Irish Oat Scones

I don't make scones very often because I have a difficult time limiting myself to one. I usually eat two. Or three. And then feel guilty and tell myself I will work out more. But of course, I don't do that either.

On the other hand --- tomorrow is Saint Patrick's Day and even though I am not Irish, I figure, why not take an opportunity to celebrate? I love Irish food, especially the scones.

So, here's my recipe. Whatever your heritage, try these on Saint Patrick's Day or whenever.

Irish Oat Scones

• 1-1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup quick oats
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon grated fresh lemon peel
• 3 tablespoons butter, cut into chunks
• 3 tablespoons shortening, cut into chunks
• 3/4 cup milk

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Lightly grease a cookie sheet. Combine the flour, oats, sugar, baking powder, salt and lemon peel in a food processor (or large bowl). Process briefly (or mix) to combine ingredients. Add the butter and shortening and process on pulse (or mix with your fingers or pastry blender) until the mixture looks crumbly. Add the milk and process (or mix) until a soft dough forms. Place the dough on a floured board, knead briefly and press into a disk about 3/4" thick. Cut out circles with a 3-inch cookie cutter. Place the circles on the prepared cookie sheet. Bake for about 15 minutes or until puffed and lightly browned.

Makes 8

The Tea Plantation; Honey Corn Muffins

Last week’s post about taking Lila to tea got me thinking about the tea plantation Ed and I visited in Sri Lanka.

The place went on for acres and acres, it was a fabulous, warm, sunny day and we were able to see everything from plant to package and then, of course, we sipped tea and nibbled on cake in the shade of a beautiful garden.

We learned a lot too.

In case you don’t already know this, all tea comes from the camellia sinensis plant. Flavor differences have to do with lots of other factors such as where the plant is grown, the acidity of the soil, leaf size and so on, and also how it is processed, (whether it is left immature, or green, or “fermented” to darken; whether it is smoked, blended with other teas, etc.).

Sri Lanka is known for its tea and Ed and I agree it’s the best tea in the world, which is why we were so excited to spend a day and see exactly how it’s made.

The plantation we went to wasn’t totally set up for visitors, but we were able to speak with some of the workers who showed us the entire tea-leaf process. You can see one of the women plucking the tops — only the new, light green growths are harvested (every 7 days on this plantation). Then (second photo), the leaves are placed in a bin to wither and dry. Once they dry somewhat they are sent (photo 3) to crushing machines (photo 4), which breaks the leaves. The leaves are then dried some more and as they dry they oxidize and change color from golden to dark blackish-brown, to achieve varieties of tea such as oolong and different black teas. (Green tea and white tea are not oxidized.)

Finally, the leaves are sorted for quality (photo 5).

The best quality teas are sold in bulk, as whole or partially broken leaves; the lowest quality teas are tiny, crushed, sometimes almost powdery leaves packed into tea bags. For the most part I can say that tea bags are less messy and more convenient but tea tastes better when you make it from loose tea leaves.

After visiting a tea plantation I prefer the loose tea, if only because I know how much work is involved and it makes me appreciate the beverage better.

Your choice on that though. Whatever you choose, enjoy the muffins, which are perfect no matter what kind of tea you pick.  

If you are ever in a place where you can visit a tea plantation, I recommend it highly. It’s a good learning experience and lots of fun too.                                                                                                                                             

Honey Corn Muffins

5 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons honey

1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup cornmeal

1 tablespoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 large egg

2/3 cup milk

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Lightly grease 8 muffin cups. Melt the butter with the honey and set aside to cool. In a bowl, mix the flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt. In another bowl mix the egg, milk and cooled butter mixture, beating until well blended. Pour the liquid into the cornmeal mixture and stir to blend the ingredients. Spoon equal amounts into the muffin cups. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown.

Makes 8

Buttermilk Pancakes

I don’t celebrate Mardi Gras, a/k/a Fat Tuesday a/k/a Pancake Day.

But I DO celebrate pancakes, one of my favorite foods of all time.

Just like my Dad used to make.

Whatever you celebrate, if you love pancakes, they don’t get better than these:

Buttermilk Pancakes

3 tablespoons butter

2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 large egg

3 cups buttermilk

butter for frying the pancakes

Melt the 3 tablespoons butter and set aside to cool. Sift the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a bowl. In a second bowl mix the egg, buttermilk and melted, cooled butter. Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ones and mix to blend them but do not beat vigorously. Preheat a griddle or large saute pan over medium heat. Lightly butter the pan before cooking the pancakes. When the pan butter has melted and looks foamy, slowly pour about 2 tablespoons batter (for small pancakes) or more (for larger pancakes), leaving space between each pancake. Cook for about 2 minutes, or until bottom is lightly browned and bubbles form on the top. Flip the pancakes with a rigid spatula and cook for a minute or until the second side is lightly browned.

Makes 6-8 servings

Blueberry Corn Muffins

The problem (for me) with corn muffins is that when I make them I eat one every day for 10 days because Ed doesn’t like muffins and each recipe makes 10 and if there is no one else around to finish them off, I do. This breaks the monotony of my daily yogurt for breakfast, which is nice, but also gets me on a bread-type breakfast for too long and that’s not so good for my waist or weight.

Alas, sometimes I just can’t help myself. I need a corn muffin. And so the cycle begins.

I keep the first two days worth in a plastic bag on the countertop; the remainder I freeze. You’d think I wouldn’t look in the freezer. That I could resist.

But I can’t. These are too good.

Blueberry Corn Muffins

6 tablespoons butter

1 cup cornmeal

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup honey

1 large egg

3/4 cup milk

1-1/2 cups blueberries

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Lightly grease 10 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 honey, egg, milk and cooled butter, beating until well blended. Pour the liquid into the cornmeal mixture and stir to blend the ingredients. Fold in the blueberries. Spoon equal amounts into the muffin tins. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.

Makes 10

Challah French Toast

In the world of French Toast, the kind made with challah is by far the best and most delicious.

Don’t you agree?

I’ve tried this dish with so many different kinds of bread, I can’t even recount them all. Here’s what I’ve learned:

Packaged white bread gets too soggy for French Toast. It falls apart; also it’s too thin.

Bakery white bread is fine, but uninspiring.

Multigrain bread has too many distracting extras, like seeds and stuff.

Whole wheat has a strong flavor so it competes with the vanilla-custardy taste that you want.

French bread is fabulous for French Toast, I grant you that. But it is crusty-firm and not everyone appreciates that.

Challah is #1. The champ. Because it is so dense (and absorbs the egg- milk-vanilla soak splendidly). And because it is so rich and eggy to begin with. (Brioche, which is almost exactly like challah, will do too.)

But make sure it isn’t pre-sliced challah, which is too thin. Slice the bread yourself using a serrated knife.        

This recipe is a winner at my house.

Challah French Toast

6 large eggs

1/2 cup whole milk

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

8 1-inch slices challah (or brioche)

1-1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter

maple syrup

Preheat the oven to 140°F. Beat the eggs, milk and vanilla extract in a large shallow pan until well blended. Add the bread slices and let them soak, turning them occasionally, until all of the liquid has been absorbed. Heat the butter in a large sauté pan over medium heat. When the butter has melted and looks foamy, add a few pieces of the soaked bread and cook for 2-3 minutes per side or until lightly browned and crispy. Don’t crowd the pan. When the slices are cooked, place them on a cookie sheet and keep them warm in the oven; repeat with remaining bread, adding more butter if needed. Serve with maple syrup. Makes 4 servings

Oatmeal Pancakes

Breakfast. They say it is the most important meal. 

It can also be the most stressful. Especially when you have kids and you want to be sure they’re starting the day right.

Yes, school is almost over now so you may not have the same morning rush with the usual arguments about what they’re going to eat while trying to get them out the door on time, properly filled.

But there may be camp. Or gymnastics or art class. Or a doctor appointment. Or a train to catch. Life goes on, whether or not school’s in session.

And school will start again in a few months anyway (the summer always seems to fly by doesn’t it?).

So, how to have a healthy, peaceful, tasty breakfast?

There are all sorts of ways to handle it. When I was a kid my Dad would make cooked cereal and add sugar, cinnamon, chocolate chips, butter and cream.

It did the trick of course. But I can’t recommend that in good conscience.

Here’s what I am recommending: a new app called LaLa Breakfast.

First, to confess, LaLa Breakfast is the creation of my daughter Gillian.

Her first app, LaLa Lunchbox — a best-seller — which helps parents and kids choose healthy lunches, got rave reviews and requests for her to do the same thing for breakfast.

So she came up with LaLa Breakfast, which takes the stress out of the breakfast routine. 

Like all parents, Gillian doesn’t want to spend needless time cooking breakfast nor does she want to meet unreasonable demands. She controls the items that are available for the meal. And she and her children make the breakfast decisions in advance. 

You can do the same with LaLa Breakfast. Your children choose what they want to eat before the morning. That way they don’t get cranky about what you picked — a waffle, say — when what they really wanted was oatmeal.

Gillian recommends that, whatever the choices, prepare as much as you can in advance. Like pouring cereal into a bowl and setting it out on the table (covered). Or washing and cutting up fruit. It’s easy to get that stuff out of the way when you know in advance what the meal is going to be.

In addition to having breakfast “ordered” and partially prepped, with LaLa Breakfast your children learn not only to pick healthy breakfast but also to understand what it means to make decisions and stick by them.

The app is really cute, with attractive looking “monsters” to help guide children in their choices. There are four categories they can select from: Eggs, Produce, Grains and Protein. After you make your choices, the app creates a shopping list of items you need. And for those who have both LaLa Breakfast and LaLa Lunchbox, the two grocery lists can be seamlessly synced into one and accessible via multiple devices. 

One of the things I learned as a parent making breakfast was that sometimes children like the same item over and over, even in the same week. So I recommend making some items in bulk and keeping them for a few days. For example, if you make oatmeal, make more than one portion and use the leftovers to make oatmeal pancakes (the batter will last for about 3 days, refrigerated).

Oatmeal Pancakes

3 tablespoons butter

1 cup leftover oatmeal

2 large eggs

1 cup milk

2 tablespoons maple syrup

1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

butter to cook the pancakes

Melt the butter and set it aside to cool. Place the oatmeal in a bowl. Add the eggs, milk, maple syrup, vanilla extract and melted butter and mix the ingredients to blend them thoroughly. Add the flour, baking powder and salt and mix them in to make a relatively smooth batter. Melt a small amount of butter in a saute pan over medium heat. When the butter has melted and looks foamy, drop about 1/4 cup of the batter onto the pan for each pancake. Leave space between each pancake. Cook the pancake for 1-2 minutes or until golden brown on the bottom. Turn the pancakes over and cook on the second side for 1-2 minutes or until browned. Serve plain or with syrup.

Makes about 18-20 pancakes.

Shakshuka

I like breakfast but don’t usually get the opportunity to eat the kind I would like (unless I am on vacation). I mean not only delicious food that takes more than 40 seconds to put together but also more time to sit and enjoy the meal, the surroundings and hopefully good company. Or maybe read a newspaper, enjoy the scenery.

Stuff like that.

So what I do is make breakfast for dinner, when there’s more time to relax and actually enjoy what I’m eating. When I can sit down at the table and use real dishes, not stand at the sink scooping yogurt from a plastic container.

And when I say breakfast for dinner I don’t mean cheerios and milk or a doughnut and coffee or frozen waffles.

I mean something like shakshuka. Peppers and eggs. An Israeli specialty made with sauteed tomatoes, onions and lots of red hot chili pepper. After this “salsa” cooks and softens you break eggs on top, cover the pan a little longer until the eggs are steamed done. I like this dish sprinkled with salt and zatar (a Middle Eastern spice blend). I love when the egg yolks are still runny and the rich, dark yellow liquid oozes into those hot vegetables.

Perfection. Rich and hot. Feisty. Filling.

Perfection. For breakfast, lunch, brunch or dinner.

Shakshuka

1/4 cup olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1 red bell pepper, deseeded and chopped

2 small habanero or other chili peppers, deseeded and minced

1 large garlic clove, minced

6–8 plum tomatoes, coarsely chopped

1 tablespoon minced fresh basil

1 tablespoon lemon juice

8 large eggs

3/4 teaspoon zatar

Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the onion, bell pepper, and habanero peppers. Cook for 4–5 minutes or until softened slightly. Add the garlic and cook briefly. Add the tomatoes, basil, and lemon juice, stir, cover the pan, turn the heat to low and cook for 8–10 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until vegetables are very soft and saucelike. Crack the eggs into a small bowl one at a time then transfer each one next to the other over the vegetables. Cover the pan and cook for 4–5 minutes or until the eggs are set but yolks are still slightly runny. Sprinkle with zatar. Serve each person 2 eggs and some of the vegetables.

Makes 4 servings.

Mother's Day Baked Apples

I know Moms are supposed to love when their kids make stuff like Nutella-marshmallow-banana sandwiches for them on Mother’s Day.

But I’m not one of them.

Food this sweet might appeal to kids but honestly, I don’t think I could get through two bites of it, even for pretend that I thought it was the best breakfast anyone ever made me.

Ok. Call me grumpy.

But my kids must have known because I never got a Nutella-marshmallow-banana sandwich for breakfast on Mother’s Day.

I really really really prefer much simpler foods that won’t send me into a sugar frenzy.

Like Baked Apples.

If someone made these for me I would be very grateful. On Mother’s Day or any other time.

Mother's Day Baked Apples

4 large baking apples

half a lemon

1/2 cup raisins or dried cranberries

2 tablespoons finely chopped almonds or hazelnuts

4 tablespoons honey or maple syrup

1 cup orange juice, apple juice or cider

cinnamon

1 tablespoon butter or solid coconut oil, cut into 4 pieces

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

Makes 4

Sweet and Fruity Matzo Brei

For kids, finding the afikomen is the most thrilling part of the Passover Seder. I can remember running through my grandma’s house searching for that half of a matzo. My cousin Leslie and I would look together. (We did everything together.) And when we found the matzo we screamed with joy and then when my Uncle Irving fit it together with the other half, we shared the prize (which I think was a piece of candy).

I remember my daughters yelling and jumping up and down with delight when it was their turn to find the afikomen.

This is the way it’s supposed to be. When the children find the half that some grownup has hidden they all shriek and shout, as you can see by the expression of utter joy shown by the kid in the first photo.

But the two pieces of matzo have to fit together. (It always does! But somehow the kids have that tiniest bit of doubt, which makes it so much fun for the grownups to watch.)

The fitting together part is my husband Ed’s task and you can see (in the other photos) that he’s pretty much thrilled with it and jokes about it with the kids. Sometimes he purposely gets out the wrong half so the afikomen won’t fit. Sometimes he pretends he’s eaten the other half. Or tries to fit it together sideways.

And so on.

Of course Passover, beyond the tradition of finding the afikomen, is all about matzo. Which suits me just fine because I think it is one of life’s most delicious foods. Fresh matzo. Crispy, toasty. Just plain, smeared with butter or cream cheese. Or topped with leftover chicken or chopped liver. Or strawberry jam. 

During Passover I use a matzo to make a crust on top of spinach pie (the same recipe I use year round with a phyllo dough crust). 

I even make toasted cheese sandwiches with matzo (place slices of cheese on top of the matzo and cook in a toaster oven). 

But the family favorite is matzo brei. For breakfast, brunch and an occasional dinner. Is there anyone who doesn’t like matzo brei?

Ed and I still argue over whether matzo brei is better soft (me) or crunchy (him). 

I think this is a common theme among matzo brei enthusiasts.

Although we usually eat plain old matzo brei, I tinker with the recipe. Of course. That’s what I do.

And although we come back to the original time after time, sometimes it’s nice to have a new version. So here is one that we liked. 

 

Sweet and Fruity Matzo Brei

• 4 matzos

• boiling water

• 4 large eggs, beaten

• 1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste

• 1/2 cup chopped apple

• 3 tablespoons raisins

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1 teaspoon grated fresh lemon peel

• 2 tablespoons butter or margarine

Break the matzos into pieces into a bowl. Cover with boiling water for about 5-6 minutes or until soft. Drain and squeeze out as much water as possible. Return the matzos to the bowl. Add the eggs, salt, apple, raisins, vanilla extract and lemon peel and mix thoroughly. Melt the butter in a large saute pan over medium heat. When the butter has melted and looks foamy, pour the batter into the saute pan. Fry for 2-3 minutes or until lightly browned on the bottom. Turn and fry for another 2-3 minutes. NOTE: you can fry smaller portions instead of one large pancake.

Makes 3-4 servings

 

Corn Fritters

Of the many, many virtues of pancakes, one of the most important is that you can make them in all sorts of shapes, not just circles (and even then you can make enormous circles or tiny silver dollar size and every other size in between).

So last weekend when my grand daughter Nina was over and I made a batch of corn pancakes, Ed took some of the batter and made it into a big N for Nina and of course she was delighted with it.

Another good thing about this pancake is that you could turn it around and make it into a Z, for Zev, our grandson (Nina’s brother). She enjoyed noticing that too. But we kept it N and that’s the way she had it with a little maple syrup poured on top.

Corn Fritters

2 tablespoons butter

1 large egg

1 cup milk

2 cups cooked corn kernels 

1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)

2 tablespoons chopped chives, optional

butter/vegetable oil for frying

maple syrup, optonal

Melt the butter and set it aside to cool. In a bowl, beat the egg and milk together. Stir in the cooled melted butter and the corn kernels. In a small bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt; add this to the corn mixture and stir ingredients gently to blend them together. Stir in the chives, if used. Heat enough butter and/or vegetable oil in a saute pan over medium heat. When the butter has melted and looks foamy, drop the corn batter by the 1/4-cupful. Cook for about 2 minutes or until bubbles appear on the surface and the bottom has browned. Flip the pancakes and cook for another minutes or until the second side is brown. Drain on paper towels and serve with maple syrup if desired. Makes 6-8 servings