Posts Tagged ‘breakfast’

Blood oranges are in season right now, and I can’t resist the sweet, ruby-red fruit. It’s reminiscent of a large clementine (in flavor) or tangello – slightly less acidic than a normal orange with a sweeter edge to it. I assisted my food stylist friend Jackie last weekend and volunteered to make a nice breakfast pastry to bring in, so I figured some scones would fit the bill.

And oh me oh my, these are honestly the best scones I have ever had. They aren’t the dense, hard scones you find in your local chain coffee shop. Fragrant and light with the taste of blood oranges plus moist and airy from the use of buttermilk and plumped currants, they really are perfection. Be sure to use sparkling or raw sugar to get that good crunchy crust on top – it makes them extra extra divine.

Currants, pre-plump.

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Oh it’s waffle time it’s waffle time, won’t you have some waffles of mine?

Heh, Scrubs reference aside, it’s no secret how much I adore breakfast.  Despite never being a morning person (I like getting up early, I just don’t like being social or chatty or, well, vocal at all) any food usually eaten in the AM is my favorite, and waffles #1 on the “sweet” side of breakfast items I love. And although the dominant part of my brain is screaming at me “It’s Thanksgiving this week! Are you nuts?! Waffles?! Have your non-fat yogurt and mini-wheats and save yourself while you can!”, it has been silenced with this glorious idea that struck me.

Breakfast for dinner is normal, right? So why not breakfast for dessert? Or dessert for breakfast? Oatmeal raisin cookies are one of my favorites, so as I was standing in my kitchen last night and looking at my pantry, I saw rolled oats, golden raisins which had been there awhile (ooh, need to get rid of those soon…) and a box of waffle mix. And then the light bulb went off! Why not? I have raisins and cinnamon and maple syrup in oatmeal, and in my mind all breakfast flavors flow in and out of each other like a well-choreographed dance, so why not go with it? So I did. And a new favorite was born!

These aren’t the lowest calorie thing in the world, but they’re so filling and hearty, you could eat them in the morning and easily be full until dinner. The oats and raisins add fantastic texture (and sweetness), so they’re heartier than your average light waffle. As for toppings, I like to heat up a little honey and stir in a teeny splash of vanilla and then drizzle all over. Since it’s so sweet you need very little, but if you really wanted to go all-out, try melting some peanut butter and drizzling on top. I can only fathom the goodness.

Isn’t it funny how you can feel a food trend starting to build? Okay, maybe I’m one of those hyper-aware people and notice it more than most, but I can tell you one thing: monkey bread is so hot right now. I’ve seen it pop up more than a handful of times in the past month or so on the 30+ food blogs I read daily, most notably with a full-on expose from the LA Times, and I couldn’t be more excited!

I love monkey bread. Adore it. For those who haven’t encountered it, monkey bread is a sweet yeast-y pull-apart breakfast bread made in a bundt pan, covered in ooey-gooey cinnamon-sugar butter, and baked. You pull it apart (like a monkey? the name origin is debated) in sticky, awesome pieces and enjoy with coffee in the morning. Or hot chocolate. Or both. I first experienced monkey bread when I stayed with my friend’s grandparents in Tulsa, OK for a couple weeks when I was 12 or so. Meagan & Casey’s grandma would get up at a (no doubt) ungodly hour and almost every other day have hot monkey bread waiting for us when we woke up. It was such a treat I looked forward to every morning, and then would happily nibble on every evening when we would play Mexican train dominoes.

So when I read yet another blog entry about the scrumptious breakfast bread, I got a hankering I couldn’t ignore. And it only made sense to get the recipe for the original I fell in love with, which thankfully Meagan’s grandma was more than happy to share. Even better, the recipe uses pre-packaged dough and is so easy, you literally could whip this together in the morning, especially since she has the trick of putting it in a cold oven and cooking it as it heats up.  Sugary and sticky and warm and spicy, this is the ultimate breakfast pastry and would conquer any cinnamon roll any day of the week!

I firmly believe that everyone can cook. Sure, we all have varying degrees of difficulty we pursue and reach, but I don’t think there is some weird, innate quality which renders people unable to cook. Most of the time when I hear people grouse about failing to produce something in the kitchen, it involves being unable to follow instructions or read things carefully – not some curse which causes culinary failure.

I know personally, baking and desserts is the area I am still working on and attempting to better myself at. Savory cooking can be so much easier – you toss things in, taste for seasoning, add more of this, more of that. Baking and pastry is a science. With careful measuring, following of instructions, etc. Which is why I love this idea to death because it throws all of that out the window and is quite possibly the easiest dessert (and breakfast pastry!) I have ever made.

All you do is take puff pastry, thaw it, slice up an apple, toss it with lemon juice and brown sugar, lay it out, and bake it. That’s it!  Practically no measuring, no leaveners, no stand mixer or double boiler – seriously, anyone can make this dessert. (Trust me, try it – I have faith in you!)

Special thanks to Connie from work who sent me the salmon while she works remotely from Alaska. It was (obviously) much appreciated!