Savory French Toast Breakfast

This is a nice brunch dish, and could also make a light lunch. Just soak thickly sliced sourdough bread in an egg, milk/sour cream/yogurt, cayenne pepper mixture. Then lightly fry, as you would french toast. Top with heirloom tomato, fresh mozzarella, basil and arugula. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar & olive oil.

Bittman Baking: Easy Cornbread

As most of you know, I am not a baker. But I am a huge fan of Mark Bittman. I woke up this morning to his Cornbread  recipe of the day and just had to try it-- it helped that I had all the ingredients on hand, and even some bacon fat in the fridge for just this kind of culinary whim. (Note to the veggers: can be made with butter or olive oil instead.)

I followed the recipe you see in the link, but used 1/4c Turbinado (raw) sugar and bacon fat in a 7x10" glass baking dish. It was ready for the oven in less than 10 minutes. The fat seemed to be way too much, but it got absorbed and added a delicious savoriness to the bread.

Next time, I'll put a little more sugar to combat the slight bitterness of the bacon fat, and I'll add some jalapenos, which would be delicious with the corn. J thought this was a bit too dense; he prefers his cornbread made with corn flour instead of cornmeal, so you might see a new cornbread on this site sometime soon...

Tomato Confit or Oven Dried Tomatoes

-- or, what to do when you find ripe Roma tomatoes at 39 cents a pound. (If you live anywhere near Berkeley and still haven't been to Monterey Market, go. Not only do they have incredible deals, but much of their produce is organic and from local farmers. In addition to the 39 cent tomatoes, I bought some small dry-farmed $3/lb tomatoes that were most definitely the best tasting tomatoes I have ever had in my entire life. I do not exaggerate.)

The key to the incredibly concentrated flavor of these finished tomatoes is the slow, low cooking. (Also, it almost goes without saying, your tomatoes should be ripe.) I lined a baking sheet with tin foil, poured about half a cup of seriously good olive oil onto the foil, and sprinkled it with thinly sliced basil and shallots.  Then I sliced the tomatoes in half lengthwise (use Roma tomatoes, which are meaty and slightly elongated), dipped the cut side in the olive oil, and sprinkled them with salt, pepper, and a little sugar. Then I arranged them cut side up on the sheet and baked them at about 200 degrees-- as low as my oven would go-- overnight, or for about 10 hours. Take them out when they have collapsed and are no more than a 1/2 inch thick. Store them in the olive oil-- if you add oil to cover, they'll last longer.

tomato confit and fresh dry farmed tomatoes

If you want oven-dried tomatoes, which are more like sun-dried tomatoes, skip the olive oil, basil and shallots, and just spray the tomatoes with olive oil and sprinkle with spices before baking. Bake until they're shriveled and dry. These can be stored in the fridge or freezer for a very long time, and revived with some oil or water.

the confit is delicious on a bagel--

I added fresh dry-farmed tomatoes for comparison

and had some figs on the side

(best breakfast ever)

Breakfast Panzanella

I'm finally back from my travels (which were, for the most part, delicious) and back to the kitchen. Yesterday I bought such beautiful tomatoes that I just couldn't wait til tonight to cook them (and last night I went to Frugal Foodies), so I decided to make panzanella for breakfast this morning. Panzanella is basically a bread and tomato salad. The key is grilling your bread-- don't just toast it or you'll miss out on the smokey flavor that contrasts perfectly with the sweetness of the cherry tomatoes. If you want to make this more of a brunch dish, use two eggs per person.

You'll need (serves one):

1 egg
1t vinegar for poaching (I use rice wine vinegar)

one thick slice of day-old (or older) bread (I used walnut bread. Yum!)
a handful of cherry tomatoes
1/2 avocado
a small handful of basil leaves

olive oil
balsamic vinegar

Heat water with vinegar for poaching.

Heat a griddle pan. Brush the bread with olive oil. Grill until just golden.

In the meantime, halve the cherry tomatoes. Cube the avocado. Chiffonade the basil leaves. Toss it all together with salt and pepper.

When bread is just golden, cut into large cubes and return to griddle, adding more olive oil if necessary. When bread is done, toss with tomato mixture.

Poach egg. Place egg on top of panzanella. Drizzle salad with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

From Sushi Leftovers, A Salmon Omelet

This delicious combo is made of 2 beaten eggs, fresh herbed goat cheese, some chopped shiso leaf, salmon seasoned with rice wine vinegar and soy sauce, and green onion; topped with avocado and cilantro.

Eggs for Breakfast

As I mentioned here, I would take eggs for breakfast over almost anything. Here are two simple preparations for your morning meal.

Above, the Egyptian Omelet with Pancetta: Cut a circle out of a piece of bread, place a thin slice of pancetta over the opening, and crack an egg in it. Cook until crisp, then flip briefly to cook the top.

Below, Egg in Gorgonzola Polenta: Use pre-made or leftover polenta. Warm it over low heat, dotted with gorgonzola. When the cheese melts, make a well in the middle. Add a bit of butter. Raise the heat and crack an egg into the well.

Both of these preparations benefit from the runny yolk, so be careful not to break the yolk or overcook it.

Taco Redux: Leftovers, Two Ways

I have a lot of chicken and tortillas left over from tacos the other night. I've been eating them all week, so I thought I'd post some variations.

1. Breakfast: Mushroom Quesadilla

Slice 1/2 onion and some shittake mushrooms; saute in olive oil.

Melt two kinds of cheese (I used pepperjack & cheddar) on two corn tortillas; you can do this quickly in the broiler or microwave.

2. Lunch: Cheesy Chicken Tacos with Chunky Guacamole

Slice chicken thinly and spread on tortilla. Top with jalapeño slices and bits of cheese. Melt in the broiler or microwave. In the meantime, mix avocado, lime, radish slices, quartered cherry tomatoes, and whole cilantro leaves for a chunky veggie sauce. Add salt, pepper, and hot sauce or salsa to taste. Top chicken tortillas with guac and fold to eat.

Eggs, Pancetta, and Greens on Toast

This is a quick and delicious breakfast. Just heat a heavy skillet and fry the pancetta (in its own fat) over medium heat until crispy, about 3 min/side. Place on a piece of toast. Fry an egg or two in the pancetta's rendered fat, leaving the yolks runny. (Don't add salt; there's enough in the pancetta.) Place the egg on top of the pancetta. Wilt some arugula or spinach in the same pan and place on top.

Cinnamon Swirl French Toast Waffles

What? Is it French toast or a waffle? I got the brilliant idea to combine these two lovely foods from Marisa McClellan on Slashfood, although my friend Julia pointed out that it's actually a Joy of Cooking recipe she's been making for years with leftover challah. I had some cinnamon challah in the freezer (thanks, mom) and had been looking for something tasty to do with it. This was it.

I must admit, as delicious as this was, I do prefer savory breakfasts. I'll take eggs any day over waffles or pancakes. I dream of traveling in Asia and eating rice or noodle soup every morning (though I suppose with some advance planning I could do that here as well). What do you like to eat for breakfast? What'd you have this morning? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.

You'll need:

cinnamon raisin walnut bread
2 eggs
splash of milk or cream
2T brown sugar
1t vanilla
pinch of salt

Heat bread in 400 degree oven if frozen.

Slice bread into 1/2" thick slices (you don't want them falling apart on you).

Beat eggs, milk (you just want a splash to change the color and loosen up the eggs), brown sugar, salt and vanilla in a flat dish. Soak bread as long as you can wait (overnight would be best, 20 minutes is fine).


Heat and butter your waffle iron and cook soaked bread as you would waffle batter.

Serve with syrup or cinnamon & sugar.

Passover without Matzah

There is a matzah shortage in Berkeley. This seems true every year: we run around frantically to 6 stores on the day of the first seder looking for the lone remaining box. However, this year I think it's worse, and as a result, I have no matzah. My big plans to post Mina (an amazing meat pie with a matzah crust), matzah pasta (sounds weird but is quite delicious), and other matza-related passover goodies must wait. I still have to eat though, so here's a quick breakfast recipe.

(Excuse the photos-- my camera ran out of batteries and I didn't want my breakfast to get cold so I used a cell phone camera)

You'll need:

1 medium-large Yukon gold potato
1-2 fried eggs
grated cheese


I'm using Elise's fantastic recipe for hash browns as the base for this. Grate your potato and squeeze out all the moisture using a potato ricer. If you don't have a potato ricer, get one. I'm not a fan of extraneous kitchen tools-- I'd be happy with my cast iron skillet and wooden spatula-- but the potato ricer seems to come in handy. Anyways, squeeze out the moisture while you heat some olive oil in a non-stick or cast iron pan. Spread out the potato on the hot oil so that you have a very thin layer (Elise says 1/2 inch; I prefer even thinner). Top with salt & pepper. Cook over medium heat until it begins to brown, then flip the whole thing over by edging a flat spatula underneath. Cook on the other side until brown, 2-3 minutes.

Top with grated cheese (or cheese curds, which melt beautifully) and fried eggs.

Caramelized Onion and Spinach with Poached Egg on Toast

This is quick, easy, and healthy, and you can make it for lunch or brunch by serving two eggs & two pieces of toast per person (the spinach/onion mix is enough for 2).

You'll need (for one, for breakfast):

1/2 onion, sliced thinly
2 handfuls fresh spinach, washed well
1 egg
1t vinegar (I used rice vinegar but you can use any clear, mild vinegar)
2T olive oil
1t cream (optional)
a small chunk of strong cheese (I used pepperjack), cut into small pieces
1T capers
1 piece toast, english muffin, bagel, whatever

Heat 1T olive oil in a pan. Add onions, salt, and pepper. Cook, over medium heat, stirring, until caramelized (brown). If you get impatient you can turn up the heat but you'll have to stir constantly to prevent burning. If the pan gets too dry, add a little water.

While the onions are cooking, heat some water, vinegar, and salt in a medium-size pot until boiling.

When the water is boiling, put your toast in the toaster and add spinach to the onions. Stir to wilt; add a splash of cream, salt, and pepper. Turn off heat and add cheese and capers. Stir to melt.

Turn down the heat so water is simmering, not boiling. Crack an egg into a ladle or large spoon and lower it gently into the water. Let cook about 1 minute, then fish it out with a slotted spoon and let sit on a kitchen towel to drain.

Top toast with spinach/onion mix and poached egg to serve.

Apple Banana Breakfast Muffins

This is the only baking post you will ever see on this blog. I do not bake. It just doesn't work for me. There are too many... rules. I can't measure things like flour and baking soda. Most of the recipes on this blog are really approximate measurements, for that matter. Anyway, this recipe came about because I drink a smoothie every day, so I always have bananas on hand, and often two leftover that get too spotty to eat (I think they're too sweet, even for smoothies, when very ripe). I started throwing them into banana bread (my grandma's recipe), but an entire loaf was too intimidating, so I turned them into muffins, and threw in some apples for texture... and then decided to try to make them healthy, and added flax seed meal in varying amounts until I found a balance that still tasted good. Here is the result of many, many batches.

enjoy with earl gray tea with lavender

You'll need (makes 2 trays of muffins):

2 ripe bananas, mashed
1/2c sugar
2 eggs
1/2c applesauce + 1T neutral-flavored oil (canola, grapeseed) OR 1/2c oil
2 large apples, peeled, cored, and diced
1t vanilla
a scant 1/3c buttermilk or yogurt

1 1/2c whole wheat flour
1/4c flax seed meal
1t baking soda
1t salt

Mix wet and dry ingredients separately, then mix them together. Spoon into baking cups (fill only halfway-- 1 heaping tablespoon per muffin). Bake at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes, until golden brown (test doneness by sticking a thin sharp knife in the middle of a muffin. If it comes out dry, they're done).

Leftovers 101: Pork Tenderloin

I had two meals' worth of pork left over from the tenderloin I made the other night. I had a sandwich yesterday, with avocado, tomato, greens, and gruyere (gruyere goes well with the mustard crust, but cheddar would be tasty too), but there's only so many pork sandwiches a girl can eat.

So this morning, I used the last of the pork in my breakfast. Be sure to take it out of the fridge in advance or put it in the micro briefly to take the chill off.

Start with a medium boiled egg:

Bring salted water to a boil and reduce to a simmer.
Pierce a hole in the larger, rounded side of the raw egg with a pin.
Gently lower the egg into the water using a ladle or large spoon; cook for exactly 5 minutes.
Run the egg under cold water, and then *gently* crack the eggshell with the back of a spoon.
Peel the egg very carefully (this is the hard part; the egg white will be just set, and the yolk will be totally runny).

Slice the leftover pork thinly and fan out on a plate. Cut the egg in half and place it on the pork; let the yolk cover the pork. Serve with buttered toast.

Spicy Breakfast Quesadilla

Lightly toast a tortilla (I used a habanero chile-sundried tomato tortilla from Trader Joe's) over gas flame. Place in non-stick pan. Top with thin slices of cheddar cheese and 1 chopped chipotle in adobo, with a little of the adobo sauce. Cover pan and cook over low heat until cheese melts. Top with avocado, salt and pepper, and salad greens; fold and serve.

Potato Omelet Breakfast, or What to do with Leftover Mashed Potatoes

... a problem you might have after Thursday. I promise, it's better than it looks.

As shown above, beat 1 egg (or 1/4c egg substitute) with 1/2c mashed potatoes. Add salt, pepper, and crumbled cheese (use a strong cheese-- parmesan, sharp cheddar, etc. I used prima dona gouda). Mix well and pour into an 8-10" skillet. Cover. When the edges begin to curl, try to flip (as you can see in the first picture, my potato omelet didn't flip very well). Cook until the underside is dry (the omelet should stay together when you shake the pan). Serve hot.

Turkey and Two Cheese Omelet

Beat 2 eggs with a splash of milk and a teaspoon of tarragon leaves.

Dice turkey pastrami (or any non-sliced lunchmeat, or leftover meat) and fry in a dry non-stick pan until browned and crispy. Set aside.

Wipe pan clean and melt butter. Pour egg mixture into pan; cover and cook over medium low heat until edges are just brown. Flip carefully and, while bottom cooked, place diced meat, diced sharp cheddar, and diced pepperjack (or whatever cheeses you have on hand) on top. Fold into half-moon shape and serve with toast.

Breakfast: Anchovy Egg Delight

Yesterday, I bought 6 cans of anchovies at Costco. This morning I woke up with an anchovy craving. This is what came out of it. Sorry, no picture-- I hate it when my eggs get cold.

Take 2 slices thick, hearty bread (I used Vital Vitals 12 grain) and top with slices of sharp cheddar. Broil until cheese is melted.

Thinly slice 2 slices of turkey pastrami (or use canadian bacon, or real bacon). Fry them in a dry non-stick skillet. Place the slices on top of each slice of bread.

In the same skillet, fry 4 chopped anchovies with a bit of tomato sauce. Pour over toasts. Place toasts in oven to keep warm.

Fry 2 eggs over-easy or sunny-side-up (or you can poach them). Place eggs on top of toasts. Add salt, pepper. Enjoy.

A few breakfasts

Fried Green Tomatoes

I've been wanting to make these for years. Take ripe green tomatoes and slice them about 1/4" thick. Salt & pepper them and let them drain a few minutes. Salt & pepper some fine cornmeal and beat an egg. Dip tomato slices in egg, drain, and dip in cornmeal mix to cover. Fry in grapeseed oil until crispy on all sides.

Unctuous Egg-Drop Cereal

Take oatmeal or 5-grain cereal. Cook according to directions. When almost ready, stir in one beaten egg. Keep stirring until it breaks into even wispy white bits. Remove from heat. Add salt, pepper, and grated cheddar cheese. Enjoy.