Iceberg to Arugula

OK, so at one point I was toying with the idea of writing a cookbook with this name. But my husband in all his wisdom made me rethink that. Awwwww….

This time of year, many of us are making plans and preparations for the holiday season, all culminating in one perfect morning of celebration. But what if I told you you could have perfect mornings of celebration all year round? Let me introduce you to the Sunday morning brunch.

In my humble opinion, Sunday morning is the perfect part of the weekend. It lies in between Saturday, which if you did it right, allowed you to shake off enough of the workweek to really relax and before the “oh-man-I-gotta-start-getting-ready-for-next-week” dance.

As opposed to other meals of the day where preparing scratch dishes may be more daunting for those with limited kitchen skills, breakfast foods are pretty straightforward. The ease of preparation makes it easy for all members of the family (even children) to take part. The key here is to keep in mind that the group preparation is as important as the meal itself. It’s an unfussy, gather around the dining room table time to set the tone for the rest of the day.

Take the time to mindfully enjoy more decadent foods you may not normally eat, that’s part of what makes it a celebration!

Leave the TV off and play some music everyone can agree on. On Sundays, we generally stick to light classical music. Or check out www.pandora.com to create your own breakfast celebration radio station for free.

Start with some fresh seasonal fruit. This time of year, citrus fruits, pomegranates and persimmons make frequent appearances at my table.

Add waffles, scrambled eggs, pancakes or my recipes below and pots of coffee, tea or hot cocoa and you’re good to go!  

Vanilla Custard French Toast with Butter Pecan Syrup

4 slices thick white or sweet French bread

1/3c. Half and Half

1/3 c. Heavy cream

2 1/2 tbsp sugar

4 eggs

1 whole vanilla bean, split, seeds scraped

1/4 tsp salt

Butter- to grease pan

• Add all ingredients except bread to bowl and whisk together.
• Heat a nonstick pan greased with 1/2 tsp butter over medium high heat.
• Add one slice bread at a time to the egg bath and flip to coat both sides. Soak at least 5 seconds per side. The longer the bread soaks, the longer it will take to cook but it will be more custard-like.
• Add soaked bread to hot pan and cook until golden brown on each side. Reduce heat to medium if needed to avoid burning.
• Add more butter to pan as needed.
• Serve immediately with 2-4 tbsp Butter Pecan Syrup.

Makes 4 servings

Butter Pecan Syrup

1/3c. raw shelled pecans

1-2 tbsp salted butter

1/2-3/4c. pure maple syrup

• Heat oven to 375 degrees.
• Place pecans on cookie sheet and place in oven. Bake about 10 minutes or until browned and fragrant.
• Meanwhile, place butter and syrup in a small saucepan over medium low heat until butter is melted and then hold warm.
• Remove pecans from oven, let cool, chop coarsely and add to the butter and syrup.

Skillet Potatoes and Onions with Thyme

This is a very simple recipe with only 4 ingredients not including salt and pepper.

6-8 small to medium new potatoes, scrub, (no need to peel), slice lengthwise and then slice each half into 1/4 inch slices.

1 medium yellow onion, chopped into 1 inch chunks

1 1/2 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp dried thyme

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

• Add oil to a nonstick pan and heat over medium high heat until hot and fragrant.
• Add remaining ingredients to pan and stir to arrange onions and potatoes in a flat layer in the pan to allow for browning.

• Stir every few minutes to allow as many potato pieces as possible some time against the hot pan to brown. (You’re not going to get all of them and that’s ok.)
• Continue cooking and stirring until potatoes and onions are fork tender. That is, there is no resistance or crunchiness when pierced by a fork. Be patient, this process takes a while, about 10-15 minutes. Adjust heat up (high) or down (medium) as needed to keep the sizzle and avoid burning. If you want your potatoes browned more or the onions sweeter and caramelized, feel free to continue cooking.
• Serve immediately.

Vanilla Custard French Toast with Butter Pecan Syrup and Skillet Potatoes and Onions with Thyme

One of my very favorite comfort foods is a simple noodle dish called Pasta al Burro. The first time I bumped into this deep, warm bowl of goodness was in a little hole in the wall restaurant in Rome, just outside the walls of Vatican City. During this particular trip, I was going through a phase where I’d just point to something on the menu, even if I didn’t know what it was. I did this all over Italy because I was fairly sure I couldn’t go too wrong, and hey, what a great way to try something new right? My new best friend arrived at the table dressed only in butter and parmesan…which really was all it needed because the ingredients were such stellar quality. Traditionally, Pasta al Burro is only pasta, butter and parmesan, but I like to add garlic to my version because, truth be told, I like to add garlic to everything. This recipe is very unfussy as all good comfort food should be, you can easily change the ingredient amounts to your taste and still have a wonderfully soul comforting dish. Ahhhhh….now isn’t that all better?

Pasta al Burro
8 oz (dry) spaghetti noodles
½ stick real butter
2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
½ cup Parmesan (buy the BEST quality wedge you can afford)
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

1. Boil the spaghetti noodles until al dente.
2. After reserving ½ cup pasta water, drain spaghetti and set aside.
3. Add butter to the still warm pasta pot and place over medium low heat.
4. When butter is melted, add garlic, cover pot and allow the garlic to “stew” until tender and fragrant. Keep the heat low enough that the garlic does not brown.
5. Add the drained pasta back to the pot with the butter and garlic. If the pasta is a bit dry and sticky, try tossing it with the butter, if still sticky, slowly add a bit of pasta water (1 tbsp at a time) and toss after each addition until the pasta loosens up.
6. Add parmesan, salt and pepper, toss and enjoy immediately.

Tips:
The simpler the dish, the more you want to use top notch ingredients. Try a European style butter such as (Plugra or Kerrygold brand) and real Parmigiano Reggiano.
Don’t buy pregrated cheese, it tends to be dried out, freshly grated is MUCH better.

Variations: (which of course aren’t traditional, but really hike up the yum factor!)
Just before serving add ¼ c. chopped fresh herbs (basil, marjoram, chives) and ¼ c. toasted pine nuts.
Substitute some of the butter for olive oil- try a deep green full flavored oil or a lemon infused olive oil.

Makes about 4 servings depending on how hungry and in need of comfort you are.