Orange Marmalade Baked Pears

Still can’t figure out what I want for breakfast. I know a decent breakfast can make or break your day. I’m not talking about the food pyramid. Or anything approaching scientific. I mean, if I start the day eating junk I’ll be a pig for the rest of the day. I know me. Breakfast is like a trigger meal, and so I usually have yogurt and fruit but honestly, one can get really tired of that.

Yesterday I made baked pear because somehow the thought of just eating a piece of fruit didn’t seem interesting enough to satisfy. It was good and I’m leaving the recipe (which you can use for dessert too I suppose). But I’m looking for something else for today. I’ll let you know what I come up with. I got some good suggestions from people but would appreciate more ideas from anybody.

orange Marmalade Baked Pears

• 2 ripe pears
• 2 teaspoons bitter orange marmalade
• 1/4 teaspoon sugar, optional
• cinnamon
• freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/2 cup orange juice

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cut the pears in half lengthwise. Remove the core and seeds. Place the pears cut side up in a baking pan. Brush the marmalade over the cut surfaces. Sprinkle with the sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Pour the juice around the pears in the pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes, basting once or twice. Let cool slightly.

Makes 2 servings

Oatmeal Buttermilk Bread

I always get into a rut for breakfast. When I was a kid I would eat Cheerios every morning until I got sick of them and switched bagel with American cheese until I got sick of that. It’s been yogurt for several weeks now — I go in and out of my yogurt phases. I love Chobani plain 0% yogurt which I mix with exactly 4 cut up dried apricot halves. But I need a break. I feel an oatmealy period coming on. But I am not in the mood for oatmeal in a dish because I hear this little satanic voice calling for me to have sugar and half and half cream on top (oh YUMMMMMM).

But I won’t because that’s just too indulgent for January, when I need to shed the 3 pounds gained over the holiday season.

I’m going to have some oatmeal bread. Just a slice (with a little butter or cream cheese) and a pear, for breakfast.

That’s healthy isn’t it?

Anyway, it is really delicious. Here’s the recipe:

Oatmeal Buttermilk Bread

• 1/4 cup butter

• 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder

• 3/4 teaspoon salt

• 2/3 cup brown sugar

• 2 tablespoons honey or molasses

• 1 large egg

• 1 cup plain yogurt (or use buttermilk)

• 3/4 cup quick cooking oats

• 1/2 cup chopped pecans or raisins

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease an 8-1/2-inch x 4-1/2-inch loaf pan. Melt the butter and set it aside to cool. Sift the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a bowl and set aside. Mix the brown sugar and honey together. Stir in the melted butter and egg, blending them in thoroughly. Stir in the flour mixture and blend in thoroughly. Stir in the yogurt, alternating with the oats until all has been incorporated. Stir in the nuts or raisins. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the bread cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Invert the bread on a cake rack to cool completely. Or serve warm.

Makes one loaf

Potato Pancakes with Smoked Salmon, Sour Cream and Chives

Potato pancakes for breakfast? 

Yes indeed. It’s one of our New Year’s Day favorites. My cousins come to stay with us for a few days and we usually eat a couple of days of smoked fish (salmon, sturgeon, whitefish and herring) with bagels. But New Year’s Day should be a little more special so a couple of times I’ve made very large potato pancakes (like 6-inches) and served them with smoked salmon on top, capped with a blob of sour cream garnished with chopped fresh chives and sometimes with red salmon caviar.

Quite luxurious to eat. Beautiful and festive looking too. And it’s easy. You can make the pancakes ahead and reheat them to hot and crispy in a 425 degree oven, then serve them with the cold smoked salmon and sour cream on top.

I’ve given a potato pancake recipe before, but I change it slightly for New Year’s breakfast. When I couple it with something cold, like smoked fish, I prefer a shreddy texture — it makes crispier pancakes (so I don’t grate or chop the potatoes. I use the shredding blade on a food processor). I also don’t use baking powder because I like the pancake flatter and unpuffed — a better texture with the moist, cool fish.

Potato Pancakes with Smoked Salmon, Sour Cream and Chives

• 4 large Russet-type baking potatoes, peeled

• 1 large yellow onion

• 3 tablespoons bread crumbs 

• 2 large eggs

• 1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)

• freshly ground black pepper to taste

• vegetable oil for frying

• 12 large slices smoked salmon

• dairy sour cream (about 1 cup)

• chopped chives or salmon caviar

Preheat the oven to 225 degrees. Shred the potatoes and onion using the shredding disk of a food processor. Using a handful or two at a time, place the shreds into a kitchen towel and squeeze as much liquid out as possible, then place the shreds in a bowl. Repeat with the remaining potato-onion mixture. Add the bread crumbs and toss the ingredients. Add the eggs, salt and pepper and mix to distribute the ingredients thoroughly. Divide the dough into 6 equal portions. Heat about 1/4-inch vegetable oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot enough to make a bread crumb sizzle, fry each portion, one at a time, for 2-3 minutes per side or until browned and crispy. Keep each pancake warm in the preheated oven until you finish frying all the batter. Place the pancakes on 6 plates. Top each with two slices of salmon. Top with a blob of sour cream in the center. Garnish the top of the sour cream with some chopped chives or a dollop of salmon caviar.

Makes 6 servings 

Blueberry Muffins

When you’re used to plain yogurt and dried apricots for breakfast every day, the rare, occasional blueberry muffin becomes a luxurious treat. It’s not as if I can’t buy a fresh blueberry muffin at any bakery or coffee shop, any time. Or even make my own. They only take a few minutes to make and a few minutes to bake.

But I think of blueberry muffins as dreadfully fattening, especially the post-modern 21st century variety that looks three times bigger than I remember blueberry muffins from my youth.

When I first started working I was young and slim and everyone in the office brought in breakfast, so I did too. My choice was a yogurt (a rarity then) plus a blueberry muffin. Within 6 months I had gained 10 pounds.

I always attributed the gain to the blueberry muffins, so I stopped buying them.

I have to say, when you don’t eat something that you consider delicious for a long time, you really appreciate it when you do eat it.

I am going to make some blueberry muffins sometime between now and New Year’s Day when my cousins are at my house for a long-weekend sleepover. We’ll get a little bored with the smoked fish we usually eat, even the luxurious version I’ll serve on New Year’s Day (with smoked salmon on top of potato pancake). So blueberry muffins it will be. A simple breakfast goodie. A couple of scrambled eggs and hot coffee and we’ll be satisfied.

By the way, if you don’t have buttermilk you can use plain kefir or yogurt or make this: 1 tablespoons lemon juice plus enough milk to equal one cup; let stand for 5 minutes. 

Blueberry Muffins

• 4 tablespoons butter

• 1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour

• 1/4 cup sugar

• 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder

• 3/4 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

• 1 cup buttermilk

• 1 large egg

• 1 tablespoon grated fresh orange peel

• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1 cup fresh blueberries

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Grease a muffin tin. Melt the butter and set it aside. In a bowl mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda. In a second bowl, mix the buttermilk, egg, orange peel and vanilla extract. Pour the liquid ingredients into the flour mixture and stir only to blend ingredients (do not mix vigorously). Fold in the berries. Drop the batter in equal amounts into the prepared muffin tin cups (the number will depend on the size of the muffins) to about 2/3 filled. Bake for 22-26 minutes, depending on size, or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean.

Makes 9-12

Easy Baked Apples

What do you eat when you wake up cold and shivery?

We haven’t turned the heat on yet because it’s been about 70 degrees here and our house has been warm. But all of a sudden it’s really autumn, the outside temperature has dropped and it was freezing in our bedroom this morning.

I desperately wanted something warm to eat. But there wasn’t anything in the house!

Wish my Dad was around to make some of his renowned hot chocolate.

Mmm how about some quick biscuits? Hot oatmeal?

My thoughts actually turned to baked apple, warm and fragrant and sufficiently sweet for dessert, but breakfasty enough.

Unfortunately I didn’t have any baked apples.

Fortunately, I still have some of the apples I bought at Blue Jay Orchards (http://www.bluejayorchardsct.com/) in Bethel, Connecticut a while ago for my pie apples.

I’m making baked apples today, in case I wake up cold tomorrow.

Easy Baked Apples

• 4 large apples for baking
• half a lemon
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped nuts
• 1/4 cup maple syrup, agave or honey
• 1 cup orange juice or apple cider
• cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon butter, cut into small pieces

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Remove the apple cores, leaving about 1/2-inch on the bottom. Peel the apples halfway down from the top, stem end. Rub the peeled flesh with the cut side of the lemon. Place the apples in a baking dish. In a small bowl, mix the raisins, nuts, one tablespoon of the sweetener and 3-4 tablespoons juice. Stuff this mixture into the apple hollows. Combine the remaining sweetener and juice and pour over the apples. Sprinkle the apples with cinnamon. Dot the apple tops with butter. Bake for about 45 minutes, or until the apples are tender, basting occasionally with the pan juices. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Makes 4 servings

Ask Ronnie a question: http://ronniefein.com/ask

To comment: http://ronniefein.com/submit