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Breakfast - The Early-Morning, Polyphonic Food Blog


txaggie

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Saturday brunch menu for November 26, 2016:

Warm radicchio salad with Meyer lemon, fava beans and anchovy
Garlic soup with ham, herbs and poached egg.

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Clockwise from top: 1 head radicchio; leftover cooked fava beans; 2 anchovy fillets; 1 onion, sliced into half-moons; 1 Meyer lemon, sliced.

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Warm olive oil in a skillet over medium heat, then add onion and fry until golden brown, about 20-25 minutes.

 

Clear a space in the pan and add the anchovy. Mash anchovy with the back of a wooden spoon. Anchovy will disintegrate into the sauce.

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Clear a space in the pan and add the Meyer lemons. Toast for 10-20 seconds, then stir them in. Repeat with the fava beans. Taste for salt and pepper. Stir in some chopped parsley.

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Cook fava beans for 2-3 minutes, then remove from heat and set aside.

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Warm olive oil in a skillet over medium heat, add the radicchio leaves. Wilt radicchio, about 1-2 minutes. Leaves should be halfway between "raw" and "wilted". Remove from heat.

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Combine radicchio with fava bean mixture. Toss a few times, then serve at once.

 

For the soup:

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2 tbsp. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
3 slices prosciutto, julienned
1/4 cup minced parsley
2 cups water or chicken stock
2 eggs
salt
black pepper

Fry garlic in olive oil over medium heat, then add prosciutto once garlic begins to turn color. Add half of the parsley. Sauté, then add either 2 cups water or chicken stock. Bring to a boil, thenreduce heat and simmer. Crack a couple of eggs into the pan and poach. When eggs are done, lift out with a slotted spoon. Taste soup for salt and pepper, then ladle into bowls and serve. Garnish with leftover parsley.

 

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So I was absolutely sure I was going to make sweet potato pancakes Sunday with sausage and I was so excited about it.  Until Hubby said he was definitively not eating breakfast foods (I do not understand his aversion to breakfast foods, and he refuses to eat breakfast for dinner, he is strange, I know).  So change of plans a bit, but I was bound and determined to use a large pud of pureed sweet potato.  So I made lovely sweet potato biscuits from a Martha Stewart recipe that turned out beautiful.  Ever suspicious Hubby went back for seconds on the biscuits (I had to assure them they were not sweet).  We had them with a small piece of ham I baked with some brown sugar and apricot jam and green beans.  

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Cauliflower with anchovy, pine nuts and raisins, served with toasted English muffins and fried eggs.

 

I also made a batch of celery hearts Victor (from Prune, pages 160-162):

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Clockwise from foreground: celery; 3 cups chicken stock; 2 fresh bay leaves; 8 black peppercorns

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Combine all ingredients in a pan. Bring stock to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cover, then braise celery on low heat for 20 minutes.

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Clockwise from lower right: 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil; 3 anchovy fillets, finely chopped; pinch of red pepper flakes; 3 shallots, minced; 1/3 cup Meyer lemon juice.

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Cool celery in braising liquid.

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Whisk together olive oil, Meyer lemon juice, anchovies, red pepper flakes.

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Stack celery hearts and stalks in a container. Pour marinade over. Season with salt and black pepper.

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This will marinate for a little over 24 hours.

To be continued...

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Radicchio with pancetta and onion.

We served that with a French omelette (3 eggs, salt, black pepper; fried in melted unsalted butter).  I find that fat tends to soften the bitterness of radicchio.

If you prefer instructions, let me know.  That said, I figure that folks can always ask.

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Having an abundance of dates and eggs, made this Food 52 recipe for Egyptian fried dates and eggs  for breakfast.  I scaled it down to use 3 eggs, a scant 6 oz. dates, and 2 Tbsp. butter (instead of what should have been three for the smaller amounts).  It was intriguingly good. The eggs are a minor player, and it is a sweet dish. The parsley scattered over top and harissa (I dotted some Cava harissa over the finished product) helped moderate that, plus I crumbled on some toasted walnut halves, just because they seemed like they would go. They did.  I also reheated a precooked strip of bacon--decidedly not an authentic accompaniment--to eat alongside. That was fantastic up against the candied dates.

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We've been making for the past few weeks a cinnamon-raisin french toast bake (that I don't get to partake in at the moment :angry:), which is a nice option for making several days' worth of breakfasts in one easy go. Basically we layer (standing up or at an angle) half-slices of cinnamon bread in a casserole dish, pour over a bunch of beaten eggs and heavy whipping cream, and sprinkle the whole mess with cinnamon, brown sugar, and other warming spices/vanilla as the mood hits. Leave in the fridge overnight to soak in and bake in the morning until appropriately toasty (it smells divine!!!). It is obviously NOT a light breakfast but keeps well (we rewarm in a toaster oven) and has been universally beloved by all that try it. 

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Clockwise from top left: unsalted butter; blanched asparagus that was sliced on a bias; eggs; pea shoot flowers.

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Lightly grease two ramekins with butter, then add asparagus. Season with salt and black pepper.

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Add eggs, then a little more salt and black pepper. Place ramekins in a baking dish and add enough boiling water so that the water comes half-way up their sides.

Bake for 15 minutes in a pre-heated 400 F oven or until whites are set and yolks are starting to firm up.

When done, remove. Top with pea shoot flowers and minced chives. Serve immediately.

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Baked eggs with asparagus.

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Chicken hash.

Last week we had bai qie ji (poached chicken, Cantonese style) if you remember. We had a nearly picked clean chicken carcass that had some breast and wing meat leftover. I took the breast meat, diced it, then combined with shallots, butter, olive oil, pancetta, pinot gris, chicken stock, salt, black pepper; peeled, seeded and diced tomatoes; oregano and Italian parsley. I feel that chicken breast is one of the most boring cuts of meat ever invented or created, and I say that as someone who used to eat a lot of it.

It really needs something to spruce it up.

BTW if you're wondering, I'm not a trained cook. I taught myself how to cook over the years, and a lot of my inspiration comes from reading cookbooks, dining out, reading restaurant menus, seeing what other people have for dinner on Facebook, Twitter and on this site, and from other places. When I was living in New York, I would go to restaurants and try to sit at the pass just so I could watch chefs cook, take notes and attempt to replicate their efforts later. It's been a worthwhile education.

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Mother's Day brunch for Azami's fabulous mom, who (along with Azami's dad) is gracious enough to let the middle-aged couple expecting their first kid (and their dog) stay with them until they can move into their new place:

Potato and mushroom frittata with Jarlsberg and fresh thyme
Strawberries and mango macerated in orange flower water and a bit of sugar
Gluten-free blueberry muffins for her, Frontier rolls for the rest of us

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This morning I made migas, after a fashion.  Added some mushrooms I had previously sautéed and leftovers of green chile scalloped onions and the dregs of a bag of tortilla chips. This was very good, if I do say so myself.

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The past couple of weeks, I've been having bacon & egg salad on toast for breakfast.  I fry up half a package of bacon while the Instant Pot takes care of hard-boiling 9 eggs.  Let the eggs and bacon cool off, then peel the eggs, mash and mix with some mayo and mustard.  Add the crumbled bacon, stir again and I've got delicious breakfast for the next week or more. 

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22 hours ago, Katya4me said:

The past couple of weeks, I've been having bacon & egg salad on toast for breakfast.  I fry up half a package of bacon while the Instant Pot takes care of hard-boiling 9 eggs.  Let the eggs and bacon cool off, then peel the eggs, mash and mix with some mayo and mustard.  Add the crumbled bacon, stir again and I've got delicious breakfast for the next week or more. 

Curious.  I was not aware that egg salad would keep more than a day or two.  In your experience, how many days after you make the egg salad do you feel comfortable still eating it?  I would like to try this. 

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22 hours ago, dcandohio said:

Curious.  I was not aware that egg salad would keep more than a day or two.  In your experience, how many days after you make the egg salad do you feel comfortable still eating it?  I would like to try this. 

I do it for the entire week.  Ie., make a batch Sunday night and eat it through Friday and it hasn't killed me yet.   My fridge is pretty cool, so that might help and I store it towards the back.

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Brunch for two for August 26, 2017:

Sopa de ajo (garlic soup) with tatsoi and poached egg
Figs with sheep's milk ricotta cheese and mint
Early Girl tomatoes with salt, pepper and extra-virgin olive oil
Cantaloupe melon with chili pepper, lime and salt
Leftover insalata cruda e cotta

Better than at most places you'd find in San Francisco: no lines, no uncomfortable seats and no avocado toast!

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Since @Pat liked my figs so much, here's round 2:

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Roasted pluots and plums with honey and Marsala

Pluots are a hybrid of plums and apricots. If you don't have any, substitute plums.

Pre-heat oven to 400 F.

Slice fruit in half. Twist apart and remove pits. Slice into wedges. Transfer fruit to a small bowl and add: 2 tbsp. honey, rosemary needles from one sprig and 1/4 tsp. crushed fennel seeds. Transfer to a baking dish, cut side down, and pour over 1/4 cup Marsala wine and 1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil. Season to taste with salt and black pepper. Roast for 15 minutes. At the end of that time, remove from oven and flip the wedges over. Spoon juices atop fruit, then return to the oven and roast for 5 more minutes. When done, plate and serve immediately.

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Fried egg served atop tomato salad (diced tomato, 1 tbsp. minced Italian parsley, 2 tbsp. minced cilantro, 1 tbsp. minced scallions, 1/2 tsp. lime juice, salt, black pepper, extra-virgin olive oil) and crispy garlic toast (sliced country-style bread rubbed with a crushed garlic clove and olive oil, seasoned with salt and pepper, and toasted for 2-3 minutes).

I prefer serving eggs this way so that as you cut into the egg, the yolk drips into the tomato salad and makes a fabulous and delicious mess.

As you can tell, I don't believe in serving traditional breakfasts or brunch. Actually, I think the traditional American breakfast of eggs, bacon (or other meat) and potatoes (or other starch) is really boring. And as I remarked to B yesterday, if I'm going to have eggs for breakfast or brunch, I'll do it on my own terms.

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Fried potatoes

Begin by melting some unsalted butter in a skillet, then add in some onion or shallots. Fry for a minute or two, then add some potatoes that you've sliced thinly by hand or with a mandoline. Season with salt and pepper. Fry potatoes on medium heat until potatoes are golden brown. Stir in some minced parsley, then serve at once.

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Broccoli e salsicce

The bowl on the left has crushed red pepper flakes.

Ordinarily I'd serve this with pasta but since we're having pasta tonight, decided to go without. My hubby and I are a fan of eggless breakfasts whenever possible. American breakfasts can be rather boring when you think about it.

There are many ways to make this, and here is one variation: Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add broccoli to pot. Return to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Drain broccoli, then coarsely chop. Set broccoli aside. Warm olive oil in a skillet over low heat and add crushed garlic cloves. Fry garlic on low heat until garlic browns. Do not burn. Lift out garlic with a slotted spoon and discard. Add sweet Italian sausage that have been stripped of their casings. Season with salt and black pepper. A touch of crushed fennel seed is nice. Fry sausage until meat is no longer pink. Deglaze with white wine. Add broccoli to the pan. Season with salt and black pepper. Add a pat or two of unsalted butter. Reduce heat to medium-low and cover; simmer for 15 minutes. Uncover pan and stir every so often, then re-cover. When the 15 minutes are up, raise heat to high and reduce until all but a few tablespoons of liquid remain. Remove from heat and serve at once. Top each serving with extra-virgin olive oil.

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Black truffle. At left is an American quarter coin for size comparison.

This specimen cost about $160 and is from Spain. Very pungent too.

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Breakfast for us was a French omelette (3 eggs, salt, black pepper, 1 tbsp. water cooked in melted unsalted butter) served with a generous shaving of black truffles on top.

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1 hour ago, TrelayneNYC said:

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Black truffle. At left is an American quarter coin for size comparison.

This specimen cost about $160 and is from Spain. Very pungent too.

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Breakfast for us was a French omelette (3 eggs, salt, black pepper, 1 tbsp. water cooked in melted unsalted butter) served with a generous shaving of black truffles on top.

That looks gorgeous.  I love the way black truffle smells.

We had scrambled eggs for breakfast too, but no truffles. Also sage pork sausage patties (with maple syrup for me).

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Toasted whole wheat English muffin with an egg over easy and leftover tomato-braised cod and potatoes.

I used the bit of sauce that didn't really have any fish in it and was mostly a tomato sauce. It was quite good.

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On 10/21/2009 at 12:04 PM, Rovers2000 said:

Yep, I grew up about 45 minutes north of Philly but my parents are from NYC/NJ and always referred to it as "Taylor Ham" even though "Taylor Pork Roll" is whats on the actual box.

Yes, that's right.  Taylor Ham in northern New Jersey and Pork Roll in the rest of the state.  Ah.... New Jersey.  All About Pork Roll, New Jersey's Own Cheap Eat - It's also known as Taylor ham, by Cynthia Correa  Jul 16, 2015, on eater.com.

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