When in Egypt, eat as the Egyptians do.

So I have, as I’ve been here for just under two weeks. Breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Some of the traditional breakfast food is actually not so different than what I eat at home, which usually is plain yogurt with fresh fruit or dried apricots. There’s lots of yogurt here for breakfast, all plain rather than being mixed with so much stuff that you can’t taste the yogurt.

But for breakfast here there’s also hummus, baba ghanoosh, tahini, olive salads and falafel, so I’ve been having a feast. I love all that food, but normally it’s for snack or hors d’oeuvre, not breakfast. This will change my company brunch menu for sure. All of these dishes are ones I can make ahead so there’s no fussing when people are over.

Think New Year’s weekend.

One of the more interesting breakfast dishes is the variety of feta cheese mixtures. I love feta cheese. But it’s the kind of cheese I crumble into a salad or spinach pie. In Egypt they mash it up and mix it it with lemon juice and olive oil to make it creamy, add some chopped tomatoes, scallions and sometimes parsley or mint and it becomes a spread for pita bread.

Terrific breakfast food. Great change from toast and jam.

The photo shows the way it’s served: with a drizzle of olive oil and chopped tomatoes. Try it. The recipe is something like this — use amounts of lemon juice and olive oil that suit your fancy and make the feta as creamy as you like.

Mash 6-8 ounces of feta cheese with about 2 tablespoons olive oil and about 2 tablespoons lemon juice. Beat until creamy. Add plain yogurt if desired for a creamier consistency. Add 3 chopped scallions, 8-10 chopped cherry tomatoes and 2 tablespoons chopped parsley or one tablespoon chopped fresh mint if desired. Mix thoroughly. Serve drizzled with olive oil and chopped tomatoes. Serve with pita bread. Makes 6 servings

I lied to my second grade teacher once about what I ate for breakfast. We were doing a project on the suggested breakfasts for kids back then and if I can remember correctly, we children were supposed to start the day with a large, calorie filled meal. My aunt Roz, a newlywed who was living with us until she and Uncle Mac could find their own apartment, was in charge of getting us kids off to school. She was also clueless. She gave us coffee with lots of sugar and milk and sent us on our way.

But when Miss Seymour asked about what I ate for breakfast I told her: orange juice, eggs, bacon, toast, cereal and milk.

She sent a note home to my parents about what a big liar I was.

No one actually ate like that for breakfast, especially not children, at least where I grew up. Besides I was really small for my age so Miss Seymour had to know just by looking at me. Even today, though we hear more about the USDA Food Pyramid, most Americans ignore it — read about it and weep here.

I remember that my parents were not as concerned about my diet as they were about the fib. I guess that’s right.

I also think that was the beginning of my Cheerios phase. I still got the coffee though, and I grew to normal size even though people then said that coffee (and cigarettes) stunted a child’s growth.

But breakfast has always been always a problem. I would love the pancake-and-syrup option, but it’s too high calorie. Would love eggs and hash browns, but ditto the problem. So I usually opt for plain Greek-style (I prefer Chobani) yogurt with cut up dried fruit (and more recently, with a jam or preserve from Dagstani & Sons).

But sometimes I need a carb and neither Cheerios nor bagel will do. 

So, recently I tried oat bran muffins, which are quite tasty, not too sweet or caloric, not high in fat and I can freeze them and have a lovely accompaniment to my yogurt. Here’s the recipe:

Oat Bran Muffins

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup oat bran

1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 large eggs

1 cup buttermilk

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease 12 muffin tin cups. Sift the flour, oat bran, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar into a bowl. In another bowl mix the vegetable oil, eggs and buttermilk. Pour the liquid into the dry ingredients and stir until the mixture is blended and smooth. Spoon into the prepared muffin cups. Bake for about 25 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Makes 12 

sprinklefingers:

weekday mornings. phew.
is it just me, or are weekday mornings always a delicate balance? i generally try to get up at least an hour & 1/2 earlier than anyone else in the house. the minute my feet hit the ground i’m working - making coffee, squeezing in a few loads of laundry, researching &…

When my kids were little I would always wake up nearly an hour before they did because I needed a peaceful cup of coffee and a shower without someone banging on the door and asking me when I was going to come out already or asking me to write “Hi” and their name on the steamy glass shower door (my grandchildren do that now and somehow I don’t seem to mind).

I recommend this early morning privacy to any parent of young children. That small segment of quiet, peaceful, private harmony is worth more than the extra sleep. IMHO.

Then the world starts. Breakfast for kids and the daily routine. It’s much easier on the weekends.

But as far as breakfast goes, French Toast doesn’t take long. Sprinklefingers’ recipe is delicious. The five spice powder is a delicate, sophisticated addition.

Otoh, if your kids are like many, and don’t eat anything that veers from plain, here’s an easy version. I think French Toast is a good way for children to eat an egg. Serve the French Toast with mango slices and grapes or some other fruit and you can easily cut down on the amount of maple syrup you use, if at all. This breakfast doesn’t have to be a sticky, sugary mess.

Plain Old French Toast

1 large egg

1/4 cup milk

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon grated orange peel, optional

2 slices homestyle white or wholegrain bread, challah or brioche (1/2-inch thick)

2 teaspoons butter for frying, approximately

Beat the egg, milk and vanilla extract and optional orange peel in a shallow pan until ingredients are thoroughly mixed. Add the bread and let it soak, turning it over once or twice to be sure both sides are moistened. Let the bread soak up all the liquid. Heat about 2 teaspoons butter in a saute pan over medium heat. When the butter has melted and looks foamy, add the soaked bread and cook about 2 minutes per side or until golden brown. Makes 2 slices

My daily yogurt breakfast will never be the same now that I’ve discovered the preserves from Dagstani & Sons, A Very Fine Fruit Company. My husband Ed and I subscribed to their “Jam Sessions” which is one of the ways to get their jams, marmalades and preserves delivered to your door. 

Dagstani & Sons is not your ordinary jam. Comparing it to, say, Smuckers, is like comparing a Rolls-Royce to a Yugo.

Can’t do it.

Raj Dagstani, pictured above with his sons Emile (age 10) and Sebastian (age 5), was the general manager at New York’s famed Per Se restaurant for several years. He knows about quality and about the work, dedication and ingredients needed to produce food that is extraordinary, not just good, not simply satisfactory. He and his boys craft small-batch preserves every day from whole fruit, which they hand-cut, pare and peel. Most of the fruit comes from local sources and is organic, much of it wild-grown.

The first bite of Three Fruit Marmalade was one of those moments you remember when someone asks “what was the best … (whatever) … you ever ate?”

This was the best marmalade I ever ate.

I felt a rush of fresh citrus, a flash of sugar in my mouth. It was in perfect harmony to the very plain nonfat Chobani yogurt I always eat. The jam flowed over the yogurt, there was no weak, liquid-y trickle, nor did it have to be shaken off the spoon in a gloppy lump like most over-sugared or over-pectined stuff.

The flavors are creative and thoughtful — for example, these: Asian Pear and Star Anise, Meyer Lemon and Madagascar Vanilla Bean, Rhubarb and Red Hot Ginger (ohmyohmyohmy!!!!), Oranges and Earl Grey (SIGH).

You can’t get these anywhere else and they probably wouldn’t taste as good anyway.

Yes, these jams cost more than supermarket varieties, as they should. You don’t put this stuff on your kid’s PBJ sandwich. Dagstani preserves are for discriminating tastes, usually grown up.

Take a look at the site here. But do yourself a favor. If you like jam at all, try one. As I said, my breakfast yogurt will never be the same and neither will plain scones, English muffins, baguettes or homemade bread. I can’t wait to see what’s in our next order.

Crunchy or soft? What’s the right way to eat matzo brei?

In my last blog post I said that my husband thought it was weird that I ate matzo brei with yogurt, not maple syrup. His mother had served it with maple syrup, or, more likely, with “table syrup” like Log Cabin.

Well that’s not the only point of disagreement we have on the subject. The other one has to do with texture. Sometimes food can taste terrific but the texture isn’t right.

Right?

When I made made matzo brei for him the first time he said it wasn’t at all what he expected. My version is soft and tender, the way my mother made it and the way my grandmother made it.

His mother made it crunchy. She hardly soaked the matzo, so matzo brei in the Fein household was more like an eggs and matzo flat omelet. It tastes fine. But I prefer the soft, tender kind. But I realize that good people can have different opinions on this, so here’s how to make Crunchy Matzo Brei:

Crunchy Matzo Brei

1-1/2 matzos

warm water

1 large egg

salt to taste

butter

Break the matzos into small pieces into a bowl. Cover with warm water and let it soak for 20 seconds. Drain any non-absorbed water, then squeeze the pieces to extract as much excess water as possible. Add the egg and mix the ingredients. Sprinkle to taste with salt. Heat the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. When the butter has melted and looks foamy, add the egg-matzo mixture. Cook for 2-3 minutes per side or until golden brown and crispy. Makes one serving (but you can double, triple or even quadruple the recipe and use a bigger pan)

“There’s no French Toast during Passover.” That’s what I told my grandkids when they were here for a few days for Seders and sleepovers. They’re used to French Toast when they come to grandma’s house because I always have a spare challah in the freezer, or we make one and then have leftovers, and everyone on earth knows that the best French Toast is made with challah.

But never mind that. “Israeli Toast” is on the menu, is what I told them.

You know. Matzo Brei. It’s the same thing as French Toast but instead of using bread, you use matzo. 

But here’s a dilemma. Topping for French Toast is easy: either maple syrup, cinnamon sugar or jelly. A lot of people do the same for Matzo Brei. But when I was a little girl my grandma served Matzo Brei sprinkled with salt and topped with a big blob of sour cream. Sometimes applesauce.

My husband Ed always thought this was weird. But it’s how I served it to my own daughters too, who think it’s weird to drizzle matzo brei with anything as sweet as maple syrup. If I had sour cream in the fridge, that’s what they would choose. But we’ve switched to fat-free Greek yogurt instead.

“Israeli Toast” or Matzo Brei is so easy to make. And a delicious switch from every other cereal-based breakfast. So if you want to give it a try, here’s my recipe:

Matzo Brei

1 piece of matzo

hot water

1 large egg

salt

butter

sour cream or plain Greek style yogurt

Break the matzo into small pieces into a bowl. Cover with hot water and let it soak until the pieces are soft. Drain any non-absorbed water, then squeeze the pieces to extract as much excess water as possible. Add the egg to the soft matzo pieces and mix until the matzo and egg are well combined. Sprinkle to taste with salt. Heat the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. When the butter has melted and looks foamy, add the egg-matzo mixture. Cook for 2-3 minutes per side or until golden brown and crispy. Serve with sour cream or plain yogurt, or, if you must, with maple syrup. Makes one serving (but you can double, triple or even quadruple the recipe and use a bigger pan)

I feel bad for dentists. No one likes them. Well, I guess their families must. I meant no one else. No one I know likes the dentist.

I used to go to a dentist that billed himself as “the dentist who caters to cowards.” I used him not so much because he was good (he may have been) but because I was his target audience. 

It all started when I was a kid and had a cavity (16 of them actually) and the dentist told me that the drill wasn’t going to hurt.

He lied. I bit him. He kicked me out of his office. It happened again, all before I was 8 years old, after which my kind and very wonderful 3rd grade teacher took me to her dentist who, at least, was honest about what was going to happen.

And so on, throughout my young adult life until finally one day I matured and stopped being afraid. That, plus the fact that novacaine helped (they didn’t use that on kids back in the day) plus the fact that after a certain age you more or less don’t get as many cavities anymore. 

My high-cavity years were when all breakfast cereals (even Cheerios) contained sugar, plus our parents let us add extra sugar (and whole milk of course).

It was also before the authorities put fluoride in the water. I still vaguely remember the fights over whether fluoridating the water was a Communist plot and whether allowing it in the water was going to turn us into Commie robots.

It wasn’t and it didn’t.

But the cavity rates did plummet.

And so this morning, I went to the dentist and behaved myself. No cavities. Just a checkup and cleanup. 

Whew!

So now that my teeth sparkle, I should really refrain from drinking tea or wine and eating stuff like blueberries that might stain. 

But I needed to test out a recipe for Blueberry Streusel Cake.

It was yummy. And I brushed my teeth again right after I ate a piece, so it’s okay.

You can eat this for dessert or as a snack or even for breakfast.

Blueberry Streusel Cake

Streusel:

1/4 cup brown sugar

3 tablespoons white sugar

6 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

4 tablespoons butter

Place the brown sugar, white sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg and butter in the workbowl of a food processor and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs (or work the butter into the other ingredients by hand). Set aside.

Cake:

2 cups all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons cornstarch

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon grated fresh lemon peel

1/2 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

6 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup sugar

1 large egg

1 cup blueberries

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease an 8-inch square or 9-inch round cake pan. Mix the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, salt and lemon peel in a bowl and set aside. Mix the milk and vanilla extract and set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer set at medium speed, cream the butter and sugar together for 3-4 minutes or until light and fluffy. Add the egg and blend it in. Add the dry ingredients alternating with the milk mixture, beating ingredients until smooth. Stir in the blueberries. Spoon the batter into the pan. Top with the streusel. Bake for about 40 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool. Makes 12-16 pieces

For me March Madness means rushing to the store or going online to buy containers of the new crop of maple syrup. I get all kinds. Grade A for pancakes. Grade B for baking. New York. Vermont. Quebec. Whatever.

There’s a delicate sweetness to maple syrup. It doesn’t pound you in the head like granulated sugar does. It doesn’t yell at you “I’M SWEET! I’M SWEET. PICK ME!”

I like subtle.

So I use maple a lot to sweeten baked goods like these corn muffins (which you can freeze and then reheat for breakfast every morning).

Maple Corn Muffins

1/3 cup butter

1 cup cornmeal

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons pure maple syrup

1 large egg

2/3 cup milk

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Lightly grease 8 muffin tins. Melt the butter and set it aside to cool. In a bowl, mix the cornmeal, flour, baking powder and salt. In another bowl mix the maple syrup, egg and milk, beating until well blended. Pour the liquid into the cornmeal mixture, pour in the cooled melted butter and stir to blend the ingredients. Spoon equal amounts into the muffin tins. Bake for about 18 minutes or until golden brown. Makes 8