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Breakfast of Champions
For many, breakfast is a meal that is either skipped entirely or eaten on the run. For me, it is a meal I always sit down to eat before I start my day. This doesn’t mean I have a hot breakfast of bacon and eggs every morning, though eggs are featured at weekend breakfasts. Until recently, when our morning schedules just can’t accommodate it, both Howard and I sat together and ate our breakfasts every morning.
On weekdays, breakfast is simple. The menu varies by mood, but is usually the same for weeks or months at a time. Then, feeling a rut coming on, I change it. I always have fresh fruit: half a grapefruit this time of year, switching to berries or melon in season. I also have a small bowl of plain yogurt with some homemade fruit jam stirred in. For substance, I have toast with cheese (rye bread is my favorite) or a bowl of cereal. Last week, I felt a granola phase coming on.
This was partially inspired by one of the new books on my bedside table: Melissa Clark’s In the Kitchen with A Good Appetite. I’m not a regular New York Times reader, so I hadn’t followed her column in the Dining section, but this compilation of writing with recipes is delightful. I suppose one could call it a cookbook because of the recipes, but, for me, it’s more a book filled with food writing. I’m rationing out reading each story because I don’t want to finish the book.
Melissa Clark’s voice reminds me of one of my all-time favorite food writers, Laurie Colwin. And, if you’re not familiar with Laurie Colwin, go look her up. Her food writing is compiled into two books Home Cooking and More Home Cooking. She also wrote several novels. Unfortunately, she passed away in 1992 (she was only 48) but her writing can still inspire.
Melissa Clark writes about an Olive Oil Granola that I couldn’t get out of my mind. This weekend, I made a batch for this week’s breakfasts. This granola has uses more oil and sweetener (maple syrup AND brown sugar) than what I usually make, but the result was outstanding. Her version called for pumpkin seeds and pistachios. I used the nuts I had on hand, mimicking the granola from Big Sky Bakery with pumpkin seeds, whole almonds, sunflower seeds, and some sesame seeds. I don’t like coconut, so I left that out. I also omitted the apricots, which I would have liked, but Howard doesn’t do dried fruit and I thought I should share.
Wow! This has to be the best granola I’ve made. It’s sweet and crunchy. It has been delicious all week stirred into plain yogurt with a little bit of homemade jam. I’ll be skipping the toast at least until this batch is finished off, or maybe I’ll make another batch and keep granola on my breakfast menu until I feel another rut coming on.
Olive Oil Granola
Adapted from Melissa Clark’s In the Kitchen with A Good Appetite
3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats (not quick-cooking)
1½ cups whole almonds
1 cup pepitas (raw pumpkin seeds)
½ cup sunflower seeds (unsalted)
2 Tbsp sesame seeds
¾ cup pure maple syrup
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp kosher salt
½ tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground cardamom
Preheat the oven to 300F. In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients. Spread the mixture into a large rimmed baking sheet (mine was 13×18 inches) in an even layer. Bake for 50 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes, until the granola is golden brown and well toasted.
Enjoy for breakfast or a snack.
Sisterly Sticky Buns
A few weeks ago, my friend Diane sent me this recipe for sticky buns. She got the recipe from her sister.
When I was visiting my sister this week, Diane sent some updates to the recipe after she made them on Christmas Eve. When I mentioned it to Jane, she said “Yum” and asked me to make the sticky buns for breakfast.
We picked up a box of puff pastry the night before, and we all set because Jane had all the other ingredients in her pantry. I made the buns in the morning. The recipe is correctly named. The sticky buns were really easy to make. The next time, I will measure out the sugar and cinnamon the night before just to make it easier in the morning (I am NOT a morning person).
When my nephew Brett woke up, he said he could smell cinnamon buns from his bed. He liked them, even though he said he didn’t like the pecans (he picked them off). Everyone else enjoyed them, nuts and all.
Thanks for the recipe, Diane (and Diane’s sister)!
Easy Sticky Buns
1½ sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/3 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
½ cup pecans, chopped in very large pieces
1 package Pepperidge farm frozen puff pastry sheets, defrosted
FOR THE FILLING:
2 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2/3 c light brown sugar, lightly packed (divided)
1 Tbsp ground cinnamon (divided)
Take the puff pastry sheets out of the freezer. It will take 40 minutes at room temperature to defrost. There is no shortcut to this. Don’t leave it the refrigerator overnight. The pastry will be too soft to unfold.
Preheat the oven to 400F. Place 12 cup standard muffin tin on a baking sheet pan lined with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, combine 1½ sticks of softened butter and 1/3 cup brown sugar. I used a wooden spoon, but you could use an electric mixer.
Place a dollop (approximately 1 tablespoon) of the mixture in each muffin cup. Distribute pecans evenly on top of sugar mixture in each cup.
Do the following for each sheet of puff pastry, one at a time:
- On a lightly floured surface, unfold one sheet of pastry with the short end towards you.
- Brush the pastry sheet with half the melted butter.
- Mix 1/3 cup of brown sugar with 1½ teaspoons of cinnamon. Sprinkle sugar mixture over buttered sheet, leaving a 1-inch border empty on all edges except the bottom. Use your fingers to distribute evenly.
- Starting at the short end nearest you, roll pastry up snugly like a jelly roll around filling, finishing the roll with seam side down.
- Trim ends ½ inch and discard. Slice the remaining roll in 6 equal pieces, about 1 ½ inch wide. Place each slice spiral side down in a muffin cup.
Bake for 20-30 minutes (watch them!), or until buns are golden to dark brown and firm to touch. This only took 20 minutes for me.
Allow to cool 5 minutes ONLY. (Otherwise, the topping will cool and harden in the pan.)
Remove buns onto parchment and scoop any filling from muffin cups onto top of bun. To remove, cover another baking sheet with wax paper or parchment paper. If it looks like the buns might stick, use a non-stick scraper to loose each bun. Place over the muffin pan and flip it over. Let the topping fall naturally onto buns. Carefully lift up muffin tin. Scoop any topping that sticks to the pan onto the buns.
Enjoy!
You can make the sticky buns the day before and wrap them up in tin foil. Reheat in foil pouch at 350F for 7-10 minutes.
A Plateful of Happiness 