When it comes to food production, animal welfare is our welfare. There, I said it. And yeah, I buy local free-range eggs from a local person. If I had a backyard, I'd raise my own. Call me a hippie, but at least I'm not throwing the dice with rotting chicken carcasses, chicken shit, and salmonella.
Don't believe me? Read some startling revelations here from one of my favorite liberal-biased news sources.
Thomas Keller of French Laundry and Per Se acclaim offers up one way for the Perfect Poached Egg. And for the love of God, do not hard boil the yolk. If you do, Thomas Keller will come to your house and sucker punch you. True story.
It's a bittersweet thought. The sheer pleasure of lazy Sunday mornings. So lazy that the morning seeps into the afternoon. Pajamas are suitable all-day attire. The paper or an unfinished book must be finished, with each page savored. There's always a pot of coffee or tea ready to be poured. And perhaps most importantly, breakfast can be served at any time of the day.
It's a bittersweet thought, that this feast of an omelet and a stack of homemade pancakes, this joy (like so many other sources of joy) is a luxury nowadays. It is rare, which makes its occurrence so sweet, like the appearance of the first strawberry blossoms on a long-given up plant or finding or the weekday cocktail before you even think about dinner.
Continue reading "Hurray for Lazy Sundays: An Omelet and a Stack of Pancakes" »
Cooking while in your pajamas is something we should at some point in our lives all experience. The reason you're even in your pajamas should be one of ease and leisure. A Sunday morning sleep-in. Or any day off.
During the freelance life, I learned to make the most of my flexible mornings, planning a bit of coffee, a bit of work, a workout and then a langurous morning meal to enjoy while multitasking with my Google dashboard.
Then it was good. But if you observe what I've heard referred to as a "tech sabbath," it's even better. The digital radio is just fine to catch up on podcasts or "Weekend Edition on NPR." The only multitasking you should be doing is minding the first batch of coffee and the German Pancake batter that will go along with that sweet, sweet caffeine.
Some people call it Dutch Baby. Others swear to God it isn't anything more than a less-beefy Yorkshire Pudding. I'm happy to stay out of the debate for the sake of just enjoying the damn, blessed thing. For all the dramatic height you achieve in presentation, there's relatively little work. A little flour, eggs and milk mingle with hot fat from a hot pan heating in a hot oven the chemistry does the rest to give pancake it's bouffant.
Maple syrup is always good. Butter would be overkill. For something really different (for those who insist on slathering dairy somewhere in the equation), I love creme fraiche and a good dousing of Lyle's Golden Syrup -- a sugar can syrup that's intensely sweet with an echo of molasses. I acquired a bottle to replace corn syrup I've seen in some confection recipes and let me tell you that the golden syrup does a wonderful job.
GERMAN PANCAKE FOR A LAZY MORNING
You can make this for one in individual ramekins. You can serve a brood if made in a large Pyrex glass or ceramic lasagna/baking dish. For two, I used my little red ceramic gratin. Actually, I made two batches in the little dish. Once we polished off the first round, there was batter left for another batch and we couldn't find a reason why to deny the runny batter it's proper, full life as the big steamy pocket of morning glory.
1 cup all-purpose flour, sifted * 1 tablespoon sugar * 1/2 teaspoon salt * 1 tablespoon melted unsalted butter * 1 cup milk * 2 eggs * butter for coating
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees with your baking container in it. Use 8 ramekins, a large Pyrex or ceramic baking dish or make a couple of batches from a small gratin dish. Be sure to have a pat or two of butter in the dish heating up with the container.
Combine the dry ingredients in a medium mixing bowl. In a small bowl or measuring cup combine the butter, milk, and eggs. Pour this mixture into the dry ingredients and whisk together until the batter is smooth. If there are a few lumps, you probably didn't sift. And that's okay. It'll still taste good. [This whole step can be done in the blender, too.]
Remove the heated container(s) from the oven and pour the batter directly in. The batter should come up no more than 2/3 to the rim of the container, whatever it is. Plop it back into the oven and reduce the heat to 400 degrees. Keep the door closed -- as tempting as it is to spy on the chemistry in action -- you want the temperature to be stable for the sheer volume last seen on '80s hair bands. This recipe is far more tasteful ...
Bake for 15 to 20 minutes for a small gratin dish, about 10 to 15 for muffin tins and up to 35 minutes for a larger dish. Remove from oven and serve immediately with maple syrup or Lyle's Golden Syrup and creme fraiche. Great with salty pork like bacon or sausages.
This is what I dream of weekday mornings when I'm half-listening to NPR in the car.
Try as I might, I am not a morning person. I am known to abuse the alarm, both verbally and physically. My brain doesn't quite work so making a decision such as which fiber-loaded rational cereal should I have for breakfast is on par with should I choose the blue pill or the red one? For the first few minutes of being awake, the coffeemaker is my only friend in the world.
Still, I am a fan of large breakfasts. Starch. Protein. More starch. Cups of coffee. Hard to achieve when you've got a late start and loads of work to do. Even harder when you've procrastinated in your workout clothes, determined (half-assed) to do the next series of weight training and plyometrics.
Solution: Breakfast for lunch.
On the menu: Lemon-Ricotta pancakes * Tomato-Bacon Hash * Chicken-Apple Sausages * Fruit Salad
Nine a.m. Okay, maybe 10. We've established that I'm not a morning person. A groggy Sunday morning and the luxury of lingering in bed. It lasts as long as a rumble in the belly. Hunger sets in and comes the proverbial Sunday morning question: what to eat for brunch? It nags me once a week like clockwork. And it nags my friends, too. We're champion brunch-goers. We've been to pretty much every venue in town that offers scrambled eggs of various quality, stacks of pancakes gluey or perfect, and coffee weak as dishwater or thick as mud. Our options were close to up and the idea of waiting in a crowded front room and fighting for a bitchy waiters' attention wasn't as good as staying in bed. In fact, "staying in" sounded perfect.
But what would I eat? That would be up to me, the kitchen, and my friend, Amber.
If you've read a few posts, it's pretty obvious that I live with roommates. Roommates who aren't the best at cleaning. And I don't mean to imply that it's the only trait necessary to join the "great human being" club. But it helps when all you want is a proper breakfast before leaving for work. It's a little disheartening to wake up to a leaning tower of dishes, counters crowded with pizza boxes, groceries yet to be put away, and stray beer bottles. Cooking in something like this is like trying to juice a cold lime. I yield very little.
Continue reading "One Toaster. One Burner. Just One Breakfast." »
