English Muffins

 

I wonder if you have had the same experience I did.  Thomas' English Muffins were the only game in town and they were great fresh out of the toaster.  Then maybe you tried a Thomas' Bagel.  Guess what, it's horrible!  It tastes like an English Muffin!

Well guess what?  You don't have to buy Thomas', you can make your own.  And they don't have that "Thomas'" flavor.  In fact they are really, really good fresh.  Basically, it is a bread started in the pan and finished in the oven, then fork split.  The versions pictured here are from "The Bread Baker's Apprentice" but there are many recipes out there and of course, Emily is still experimenting.  

  

This is the second batch that came out even better than the first!

Cinnamon Bread

Cinnamon bread smells delicious in the oven.  This is one of Emily's latest projects.  She is working through The Bread Baker's Apprentice, which currently under her review to see if it stands up to rumors that it is an excellent reference on a wide variety of breads.  We will keep you posted.

Waffles, Waffles, Waffles

 

I love our waffle maker.  Tell me this does not look like a Shel Silverstein poem illustration!  Piles of waffles this high do exist.  This bounty is of banana waffles - banana mixed into the batter, that is.  As much as that sounds great I think this is one of those recipes where you just have to concede that messing with the basic recipe just doesn't come out as good.  What happens is the bananas make the waffle taste undercooked no matter how long you cook it.  The texture of the hot banana matches undercooked waffle a little too closely.  Go with bananas on top. 

  

How do two people eat all those waffles?  Lunch that day was toasted waffle Monte Cristos!

 

There are a million waffle recipes out there.  Experiment.  These are a yeasted recipe that seems to have come out particularly well.   The one trend I have noticed so far is that it is worth it to mix the night before and let the yeast do its work.  As usual, it takes a little planning ahead, but the execution in the morning is a lot easier, and the waffles are fluffier and get the "right" texture.  And you'll have time to make the scrambled eggs and beet greens you can see on the side.

Belgian Sugar Waffles

There is a waffle iron in our kitchen taking up precious space, and this, this recipe is the reason why.   We have a stack of ideas for various dimpled concoctions, including a chocolate-chip cookie waffle that ended in failure, but the Belgian Sugar Waffle was always going to be the shining star.  Now I have never gone much beyond the make-your-own waffles in the hotel breakfast bar, but I assure you that this recipe does.  Think brioche with an almost crispy carmelized sugar crust.  No syrup needed.

 

The difference between this and an Eggo starts with the dough.  I say dough and not batter for these waffles because it is made ahead of time and looks more like bread dough.  Emily is still experimenting with the recipe, so I won't say too much until we are definitive experts on the optimal consistency.

 

The sugar is another key ingredient.  Authentic waffles use pearl sugar, which is to granulated white sugar as kosher salt is to table salt.  It's difficult to find in the store, and kind of pricey online... but the key is a local IKEA.  Take a spin around their food department and you can find the pearl sugar (along with lutefisk, fontina cheese, and bake-your-own swedish rye bread in a milk carton) for reasonable prices.   The sugar's job here is to melt a little bit in the iron and coat the waffle with a crisp sugar crust.

 

We like the kind of waffle iron with deep pockets for the most crispy surface area.  On the other hand they are a bit more difficult to clean.   My favorite is to eat these hot with lots of fresh fruit.

 

Belgian Sugar Liege Waffles
Adapted from many many waffle recipes, and not quite yet perfected...
Makes 12 mini or 6 large waffles 

1 tsp active dry yeast
¼ cup whole milk
3 tbsp water
1 egg, room temperature
2 cups all purpose flour
4 tsp light brown sugar
¾ tsp salt
¾ tsp baking powder
1 tbsp honey
2 tsp vanilla
8 tbsp butter, softened

Belgian pearl sugar for coating


Heat the milk and water in the microwave until it’s hot to the touch (about 110 degrees F). In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix the yeast with the milk & water until dissolved. Let stand for a couple minutes to allow yeast to bloom.

With the mixer on a low setting mix the egg in until incorporated. Add the flour and mix until the flour is fully incorporated. The mixture will be dry. Cover and let rest in a warm spot (about 72 degrees F) for 90 minutes.

With the mixer on medium low, add the sugar, salt and baking powder. When mixed in, add the honey and vanilla. Mix until fully incorporated, about 2-3 minutes.  Add the butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, waiting until each piece is mixed in before adding the next. Once all the butter has been added, mix for another 4-6 minutes scraping down the bowl as needed. Cover and let rise overnight.

In the morning, turn the dough over a few times and let rest while pre-heating the waffle iron and pouring the pearl sugar into a bowl. When ready, scoop the dough into tablespoon size balls (for small waffles, more dough for larger waffles) and roll in the pearl sugar. Cook in the waffle iron about 3 ½ minutes (or longer based on your waffle iron and how crispy you like the outside of the waffle to be). Remove with a spatula or tongs. 

They are best eaten warm so either store them in a covered dish while cooking the rest of them or in a low temp oven.

Cooked waffles can be frozen, reheat in the oven. Shaped dough balls can be frozen too. Defrost in the fridge overnight before cooking as directed above.

Granola

What is there to say about granola?  Let's see.  It goes with fruit and yogurt.  It's got a healthy vibe to it due to it having whole oats, and nuts, and seeds and things.  It's about $5 a bag in the store - expensive in my book.  It's why they call tree-hugging liberals "crunchy."  And I eat it with a banana and cup of Dannon yogurt every day for breakfast.

This granola is Emily's creation, based on this recipe.  It's not hard to make your own based on what you like, and to get the right amount of sweetness.  This one has lots of oats and pepitas which we had lying around the pantry, and used maple syrup as a sweetener.  She also fired up the yogurt-maker this past weekend.  We'll often pile a bowl full of fruit, some granola or cereal, a bit of jam or preserves, and pour homemade plain yogurt over the top and call it a quick, easy, satisfying meal.

Turkish Eggs

What you are looking at is two soft-poached eggs surrounded by a garlicky plain yogurt and drizzled with a spicy sage butter.  You can see the sage leaves and the paprika that come from the butter sauce.  On the side is the pita bread you use to mop this deliciousness up.  The eggs are soft-poached for only three minutes, and the spices are warmed to release their flavor in the hot butter.  Recipe is here. Would be great for a brunch.  We happened to have it right before darting off to the Kennedy Center.  Beware garlic breath!

Huevos Tomatillos

I am the Eggman. This was my latest brainstorm for filling up a corn tortilla. Eggs go very well as taco filling and I like them better with corn tortillas heated through on the skillet. Cast iron if you have it. Corn tortillas really have so much more flavor and less fat than flour tortillas - just don't ever try to eat them cold. Wheat tortillas can be good too, but you get more of a California type of taste when you put eggs in them. The veggies in here are 1 poblano pepper, 1 anaheim chile, 1/2 onion, and 3 tomatillos. Everything diced and cooked just soft. Start with sauteing the onions, then go to the peppers, and add tomatillos at the very end... this way everything cooks for the proper length of time and isn't soggy. Then clear the pan and make the eggs. Serve with Sriacha if you want more heat. You'll see more egg taco creations soon since I make them all the time, and one of these days some tips on scrambled eggs.

Banana Bread

Cook's Illustrated came through for my office with this banana bread recipe. We had an emergency with a number of bananas going bad over the weekend - black enough that they got passed over for the new all-yellow bananas from Peapod Monday morning. Banana bread is great for past their prime bananas because their intense banana flavor is muted and more tasty in a cake. You can make this recipe with stuff you have on hand (if you generally have yogurt in the fridge) and it is very quick to make. I would have added chocolate if I had some in the house - banana-chocolate is one of my favorite combos.

Oatmeal-Lavender Bars

Making your own breakfast bars can be worth it. The lavender we used is from the lavender farms in Sequim, WA when we were living out there, and it really gives a muted, but powerful flavor to the bars that's kind of addicting. Lavender actually goes very well with peaches (think peach-lavender ice cream). These bars were a bit too chewy - there is a Nigella Lawson recipe out there for some chunkier bars which are also very good.

Peach French Toast

Emily the baker whipped up a quick batch of brioche the night before for breakfast the next morning. I don't know if you've ever had a brioche french toast but it was amazing. You'll have to ask her for the brioche recipe, the french toast batter was a recipe from Cook's Illustrated May/June 1997. The peaches were quickly cooked in a touch of butter and brown sugar. Blackberries take it over the top. Be sure to pile the fruit high over one or two small slices of toast. No syrup needed.