Breakfast of Champions: Asian Pear Cream o'Wheat

Last night was New York City's first real snow. When I woke up this morning, our street was lightly dusted with the white stuff and I was desperately craving a warm, healthy breakfast. Trying hard to shed the cold that I (and the rest of my family) caught from my adorable baby niece over Thanksgiving, I finally felt strong enough to return to my trusty kitchen and give myself the nutrition that I needed. After rummaging through the fridge and pantry, I found an asian pear and a nice big box of semolina (Cream of Wheat) and I knew that was all I needed to feel better.


Asian Pear Cream O' Wheat

3 T Semolina
2/3 cup, 2T water separated
1 asian pear
1/4 cup milk, if desired
1.5 t butter (I use Smart Balance)
1/4 t cinnamon
dash freshly grated nutmeg
1 t stevia
1/4 t vanilla or almond extracts

In a small bowl, mix together the semolina and 2/3 cup water and microwave for 1 minute. Meanwhile, chop the asian pear into small chunks, cover with 2T water in a small bowl and microwave for 1 minute. Toss the fruit, spices, butter and milk (if desired) into the creamed wheat and stir until just combined. If the mixture is too thick, add in a T or two of water or milk. If it is too thin, microwave for an additional 30 seconds. Microwave cooking times vary.

Enjoy!

Food Photography

Because I have taken so many photos over the years of foods that I or others have made, I thought it would be fun to upload them all here in a slideshow. Enjoy!

Low Calorie Tricks & Treats: Protein Water!

I know that Crystal Light has been around for what seems like forever, but I just had to share my latest obsession: Crystal Light Hunger Satisfaction! It's 30 calories a packet--which can be mixed into a bottle of water (or a liter, which is what I prefer) and filled with fiber and protein. I like to drink it first thing in the morning or before a high calorie meal to keep myself on track. At first, I was concerned that the strawberry banana flavor would taste like medicine, but I lucked out: if anything, it tastes just like my favorite smoothie. Try it out!

All the Sweet Stuff: Cinnamon Babka

When I think of babka, I think of two things: the way my Dad's face lights up at any mention of the yeasty, sugary pastry and the classic Seinfeld episode, below. Babka is like a hybrid of challah and gooey cinnamon rolls. It typically comes in two flavors: chocolate and cinnamon. Though some people feel very strongly about their preferences (my dad doesn't understand why anyone would waste their time with a babka that isn't cinnamon) I personally love both flavors so much, I can't choose.

Seinfeld -) The Babka - The best video clips are right here

A few weeks ago, I was obsessed with another classic NYC/Jewish treat: rugelach. I just couldn't get the recipe right. One night I decided to play with a basic rugelach recipe by adding yeast. After doing lots of online research and kitchen experiments, I came up with a dough that's a hybrid between a buttery biscuit and a croissant. I found myself with some extra dough and decided to roll it in chocolate chips and braid it like a challah. Though it didn't taste a thing like challah, it was incredible and reminded me and Doni of babka. I told myself that as soon as I had the opportunity, babka I would make.

I mentioned a pot-luck picnic in my last post. I thought saying goodbye to J, A, and cutie-pie N would be the perfect time to try out my recipe. It was such a crowd-pleaser! Soft, gooey, sweet and full of cinnamon goodness. Next time, I plan on doubling the fillings (which I did in the recipe you'll find below) because the dough absorbs some of it while baking. The recipe makes 1 extra large babka or 2 small babkas. I plan on making this again and again and bringing it to all sorts of holidays and family events.

Cinnamon Babka
dairy, parve or vegan

3 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar
dash tsp salt
2 sticks butter
2 packets yeast
1/4 cup warm water
1/2 cup sour cream
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract

1 Tbsp cinnamon
1 cup brown sugar
1 stick cold butter
1 Tbs melted butter
dash cinnamon

Directions. Pour the water over both packets of yeast and a pinch of sugar in a small bowl. Let sit for 10 minutes, or until the yeast is frothy, bubbly, and twice its size. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt. The following can be done by hand or in a food processor: Add the butter in small pieces (or margarine) and knead together until the entire mixture is crumbly.

In a small bowl, beat together the vanilla and both eggs. Pour into the flour mixture and combine. Next, mix in the sour cream (or parve alternative). Lastly, knead in the yeast until the dough is firm. Place in a greased bowl and let rise, covered with a towel, for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 340 degrees. Roll out the dough in a large rectangle, about 1/8 inch thick. Cut the cold butter (or margarine) into small pieces. In a small bowl, coat the pieces of butter (or margarine) in the brown sugar and cinnamon. Evenly cover the rectangle of dough with the cinnamon mixture, including the edges. Roll dough like a cinnamon roll--from one long side of the rectangle to the other. Close the seam by brushing melted butter on top and pinching together the dough. Form the tube of dough into a large circle, closing the ends together just as above.

Twist the circle of dough into a double helix and place in a loaf pan, prepared with parchment paper. Brush the remaining melted butter over the top of the babka and sprinkle with a dash of cinnamon, if desired. Bake for 30 minutes, or until the top is golden and, when wiggled, the babka no longer jiggles in its pan.

Vegan Note: I was actually out of eggs when I made this at home, so I used Ener-G egg replacer and it turned out beautifully. If you also use margarine, as I did, this becomes an easy, delicious VEGAN treat! Who knew?

Part of a Complete Breakfast

When I woke up this (late) morning, I was looking at the world through blurry eyes. I don't have coffee every day, but some mornings I crave it. It's not that I love the taste of coffee, but I love the idea of it. Steamy and black, aromatic and nostalgic--when I think about a cup of coffee, I imagine all the generations before me of avid coffee drinkers. I think of myself as a little kid sitting around my grandparents breakfast table with Ritz crackers and cream cheese (my late grandfather, Sol's, favorite 10am snack), smelling the aroma and breathing in the magic of morning. Sometimes I imagine 50s housewives, like Lucy and Ethel, spending the morning gossiping and scheming.


Now, I won't deny that there's all sorts of evil out there in coffee industry, but that's not something I'm dwelling on this morning--or is it actually afternoon by now? A couple years ago, for Hanukkah, Doni and I gave my parents a new, fancy coffee maker as a gift. It's one of those cup-at-a-time wonders with fancy single servings of various flavors. My dad, Evan, loves playing with it and even began to create his own flavor: plain coffee with a light sprinkle of cinnamon and a scant dash of vanilla extract.


I've never tried his creation--mostly because he likes very weak coffee and I like it on the stronger side--but I woke up this morning nostalgic for the smell of roasting coffee and intrigued by his recipe. I'll be honest here--I assumed it would be terrible! I planned to call this post "Don't Try This at Home". But just as your parents prove to be right more often the older you get, my dad knows what he's doing. It's delicious! Who knew? I always need sugar/stevia in my coffee and this morning I have no desire to tinker with the taste. It's just great the way it is and wonderful combined with my breakfast of the day: toast with fat free cream cheese, a sprinkle of cinnamon-sugar, and fresh blueberries. Try it out for yourself!

Adaptations: Lauren's Bachelorette Weekend

Back in June, one of my close friends, Lauren, got married. It was a gorgeous and fun wedding. As a bridesmaid, one of my most important duties was organizing her bachelorette weekend extravaganza. I'll give you three guesses as to what I spent my time on.

Okay, so I designed the invitations...but I'm talking about food. Two dishes were my favorite of the weekend and real crowd-pleasers. Below you'll find the recipes and lots of comments for Heart-Shaped Fig & Spinach Pizzas and Mini Heart-Shaped French Toast Casseroles. You might notice a heart-shaped theme here. That was one of a few themes we played with over the course of the weekend, but we won't go there...


Heart-Shaped Fig & Spinach Pizzas
Dairy

Inspiration for this recipe came from an art therapy conference I attended last November in Dallas. I stayed at the Fairmont Hotel and because the conference took place entirely there, I didn't have much time for food options. Because it was in Dallas (my home state, mind you), the veggie options were few and far between--except for the hotel bar. The Pyramid offered an amazing pizza. It was a thin crust, crispy and warm delight. Instead of tomato sauce, they used a fig jam. Layered on top of the jam were leaves of baby spinach and baby arugula. In addition to shredded mozzarella, the restaurant used Feta and shredded Parmesan. I'm not ashamed to say that I had at least one pizza a day during my stay.

When I make this at home, I follow the above description pretty closely. Because this time I was cooking at Lauren's family beach house, though, I had to make a few adjustments. The grocery store didn't have fig jam or fresh figs, so I improvised with standard white pizza base and dried figs. It was also too time consuming to make the pizza crust dough from scratch and I didn't have access to Whole Foods for my trusted frozen dough, so I used Pillsbury's refrigerated dough instead. I happened to end up with some extra pizza crust dough, so Stephanie R--my handy co-bridesmaid sous chef--and I braided it to make three loaves of challah, as you'll see in the photo below.


Heart-Shaped Fig & Spinach Pizzas

1 pkg Pillsbury refrigerated pizza crust dough
8 Tbsp Ricotta cheese
8 oz shredded Mozzarella
4 oz Feta
4 oz Parmesan
fresh baby spinach & arugula, torn in pieces
1 cup of sliced dry figs
olive oil
salt and black pepper, to taste

Directions. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Roll out the dough into a large circle. Use a pastry cutter or a pizza slicer to create 8 slices of pizza dough. Shape each triangle into a heart shape and stretch to make it longer and thinner. Brush each heart with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Sprinkle half of the desired amount of Mozzarella on each heart. Layer with spinach and arugula, followed with the other half of Mozzarella. Sprinkle some Feta on top of that and add two dollops of Ricotta per heart. Add the sliced figs and top off each heart with a small sprinkle of Parmesan cheese and a scant pinch of black pepper. Bake for 10 minutes, or until cheese is bubbly and slightly golden.


Mini Heart-Shaped French Toast Casseroles
Dairy

I've been making variations of this recipe for years. It's so easy and a great make-ahead dish for breakfast or brunch. It could also work as dessert. If you'd like to make the dish a little more complex, you could add raisins, bananas, apples, or peaches to the batter or use day old challah or cinnamon/raisin bread.


Mini Heart-Shaped French Toast Casseroles

1 loaf of day old bread, cubed
6 eggs
2 cups of milk
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp vanilla extract (or the seeds of 1 vanilla bean)
maple syrup, as desired
powdered sugar, as desired
butter or margarine

Directions. In a large bowl, beat together eggs, milk, cinnamon and vanilla. Combine with bread cubes until fully coated. Scoop into individual heart-shaped tins or a 9x13 baking dish and chill overnight, if possible. Remove from the refrigerator and dot with butter. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes, or until puffy and golden. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve with warm maple syrup, if desired.