Breakfast of champions. Spring Veggie Exploration: Rhubarb

No matter how swamped with school we are, weekend breakfasts are something we do without fail.  Even if its a quick meal of bacon and eggs, we savor the times when we can sleep in and eat.  Portland residents love brunch and it shows by the amount of "good", and packed, brunch restaurants here.  Its a real treat to have someone visit from out of town so we can go and show off our favorite weekend digs.  On a normal weekend, however, we as students neither have the time to wait and hour for a table, nor the money to shell out for a delicious feast out every weekend.  ... but this doesn't mean that we can't eat like champions every weekend.

In the flurry of moving on Saturday, Nick and I only had an hour to shop, cook, and eat.  My fall-back breakfast items include the quick Bisquick pancakes that we've been making since I was a little kid.  These fluffy round discs have gone through a multitude of toppings, and as I've grown up, so have my choices.  (I am no longer smearing melted chocolate chips on everything.)  I have been wanting to try a rhubarb dish, and this seemed like my perfect opportunity.  Quick and easy has been my motto lately, and this compote definitely stood up to the fancy breakfast we were craving.

Considered a vegetable, Rhubarb tastes the best cooked down like a fruit.  Its tartness pairs well with the likes of apples, pears, and many berries.  BonAppetit.com has a great article about it here.

This was my first rhubarb dish and first time attempting a fruit compote.  I was amazed at how easy it was. I also didn't realize how much the rhubarb would cook down, and thus my thin (1/8") slices fell apart and turned to mush.  Like choosing a material palette for a building, I'm learning a little about ingredient intuition and how certain flavors come together.  Here's this meal's bleuprint.


Pancakes with a Maple Apple Rhubarb Compote
Pancake recipe from Betty Crocker, Makes 6 large Pancakes

2 cups Original Bisquick mix
1 cup milk
2 eggs


Heat a skillet to medium.  Grease with butter, whisk ingredients together and pour onto skillet.  Eat, enjoy!

photo: amy perenchio

Compote Recipe by Amy Perenchio, Serves: 2

1 Large Stalk Rhubarb
1/2 Apple (I used a Pink Lady)
1 Tablespoon Butter
1/4 Cup Brown Sugar
1/2 Teaspoon Cinnamon
2 Tablespoons Maple Syrup


Roughly chop the Rhubarb (1/2" pieces or larger), and dice the apple.  Melt butter into a warmed skillet on medium heat.  Throw in fruit.  Cook down for 2-3 minutes and add the sugar, cinnamon, and syrup.  Turn up the heat and boil until fruit becomes soft.  About 7 minutes total.  Eat, enjoy!

photo: amy perenchio

This meal could be made to be gluten-free by using a gluten-free pancake mix.

Christmas Breakfast Traditions... New and Old.

Merry Christmas to all!  This is going to be part one of a two part Christmas blog.  Breakfast will be posted today, and dinner tomorrow.

For my family, Christmas morning is very low key event.  After we exchange presents, we slowly get breakfast ready, eat, and then hang around all day; usually watching TV.  This year, we're watching Washington State play in the championship game of the Diamond Head Classic.  Go Cougs!  The main food event of the day usually revolves around a very simple brunch of croissant rolls, scrambled eggs, and bacon.  The croissants are something I've grown to look forward to... and in recent years, have adapted into my own brunches throughout the year.

Right now, across the country in Philadelphia, Nick is having his first Christmas away from New Mexico.  He just emailed me a recipe that he and his best friends made yesterday for breakfast, called Breakfast Balls.  It sounds like an amazing meal, and I'm excited to try them sometime soon.  I'm also excited for him to come back home to Portland in a week.

While I have had enjoyed Christmas Croissants for years, Nick's Breakfast Balls could become a really good Christmas Eve tradition.  Both of these recipes require very little preparation, and have proven to be very easy... Perfect for a much needed break from the stress of the holidays.  Here are the recipes and bleuprints for both:

Christmas Croissants, Photo: Amy Perenchio

Christmas Croissants:
(Recipe courtesy of my mom, Sandy Perenchio.)  Serves 5-6 (Makes 16 rolls)

2 Tubes Pillsbury Crescent Rolls
Softened Butter (optional)
Brown Sugar
Cinnamon
Chopped Walnuts
Raisins

My Alternative:
Omit: Walnuts, Raisins
Add: Sliced apple
Use: Vanilla yogurt to dip

Pe-heat oven to 375F.  Unwrap Crescent Rolls and spread on butter.  (This is optional, I don't think it's necessary, but they do always taste better at Christmas... so use your discretion.)  Sprinkle brown sugar, cinnamon, walnuts, and raisins.  Roll and bake for 10 minutes or until brown.  Eat, enjoy!

Breakfast Balls, Photo: Nick Byers

Breakfast Balls:

(Recipe courtesy of Nick's best friends, Nick and Kristel Tafoya) Serves 3 (Makes 9 "Balls")

9 Slices bread

9 Pieces bacon

9 Eggs

Butter

Pre-heat oven to 350F.  Cook bacon halfway in pan.  Butter muffin tin.  Roll Slices of bread with a rolling pin and then cut into semi circular pieces.  Stuff into tin.  Put bacon on top and crack egg over top.  Put in oven and bake for 20 minutes.  Eat, enjoy!