keeeesh

Where have I been?! It's been a crazy month. Exciting and stressful and rather tiring. And I haven't been doing much cooking. But it was definitely time to get back in the kitchen, and what better way than cooking some Sunday brunch for mom and brother #2 and sissy and my new baby niece who can't actually eat food yet but should be very familiar with the smells of sauteed leeks by the time she can.

Brunch is a meal that I admit I have not made much of in my life. This is because I am not generally the type of person who wants to wake up in the morning and...do anything. Especially on the weekend. From Monday through Friday my alarm goes off and I roll over and hit snooze and groan and snuggle my Opaw closer and scratch behind her ears while she purrs. I curse the moment the alarm goes off again and I actually have to get up. And I promise my kitty that come Saturday I will stay in bed and scratch her ears for much much longer.

But this morning I had thoughts of leeks and goat cheese in a rich, smooth quiche. And despite the fact that we lost an hour on this damned Sunday morning, I dragged my ass up and made some pie crust, and got everything else prepped while it chilled. It was extremely worth it. WORTH IT. Best. Quiche. Ever. Recipe after the jump:



LEEK & GOAT CHEESE QUICHE

2 medium leeks, white part only, washed thoroughly and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
1 1/2 cups half & half
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 pinch freshly grated nutmeg
4 ounces goat cheese, crumbled
2 tablespoons chives, snipped
1 par-baked pie crust (recipe follows)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a medium saute pan, melt butter and saute leeks over medium heat until softened, about 10 minutes. While the leeks are cooking, combine the remaining filling ingredients, minus the goat cheese. When the pie crust is par-baked until light golden brown, remove from the oven and spread the leeks in the bottom of the crust. Crumble the goat cheese over the leeks. Sprinkle the chives over the cheese. Place the crust on the center rack of the heated oven. Carefully pour the egg mixture into the shell. Bake the quiche for 30-35 minutes until the top is light brown and a knife inserted one inch from the edge comes out clean. The center should be just set but still slightly jiggly.

PERFECT PIE CRUST
Makes crust for 9-inch single crust pie.

1 1/4 all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small dice
4 tablespoons cold leaf lard, cut into small pieces
2-5 tablespoons ice water

In a food processor, briefly pulse together the flour and salt. Add butter and pulse until mixture forms chickpea-size pieces (3 to 5 one-second pulses). Add ice water 1 tablespoon at a time, and pulse until mixture is just moist enough to hold together.

Form dough into a ball, wrap with plastic and flatten into a disk. Refrigerate at least 1 hour before rolling out and baking.

To par-bake, lightly spray one side of foil with cooking spray and line the crust with the foil. Fill with pie weights, dry beans or rice to weigh it down. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 10 minutes until lightly brown on the edges.

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it's bananas. b.a.n.a.n.a.s

The last few times we've bought bananas they have ripened so quickly we couldn't keep up with them. At one point we actually talked about buying one of those super dorky banana hangers. I don't know if I could do it, it seems so lame.

Worse things can happen than ending up with a bunch of overripe bananas and being forced to throw together an impromptu banana nut bread. With this bread, which I baked late last night after a day of more meals than were truly necessary, I felt the need to be a little healthier. I decided to try out that applesauce trick to cut down on the butter in the recipe. After all, I have a ton of homemade applesauce that I keep making whenever we have a big snowstorm and I'm bored at home, which lately has been every 4 days or something. I also used only egg whites, and a mixture of whole wheat and white flours. Now I've never done this "low-fat" baking thing and I was expecting a result like those weird chewy almost plastic feeling fat free bran muffins I've had in the past, but to my surprise, I couldn't tell at all. AT ALL! It tasted exactly the same as any other banana bread I've ever made. Of course, I did still use some butter, I'm not insane, so this is by no means fat free (there's also those walnuts), but I figure a couple of small concessions is good in the long run and even better is not even noticing those concessions at all. Recipe after the jump:



LOWISH-FAT BANANA NUT BREAD

6 ripe medium bananas, mashed
1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup unbleached all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
4 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup raw cane sugar, or light brown sugar
4 large egg whites
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup chopped walnuts
baking spray

Preheat oven to 325°. Grease 9x5 inch loaf pans with baking spray.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl cream butter and sugar with an electric mixer. Add egg whites, bananas, apple sauce and vanilla, and beat at medium speed until thick. Scrape down sides of the bowl.

Add flour mixture and then blend at low speed until combined. Do not over mix. Gently fold in the chopped walnuts.

Pour batter into loaf pan and bake on the center rack for 60-70 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Let bread cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then invert and remove bread to finish cooling on a wire rack. Allow the bread to cool at least 20 minutes before slicing.

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in season: blueberry buttermilk scones

It's summer now, and summer is blueberry season. There's not much more that I can say than that I am obsessed with blueberries and eat them everyday when they're good. I eat them straight, I bake them into everything, I even toss them on salads. This is just a humble blueberry buttermilk scone. It doesn't get much better than this. And these are good for you. In the sense that they aren't BAD for you. Antioxidants and fiber and all that good stuff. Mostly, they're just good. Recipe after the jump:



BLUEBERRY BUTTERMILK SCONES

1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 1/2 tablespoon granulated sugar
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
4 ounces (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, diced
1 heaping cup fresh blueberries
zest of one small lemon
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 large egg, plus 1 large egg lightly beaten for egg wash
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
coarse sugar (like demerara) for sprinkling.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.

Whisk together flours, granulated sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Add butter and rub with your fingers until mixture has the texture of course meal. Gently stir in blueberries.

In another bowl whisk together buttermilk, 1 egg , lemon zest and vanilla. Drizzle over flour mixture and stir lightly with a fork until the dough just comes together. Do not overwork the dough.

Turn out dough onto work surface and gently knead dough once or twice just to incorporate the flour. Pat the dough into a 1-inch thick round. Cut the round into approximately 10-12 wedges. Transfer to baking sheet.

Brush the top of each scone with egg wash and sprinkle generously with coarse sugar. Bake until golden brown and cooked through, roughly 25 minutes. Transfer scones to a wire rack to cool.

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weekly granola

I'm obsessed with granola. For some reason, it just struck me a few weeks ago that homemade granola is an ideal breakfast. I can control the sugar and fat levels, everything is of the highest quality, and I know there is no questionable crap in it. Throw a handful on top of some fat free Greek yogurt and you have a filling, nutritious, tasty breakfast. And the best thing about it is that I can constantly change it up, so I don't get too tired of eating it several times a week. It's a fun puzzle to come up with interesting flavor combinations every week. Sometimes I want something a little strange, sometimes something classic. I've made an island-inspired flavor with pineapple, coconut, and macadamia nuts. A sort of middle-eastern flavor with apricots, cashews, and cardamom. This week, it's my super-health mix: blueberry for antioxidants, almonds for calcium and vitamin E, flax seed for fiber and omega-3 fatty acids. I use olive oil in all of my granolas for flavor and healthy fat, and I sweeten with agave syrup, which apparently has a lower glycemic index than sugar or honey. Normally I don't worry too much about that, but I'm experimenting with the glycemic index issue for breakfast, to see if it keeps me on a more even level throughout the day.

Alright, that is a paragraph of way more healthiness than I am normally inclined to discuss on this blog, so I'll stop now. Did I tell you that I tasted a heavenly lardo at Dickson's the other day? Recipe after the jump:

SUPERHEALTHY BLUEBERRY GRANOLA

3 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats
1 cup raw pumkin seeds (pepitas)
1/2 cup raw sesame seeds
1 cup sliced almonds
1 cup flax seeds
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
pinch ground clove
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
2/3 cup light agave syrup
1 cup dried blueberries

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. In a large bowl, mix together all ingredients except blueberries. Spread evenly on a rimmed baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes, stirring every ten minutes. Remove from oven and let cool 10 minutes before breaking up. Break up into a large bowl and add the blueberries, tossing to combine.

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delicious christmas

Pretty loaves all in a row.

It should come as no surprise to any who know me that majority of the presents I both give and receive at the holidays are food-based. I also have a thing for homemade presents, whether edible or just delicious-looking. This year, Christmas for my family was a little homemade box of breakfast treats, perhaps a bit less ambitious than my original plan, but satisfying to give nonetheless.



A festive box, tied up in green ribbon, with two tasty loaves and two tiny jars. The loaves - lemon poppyseed and cranberry walnut; the jars - honey butter and vanilla cream cheese. Unfortunately, since my stove was only turned on two days before Christmas, (Merry Christmas to me!) my plan for some homemade orange marmalade didn't come through. Well, there's always next year.



And of course, for the receiving. Not just one, but two people gave me knives this year. A really cool Kyocera ceramic paring knife from Brother #2. I've always wanted a ceramic knife. And these beauties from my honey J-Cat; knives more lovely than I ever thought I'd own. A 3-piece set of Shun Classic knives. So pretty that I hardly dare to use them, except that I want to use them on anything and everything. Dicing onions is a dream.



And of course, as always the very best thing under the tree has her own set of knives built in, and can do plenty of slicing and dicing if provoked.



Happy Holidays to all, and to all two recipes for bread after the jump!



LEMON POPPY SEED BREAD
Adapted from Joyofbaking.com

3 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup milk
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
3/4 cup granulated white sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
3 tablespoons poppy seeds
13 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

Lemon Syrup:
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup granulated white sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and place the oven rack in the center of the oven. Butter and flour (or spray with a non stick vegetable/flour spray) the bottom and sides of 4 1/4-lb mini loaf pans. If the pans are not disposisble, line the bottom of the pans with parchment paper and butter and flour the paper. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, vanilla extract, and milk. Set aside.

In the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, lemon zest, and poppy seeds until combined. Add the softened butter and half the egg mixture and mix on low speed until moistened. Increase the speed to medium and beat for about one minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the remaining egg mixture in two batches, beating about 30 seconds after each addition.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pans and bake for about 35-40 minutes, or until the bread is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. You may have to cover the bread with buttered foil after about 30 minutes if you find the bread over browning.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, bring the sugar and lemon juice to a boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves.

When the bread is done, remove from oven and place on a wire rack. Pierce the hot loaves all over with a wooden skewer or toothpick and then brush the top of the loaves with the hot lemon syrup. Store at least overnight before serving to allow the lemon syrup to distribute throughout the loaf.

Makes 4 mini loaves.

CRANBERRY WALNUT BREAD
From SFGate.com, November 29, 2009

Non-stick cooking spray
4 cups cranberries
2/3 cup fresh orange juice (about 2 large oranges)
1 1/2 cups low-fat buttermilk
2 eggs
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 cups whole wheat flour
2 cups all-purpose white flour
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cardamom
1 cup roughly chopped walnuts

Topping
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cardamom
1 tablespoon sugar

Instructions: Preheat oven to 375°. Coat 6 mini or 2 regular size loaf pans with non-stick cooking spray.

Coarsely chop 1 1/2 cups of the cranberries by hand or in a food processor; set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the orange juice, buttermilk and eggs. Whisk in the melted butter.

In a separate large bowl, combine the whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and cardamom. Stir with a fork until thoroughly mixed.

Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients and gently fold together with a rubber spatula until just combined; do not over mix. Gently add the whole and chopped cranberries and walnuts. Mix just enough to distribute them throughout the batter.

Divide the batter evenly between the loaf pans. Prepare the topping by mixing the cinnamon, cardamom and sugar in a bowl; sprinkle over the top of the loaves.

Bake until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean - 30 to 35 minutes for mini loaves, about 45 to 50 minutes for standard loaves. Let cool on a wire rack.

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blackberry blossom

So, J-Cat plays the mandolin. He started taking lessons in January and he's really gotten quite good in a short period of time. It's fascinating to watch this grown man take music lessons for the first time, because I have been a musician all my life and was classically trained from childhood. I think it's a pretty different experience. I will say that he is more dedicated about practicing than I ever was when I was a kid. I practiced a lot, but I'm sure my mother would tell you that sometimes (most times?) it was a bit of a struggle to motivate me. So I'm so impressed and proud of J-Cat, and I try to be as supportive as humanly possible, but sometimes, when he's playing the same little song over and over and over and over again every night for over a week, it tries my patience a tiny bit. Teeeeny tiny bit. I do my best to bite my tongue, but I may have expressed my distaste for a song or two here or there. Not his playing, just the song. His playing is 100% lovely. Anyway, what's my point? One of the first songs J-Cat learned was a fiddle tune called Blackberry Blossom. And this is one of the songs that never ever bothered me, because I just like it. I like the old bluegrass fiddle tunes. I wish his teacher would only stick to those, but I guess it's good to branch out a bit. If you're wondering what it sounds like, go here.



And if you are anything like me and the thought of a song called Blackberry Blossom makes you crave berries, try out this recipe for Sour Cream Blackberry Muffins.


BLACKBERRY MUFFINS
Adapted from Simply Recipes

2 cups all purpose flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1 cup sour cream or greek yogurt
1 tbsp milk
2/3 cup sugar
8 Tbsp warm melted butter (1 stick)
1 teaspoon vanilla
11 oz of fresh blackberries, cut in half (You can use frozen blackberries if fresh are not available, defrost and drain them first.)

Position rack in center of oven. Preheat oven to 400°F. Grease a standard 12 muffin pan or line with paper muffin cups.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl.

In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, sour cream, milk, sugar, butter and vanilla.

Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture and mix together with a few light strokes, just until the dry ingredients are moistened. Add the berries. (If you are using frozen berries, defrost them first, then drain the excess liquid, then coat them lightly in flour.) Do not overmix! Overmixing will cause the muffins to be dense, not fluffy. The batter should not be smooth.

Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the middle of 1 or 2 of the muffins comes out clean, 17-20 minutes (or longer). Let cool for 2 to 3 minutes before removing from the pan. If not serving hot, let cool on a rack. These are best served warm, but keep very nicely in an airtight container.

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bacon bacon bacon bacon bacon!!!

So maybe this doesn't look like much. It looks like dark, shiny bacon. But picture this bacon being made during a cooking show, and a crew of a dozen people sitting at the edges of their seats just waiting to lunge as soon as we hear "cut!". Because this particular bacon is - simply put - magical. And when you find out how easy it is to make it, you'll really believe in magic.

This is the most talked about, most eaten, most craved, and probably most crew-cooked recipe of the whole run of our newest show 5 Ingredient Fix, featuring our newest star Claire Robinson, and premiering this Saturday, April 4, at 9:30 AM. DON'T MISS IT. Srsly.

And as a bonus, check out the show page for some behind the scenes photos shot by yours truly, plus watch the FN Dish Behind the Scenes videos and see me laughing like a giant doofus. Twice.

CLAIRE'S MAPLE CANDIED BACON

1 lb thick cut bacon
1/2 cup grade B maple syrup
1 tsp dijon mustard

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil, then set a baking rack (nonstick if you have it) into the pan. Lay the bacon strips onto the rack. In a small bowl, mix together the maple syrup and dijon mustard, then brush thickly onto the bacon. Bacon for 12 minutes, then flip the strips and brush the glaze onto the other side. Bake for another 10 minutes or until they're the crispness that you like. I like them very crisp, and I let them rest a few minutes when they're out of the oven to harden slightly.

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recipe serendipity: pear-pecan quick bread

I love that kind of recipe serendipity that happens when you have a hankering for something but you're not quite sure what, then you start browsing around cooking blogs and stumble right onto a recipe for exactly what you want, and you have everything you need right in the house. That's what happened on Sunday when I was trying to decide what do with some nice pears and came upon this recipe for a pear pecan quick bread on the lovely blog The Kitchen Sink.



I love a quick bread not just because it's easy and, well, quick, but because it has this heartiness and warmth and aroma that really fills you up and wraps around you like a cozy blanket. It was quite perfect for the impending snow storm. J-Cat keeps referring to it as the zucchini bread without zucchini, which really makes no sense to me, but as long as that is a good thing in his mind I'm okay with it. And judging from the way he has been inhaling this bread, I'm pretty sure it's a good thing. Recipe after the jump:

SPICED PEAR-PECAN QUICK BREAD
From The Kitchen Sink

1 1/2 cups whole-wheat pastry flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 cup pecans, toasted and chopped
1/2 cup canola oil
1/4 cup buttermilk
1 egg
1 egg white
1 cup sugar
1 cup peeled, grated very, very ripe pear (about 2 large)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla
1/2 cup peeled, diced pear

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a loaf pan; set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, soda, powder, cinnamon, cardamom. In a small bowl, toss the pecans in about a tablespoon of the flour mixture; set aside.

In another large bowl, whisk together the oil, buttermilk, eggs, sugar, grated pear and vanilla. Stir the flour mixture into the pear mixture until just combined. Fold in the pecans and diced pear.

Pour the batter into the greased pan and bake for about 1 hour, until a tester inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean.

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maple nut & pear scones

The aroma of these hearty scones baking on Sunday morning was intoxicating. My attempt at a healthy weekend breakfast was thwarted, however, by my inability to stop myself from eating FOUR of them. Then another for dessert. And another the next day. If you are craving the flavor of fall in an addictive, filling, not-too-sweet bread item, this is the scone for you. Recipe after the jump:



MAPLE NUT & PEAR SCONES
Adapted from Eating Well

1 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
¼ cup plus 1 ½ teaspoons sugar, divided
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 tablespoons chilled reduced-fat cream cheese (Neufchâtel), cut into small pieces (2 ounces)
2 tablespoons chilled butter, cut into small pieces
¼ cup canola oil
1 cup diced peeled pears, preferably Bartlett (about 1 large)
½ cup chopped pecans or walnuts, divided
¾ cup low-fat buttermilk
1 teaspoon maple extract or vanilla extract
1 egg lightly beaten with 1 tablespoon water for glaze

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or coat with cooking spray.

2. Combine whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, oats, 1/4 cup sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a large bowl; whisk to blend. Using a pastry blender or your fingertips, cut or rub cream cheese and butter into the dry ingredients. Add oil and toss with a fork to coat. Add pear and 1/4 cup nuts; toss to coat. Mix buttermilk and maple (or vanilla) extract in a measuring cup and add just enough to the dry ingredients, stirring with a fork, until the dough clumps together. (It will be sticky.)

3. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead several times; do not overwork it. Divide the dough in half and pat each piece into a 7 1/2-inch circle. Cut each circle into 6 wedges and transfer to the prepared baking sheet. Brush the tops with the egg glaze and sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup nuts, pressing lightly. Sprinkle with the remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar.

4. Bake the scones until golden and firm to the touch, 20 to 30 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool slightly before serving.

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save the apples

J-Cat dropped a container with 4 honeycrisp apples in it. I'm not blaming or anything, but those apples were MESSED UP. It made me sad, because honeycrisps are for eating raw and these apples were too jacked. But just to prove that I don't hold any hard feelings, I made something with those jacked up apples that I knew J-Cat would love: a warm apple topping for some homemade buckwheat pancakes.



J-Cat isn't much for pancake syrup. He generally prefers a pancake with fruit in it so that it doesn't need the sweetness of syrup. But the bananas I got for Sunday breakfast just weren't ripe enough, so actually it's a good thing he dropped those apples. This was like a warm apple pie, for breakfast. Recipes after the jump:

BUCKWHEAT PANCAKES
1-1/2 cups sifted buckwheat flour
1/2 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups buttermilk (or less is you like thicker pancakes)
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon oil
butter

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, combine wet ingredients. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix just until they come together. Avoid overmixing as this will cause toughness. Heat a skillet over medium heat and grease with butter. Ladle about 1/4 cup of batter per pancake. Pancake is ready to flip when bubbles start forming closer to the center. Flip and cook another minute or two until cooked through. Serve with warm apple topping, recipe to follow.

WARM APPLE PANCAKE TOPPING
2 ripe apples of your choice
2 tbsp unsalted butter
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg

Peel, core, and thinly slice apples. Melt butter in a skillet and add apples. Sprinkle with sugar, spices and salt. Saute over moderate heat until softened. Serve over pancakes.

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buttermilk comes in one size only

I don't know why they don't sell buttermilk in smaller sized containers. Any recipe I use it in maybe takes about 1 cup or so, but the only size carton I can ever find is 1 quart. So it's a common conundrum - what should I do with the leftover buttermilk?

My typical solutions are biscuits or pancakes, but I was in the mood for something a little bit different, something a little more surprising. And it couldn't be easier than that same buttermilk biscuit, but sweeter, and with the added tang of cranberries.



It's the perfect breakfast food for me - really carby, tangy, simple, and with just a touch of sweetness. Plus, if you're not really lazy like me, you could brush the top with cream and sprinkle with a touch of sugar and make them look like they took a lot more effort than they actually did. Recipe after the jump:



CRANBERRY BUTTERMILK SCONES

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup whole grain pastry flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cold
1 cup low-fat buttermilk
1/2 cup dried cranberries (or fruit of your choice)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Combine the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder and baking soda in a large bowl. Add butter and mix with your fingertips to a coarse meal. Add buttermilk and mix just until combined. Add currants, if desired.
Transfer dough to a floured board and divide into 2 parts. Roll each to 1-inch thick rounds. Cut each round into 8 wedges and place slightly separated on a greased baking sheet. Brush the tops with the cream, and bake for 18-20 minutes, or until lightly browned. Serve warm, split in half with butter and marmalade.

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good but not good for you: shrimp & grits

I don't get why people eat this for breakfast, it just seems so much more like a dinner. But I guess it includes two ingredients often associated with breakfast. Grits:



and Bacon:



This was delicious, hearty, very flavorful, and I loved it, but I will say that if I made it again, I could do without the added creaminess in the grits. With the level of richness in the shrimp and bacon part of the dish, I found the creamy grits a little overwhelming. I could feel my arteries clogging. I imagine someone in South Carolina would have a real problem with me saying this, but I think some simple, unadorned grits would be perfect with the shrimp. Okay, maybe a pat of butter would be nice...Recipe after the jump:



SHRIMP & CREAMY GRITS
1 pound medium raw shrimp, peeled and deveined, peels reserved
1 cup heavy cream*
1 1/2 cups shrimp stock* (see recipe below), or chicken stock
2 cups water
1 cup stone ground grits
juice of 1 lemon
2 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
6 slices bacon
1 small onion, diced
1 small green pepper, diced
1 garlic clove, minced

*If using quick-cooking grits, reduce cream to 1/2 cup, and shrimp stock to 1 cup. Quick-cooking grits will cook in 5 to 7 minutes.

To prepare grits: In a medium saucepan, combine heavy cream, shrimp stock, and water and bring just to a boil. Slowly add the grits, stirring continuously to avoid sticking to the bottom. Season with salt and pepper, lower the heat to low, and stir occasionally. Simmer for 20 minutes or until grits are thickened and tender. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, squeeze lemon juice, salt, pepper, and thyme over the shrimp and toss to coat. In a large saute pan, fry the bacon until browned but not overly crisp. Remove bacon to paper towels to drain, then chop when cooled. Drain out excess bacon grease from pan, leaving about 2 tbsp. Saute the onion, pepper, and garlic in the bacon grease until onion is translucent, about 7 minutes. Add shrimp with lemon juice and chopped bacon and saute until shrimp are cooked through, about 5-7 minutes depending on the size of your shrimp. Serve the shrimp over the grits, topped with additional fresh thyme leaves.

To make shrimp stock:
Rinse the shrimp shells and tails well, then place in a medium stockpot. Add enough cold water to just cover the shells. Add any aromatic vegetables, such as celery, onion, and carrot, to the water. Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer for 1 hour. Strain out the solids.

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dutch baby

Apparently, a Dutch Baby pancake is basically a giant popover. And that can't be a bad thing. Actually, it was easier than a popover because you only have to make one. It was an eggy, doughy, buttery delight, and a nice change from the normal pancake. Sort of like a cross between a pancake and an omelet? With maple syrup all over it. I was surprised that it puffed up quite as much as it did, although a few minutes later it had already deflated. I'm not sure if I did something to cause that or if that's just the way these things evolve. Recipe after the jump:



DUTCH BABY
4 tbsps butter
4 eggs
1 cup milk
1/8 tsp salt
1 cup flour

Place a cast iron skillet into an oven and preheat to 400 degrees. Put the butter in the pan to melt. Meanwhile, combine the remaining ingredients. Once the butter has melted, remove the pan, pour in the batter, and return to the oven. Bake for 20 minutes until puffed up and browned. Dust with powdered sugar and serve with maple syrup.

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stuff breakfast

Chocolate for breakfast, can you really get away with it? I say, if it's sandwiched between two healthy slices of bread, why not? It's also 70% cocoa, it's not like I was sugar loading. It was just a simple way to make French toast a little more fun, when the only bread in the house was this whole grain thin sliced Health Nut bread. Turns out, that Health Nut bread was kind of awesome for french toast because the nuts worked perfectly with the melty chocolate center, and the bread itself has a touch of sweetness. Since chocolate alone is a little hardcore for me, I also stuffed it with ricotta cheese. The result was pretty yummy, and not nearly as sweet as I worried it might be. Recipe after the jump:



CHOCOLATE STUFFED FRENCH TOAST
(Serves 2 hungry people)
6 slices bread of your choice (I used Arnold Health Nut bread because it's what I had, and I actually do recommend it for its sweet nuttiness. At least you're getting fiber...)
3 large eggs
splash of milk
1-2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp cinnamon
6 tbsp part skim ricotta cheese
12 tsp bittersweet chocolate, cut into small chunks or chips
butter or nonstick spray for pan frying

Cut the crusts off of the bread and spread with 1 tbsp of ricotta cheese, sprinkle with about 2 tsp of chocolate, then top with another slice of bread and press lightly to seal the edges. Repeat with remaining bread slices to make three sandwiches. In a large shallow dish, whisk together the eggs, milk, sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla. Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat and spray with nonstick spray or butter. Soak each sandwich in the egg mixture for a couple of minutes per side until saturated. Pan fry for about 3-4 minutes per side until golden brown. Serve sliced in half on the diagonal and topped with powdered sugar, with maple syrup on the side. This would also be great topped with fresh sliced strawberries.

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biscuits & gravy!

Exclamation point! J-Cat and I both really love classic biscuits with white sausage gravy. One of the first times we hung out on a maybe date (this time around, not in high school) we went and had biscuits and gravy at the now defunct Union Picnic. Ever since then, we've made it a point to try any place in our general area that has the dish. We're usually pretty disappointed. Union Picnic was inconsistent; a couple of times they were awesome, a couple of times they were strange or mediocre, and at least once they were just awful. Pies N Thighs, also gone, were the best in the hood, and Brooklyn Label's are passable but lacking in flavor. Like the ever elusive great hash browns, biscuits and gravy are not easy to come by. But now, I've finally done it. I finally made my own. For some reason, I've long been afraid of making my own white gravy. I have no idea why. I've made roux, I've made bechamel, it's really not that different. And I'm so glad I tried, because these finally satisfied our cravings.



The first step is, of course, to make the biscuits, which I do all the time because I love buttermilk biscuits and they are also less popular around here than they should be. My twist for these was the fat. The other night when I made bucatini all'amatriciana, I saved some of the excess rendered fat from the guanciale and stashed it in a jar in the fridge. And what better way to use some cured pork fat than in biscuits?



I used about 3 parts guanciale fat to 1 part butter, mostly because I still thought the butter flavor would be desireable. I don't know if it really is because of the fat, but these biscuits seemed to rise much higher and fluffier than they usually do.



Now on to new territory, the gravy. I started with a pound of pork sausage, one of those big old tubes with no casing. And of course, if you want to make it the real way, you must do it in a cast iron skillet.



The next step was to remove the sausage from the fat and start the roux. It starts out pretty white...



...but eventually turns a lovely deep golden.



Finally, you add the milk and whisk vigorously until it thickens.



The sausage goes back in, and you're done.



Split the biscuits, top with the sausage gravy, and if you really want to clog those arteries, throw a poached or fried egg on top. Deadly delicious. Recipes after the jump:



BISCUITS AND GRAVY

For the biscuits:
2 cups flour
4 tsps baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
4 tbsp fat, chilled (any combination of butter, lard, bacon fat, or shortening will do. If I don't have meat fat, I use half butter, half shortening)
1 cup chilled buttermilk

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Using your fingertips, mix in the cold fat until it becomes a coarse meal, working as quickly as possible so that the fat does not melt. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and add the buttermilk. Stir just until the dough forms, it will be sticky. Turn out onto a floured board and fold over onto itself 5 or six times, then pat into a 1-inch thick round. Use a biscuit cutter of your preferred size, I often make mine about 3 inches in diameter. Place on a baking sheet with the edges of the biscuits touching. Bake for 15-20 minutes until the tops are golden brown. Remove to a wire rack and allow to cool. Makes about 6 3-inch biscuits

For the gravy:
1 pound pork breakfast sausage, crumbled
4 tbsp flour
3 cups milk
salt and pepper

In a large heavy skillet, brown the crumbled sausage well, then remove from the fat with a slotted spoon to a plate lined with paper towels. Keeping the heat on medium, add the flour to the fat 1 tablespoon at a time, whisking constantly to avoid burning. Add the next tbsp of flour when the roux turns brown. When the last of the flour is incorporated and the roux is a golden brown, add the milk 1 cup at a time, whisking constantly to avoid clumping. When all the milk as been added, reduce heat to low, add back the sausage, and allow to simmer, stirring occasionally, until the gravy has thickened to your liking. Season with salt and pepper to taste; it may require more salt than you realize. Serve the gravy over the split biscuits and top with a poached or fried egg.

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top of the muffin

To You!!



In my neverending quest for a breakfast that is not only healthy, tasty, and satisfying, but that I might actually also remember to eat on a regular basis, tonight I developed a recipe for some little mounds of fibery goodness - Cranberry-Walnut Bran Muffins. I think these babies might fulfill some of my breakfast needs. They are easily portable, reasonably satisfying, totally healthy, and perfectly tasty. Most of the time when I see muffins at cafes or at one of the numerous bakeries at Chelsea Market in the morning, they are either as big as my head, sickly sweet, or probably full of fat. The only way to control all of these things seems to be to make them myself. Recipe after the jump:

Cranberry-Walnut Bran Muffins
Ingredients
2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar (I used a little less than this, as I don't like anything particularly sweet for breakfast. The amount I give here still gives you a low amount of sugar while maintaining a nice sweetness. You could also substitute honey for sugar for a nice flavor.)
1/2 tsp salt
2 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp ground clove
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup orange juice
1 1/3 cups chopped walnuts
4 cups bran flake cereal (look for high fiber and low sugar. I used Arrowhead Mills Organic Oat Bran Flakes)
2 cups lowfat buttermilk
2 eggs
1/2 cup canola oil
1 tbsp orange zest

Preparation
Preheat oven to 400. In a small bowl, combine the dried cranberries with the orange juice and set aside to soak while you prepare the other ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, spices, walnuts and bran flakes. Drain the cranberries and fold into the dry ingredients. In a separate medium bowl, whisk the two eggs, then add the buttermilk, orange zest, and canola oil and whisk until well combined. Make a well in the dry ingredients and add the wet mixture. Stir until just combined.

Line a muffin tin with muffin papers or spray the cups with cooking spray. Using an ice cream scoop, drop a rounded mound of batter into each paper. Bake in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes depending on the size. Cool on a wire rack. Makes 24 small or 18 medium muffins.

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blueberry cures the blues

I guess no matter what, you have to start getting back to normal life eventually. And as always, cooking some good food just makes me happier. Not surprisingly for my family, I think food is one thing that really helped us through the last few weeks, when the highlight of our difficult days was deciding what kind of food to eat for dinner. We had Thai, Chinese, German, Middle Eastern, Indian, Greek, Italian, and donuts. Mmmm donuts. But it was all take-out, which, while great, is just not the same as something homecooked.

Yesterday was the first day that I really cooked, and we started it off with some homemade Blueberry-Buttermilk pancakes. So good, we didn't even need the maple syrup. Recipe and more pics after the jump:

BLUEBERRY BUTTERMILK PANCAKES
(Adapted from about 5 different general recipes)

Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
2 cups buttermilk
1/4 cup melted unsalted butter, cooled
1 cup fresh blueberries (you could use frozen, too, just thaw and drain well)

Preparation
Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a large mixing bowl. In another bowl, whisk eggs with the buttermillk, then slowly whisk in the butter. Be careful to whisk continually as you add the butter if it is not completely cool, as this could cook the eggs. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, and mix just until combined. Do not overmix or it will toughen the pancakes, it is okay if there are some lumps.

Heat a griddle or frying pan over medium heat, melt some butter, and pour approx. 1/3 cup of the batter onto the griddle. Place blueberries and push them down into the batter. You need to push them in a little or they will stay right at the surface and when you flip the pancake they can burn.

Cook for 2-3 minutes on each side. The edges of the pancake will start to bubble and set when it is ready to be flipped.

Keep finished pancakes in a warm oven until ready to serve. Serve with maple syrup.

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