Breakfast

This is another recipe from Pam Anderson's new book. She also made these in the class she taught. She makes them to eat as an afternoon sweet. They're cut into very small bars because they're very sweet, but they're also really delicious. Larry loves them, especially for breakfast. I swapped the amount of fruit and used more cherries than apricots, and I used a very finely shredded unsweetened organic coconut since Larry doesn't really like coconut.

• Miniature Apricot-Cherry Bars with Oatmeal Crumble Topping (The Perfect Recipe for Losing Weight and Eating Great, p. 156)

I have been obsessed but mostly unsuccessful in my quest to make delicious homemade yogurt. I know exactly what I'm looking for. I want a full-fat, thick yogurt that's not too tangy. I don't want to have to strain it through cheesecloth to get the right texture. So far my best success has been using the recipe that came with my yogurt incubator - but it was kind of tart, so I probably just need to change the starter. I've also tried variations in starters and adding dry milk powder. I tried a method from Food & Wine that uses a barely heated oven that was a dismal failure.

I'm hoping to figure out how to make a good plain yogurt first, because then I will start making what I really want - Meyer lemon yogurt, using a simple Meyer lemon syrup.

I have a real thing for hash. I don't really like corned beef (ugh, growing up with corned beef and cabbage every St. Patrick's Day), but my mom made a great hash out of the leftovers. Larry doesn't especially like hash, but I thought maybe he'd like this one, which is really more like home fries made with sweet potatoes. He liked it, and so did I.

• Sweet Potato & Chile Hash with a Fried Egg (Fine Cooking #47, November 2001, p. 60)

The recipe for this granola calls for dates, added after the granola has cooled. I don't know, I just am not that crazy about dates. I had bought dates and thought I would add them anyway, just to see if I liked it, but instead I added dried wild blueberries instead. It's good, but the honey almond granola is still our favorite.

• Maple Walnut Granola (Fine Cooking #75, Holidays Winter 2006, p. 34)

I made scones for breakfast this morning, and they couldn't have been easier. The dough was a little wet so I was generous with the flour during the quick kneading. These scones aren't 100% whole grain - they use barley flour plus some AP flour. I made some lemon curd to go with them, and they were delicious. Larry thought they should be sweeter. Probably, since I forgot to add the powdered sugar-lemon glaze on top.

• Lemon Barley Scones (King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking, p. 88)
• Lemon Curd (Fine Cooking #26, May 1998, p. 54)

I kind of like breakfast for dinner. I'm not a huge fan of scrambled eggs, but these sounded good - and they were. This is a good, easy dinner. It was late so we whipped it up quickly, but it would be nice with a mixed green salad. This recipe is from the Splendid Table web site - I listen to the podcast every week.

Luxury Scrambled Eggs
Keep the eggs tender by slowly scrambling and not overcooking. A heavy non-stick pan is a great help here.

Serves 3 to 4

* 1 large scallion, thinly sliced
* 1/2 tightly packed tablespoon curly parsley leaves, chopped
* 1/2 tightly packed tablespoon fresh basil or tarragon leaves, chopped
* 6 large eggs
* 2 tablespoons heavy cream
* 3 ounces cream cheese, cut into about 3/4-inch pieces
* Salt and freshly ground pepper as needed
* 2 tablespoons butter

1. Combine the chopped herbs. In a medium bowl use a fork to loosely combine the eggs and cream. Stir in cream cheese, the herbs, and a little salt and pepper. Eggs do not have to be completely uniform.

2. In a 10-inch heavy non-stick skillet melt the butter over medium heat. Add the eggs and stir with a spatula for a few seconds.

3. Lower heat to medium low and keep stirring, scraping up any egg sticking to the pan, for 3 minutes, or until large curds form. Eggs can be served almost wet, moist yet approaching firm, or quite firm.

• Luxury Scrambled Eggs (The Splendid Table)
• Multigrain Country Loaf with Sauteed Garlic Butter (Fine Cooking #43, March 2001, p. 49)

Wine: Sauvignon Republic 2006 Stellenbosch Sauvignon Blanc (Stellenbosch, South Africa). Sauvignon Republic sells wines locally, but sourced from all over the place. I like this SB - for a white wine, it's nice. Good with eggs.

Our neighbors Chris and Assana and Assana's boyfriend (and honorary neighbor), Dan, came over for Easter brunch - we really hadn't planned on anything, but I can't remember the last time I didn't make Easter brunch, and this is a fun, low-key group.

I made the same easy frittata that I made for Valentine's Day because it's good and cooks in just a few minutes. I made the scones this morning but had everything prepped the day before so they only took about a half hour. And I made the cake the day before. Larry took care of the fruit and the bacon so it was a really relaxing morning.

I'm so impressed with the Whole Grains Baking cookbook. Everything so far has been delicious. The scones were a huge hit. The dough was very, very sticky and I had to add some flour in order to work with it. The cake was pretty easy, but the frosting was kind of a pain - but really tasty. The cake was a bit dense but still tender. I'm not good at decorating cakes but the icing piped out really nicely.

• Frittata with Cheese, Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Basil (Bon Appétit, January 2003)
• Cinnamon-Filled Scones (King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking, p. 90)
• Mixed Berries and Bananas
• Bacon
• Lemon-Raspberry Cake with Lemon Buttercream Frosting (King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking, pp. 375 & 430)

I picked up a cookbook at the library, King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking. It's been nominated for a James Beard award, always a good sign when it comes to cookbooks.

This is a typical (and yummy) blueberry coffee cake. It's got a bit of all-purpose flour, but otherwise it's mostly oats, whole wheat pastry flour and white whole wheat flour. It's not something that should be eaten in place of more healthy foods, but instead a healthier version of an occasional treat. It was really delicious, and I can't wait to make more recipes from this cookbook.

• Blueberry Buckle Coffee Cake (King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking, p. 68)

We had a few of our neighbors (Linda, Assana, Dan, Kathy, Justin, Chris) plus Jay over for a Valentine's Day brunch this morning. It was a great excuse to break out the waffle iron Larry's dad gave me for Christmas. Plus we got a new dining room table a few weeks ago, and can now fit ten people comfortably so I made all of the waffles ahead of time and kept them warm in the oven.

I've been experimenting with waffle recipes, and Larry thinks he likes this one the best so far - probably because it's a recipe specifically for belgian waffles. It's the first yeasted recipe I've used, and it's also a little sweet. The waffles came out crisp and light, although they lost that crispness while they waited in the oven.

The frittata was a huge hit. We thought I should probably make a 1.5x recipe, and I'm glad I did - we ate all of it. I have a large oval nonstick pan that works great for the frittata. I had everything prepped so it was only about 10 minutes to make.

I think I really like having brunch parties. I prepped everything (including the souffles)yesterday so it really didn't take long at all this morning. A note on the souffles: the recipe doesn't specify ramekin size. I used a 5-oz. ramekin this time and made 1.5x the recipe. It ended up making 17 individual souffles.

• Classic Belgian Waffles (Waring Pro)
• Frittata with Cheese, Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Basil (Bon Appétit, January 2003)
• Fried Apples (A Real American Breakfast, p. 280)
• Mixed Berries
• Sliced Bananas
• Fresh Whipped Cream
• Smokehouse Bacon
• Fresh Orange Juice
• Berry Souffles (Fine Cooking # 19, February/March 1997, p. 71)

I got a super duper waffle iron for Christmas from Larry's dad. Not just any old waffle iron, but one of those cool belgian wafflers that you flip over once you add the batter. I had stuck this particular iron onto my wish list because I wanted to look at reviews, and before I could even think about whether or not I really needed a waffle iron on steroids, it was Christmas and there it was. The reviews on this waffle iron are really good so I was looking forward to using it.

I picked out a recipe from Bon Apetit. This recipe includes instructions for a glazed banana topping, but we just topped our waffles with fresh berries. The waffles were good but I thought they could be crisper. Perhaps next time I should try a yeasted batter. The instruction booklet came with a recipe, so I'll try that next.

I'm trying out different recipes in anticipation of hosting a neighborhood Valentine's Day brunch. I think the waffle iron will be fun for a small party.

I continue with my granola obsession. We gave some of the previous batch away to neighbors, so I decided to try a different granola from the article. This one has brown sugar, vanilla and cinnamon and smells heavenly. It's a looser cereal but just as yummy as the version with almonds and honey.

Crispy Sweet Pecan Granola

Yields 4 to 5 cups

Vegetable oil spray
3 cups old-fashioned (not quick-cooking) rolled oats
1 cup pecan halves, roughly chopped
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup water
2 TBSP canola oil
1 TBSP pure vanilla extract

Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and heat the oven to 300°F. Spray 2 rimmed baking sheets with vegetable oil spray.

In a large bowl, mix the oats, pecans, cinnamon, and salt; set aside. In a small saucepan, combine the brown sugar and water; bring to a simmer over a medium heat, stirring until the sugar is melted. Stir in the oil and vanilla. Remove from the heat and pour over the oat mixture. Stir with a spoon until well mixed.

Divide the mixture evenly between the oiled baking sheets and spread in an even layer. Bake for 15 minutes, stire, and switch the positions of the pans, and then bake until the oats are golden brown and the nuts look well toasted, another 10-15 minutes. (The oats may feel soft but will crisp as they cool.) Let cool completely in the pans.

• Crispy Sweet Pecan Granola (Fine Cooking #75, Holidays Winter 2006, p. 34)

I first made this a couple of weeks ago, but didn't thing to post about it here. This is my second batch. My first batch mostly went to Jay for his trip to Park City, and Larry got a bit of it too. They both loved it. I finally had some yesterday morning and I really liked it too. It's not too sweet, and I like that it's got some oat brand and dry milk powder so it has some fiber and protein. Larry likes to add a handful of dried blueberries when he eats it. It's really easy to make, so I'm going to post the recipe here. I make mine without raisins.

I used agave nectar instead of honey in this batch, and I couldn't tell the difference.

Honey Almond Granola

Honey Almond Granola
Yields 9 to 10 cups.

Vegetable oil spray
4 cups old-fashioned (not quick-cooking) rolled oats
1 cup oat bran
2 cups whole almonds, coarsely chopped
¾ cup vegetable oil
¾ cup honey
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
½ tsp pure almond extract
1 cup nonfat dry milk powder
½ tsp table salt
1 cup raisins (optional)

Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and heat the oven to 325°F. Spray two rimmed baking sheets with vegetable oil spray. In a large bowl, mix the oats, oat bran and almonds. In a small bowl, whisk oil, honey, vanilla, almond extract, dry milk powder and salt. Pour mixture (it will be gloppy) over the oats and stir with your hands or a spoon, until well combined.

Divide mixture between the two oiled baking sheets and spread in an even layer. Bake for 20 minutes, stir, and switch the positions of the pans. Bake until the oats are golden brown and the nuts look well toasted, another 10 to 20 minutes; don't overcook. Let cool completely in the pans. The oats may feel soft but will crisp as they cool. When completely cool, stir in the raisins, if using.

• Honey Almond Granola (Fine Cooking #75, Holidays Winter 2006, p. 34)

Larry requested stuffed french toast for Easter brunch this morning. This is one breakfast food that I can make well, even though I don't really like French toast that much. This is a different sort of French toast - Not only is it stuffed, it's also baked after it's sautéed. And the coating is eggs and cream - very rich. I used mascarpone cheese and extra ricotta cheese instead of cream cheese for the filling. I've only made the apple-filled version of this french toast in the past, but I think I like this one better (Larry likes the apple filled ones better).

• Stuffed French Toast with Lemon Filling and Blueberry Syrup (Fine Cooking #36, January 2000, p. 39)
• Turkey Bacon

Larry picked this recipe out when I asked him if he wanted me to make a nice breakfast this weekend. I'm not much of a breakfast person, but he likes it when I make breakfast. One thing I really don't like is French toast, but this sounded interesting so I made it anyway. It had all of the flavor of créme brûlée, but the texture is very different. It comes from Chez Zee in Austin.

My only difficulty was deciding how I was going to cut the recipe down to two servings without sacrificing the presentation (the full recipe makes eight servings). Thick slices of challah are put into a 10-inch springform pan, followed by a quarter of the custard (cream, egg yolks, sugar, vanilla bean), followed by three more layers of challah and custard. I compromised, and used a 4.5-inch springform, and smashed in three layers of challah. The last layer was above the rim of the pan, but I think it made a nice crust.

After layering, the springform goes into the refrigerator to soak and chill for an hour. After that, it goes into the oven for the first time. It's supposed to cook for an hour and a half, but I left it in for just an hour since I had a smaller springform. After this step, it can be cooled and put into the refrigerator for up to several days. I did all of the work up to this point last night. This morning, I unmolded the bread/custard and sliced it into wedges before popping it into the oven for another ten minutes.

The beauty of this dish is that it can be made ahead. The final warming step is only 10 minutes. It's interesting, delicious, and would be great for a crowd.

• Baked Créme Brülée French Toast (A Real American Breakfast, p. 118)
• Willie Bird Turkey Bacon
• Fresh Orange Juice

The site where I got this recipe has been down for a long time, but luckily I had printed a copy when I found it. I love these little pancakes, especially the cornmeal crunch. I made these for Larry and Brian. I used wild blueberries this time, instead of regular blueberries. I liked the wild ones better.

• Johnnies with Wild Blueberry Syrup (Tiny Fork, November 17, 2004)
• Willie Bird Turkey Bacon

After seeing the wonderful photo of these pancakes on Tiny Fork, I just had to make these. They were excellent, and Larry really liked them. I couldn't find frozen wild blueberries, so I had to use regular. I used Just Blueberry juice for the blueberry syrup (yum!). I had to add another quarter cup of flour to thicken the batter. My photo isn't half as gorgeous as the one on Tiny Fork.

• Johnnies with Wild Blueberry Syrup (Tiny Fork, November 17, 2004)

Continuing my quest to find pancakes that wow Larry, I chose these because they don't have buttermilk and they contain rolled oats that are ground in the blender. I figured these would be different enough to stand out, and they were. The oats gave the pancakes an earthy flavor, and they were very light and fluffy. Larry said it's definitely a do-again.

• Oatmeal Pancakes (Staff Meals at Chantarelle, David Waltuck, p. 393)

I made Larry breakfast for Christmas morning. He loves it when I make him breakfast, but I have yet to wow him with pancakes. These were very good, and Larry liked them, but he didn't think they were outstanding. They were very easy to make.

• Buttermilk Pancakes (Fine Cooking #68, Holiday Baking Winter 2005, p. 22) with Maple Syrup
• Willie Bird Turkey Bacon

Fiyaz, Hilary and Chris came for our annual Easter brunch today. This year's menu was pretty close to last year's, just because everything was so good last year. I chose dishes that come together quickly or can be done ahead of time. That way I'm not rushing around at the last minute.

- This apple pancake is really good. It comes out of the oven looking quite spectacular. It's not anything like a traditional pancake, though. It's on the sweet side.
- I couldn't decide which eggs to make this year. I like doing some sort of frittata or egg bake, because it's more interesting than plain scrambled eggs, and it's less work than something like an omelette. This one was really very good. I cut back on the olives because Larry doesn't particularly like them. It cooked up beautifully and slid right out of my oval shaped nonstick pan, onto my oval shaped platter.
- I decided to include scones at the last minute. These are the best packaged scones I've ever had. They're super easy, really yummy, and come out very moist.
- I picked berry souffles for dessert, because I can make them a day ahead.

• Puffed Apple Pancake (Bon Appétit, September 2002)
• Frittata with Cheese, Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Basil (Bon Appétit, January 2003)
• Moreish Treats Blueberry Coffebreak Scones
• Willie Bird Turkey Bacon
• Fresh Strawberries
• Freshly Squeezed Orange Juice
• Berry Soufflés (Fine Cooking # 19, February/March 1997, p. 71)

Wine: Bonny Doon 2003 Fresia (Monterey County, CA). This is not a serious wine. It's a low-alcohol fizzy strawberry wine. We served mimosas last year, but decided on something different this year. A bit too off-dry for my tastes, even with the strawberries.