Category Archives: Breakfast

Puffed Pancake (Vanilla Dutch Baby)

July 26, 2013

puffed pancake recipe

Sunday mornings I make breakfast. We don’t have to be at church until twenty past ten. (Such a random time to start a meeting.) And with our early start to the morning, we have time to linger in the kitchen. (Waking anytime past six thirty we consider sleeping in. Thank you, baby. And chorus of chirping birds.) So instead of the usual yogurt and toast, we treat ourselves to a morning feast. And I look forward to it every week.

Eggs always make the menu, in one form or another. (Scrambled with fresh snipped chives and bit of grated Parmesan is my current obsession.) Sometimes alongside hash browns or bacon or sausage links. But always with a warm pile of waffles or stack of pancakes. And since it’s summer, fresh berries.

I tried a few versions of puffed pancakes before settling on this as my favorite. All of the recipes were similar in regards to the ratio of milk and eggs and flour. But the vanilla and dash of cinnamon set this one apart. As usual, I replaced half of the all-purpose flour with whole wheat. And made the marinated blueberries to serve on top. Don’t waste that lemon you zested. Fresh lemon juice and powdered sugar also make a great topping. And this citrus and wild blueberry sauce is another delectable option.

Puffed Pancake (Vanilla Dutch Baby)

INGREDIENTS

2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup all-purpose flour (I used 1/4 cup all-purpose and 1/4 cup white whole wheat flour)
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 tsp. sugar
pinch salt
dash cinnamon
1 Tbsp. butter

For serving (all optional):
pint fresh blueberries (or frozen, thawed)
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. lemon zest
powdered sugar
strawberries, sliced
bananas, sliced

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 425 F. Place the butter in a large (preferably nonstick) saute pan or pie dish and place in the oven to melt.

2. Meanwhile, in a large bowl whisk the eggs and milk together until well combined. Add the flour, vanilla, sugar, salt, and cinnamon and whisk vigorously to remove the lumps (about 30 seconds). Alternatively, you can throw everything in a blender and pulse until smooth.

3. Carefully remove the hot pan from the preheated oven and swirl the butter around to coat the pan. Pour in the prepared batter and return the pan to the oven. Bake for 12-15 minutes, until the pancake is puffed and set in the center and golden around the edges.

4. Meanwhile, toss the blueberries in the sugar and lemon juice and set aside to marinate.

5. Remove the hot pancake from the pan and serve immediately with the fruit and powdered sugar.

Makes 1 pancake, serves 1-2.

(Adapted from Food Network)

Citrus and Wild Blueberry Sauce

April 22, 2013

We’ve had this wild blueberry sauce frequently over the last few months, spooning it over pancakes, waffles, and toast. It’s bursting with citrus (orange and lemon) and not syrup-y sweet. Just a touch of brown sugar cuts the tartness. (You’d probably want a sweeter sauce if you’re topping a cheesecake or other dessert.) It’s quick to make and keeps well in the fridge for over a week. And since it uses frozen blueberries (you can find the wild ones at Trader Joes or Whole Foods), it can be affordably made all year long!

*The puff pancake in the photo was good… but not “the one”. I’m still searching for the perfect puff pancake recipe. I’ll be sure to share it as soon as it’s found…

Citrus and Wild Blueberry Sauce

INGREDIENTS

2 cups frozen wild blueberries
1/2 cup orange juice (freshly squeezed is best)
2 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tsp. lemon zest
1/2 tsp. orange zest
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 cup water
4 tsp. cornstarch
2 Tbsp. dark brown sugar

DIRECTIONS

1. Bring the blueberries, orange juice, and lemon juice to a boil in a small saucepan over medium  heat. Stir in the lemon and orange zests and cinnamon; reduce the heat to low.

2. In a small bowl, whisk together the water and cornstarch until there are no lumps. Add the cornstarch mixture and the brown sugar to the blueberries and stir until thickened, several minutes. Remove from the heat and let rest 10 minutes before serving.

Makes 2 cups.

(Adapted from All Recipes)

Sweet Potato Breakfast Burritos

January 10, 2013

I’m married to a burrito man. Whenever I’m not the in the mood to cook (which is more often than I’d like to admit lately) and Dustin is in charge of finding himself some dinner, he usually comes home with a burrito. Or if we go out to eat together and the menu includes some form of a burrito- that’s what he’ll get. Why the burrito fixation? I can only guess. But probably because they’re reliably cheap and filling. And if done right, delicious.

I’m not much of a burrito chef. Hand me a tortilla and I’m most likely to make a quesadilla. But occasionally I catch the bug and find myself craving one too. Breakfast burritos are my favorite variety. I already have one version posted here. But this one has sweet potatoes! (And scrambled eggs, onions, garlic, peppers, and beans and cheese- everything essential.) I baked my sweet potatoes and mashed ’em with a little sour cream. But you could cube and roast them with the onion, pepper, and garlic to make a potato hash filling, which might be even more amazing. Oh, and go with the tomatillo salsa on this one. Yum.

Sweet Potato Breakfast Burritos

INGREDIENTS

2 medium sweet potatoes, baked or microwaved until tender
2 Tbsp. sour cream + more for serving
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
1 poblano or green bell pepper (I used a green bell pepper), seeded and thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp. cumin (or more to taste)
1/4 tsp. smoked paprika (or more to taste)
pinch Mexican oregano
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup canned pinto beans, drained and rinsed
4-6 large flour tortillas (4 if they are extra large, 6 if they are medium size), warmed
8 large eggs, whisked
Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
tomatillo salsa
avocado, sliced for serving

DIRECTIONS

1. Peel the skin off the cooked sweet potatoes. Combine the sweet potato flesh with 2 Tbsp. sour cream and mash until smooth.

2. Heat olive oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook several minutes. Add the peppers and garlic and continue cooking until soft. Stir in the cumin, paprika, and oregano, and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Stir in the beans and continue cooking until warmed through. Add to the sweet potato mixture and stir to combine.

3. Meanwhile, preheat a nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Lightly butter or coat with cooking spray and add the eggs. Season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until scrambled (to the point of cooked, but not dry). Remove from the heat.

4. Preheat oven to 350 F.

5. Spoon filling into the center of a warm tortilla. Top with scrambled eggs and a generous amount of cheese and drizzle with salsa. Roll up and repeat with the remaning ingredients.

6. Place burritos on a baking sheet and bake in preheated oven for 10-15 minutes, until golden and warmed through. (You can butter or lightly coat the burritos with cooking spray before baking so they get nice and crunchy on the outside.) Serve with sliced avocado and extra sour cream and salsa.

Makes 4-6 burritos (depending on size).

(Adapted from Fork Heart Knife)

Sweet Potato, Bacon, and Baked Egg Hash

September 18, 2012

I miss this. This hobby/art form/outlet of cooking and writing and photography. I realize I’ve been absent lately. And I have all sorts of excuses. First Clara joined our family. Then we moved and we’ve been adjusting to our new life in the city. Husband has a new job. I have a new home and a new very old kitchen. And as soon as I thought I was getting my groove back, baby girl started having reflux issues which led to the conclusion that I should eliminate diary from my diet (I’m breastfeeding). And along with the cheese and yogurt and ice cream, I said goodbye to piles of recipes I wanted to try and lost my culinary motivation again.

Six weeks later and I’m still dairy-free (and craving a slice of pizza like crazy), but I have learned one thing: you can survive, even eat well, without milk and all its derivatives. Baking gets tricky and dining out is barely worth the hassle. But I did discover some wonderful foods I was previously missing out on- like rice milk (which I actually prefer to the real thing) and coconut oil (to be featured in my next post).

This recipe is naturally dairy free. (Although a handful of cheddar or smoked gouda baked in would be a fabulous addition.) It’s also completely hearty and delicious. Sauteed in glimmering bacon grease, the sweet potato hash is topped with cracked eggs and baked until perfectly tender and crisp. Meant for breakfast, but great for dinner. And again reheated the next morning.

Sweet Potato, Bacon, and Baked Egg Hash

INGREDIENTS

6 slices bacon
2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 large yellow onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. paprika (I used smoked paprika)
4 large eggs
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
green onion, sliced
cilantro, chopped

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 400 F.

2. In a large oven-proof skillet cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon and set aside on a paper towel to drain, reserving at least 1 Tbsp. of bacon grease in the pan. Crumble bacon once cooled.

3. Add the sweet potatoes to the reserved bacon grease and saute over medium-high heat until browned, about 12 minutes. Add onion and peppers and saute until softened, 6 to 8 minutes more. Stir in the cumin and paprika and crumbled bacon. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

4. Make 4 little wells in the sweet potato mixture and crack an egg into each well. Season the eggs with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Transfer the skillet to the preheated oven and bake until the sweet potatoes are tender and the eggs are set but the yolks are still soft, about 12 minutes. Garnish with green onion and cilantro and serve.

Serves 3-4.

(Adapted from Joy of Kosher)

Browned Butter Blueberry Muffins

April 9, 2012


Oh, my my my. These are good. But my conscience won’t let me recommend them to you without a disclaimer: they are nothing but dessert! So sweet and sinful (and butter-full) that I can’t justify them as anything else. But go ahead, devour them anyway. You shouldn’t be having browned butter blueberry muffins for breakfast every day. But once can’t hurt, right?!

I had never browned butter before. And it scared me a little. I kept a close watch on the saucepan, and, after what seemed like too long, voila!, the butter turned brown! A glorious golden brown with an astonishing aroma. It gives these cupcakes muffins a distinguished taste. I’m not sure how well frozen berries would hold up in this recipe. I do have one trick to share: before adding your berries to the batter, dust them lightly with flour. This prevents them from sinking to the bottom. You will have picture perfect muffins with evenly distributed blueberries!

Browned Butter Blueberry Muffins

INGREDIENTS

7 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1/3 cup whole milk or buttermilk (or low-fat milk works, too)
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt
2 cups fresh blueberries (frozen in a pinch)

Crumb topping (makes more than you’ll need):
3 Tbsp. cold unsalted butter, but into tiny cubes
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3 1/2 Tbsp. sugar

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line muffin pan with paper or foil liners.

2. Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Keep an eye on the butter. Melt and cook down the butter until little brown bits appear in the pan. The crackling will subside and butter will begin to brown fairly quickly after that. Keep a close eye. Remove from heat.

3. Whisk milk, egg, yolk and vanilla until combined. Add the brown butter and stir to combine.

4. Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl Add milk and butter mixture all at one and stir gently to combine. Gently but thoroughly fold in the blueberries.

5. Divide the batter among muffin cups and spread evenly.

6. To make the topping combine all of the ingredients in a bowl and rub together with your fingertips until crumbly. Sprinkle evenly over the batter in the cups.

7. Bake until golden and crisp and a wooden pick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, about 18-20 minutes. Cool in pan on a rack for 15 minutes then remove from the pan. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Makes 1 dozen muffins.

(Adapted from Joy the Baker)