Post by Alison Hein.
Woke up, it was a Chelsea morning, and the first thing that I knew
There was milk and toast and honey and a bowl of oranges, too
And the sun poured in like butterscotch and stuck to all my senses..
Recognize these lyrics? Well, my sister would. Besides being my culinary partner in crime, Janet also frequently serves as my memory. She correctly reminds me of what “really” happened when we were kids, clues me in on people’s names, and quizzes me on long-forgotten song lyrics.
Janet has recently been sending me puzzling emails such as: “ladyfinger dipped in moonlight” Just listening to the Dead. Do you think they were referring to the cookie? Or: Picture yourself in a boat on a river, With tangerine trees and marmalade skies…..
Well, let me be fair. I may have started this chain of events when asking Janet for new ideas for my breakfast recipe posts. “What about food songs?”, she inquired. Great idea, Jan!
First up, Joni Mitchell’s Chelsea Morning. Toast, oranges, butterscotch… What could be better for an unforgettable, lyrical breakfast in bed?
P.S. Janet and I have started a list of suitable breakfast food lyrics, so please let me know if you have any we can add!
Ingredients
1 Valencia orange (use about 2 tablespoons juice)
8 tablespoons (one stick) butter
1 cup light brown sugar
Bread, for toasting
Preparation
Cut orange in half. Juice one half of the orange (should yield 2+ tablespoons). Slice the other half of the orange into thin slices. Set orange juice and orange slices aside.
In small, heavy saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in brown sugar. Continue to cook over medium to medium low heat, stirring frequently, until mixture is significantly thickened, about 5 minutes. If using a candy thermometer, cook until the mixture reaches the soft crack stage (270° – 290°). Remove pan from heat and stir in orange juice. Pour mixture into small dish or ramekin, and refrigerate until firm enough to spread (1 to 2 hours). Serve with toast and orange slices.
Makes ⅔ cup of orange butterscotch spread
Orange Butterscotch French Toast
If you’d like to get a bit fancier with this recipe, try making French Toast (see Sonya’s French Toast for inspiration. Then, after you’ve added the orange juice to your butterscotch mixture, stir in ½ cup to 1 cup of cream. Pour over warm French Toast and serve immediately.