Tag Archives: breakfast

Salted Grapefruit Scones

Winter food can get dull. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good pot pie or stew, and lord knows I could eat my weight in mashed potatoes, but after a while, I just want to eat fresh produce that isn’t a) a root vegetable, or b) kale. I love them both, but being at least three months away from really great berries and five away from a tomato that is good enough to be eaten like an apple has got me in a winter produce funk.

This happens every year though, until that wonderful, shining moment when I remember winter citrus. It’s a welcome taste of sunshine in the midst of all the wind and snow. Meyer lemons and key limes and clementines are all in season, waiting to be made into cakes and pies, or even thrown into salads! But the thing that always gets me is the grapefruit. Being from Texas, I prefer Ruby Red, but those are hard to come by in New York City. White and pink are delicious and all, but Ruby Red is just a cut above. It’s a little sweeter than other varieties, but still bitter enough to taste like grapefruit. Imagine my surprise when, after years of not seeing one Ruby Red in New York, I saw a whole box at my local green grocer. And they were on sale! Without a second thought, I grabbed two, handed over some change and ran home to make these scones.

I love a good scone. Soft in the middle with crunchy edges, not too sweet, great with a huge cup of coffee or tea. But good scones are hard to come by at coffee shops–they can be dry and cakey throughout, with very little depth of flavor. They’re simply not worth the cash or the calories, as far as I’m concerned. But these scones? They’re soft and buttery, sweetened with just a bit of honey and sugar, dotted with juicy pieces of fresh grapefruit, and topped with sea salt both for crunch and because sea salt and grapefruit are divine together. It may sound a little odd, but the salt makes the sweetness of the grapefruit shine. It’s so, so good.

These scones are quick and easy to whip up, and take less than an hour start-to-finish. Mix together some half-and-half and honey, and put it in the fridge to chill while you prepare the other ingredients. Use your fingers to rub the zest of one grapefruit into two tablespoons of granulated sugar until it’s well-combined and a little pasty (it’s better than it sounds). Peel that zested grapefruit and segment it, trying to avoid as much of the pith, membrane, and seeds as possible. This will keep the grapefruit from making the scones too bitter. Don’t worry too much about having perfect segments–they’ll break apart anyway when they’re mixed into the dough.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and the zest-sugar mixture. This may look a little clumpy because of the oils in the zest, but it’ll all even out with the other ingredients. Use a pastry blender or two forks to cut in one stick of cold butter until the largest pieces are the size of small peas. Then use a silicone spatula or wooden spoon to fold in the half-and-half mixture and the segmented grapefruit. The dough will be pretty wet, but should still have some body to it.

Turn the dough out onto a very well-floured surface. Don’t skimp on the flour. If you do, you’ll have dough stuck to everything and probably start cursing my name, and that’s no good when there are awesome scones to be had! Flour your hands and pat the dough into a 1-inch thick disc. Use a sharp knife or bench scraper (my tool of choice) to cut the disc into eight wedges. Transfer the wedges to a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake at 425F for 18-20 minutes, until cooked-through and light golden. Then stir up a glaze with some confectioner’s sugar and the juice of a second grapefruit, drizzle it over the scones, and sprinkle with crunchy coarse sea salt! All you need is a hot cup of coffee or tea and some good company 😊

Break out of the heavy winter food rut with these Salted Grapefruit Scones! Sweet and salty, soft and buttery, they’re a wonderful way to start these cold, snowy days.

Salted Grapefruit Scones
makes 8 scones

3/4 cup half-and-half + more for brushing, very cold
2 tablespoons honey
2 medium Ruby Red grapefruits**, divided
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon Kosher or sea salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, very cold, cut into pieces
3/4-1 cup confectioner’s sugar
coarse sea salt*, for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 425F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set a cooling rack over a piece of wax paper. Set aside.

Whisk together half-and-half and honey, and place it in the refrigerator to stay cold.

Zest one grapefruit. In a small bowl, rub together the zest and the granulated sugar. Set aside.

Peel the zested grapefruit, and segment it, removing as much of the pith and membranes as possible, as well as all of the seeds. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and zest-sugar mixture. Use a pastry blender or two forks to cut the butter into the flour mixture until the largest pieces are the size of small peas. Add in the half-and-half mixture and grapefruit segments and use a silicone spatula or wooden spoon to incorporate them into a wet dough, making sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl. If the dough is too sticky to handle, add up to 2 tablespoons more flour.

Turn the dough out onto a very well floured surface and use floured hands to pat it into a 1-inch thick disc. Flour a sharp knife (not serrated) or bench scraper and use it to cut the dough into eight wedges. Remove wedges to prepared pan, and brush the tops with additional half-and-half. Bake for 18-20 minutes, until light golden. Let scones cool on the pan for five minutes before removing to the prepared rack.

Make the glaze. Slice the second grapefruit in half. Seed one half of the grapefruit and squeeze the juice into a small bowl. Pour confectioner’s sugar into a second small bowl and add two tablespoons of the fresh grapefruit juice. Whisk with a fork until no lumps remain, adding juice or confectioner’s sugar until the glaze is to the desired consistency. Use a fork or small squeeze bottle to drizzle the glaze over the scones. Sprinkle wet glaze with coarse sea salt. Enjoy!

Glaze will fully set after a couple of hours. Scones are best the day they are made, but may be kept in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 48 hours.

Notes:

1. My grapefruits were about the size of a large orange.
2. If you can’t find Ruby Red, white or pink grapefruits may be substituted.
3. I use Trader Joe’s Pyramid Salt.

Salted Grapefruit Scones

Puff Pancake {Dutch Baby}

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When I was growing up, breakfast was always a last thought. More often than not, my little sister and I would be stuffed into the back of a Ford Explorer with a cold un-toasted Brown Sugar-Cinnamon Pop Tart and an apple to inhale while my mom sped down I-30 to get us to school three minutes before classes started. My family and I…we’re just not punctual. We play with fire when it comes to scheduling, much to my dad’s chagrin. We all try really hard to be on time, but we really should invest in hats or t-shirts that say “Sorry I’m late.”

But back to breakfast. When Saturday mornings came around, things were different. E3 and I would wake late and park ourselves (and our trusty miniature schnauzer) in front of the TV, while Mom actually got to read the paper. At some point, she’d ask us what we wanted for breakfast, and the answer was almost always a Dutch Baby pancake, but we always called it a Puff. It’s a much better name, if you ask me.

Puffs are oven pancakes made with a thin batter and no chemical leavening, very similar to a Yorkshire pudding. The batter is poured into a hot skillet or cast iron pan and then baked until the whole thing rises and puffs from the heat of the oven, hence the name. When it’s removed, it starts to deflate quickly, leaving a light, custard-like pancake in the shape of whatever dish it was baked in. Traditionally, they are served with confectioner’s sugar and a squeeze of lemon, but I prefer maple syrup 😊

The batter takes almost no effort at all. Add some eggs, milk, vanilla, flour, sugar, and salt to the bowl of a food processor or high-powered blender, and blitz until no lumps remain. Then, let it sit at least five minutes so the flour starts to thicken things and the air bubbles dissipate. While it’s resting, melt butter in a heavy pan that’s been heating in a 400F oven. Once the butter is melted and the pan is coated, pour in the batter and put it in the oven.

This is important: do NOT open the oven door while the Puff is in the oven. Just don’t do it. That little blast of room temperature air will deflate your pancake and destroy the amazing texture. Instead, set a timer for 19 or 20 minutes and go play with your kids or read the paper or watch an episode of Arrested Development. Just before your timer is going to go off, put on your oven mits. Puffs brown quickly and dramatically (especially around the edges), so they need to be taken out of the oven exactly when the timer dings.

If you have children or breakfast guests, you might think about having them around (but standing at a safe distance from the oven) to see the big, puffy masterpiece come out of the oven. And it will be huge! Like a giant golden brown bubble! But it will also be fleeting. The puff will deflate completely in 90 seconds or less, leaving behind a pancake in the shape of the pan, with crisp-chewy brown edges and a soft, custardy center. Trust me, it’s amazing.

The puff will only need to rest for a couple of minutes before slicing. Make sure to have your oven mits handy as the pan will still be raging hot. I get four large or six medium servings out of a pancake this size. Top with whatever suits your fancy. If you want to be traditional, go with confectioner’s sugar and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. If you’re like me, maple syrup and confectioner’s sugar with a dash of sea salt is the ticket. My mom says puffs are fantastic with yogurt and fruit, but I’ve never actually tried that. I think a drizzle of barely-warmed Nutella and some sliced strawberries would be amazing. However you go about it, this is guaranteed to be a good breakfast.

Puffs are, to this day, my weekend breakfast of choice. The recipe halves and quarters easily, so if you’re the only one home, you can make a personal-sized fancy breakfast, permitting of course that you have a 6-inch pan to make it in. (I’ve written instructions for adjusting the quantity in the note below.) A puff is a great option if you are having a small brunch at home or want to make an impressive breakfast for your valentine. If you observe Shrove Tuesday, a puff would be an out-of-the-ordinary way to celebrate at home, instead of traditional pancakes. But of course, it’s a fantastic breakfast any old Saturday.

Do something nice for yourself this weekend.

Puff Pancake {Dutch Baby}
makes 4-6 servings**

4 large eggs
1 cup milk (not skim or fat free)
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
3-4 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon Kosher or sea salt
3 tablespoons butter (unsalted or salted)

Toppings:
confectioner’s sugar
lemon wedges
pure maple syrup
berries
yogurt

Place a large ovenproof cast iron or stainless steel pan in a cold oven. Preheat oven to 400F.

In the bowl of a food processor or high-powered blender*, combine eggs, milk, vanilla, flour, sugar, and salt. Process 30 seconds, or until no lumps remain. Let batter rest five minutes.

Once the oven has reached 400F, remove the hot pan. Add the butter and swirl to coat the pan; there will still be a bit of solid butter. Place pan back in the oven for one minute, until remaining butter has melted and started to bubble. Remove pan from the oven, and pour in batter. Bake 19-20 minutes, until puffed and golden. Do NOT open the oven door during baking.

Let pancake cool 2-5 minutes before slicing. Serve immediately with toppings of choice.

Notes:

1. If you’d like to make a personal-sized puff, use 1 large egg, 1/4 cup milk, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, 1/4 cup all-purpose flour, 1 tablespoon granulated sugar, a small pinch of salt, and 1/2 tablespoon butter. I recommend using a 6-inch cast iron pan for this much batter. Follow all instructions as written, changing the baking time to 16 minutes.
2. If you’d like to make a 3-4 serving puff, use 3 large eggs, 3/4 cup milk, 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla, 3/4 cup all-purpose flour, 2-3 tablespoons granulated sugar, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 2 tablespoons butter. Follow all instructions as written, changing the baking time to 18-19 minutes.
3. If you do not have a food processor or blender, you may whisk all of the ingredients together and then push them through a wire mesh sieve to remove any lumps of flour. Let batter rest five minutes before proceeding as written.

Apple Breakfast Crumble

Scratch Biscuit Monkey Bread

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Everybody loves Monkey Bread. Soft pieces of bread coated in cinnamon-sugar? Yes, please. It’s perfect for holiday breakfasts, brunches, snacks, desserts–you name it. Monkey Bread is welcome anytime, anywhere. But the dough involves yeast and a rise of up to 8 HOURS. I love working with yeast, but I straight-up don’t have the time for an 8 hour rise during the holiday season. A popular alternative is to use canned biscuits instead of yeast dough, but canned biscuit are…meh. Don’t get me wrong. I would never turn down a canned biscuit. My mother always kept two tubes in the fridge for weekend breakfasts, and I have no problem putting away three at a time. But we can do better, and also save time. We can use simple scratch biscuit dough. We’re scrappy like that.

The dough we’ll use here is for cream biscuits. Whereas buttermilk biscuits must be kept cold to ensure that the butter stays cool enough for a flaky final product, cream biscuits are more rough-and-tumble. There’s no cutting in of butter, or determining how much buttermilk you need to make the biscuits moist but not goopy. (Sorry for saying “goopy” on a food blog.) This dough is very straightforward, and can handle a warm butter bath. There are only six ingredients: flour, sugar, cinnamon, salt, baking powder, and two cups of heavy cream. Yes, two cups of cream is a lot, but as there is no butter or buttermilk, this dough needs that kind of moisture and fat. This is holiday food, after all. It’s a splurge no matter how you make it. Embrace the cream!

Anyway…stir together the flour, sugar, cinnamon, sea salt, and baking powder. Then, using a silicone spatula, stir in the cream. Make sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to get any cream and flour that have adhered themselves incorporated into the dough. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and flour a rolling pin. Roll the dough into a large rectangle that is 1/2-3/4″ thick. Then fold it in half and turn it one quarter-turn. We’ll repeat this folding and rolling until it’s been done four times total. This will give us great layers. Once you have done all the folding and rolling and once again have a 1/2-3/4″ thick rectangle, cut the dough into one-inch squares. To do this, use a sharp knife or bench scraper (my tool of choice) and cut directly down. Do not saw, or you will deflate all those layers you just worked so hard making. Put the squares aside while we make the coating. Melt 1 1/2 sticks of butter, and put it in a small bowl to cool a bit. It should still be warm, but as we have to touch it directly, the butter shouldn’t be super hot. In another bowl, whisk together light brown sugar, granulated sugar, and four teaspoons of cinnamon. Now, using your hands, take five biscuit squares at a time, dunk them in the butter, coat them in the cinnamon-sugar, then lay them in a pan that is very, very, VERY well-greased with butter. We don’t want our Monkey Bread to stick when we turn it out after baking. Once all your squares have been coated and are in the pan, press down on them lightly to make sure they stick together. Bake the Monkey Bread for 40-45 minutes, until it springs back when pressed with clean fingers. Let it cool for just a few minutes before flipping it onto a platter. Serve it immediately. Everybody will love this soft, sticky, sweet treat. And there it is! Scratch Monkey Bread made in less than two hours start-to-finish. The pieces that touched the pan will be a little crispy and crunchy, while the ones in the middle will be delightfully soft. Yum. This recipe is great for any holiday parties you’re having or attending, and it’s a wonderful way to get little helpers involved. Give them the biscuit squares, butter, and cinnamon-sugar, and let them do the coating! They’ll be so proud of their finished product! Happy Holidays, indeed.

Scratch Biscuit Monkey Bread
makes one 12.5 cup capacity bundt or tube pan*

Cream Biscuits:
3 cups all purpose flour
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon Kosher or sea salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 cups heavy cream*

Cinnamon-Sugar Coating:
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 cup granulated sugar
4 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease a bundt or tube pan very well with butter. Set aside.

Make the biscuit dough. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, cinnamon, salt, and baking powder. Pour in heavy cream and stir, scraping the bowl, until a dough forms. Turn dough onto a floured surface. With a floured rolling pin, roll dough into a large rectangle that is 1/2-3/4 inch thick. Fold it in half, and turn one quarter-turn. Repeat folding and rolling until you have done it four times total. Using a sharp knife or bench scraper, cut dough into 1-inch squares. Place the squares in a large bowl while you prepare the coating.

Melt the butter in a small saucepan or the microwave. Transfer it to a small bowl to cool enough to be touched. In a separate small bowl, whisk together sugars and cinnamon.

Dip biscuit squares in butter, then coat in cinnamon-sugar. Place coated squares in prepared pan. Once all squares are in the pan, press down on them lightly so that they stick together. Bake for 40-45 minutes, until bread springs back when lightly pressed with your clean finger.

Let monkey bread cool for 5-10 minutes before inverting onto a large plate or platter. Serve immediately.

Monkey Bread is best on the day it’s made, but can be kept covered at room temperature for up to two days. Re-warm before serving.

Notes:

1. This recipe can be halved and baked in a 9″x5″ loaf pan, though I am not sure of the bake time.
2. Heavy cream must be used in this dough. Do not substitute half & half or milk.

Orange Pecan Muffins

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When I was in the sixth grade, my dad got very interested in genealogy. He would spend any spare time at the downtown branch of the Fort Worth Public Library looking through microfiche. It was usually Saturday morning, and as E3 and I were under twelve, we were dragged along. We spent most of the time looking at websites that were blocked by our AOL Kids accounts and generally making the librarians crazy. The best part, hands down, was breakfast. There was a little bakery caddy-corner to the library that we’d go to–just us, my dad, and the Wall Street Journal. They had little cartons of Tropicana orange juice and these unbelievable orange pecan muffins. Soft and sweet, nutty and not too orangey, perfectly golden brown, and standard-size, so I could have two. This was nearly twenty years ago, and that bakery has since closed following a tornado that tore through downtown Fort Worth in 2000. But I still remember those muffins.

Whenever I’m in a coffee shop, I check to see if they have orange pecan muffins, but they never, ever do. While Texans put pecans in everything, New Yorkers choose walnuts. I know it’s just a geographic thing, but it still makes no sense to me. Why on earth would you choose walnuts when you could have pecans?!

…but anyway, back to the muffins.

They start with toasting pecans. In Brooklyn, you simply can’t buy toasted pecans–believe me, I’ve tried. Homemade are better anyway. So, we throw a cup of pecan pieces on a baking sheet and let them toast just until they become fragrant, about five minutes. Watch them very carefully–nuts burn with no warning, and burnt pecans are decidedly not delicious.

While those are cooling, make the orange muffin batter. We get orange flavor in there in two ways. First, we rub orange zest into granulated and light brown sugars. Rub the sugar and zest together like you’re trying to remove dried Elmer’s glue from your fingers. This releases the orange oil into the sugar. Once it all looks well-mixed and smells like heaven, add in flour, nutmeg, leaveners, and salt. Then squeeze in the juice of that orange you just zested, along with some yogurt, milk, a little oil, and an egg. Don’t stir the batter too much–if the gluten in the flour is overdeveloped, you’ll get tough muffins. And that would be a travesty. This is not the place to use an electric mixer. Use a whisk and a silicone spatula so you can really feel the batter coming together. It shouldn’t take more than 25 strokes to combine all the wet and dry ingredients. The batter will be extremely thick. Gently fold in the toasted pecans and divide your muffin batter into the twelve cups of a standard muffin tin (I use a cookie scoop). I like to sprinkle a few extra pecan pieces on top, purely for aesthetics. Once all the muffin cups are full, tap the whole pan on the counter five times. This is to release any big air bubbles and to help the batter spread.

These muffins start baking for five minutes at 400F and finish for 14-18 minutes at 350F. The initial 400F blast of heat allows these muffins to rise high–these dome like a dream. We turn down the heat so that the outsides turn golden (but don’t burn) and the insides cook through and stay soft and tender. If we kept the oven at 400F, our final product would be burnt and tough on the outside, and potentially raw on the inside. Yuck. When these are removed from the oven, they should be tall, puffy, and so, so soft. Once they cool for a few minutes, the warm muffins will be perfect for slathering with cold salted butter. These are best the day they’re made, but cooled muffins will keep covered at room temperature for up to three days.

Orange Pecan Muffins are perfect for breakfasts, brunches, and snacks over the upcoming holidays. Just set a basket of them on the table with a pot of coffee and some fruit–you won’t have any complaints.

Looking for more breakfast items for the holidays? Check out my Apple Pie Cinnamon Rolls!

Orange Pecan Muffins
makes 12 muffins

1 cup pecan pieces
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar
zest of one large orange (about 2 tablespoons)
2 cups all purpose flour*
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon Kosher or sea salt
3/4 cup plain yogurt*
1/4 cup milk*
1/4 cup fresh orange juice (about one large orange-worth)
1/4 cup neutral-flavored oil*
1 large egg, room temperature

Preheat oven to 400F.

Spread pecans on a rimmed baking sheet. Toast in the oven for five minutes, just until fragrant. Let pecans cool while you prepare the muffin batter.

Grease a 12-cup standard muffin tin, or line with cupcake liners. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine granulated sugar, light brown sugar, and orange zest. With your fingers, rub the orange zest into the sugars until it is evenly dispersed and fragrant. Whisk in flour, nutmeg, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, combine yogurt, milk, fresh orange juice, and oil. Whisk in egg. Add dry ingredients in three installments, scraping down the bowl as you go. Do not overmix. Fold in toasted pecan pieces.

Divide batter among muffin cups. Bake for five minutes at 400F, then turn the oven temperature down to 350F and bake for an additional 14-18 minutes.

Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan for at least five minutes before removing to a rack to cool completely. Serve immediately, or keep covered at room temperature for up to three days.

Notes:

One cup of the flour may be replaced with whole wheat flour. Do not use whole wheat flour for all of it, or you risk dry, heavy muffins.
I use 2% Greek yogurt. I do not recommend fat-free yogurt. Vanilla yogurt may also be used.
I use whole milk. Any low fat cow’s milk or plant-based milk will work. Do not use fat-free or skim milk.
I use canola oil, but vegetable or melted coconut oils would work here.

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Tag Archives: breakfast

Salted Grapefruit Scones

Puff Pancake {Dutch Baby}

Apple Breakfast Crumble

Scratch Biscuit Monkey Bread

Orange Pecan Muffins