breakfast

Simple Recipe: Easy Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp

14 May 2013

Spring is in gloriously full bloom here in the Northeast and it seems that everyone’s gardens are producing beautiful flowers and fruit. Last week, we were having lunch with James’ parents and they sent us home with a bouquet of rhubarb. I’ve never cooked with rhubarb before, so I looked around at a whole bunch of recipes and combined them to create this one.

The entire thing took 20 minutes of hands-on time, which was perfect because we brought it to a family breakfast gathering — and I’m not much of a morning person. So the easier, the better! It turned out to be just the right balance of sweet and tart, with a satisfyingly crunchy topping.

Ingredients:

3 cups quartered strawberries
3 cups diced rhubarb
1/2 cup white sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 orange zested and juiced
1 tablespoon vanilla

Topping:
1 1/2 cup flour
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup softened butter (room temperature)
1 cup old fashioned oats
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine the strawberries, rhubarb, cornstarch, orange juice and zest, and vanilla with a wooden soon.

2. Combine topping ingredients by pulsing in a food processor (with a pastry attachment if you have one).

3. Spoon the strawberry/rhubarb mixture into a pie pan, cast iron skillet, or baking pan. Layer with topping. Bake for 25-30 minutes.

This recipe fits in a 9″ x 13″ pan, two pie pans, or a large cast iron skillet. I opted for a pie pan and a smaller skillet because I’m a rebel like that.

We topped this with homemade whipped cream and devoured it with good, strong coffee. James’ mom even went for seconds — the ultimate seal of approval.

What’s your favorite thing to make with rhubarb?

{8 Comments} Filed Under: Simple Recipes Tagged With: breakfast, Dessert, recipes, Spring Recipes

Simple Recipe: Berry Oatmeal Brûlée

23 Apr 2013

Each city I’ve lived in has brought a host of new foods to my world. When I lived in Portland, one of my favorite discoveries was oatmeal brûlée. My friend Kim and I love meeting for chats at Lovejoy Bakers, where I had my first oatmeal brûlée experience. Then, a couple of weeks ago, Stephanie took me to La Provence bakery where I was excited to see it on the menu again. Since I live across the country from both of those lovely establishments, I decided that it’s time to take matters into my own hands by making it myself.

Ingredients

The ingredients will vary a bit depending on your method of cooking the steel cut oats. Steel cut oats are the inner part of the oat kernel that have been sliced down to small bits. While these take longer to cook than regular oatmeal, the result is totally worth it. Check out the decadent version and the healthier version (vegan). You’ll need:

Steel Cut Oats (If you’re gluten-free, and even if you’re not, you’ll love Bob’s Red Mill’s gluten free steel cut oats.)
Brown Sugar
Berries

Other tools: Ramekins and either your oven or a brûlée torch.

Instructions:

1. Cook your steel cut oatmeal according to your preferred recipe and allow to cool to room temperature. You may also cook the oatmeal in advance and refrigerate it, then warm it just a little in the microwave (in 20 second increments).

2. Line the bottom of your ramekins with berries. I used raspberries and blueberries, but any kind of berry will do.

3. Spoon some oatmeal on top of the berries, then sprinkle with a generous layer of brown sugar.

4. If you’re using your oven, place the ramekins on a baking sheet under the broiler for 5 to 8 minutes. Otherwise, get out your brûlée torch and lightly toast the brown sugar as you would a creme brûlée. I like to do two layers of brown sugar to get that extra bit of crunch.

Now I have something new to add to my brunch repertoire! Since you can prepare the oatmeal in advance, you’ll just have to assemble and brûlée before guests arrive. It’s also the perfect thing for those of us who don’t have time to prepare breakfast during the week.

Happy brûlée-ing!

{19 Comments} Filed Under: Simple Recipes Tagged With: breakfast, Gluten Free, Portland, recipes, Vegan

Early Birds

6 Mar 2012

As most of you know, my commute right now lasts about 30 seconds, but it wasn’t always so. I’ve worked my share of 8 to 5 jobs, many of them with long commutes on public transportation (Oh, that love/hate relationship with the T!). Even now, I sometimes have to leave the house to get to a morning meeting, and no matter how much time I give myself it never feels like enough. I’m always rushing out the door, inevitably forgetting something important.

To simplify these mad morning dashes, I’ve developed a few tricks. And by tricks, I mostly mean that I’ve found awesome products that aid in minimizing my scattered-ness in the morning.

1. Theory ‘Soream – Glowing’ A-Line Silk Shirtdress 2. MAC Studio Fix Powder Plus Foundation 3. Tiger .45 Liter Thermal Vacuum Tumbler 4. Brookstone Wireless Key Tracker

I’m all about the shirtdress — one piece, how much easier can it get? My friend Kim recommended the Studio Fix powder, which basically took my foundation application time from five minutes to about twenty seconds. The Tiger mug is amazing because its supernatural powers keep your coffee or tea warm for hours, so you can make it first thing without worrying about getting stuck with a lukewarm drink. Oh, and just when I think I’m ready to hit the road, I’m always, always digging for my keys…so this Brookstone remote is a lifesaver.

And what about breakfast? Well, you’re in luck — the folks over at TheKitchn just posted a roundup of make-ahead breakfast recipes. I’m in love with the idea of pre-making oatmeal and storing it in handy Mason jars that you can just toss in your bag on the way out the door. Genius!