The color of sunsets and pumpkins and autumn leaves. The color of accents in my sister’s revamped living room.
We wanted to surprise Janet with a birthday gift, and got some help from our good friend Luis of Luis Acevedo Interior Designs (http://luisacevedointeriors.com/). Luis created a hip “shades of gray” theme, with jaunty splashes of orange to spice it up. So he sent me shopping. For pillows. Candles. Dishes. Anything I could find that was just the right shade of orange.
All that shopping turned my thoughts to food – a vivid, orange birthday breakfast dish. Sweet mandarin oranges turned into a sprightly sauce, spooned lavishly over delicate cream-filled crêpes.
Happy Birthday, Janet! Hope you’re loving your new orange-accented room and your vivid, orange breakfast in bed!
Mandarin Orange Sauce
1 12-ounce can Mandarin oranges in light sauce
1 cup sugar
Place Mandarin oranges and sugar in a small, heavy pot. Bring to a boil, stir, and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook at a bubbling simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 20 minutes until the oranges break apart and the sauce thickens. Keep warm until ready to serve.
Filling
6 ounces whipped cream cheese
3 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
In a small bowl, mix together cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla. Set aside.
Crêpes
1 cup flour
¼ teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 cup milk
2 – 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
Powdered sugar for garnish
1 11-counce can mandarin oranges in light sauce, drained
Mint sprigs for garnish (optional)
Preparation
In large bowl, mix together flour and salt. Whisk egg into milk, then whisk milk mixture into flour mixture until batter is thick and smooth. Let batter rest a few minutes before cooking.
Heat about 1 teaspoon oil in a heavy 6-inch pan over medium heat. When hot, but not smoking, add ¼ cupful of batter to pan, swirling to cover bottom. Cook pancake 1 to 2 minutes until cooked through and lightly browned, flipping once. Keep warm while cooking remaining pancakes, monitoring heat and adding oil as necessary.
To assemble, place crêpes on serving plates. Spread each crêpe with 1 to 2 tablespoons of cream cheese filling. Roll up, top with Mandarin orange sauce. Garnish with a few mandarin slices and mint. Serve immediately.
Makes 6 to 7 crêpes.
