breakfast | a whisk and a spoon

Tuesdays with Dorie: Maple-Cornmeal Drop Biscuits

May 17, 2011 at 12:01 am | Posted in biscuits & scones, breakfast things, groups, tuesdays with dorie | 14 Comments
Tags: baking, biscuits, breakfast

The weekend before last, my husband and I managed to briefly (or should I say too briefly) escape Brooklyn to meet up with my parents in Santa Fe. Lots of sun during the day, lots of stars out at night (wow–I forget how breathtaking a sky full of stars is), lots of enchiladas and tamales. On Saturday, I insisted that we go to the Santa Fe Farmers’ Market to pick up some edible souvenirs. In my suitcase, I brought back chile powder, honey and a bag of blue cornmeal. Thankfully no glass broke and no bags burst…I would have had quite a mess!

That blue cornmeal is what gives the funky color to my Maple-Cornmeal Drop Biscuits. These were easy to make for breakfast…even half asleep, like I was. No rolling or cutting required, although I do think using an ice cream scoop to portion the sticky dough makes things easier than messy spoons. And you can make bigger, rounder biscuits that way, too! They are slightly sweet and have that nice little gritty corn crunch, especially on their crispy tops. They were delish with strawberry jam (mine was NYC-made), and I’m sure would have been just as tasty with yellow cornmeal as with blue.

For the recipe, see Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan or read A Little Something….Sweet!, as it was Lindsay’s pick this week. Don’t forget to check out the TWD Blogroll!

Tuesdays with Dorie: Citrus-Currant Sunshine Muffins

March 15, 2011 at 12:01 am | Posted in breakfast things, groups, muffins & quick breads, tuesdays with dorie | 21 Comments
Tags: baking, breakfast, muffins

Muffins– two weeks in a row! I actually made and ate last week’s muffins two+ years ago, so I was glad to have another batch pop up this week. These may look as sunny and yellow as last Tuesday’s, but that’s because of orange and lemon instead of corn. A good citrus kick keeps these muffins from being too sweet, so you don’t feel so guilty having them for brekkie. I swapped out spelt flour for about a third of the AP, just to health them up a bit more. And if my currants look a little purple, it’s because they’re actually dried wild blueberries. I would have used currants if I had them, but blueberries go well with the citrus anyway.

For the recipe, see Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan or read Bella Baker, as it was Lauryn’s pick this week. Don’t forget to check out the TWD Blogroll!

And, in case you missed it, Olive Oil Citrus Cake is another good way to brighten your day with Vitamin C.

Tuesdays with Dorie: Great Grains Muffins

February 1, 2011 at 12:01 am | Posted in breakfast things, groups, muffins & quick breads, tuesdays with dorie | 20 Comments
Tags: breakfast, muffins

Usually, when I make muffins, I’m trying to sneak a little whole wheat flour into the mix and hoping my husband won’t care. Well, here’s a muffin that’s supposed to be full of grains…whole wheat, corn and oats. Good for you stuff, but with a little AP flour so it doesn’t feel like a brick. I did sneak something else in, though….a tablespoon of ground flaxseed (although wheat germ would be good, too). For dried fruit, I used blueberries and apricots. These aren’t big, high-doming muffins, but I’d be happy to wake up to them anytime. In the book, they’re pictured with a big hunk of cheese, but I think they’re pretty good with a little jam.

For the recipe, see Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan or read Happy Tummy, as it was Christine’s pick this week. Don’t forget to check out the TWD Blogroll!

Spiced Yogurt Waffles with Toasted Pecan Maple Syrup

January 28, 2011 at 6:19 pm | Posted in breakfast things, pancakes & waffles, sweet things | 25 Comments
Tags: breakfast, waffles

Since we moved back to Brooklyn, I’ve been going out for a lot of Sunday brunches with my BFF, who handily lives about a twenty minute walk away. I like having breakfast made for me, and a spicy bloody Mary in my hand while I catch up with a friend. But, truth be told, most of what I shell out hard-earned $$ for at brunch, I could make just as well (and sometimes better) at home. When it’s too cold out and the snowbanks are too high to scramble over, I do just that.

I don’t take my waffle maker out of its box very often (in fact, the last time I did, it was to make these apple ones), but sometimes the urge strikes to switch things up from eggs or pancakes. I always have yogurt in the fridge, so I wanted to give this recipe a try. The warm spices and pecans also sounded pretty good to me on a chilly morning. I read that some folks thought they didn’t turn out crispy enough, so I gave mine a few extra seconds in the iron to make sure that wasn’t an issue. Bring on the maple syrup, and I think I just may keep the waffle maker out for another week!!

Spiced Yogurt Waffles with Toasted-Pecan Maple Syrup- makes about 10 waffles
adapted from Fine Cooking, Issue 108

Steph’s Note: The number of waffles you get will depend upon the size of your maker. This recipe halves well, but I like to wrap up extra waffles individually and freeze them. They can then be re-heated and crisped-up in the toaster or oven.

9 oz. (2 cups) unbleached all-purpose flour
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1-1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp. ground cloves
1-1/2 cups plain full-fat or low-fat yogurt
3/4 cup whole milk
2 large eggs, separated
3 Tbs. vegetable oil; more for the waffle iron
1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1 cup pure maple syrup
1/2 cup toasted pecans, coarsely chopped

-Heat the oven to 200°F and heat a waffle iron, preferably a Belgian waffle iron. In a small bowl, combine the flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, and cloves. In a large bowl, combine the yogurt, milk, egg yolks, vegetable oil, and vanilla.

-In a medium bowl, with a wire whisk or electric hand mixer, beat the egg whites to soft peaks.

-With a spatula, gently fold the dry ingredients into the yogurt mixture until just combined (the batter should be a little lumpy). Fold the whipped egg whites into the batter until just incorporated.

-Brush the waffle iron with a little vegetable oil. Working in batches, cook the batter in the waffle iron according to the manufacturer’s instructions until crisp and golden. Set the waffles directly on the oven rack to keep warm. Do not stack them.

-Meanwhile, in a 2-quart saucepan, warm the maple syrup over medium heat. Stir in the pecans and keep warm.

-Serve the waffles with the syrup.

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