I hope everyone’s having a great weekend and, to all celebrating, a Happy Mother’s Day! Today I get to share a recipe courtesy of my husband, who pulled together these wonderfully decadent Eggs Benedict dishes. Though it was a team effort, he took charge of the most challenging part, the poached eggs! I whipped up my shortcut version of hollandaise with an immersion blender — I’m telling you, it’s foolproof and so fast. We toasted some dark whole-grain bread that was the perfect base for these layers of oozing sauce and egg and a sprinkling of fresh chervil. It’s our simplified version of the classic. Enjoy! Continue reading
Category Archives: Breakfast
Swedish Pancakes with Strawberries
With Mother’s Day around the corner, I thought I’d revisit this tried-and-true recipe with a fresh spring topping. The special moms in your life deserve breakfast in bed, don’t they? What’s better than fresh crepe-like Swedish pancakes, warm from the pan, and topped with whipped cream and strawberries? If it’s your day, moms, and you’re not sure what awaits you on Sunday morning, you might want to print this recipe out and leave it somewhere conspicuous. These are similar to traditional French crepes, but have slightly more eggs and less flour in them — making them easier to cook, springier in texture, and more flavorful, in my opinion. For more topping ideas and tips, please visit my original posting for Swedish Pancakes with Sweet Clementine Sauce. Enjoy!
Date & Cinnamon Baked Bananas
A dessert to go bananas over — this is gluten-free, dairy-free, and refined-sugar free, but you’d never know it. Medjoul dates and maple syrup give this all the natural sweetness it needs, and the cinnamon and cardamom scent imparts comfort and warmth. Inspired by an ayurvedic recipe from Eat-Taste-Heal and a need to use up ripe bananas, this dish comes together in under 20 minutes. The toasted almonds on top give it some extra protein and a satisfying crunch. I made this for a mid-afternoon treat with my daughter, and wished I had more bananas to make it again for breakfast the next day – it’s so simple but satisfying and warming on a chilly spring day.
Leek & Ricotta Strata
A rustic breakfast dish or side, this strata can feed a crowd with minimal effort on the cook’s part. And it’s tasty! I’ve used some light spring flavors of leeks, creamy ricotta, fresh thyme & chives, but you could use whatever veggie-cheese-herb combination appeals to you. Leftover Easter ham would be a great addition too! Happy Easter to all celebrating, and happy Fiesta Friday — come check out this week’s party!
Spring Herb, Asparagus & Emmentaler Omelette
True story: After living in Bosnia for a few months, I once complained to friends how unappetizing I found the eggs there. “They smell like hay, and what’s up with that dark orange yolk?” I said. One friend, who had grown up on a farm in the U.S., started laughing. And then she laughed some more. And when she was able to breathe again, she gave me a little pat on the arm and said, “Laura. They have that smell because the hens are grass-fed. That’s a good thing. And the orange yolk means they’re fresh.”
Ah-ha! Well, I certainly felt dumb. I guess I had grown used to sanitized and odorless industrial eggs with pale yellow yolks. Sure enough, after a couple years in Bosnia, I came to love those farm-fresh eggs, as well as all the other abundant fresh produce there. My lesson: Sometimes it’s good to question your instincts.
Austro-Bavarian Pancake with Plum Compote
Kaiserschmarrn is a traditional breakfast or snack in Austria and Bavaria, and there are many variations to this “torn” pancake. We like it with plum compote, or — my other favorite — sour cherry jam, but many eat it with applesauce, fresh berries, or other seasonal fruit. I also like the addition of quark to give it extra volume and creaminess; this version is called quarkschmarrn or topfenschmarrn. The truly traditional Austro-Bavarian pancake also includes rum-soaked raisins in the batter, and the torn pancake pieces are caramelized in more sugar and butter, but we do without these flourishes. However you eat it, you’ll see why this sweet treat is fit for a … kaiser!
For those curious about how kaiserschmarrn came to be, here is a brief history and description.
Happy Friday, everyone! I’m looking forward this week’s Fiesta Friday – come on over with me to the best party in the blogosphere and see what’s cooking.
Sticky Date Pancakes with Blood-Orange & Honey Syrup
Sticky Toffee Pudding, or “Sticky Date Pudding,” as some call it, is one of my all-time favorite desserts. And, as you might have noticed, I am enchanted by all things citrus. I started dreaming up a new pancake recipe, and this is what I came up with through some delicious experiments in the kitchen. It’s a sticky date pancake, moist and sweetly spiced with cinnamon, allspice & cloves, with a bright blood-orange and honey syrup and segmented oranges to drizzle over the top. This one is certainly a new favorite in our house; we swooned at the aromas as the pancakes cooked, we oohed and aahed over each warm batch, we licked our plates clean and wanted more. I hope you add this to your repertoire of special breakfasts and enjoy it as much as we did!
French Toast with Raspberry & Rosewater Syrup
A little rosewater, if used sparingly, can add a wonderfully subtle floral note to a sweet dish, and I think it goes especially well with raspberries. Here I’ve made a raspberry and rosewater syrup with hints of clementine and pomegranate to drizzle over some French toast. Fix up some mimosas to complete this decadent and romantic breakfast!
Morning Sunshine Parfait & Smoothies
Brighten your winter mornings with fresh, colorful, and vibrant breakfasts. With energy boosts from muesli and chia seeds, these will power you through until lunchtime. Morning, Sunshine!
Swedish Tea Ring with Cardamom & Cherries
Christmas morning is the stuff of magic and memories. I can still recall racing downstairs with my sisters to try to catch a glimpse of the tree and piles of presents underneath, the overflowing stockings, or the crumb-scattered plate of Santa’s cookies. Our frenzy was always halted in the kitchen by two words: “Breakfast first.” Quietly yet somehow effectively, our parents enforced this rule, and we would (not so quietly, I’m sure) put up a fuss and take our seats at the table. And then as we devoured plates of fluffy eggs, buttered cinnamon toast, and fresh oranges sent straight from the Florida groves, our attitudes shifted. The anticipation of opening our presents was still there, palpable, but in those moments we began to savor it, as though when held in suspension our excitement was magnified. The presents would still be there; this family feast came first. All these years later, it’s those moments of suspended joy over Christmas breakfast that I cherish and miss more than the gift-opening that followed. Continue reading
The Seasoned Traveler 