Posted by Sarah Wolf, May 9, 2008 at 11:00 AM
If you're wondering how to get the kids off your hands while you fix Mother's Day brunch this weekend, why not try making them your sous chefs? It'll be fun for them, it'll be less work for you, and Mom will be delighted. And if anything goes wrong, no one will think it's your fault.
Here's a possible menu of dishes that are deliciously uncomplicated to make and involve child-friendly steps like mixing and grating. (For safety's sake, just be sure to carefully supervise your kids and leave the grating and any chopping to your older children.)
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Posted by Robyn Lee, May 7, 2008 at 12:00 PM
The following recipe is from the May 7th edition of our weekly recipe newsletter. To receive this newsletter in your inbox, sign up here!
Why not treat your mom this coming Mother's Day with a plate of chocolate banana waffles? This recipe from Alice Medrich's Chocolate Holidays tops chocolate flavored waffles with bananas sautéed in sugar and rum.
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Posted by Ed Levine, May 4, 2008 at 8:00 AM
This piperade recipe is from Simon Hopkinson's terrific book, Roast Chicken and Other Stories. As Hopkinson says in his headnote, piperade is essentially a dish of savory scrambled eggs. He says what's important about a dish like this is that it should reflect the region and what is available at the time. In other words, home cooks should feel free to substitute to their heart's content without fear of retribution. To honor Hopkinson, I leave out the red bell pepper he calls for in his recipe. Feel free to add it back in if you please when you fry the garlic and tomatoes.
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Posted by Ed Levine, April 13, 2008 at 8:00 AM
Grits, cheese, and eggs are a combination utilized most often in the American South, but its satisfying appeal is universal. This casserole needs a really sharp cheddar to amp up the flavor intensity. It's adapted from the Gourmet Cookbook, and, as is noted there, beating the egg whites separately will lighten this dish considerably.
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Posted by Adam Kuban, April 10, 2008 at 4:15 PM
Continuing this week's Cook the Book series, today's highlighted recipe from Crescent Dragonwagon's Cornbread Gospels is for George Washington's Favorite Corn Cakes. How do we know they're Washington's favorite? Dragonwagon cites Nelly Custis, Martha Washington's youngest granddaughter, who gave an account of the first president's morning routine, which included getting up before sunrise, reading and writing until 7 a.m. or so, and then breakfasting on three of these cakes, "swimming in butter and honey."
Win 'The Cornbread Gospels'
As is always the case with our Cook the Books, we're giving away a five copies of this book this week. Enter to win here »
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Posted by Ed Levine, April 6, 2008 at 8:00 AM
Here's a perfect spring Italian brunch dish from one of my often-used cookbooks, Cucina Simpatica, by George Germon and Joanne Killeen, chef-owners of Al Forno, a wonderful restaurant in Providence, Rhode Island. According to the headnote in the book, "this recipe is an adaptation of the asparagi Bismarck served at Bagutta, a wonderful old restaurant in Milan." I serve it with thick slices of toasted rustic bread brushed with olive oil.
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Posted by Emily Koh, March 31, 2008 at 4:45 PM
And the first of our Cook the Book recipes this week from The Sweet Melissa Baking Book is for sweet muffins. And with the variations here, you'll have at least three ways of making these treats, which are ideal for a quick breakfast snack.
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Posted by Lucy Baker, March 25, 2008 at 12:30 PM
I've always wanted to try baking a clafouti, the homey French dessert that is part pancake, part pudding, and part custard. But classic clafoutis are made with fresh cherries, and I was deterred by the idea of pitting cup after cup. So when I saw a saw the clafouti recipe in the April issue of Everyday Food that replaced the cherries with dried figs, I knew I had to make it for this week's recipe review.
The clafouti recipe was part of a larger article about a basic, homemade baking mix (6 cups flour, 3 cups sugar, 2 tablespoons baking powder, and 1 tablespoon salt). The total yield is about 9 cups, which is more than enough to make one batch of every recipe in the article: the clafouti, plus oatmeal blondies, jam sandwich cookies, and silver-dollar pancake sundaes.
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Posted by Ed Levine, March 16, 2008 at 8:00 AM
I've never come across a French toast recipe that I didn't want to try, but I must say that Nigella Lawson's orange French toast recipe sounded particularly yummy. Any old white bread will work fine, but using slices of challah will result in a fluffier, eggier dish.
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Posted by Ed Levine, March 9, 2008 at 8:00 AM
Today's Sunday Brunch recipe is adapted from James Villa's excellent Bacon Cookbook. It makes a stack of thick, intensely flavored griddlecakes—especially if you use pure maple syrup. And if you do use pure maple syrup for this, make sure you don't use maple-cured bacon—as Villas says, the resulting effect is just too intense.
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Posted by Adam Kuban, March 4, 2008 at 3:15 PM
Today's recipe from this week's featured cookbook, Panini Express is for a Ham, Brie, and Apple French Toast Panini. Apologies in advance for going for another ham-and-cheese variation. I was halfway through preparing this recipe when I realized I'd just done a similar sandwich yesterday. I couldn't resist this one, though, because I've been a fan of the ham-brie-apple combo since discovering it a few years ago. Add the French toast, I thought, and this recipe's a knockout.
As I found out, this recipe really is a knockout. You're essentially taking some fairly rich items—brioche, eggs, and brie—and combining them in a hot, pressed-sandwich package. It's a lot to take in, and I was pretty much "game over" a half a sandwich in. It might be the kind of sandwich you could cook up on a lazy weekend for brunch and serve as halves to family or friends with some fruit or a salad.
Win 'Panini Express'
If you're just now tuning in, you should note that we're giving away five (5) copies of this book here on Serious Eats this week. More details on that here.
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Posted by Nick Kindelsperger, March 3, 2008 at 4:15 PM
I must have downed dozens of variations on this dish over the past couple years, and I’ve loved nearly everyone. Because chorizo is highly spiced and ready to go from the outset, it’s a no-fuss, quick-to-the-plate breakfast standard in my household. Some people like their breakfast dishes sweet and delicate, but not me. I’m as starved as a lumberjack before 10 a.m.—at least on the weekends—and the combination of eggs and chorizo never fails.
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Posted by Ed Levine, March 2, 2008 at 8:00 AM
Even the creamiest scrambled eggs aren't exactly loaded with flavor, so when I came across this Nancy Silverton and Mark Peel recipe for scrambled eggs with porcini mushrooms, I got very excited.
Dried porcini mushrooms are one of those flavor intensifiers I crave especially when I'm watching my weight. These eggs get their desired creaminess through constant stirring and serving them immediately.
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Posted by Adam Kuban, February 25, 2008 at 2:30 PM
Which came first—the chicken or the egg? Well, since we've already highlighted an adapted version of Simon Hopkinson's Roast Chicken recipe, I guess we've already ended that discussion. To play catch-up, today's featured recipe is for Oeufs en Meurette, essentially "eggs in gravy," as Hopkinson says his mother once described the dish. "[She] thought it disgusting. I love it," he says.
And, if you're just now tuning in, be aware that we're giving away five (5) copies of this book this week. Enter here to win »
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Posted by Ed Levine, February 24, 2008 at 8:00 AM
I know I'm going to get hammered by the nutrition police for advocating eating pound cake for brunch, but really, when you think about it, what's the difference between eating pound cake and eating pancakes or French toast or cereal?
And this pound cake, adapted from a recipe in the current issue of Saveur by James Villas, is so light and moist it's better than many pancakes I have eaten. I am telling you, a slice of this pound cake with a glass of milk makes for a mighty satisfying breakfast or brunch. And if you want to round your meal off with a little bit of protein, drape two slices of bacon on top of each slice of pound cake. Now that's good.
Note: Villas is by his own admission a pound cake fanatic. As a result, this recipe may seem a little obsessional and overly precise. But if you follow the directions to the letter, you'll be amply rewarded with the finished product—a perfectly golden brown and ridiculously delicious pound cake.
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Posted by Adam Kuban, February 4, 2008 at 5:30 PM
The first of our Cook the Book recipes this week is for a simple breakfast Valentine that you could bake up for your sweetheart the morning of Valentine's day or for tea later that afternoon. They require a 2 1/2-inch heart-shape cookie cutter, so dig yours out of the drawer or go grab one at the kitchen-supply store if you don't already have one.
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Posted by Dorie Greenspan, January 31, 2008 at 12:45 PM
Use a heart-shaped waffle maker for the best results
I know it’s a little early for Valentine’s Day, but for those of you who plan ahead and test ahead, you might want to give these little heart-shaped waffles a pre-fete run.
The batter for these waffles is almost a chocolate cake batter, which is why, when they’re baked, they taste like no other waffle you’ve ever had. That they’ve got crushed amaretti in them only makes them that much more special. Amaretti, for those of you who need a new addiction, are dry, crunchy, kind-of-meringuey Italian almond cookies that, in their most famous incarnation, are sold wrapped in beautifully printed tissue paper. Even though they’re a splurge, the amaretti I like best are Lazzaroni Amaretti di Saronno—they’re the ones in the red boxes and save-worthy tins. That said—I’ve used supermarket-brand amaretti and my waffles have been fine.
To get the full heart effect, you need a five-of-hearts waffle-maker. Lacking that, don’t give up on the recipe: make it in your regular waffler and, if you want to be truly romantic, cut your waffles ordinaires into hearts.
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Posted by Emily Koh, January 24, 2008 at 1:30 PM
It's rare for me to find a pancake that satisfies. Let me clarify: whenever I go out to brunch, the first thing that leaps out at me are the pancakes. The idea of pancakes are always enticing—soft, fluffy discs of flour ladled with a generous helping of maple syrup and garnished with bananas? How can that not be appealing? Yet more often than not, I leave the table dissatisfied, remembering that the reason I'm not a huge fan of pancakes to begin with is that they're too light for my tastes and never really fulfill my hunger level (either that, or I fall into an unhappy, rather uncomfortable food coma from consuming too many to try and satisfy my need to eat something dense).
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Posted by Adam Kuban, January 20, 2008 at 8:45 AM
I haven't made this one in a while, but it still remains one of my favorites for a quick Sunday brunch or breakfast. It's relatively quick and easy, and if you take the time to pan-fry the tortillas as specified, it's a showstopper for family or guests. After the jump, Huevos Oaxaca.
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Posted by Ed Levine, January 13, 2008 at 8:00 AM
Today's Sunday Brunch recipe, Oatmeal Breakfast Bread, comes from the fertile imagination of one of our 2007 Most Serious Eater award winners, Dorie Greenspan. In her headnote she describes this bread as "lightly spiced, fruit-speckled, almost pudding soft." Yum.
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Posted by Ed Levine, December 9, 2007 at 9:11 AM
Writers James Villas and Alexandra Grablewski have provided the friends of bacon lovers everywhere with a perfect holiday gift opportunity, The Bacon Cookbook: More than 150 Recipes from Around the World for Everyone's Favorite Food. We'll be featuring recipes from it all this week in Cook the Book, but I figured I'd give you a preview today with this yummy-sounding Southern Corn and Bacon Souffle. Villas and Grablewski acknowledge in their headnote that this recipe is more pudding than souffle, but I don't think it really matters what they call it. I call it delicious.
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Posted by Ed Levine, December 2, 2007 at 8:39 AM
Oh, how I do love fritters for Sunday brunch. In fact, it's safe to say I've never met a fritter I didn't like, for Sunday brunch or any other meal, for that matter. If I see fritters on a menu, be they savory or sweet, bam, I have to order them. So when I discovered Susan Spicer's recipe for Cinnamon-Dusted Banana Fritters in Crescent City Cooking (featured all this week in Cook the Book) I knew immediately that it was destined to be a Sunday Brunch entry. Bananas in particular take to frittering (if frittering isn't a word, it should be) because of their soft, creamy texture.
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Posted by Erin Zimmer, November 22, 2007 at 6:00 PM
Everyone loves an excuse to eat muffins, and the cleverest among us know it's all about the tops. So on Black Friday morning, when you're full but the extra cranberry sauce is staring you in the face, consider that excuse enough. They're leftover-efficient, so basically you're doing something good for the environment. Pat yourself on the back and bake these oaty cranberry guys, which come from chef Michael Harr of Butterfield 9 in Washington, D.C. Harr realizes that the gang won't quite be ready for Thanksgiving sandwiches this early and that these are just what the tummy ordered.
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Posted by Dorie Greenspan, November 22, 2007 at 12:00 PM
Every Thursday, Dorie Greenspan stops by with a delicious baking recipe. Here's one you can print out for tomorrow morning's breakfast.
Tonight, after you've washed the platters and dried the endless glasses, you may have had your fill of stuffing and sweet potato casserole, brussels sprouts, cornbread, and maybe even turkey, but if you're like me, you'll be happy to give pumpkin one last fling. And if you are, I'd suggest these pumpkin pie pancakes to end the holiday weekend.
The pancakes have all the spices—and rum—of a holiday pie and can be served at brunch with a slick of maple syrup or savored as a dessert, in which case I'd certainly top them with great ice cream.
If you're making these for brunch, make it easy on yourself: the night before, whisk all the dry ingredients together and keep them covered at room temperature; whisk all the wet ingredients together and keep them covered in the fridge; and measure out the pumpkin puree and keep it covered and chilled as well. If you're flipping for the masses, you can easily multiply the recipe.
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Posted by Ed Levine, November 11, 2007 at 9:39 AM
A fritter is a beautiful thing, no matter who's cooking it. Because even a bad fritter, a crunchy, fried, hunk of batter, is still probably going to be pretty good. Marc Meyer, executive chef-restaurateur of three terrific New York restaurants, Five Points, Cookshop, and Provence, makes truly delicious ricotta fritters for brunch. These babies are supremely crunchy, light, crisp on the outside and meltingly soft on the inside.
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Posted by Ed Levine, November 4, 2007 at 8:50 AM
I was all set to give you a biscuit recipe for today's Sunday Brunch post, but then I happened to read Deb's Smitten Kitchen post on the lemon ricotta pancakes with sauteed apples recipe from Gourmet Magazine in 1991. Yum!
Here's the recipe, complete with Deb's annotation. For Deb's great photos you'll have to click through to her post.
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Posted by Ed Levine, October 28, 2007 at 7:00 AM
If there's a better egg sandwich than the truffled egg toast made at 'ino in Greenwich Village, I haven't found it. The soft, runny egg, the crunchy white toast, the tangy fontina chesse, and even the usually evil truffle oil combine to create an open-faced sandwich that is decadently rich and filling.
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Posted by Ed Levine, October 21, 2007 at 8:45 AM
At our house Sunday brunch or breakfast (depending on how early my wife gets up) is the perfect excuse to whip up a batch of featherlight pancakes with a crispy veneer and tender insides. This recipe is adapted from Pam Anderson, a really fine cookbook writer. You'll find it after the jump, along with some terrific variations. (The chocolate chip pancakes rock.) If you've got a great pancake recipe we'd love to hear about it.
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Posted by Nick Kindelsperger, October 5, 2007 at 4:15 PM
"They could take sesame seeds off the market and I wouldn't even care. I can't imagine five years from now saying, 'Remember sesame seeds? What happened? All the buns are blank!' " —The late, great Mitch Hedberg
I pretty much agreed with comedian extraordinaire Mitch Hedberg until last night. I had no use for sesame seeds. During the past three years, I’d probably only encountered the little guys sprinkled on hamburger buns. They didn’t seem to have much flavor.
Luckily, I was flipping through one of my favorite cookbooks, The Courier-Journal Kentucky Cookbook, and came across this simple recipe. Apparently sesame seeds like high heat, because it helps them lend deep flavor to this kitchen classic potato dish. Cissy Gregg, the author of this 1956 recipe for the newspaper, pretty much said it best, "It is remarkable what the few sesame seeds do to this simple dish." Sesame seeds need that kind of encouragement now and then.
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Posted by Ed Levine, September 30, 2007 at 7:30 AM
I usually just get great bagels, whipped cream cheese, and some smoked salmon (either Norwegian or Western Nova) for brunch, but every once in a while I like to have something sweet. This recipe for Baked Brown Sugar Pancakes is from one of my favorite brunch cookbooks, Brunch: 100 Recipes from Five Points Restaurant
, by Mark Meyer and Peter Meehan. Some people call this pancake-cum-popover a "Dutch baby." Serve it with warmed real maple syrup, homemade apple sauce, or even your favorite jarred chunky applesauce.
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