Eat. Drink. Memory.

Southern sausage biscuits

I was craving some big old fluffy biscuits with country sausage.

Off to the store we went to grab some savory sausage.

Back home in the kitchen, we got busy with the flour, Crisco, butter and rolling pin.

My mom has an old Calumet baking powder can she uses to make perfect little cat's paw-sized biscuits.

That's how the old school Southern gals do it. They're not using any cookie cutter. 

Mom's biscuits are some of the best I've ever eaten, real met in the mouth goodness.  I make a decent biscuit, but it takes a lot of biscuit-making to master this simple home recipe.

Not to worry, you can make good biscuits too.  The Alton Brown recipe below is as good a starting place as any.

Southern Biscuits

makes 1 dozen

Ingredients

• 2 cups flour
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons shortening
• 1 cup buttermilk, chilled

Preparation

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Using your fingertips, rub butter and shortening into dry ingredients until mixture looks like crumbs. (The faster the better, you don't want the fats to melt.) Make a well in the center and pour in the chilled buttermilk. Stir just until the dough comes together. The dough will be very sticky.

Turn dough onto floured surface, dust top with flour and gently fold dough over on itself 5 or 6 times. Press into a 1-inch thick round. Cut out biscuits with a 2-inch cutter, being sure to push straight down through the dough. Place biscuits on baking sheet so that they just touch. Reform scrap dough, working it as little as possible and continue cutting. (Biscuits from the second pass will not be quite as light as those from the first, but hey, that's life.)

Bake until biscuits are tall and light gold on top, 15 to 20 minutes.

Berry sweet brunch for Valentine sweethearts

This year, Valentine’s Day falls on one of the least romantic days of the week: Sunday. But while Sunday may not shine in the romance department, it positively owns brunch. So let’s make the most of it, shall we?

Invite two or three couples over and celebrate the fact that cupid’s arrow finally hit its target and the pressure is off!

Start by setting the table with red and pink accessories like red carnations, candy hearts and vases filled with red and white M&M’S®. Use old-fashioned Valentine cards as place cards.

Now for the most important element – the food. Brunch is all about variety. So take the time to buy or prepare several dishes.

Fruit is a brunch staple. We happen to love incorporating raspberries and strawberries into the menu, not only for their color, but because they’re yummy and healthy, too. In fact, topping traditional pancakes or waffles with Fresh Raspberry Sauce instantly updates an old favorite. For a more savory menu item, try a Raspberry Ham Frittata or Goat Cheese and Strawberry Bruschetta.

We heart pink drinks! Valentine’s Day is the perfect time break out the Maker’s Mark and whip up a refreshing Belmont Breeze. And for those who don’t imbibe, try a simple strawberry smoothie.

What could possibly be sweeter than your sweetheart? That’d be dessert. Strawberry Crème Brulee is a fabulous treat that is as easy on the eyes as it is the taste buds.

Strawberry Crème Brulee

Prep time: 15 minutes
Bake time: 35 minutes
Makes 6 servings
 
Crème Brulee:

1 package (16 ounces) Driscoll’s Strawberries, hulled, divided
2 cups half and half
7 egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup light brown sugar, divided
 
Heat oven to 325°F. Place six 6-ounce ramekins in a roasting pan; set aside.  
 
Coarsely chop 4 strawberries and evenly divided in bottom of each ramekin. Bring half and half to a boil in a saucepot over medium heat. Whisk egg yolks, sugar and vanilla in a bowl 2 minutes or until golden yellow. Slowly whisk hot half & half into egg mixture. Divide among prepared ramekins. Pour enough hot water into roasting pan to reach halfway up sides of ramekins.
 
Bake 35 minutes or until edges of custard are set and center jiggles when ramekin is tapped. Remove from hot water bath and cool to room temperature. Cover each one with plastic wrap and refrigerate 2 hours or overnight.
 
Heat broiler. Press through a sieve 2 teaspoon light brown sugar evenly over the top of each custard. Arrange custards on a baking sheet and place 2 inches from source of heat. Broil until sugar melts and bubbles.
 
Top each with a strawberry halved.
 
Nutrition Per Serving: 285 calories, 13.26g total fat, 7.23 saturated fat, 6.33g protein, 31.85g carbohydrate, 284.74mg cholesterol, 1.03g fiber, 51.27mg sodium
 
Tip: lighten up the recipe by replacing half and half with milk

I love the egg man

You know how sexy it is to wake up to the aroma of bacon frying, bread baking and coffee brewing, right.

Unfortunately, you would not be at my house this morning. I woke to the smell of tuna and hard boiled eggs. My nocturnal reverie - the one where I wake up to the Stepford husband with terrific morning breath who makes me breakfast in bed after snacking on me - was shattered.

Luckily, I'm not one to let fantasies interrupted ruin my day, so I managed to roll myself out of bed, ignoring the unsensual tuna salad scents, and fumble my way to the coffee pot.  Once lubricated with my brew, I felt ready to consider my morning meal.

Enter the egg.

After years of derision as a dietary foe responsible for heart disease, the lowly egg - inexpensive, low fat and a good source of protein - seems geared for a comeback. A mainstay of many diets around the globe since ancient times, the egg always has been my friend.  Eggs are delicious and can be prepared as easily or complexly as you desire. 

Who can argue with the beauty and simplicity - not to mention the savory flavor - of the deviled egg? The precursor to our modern finger food was an Ancient Roman recipe for boiled eggs "seasoned with broth, oil, pure wine, or are served with broth, pepper and laser," according to Apicius: Cooking and Dining in Imperial Rome. You know those Italians can throw some food on the table.

Anyone who has ever watched their lovingly crafted souffle deflate minutes before meal time can attest to the complexity of this egg-based dish. According to the Oxford Companion to Food, the souffle, a light and frothy concoction either savory or sweet,  was an 18th century culinary creation, whose name was derived from the French word meaning puffed up. Antoine Beauvilliers, author of  L'Art du Cuisinier, was making souffles as early as 1782.  I doubt you'll get any argument that the French know their way around a kitchen.

I might mention as well the contribution of the egg to Asian culinary arts - Chowan Mushi, the delicate Japanese steamed egg custard, for one, the nutritious and delicious Egg Curry found in Indian and Nepalese cooking, and the delicacy of preserved quail eggs in Chinese cooking

I'm not going to contest the cooking skills or ingredient choice of some of history's best cooks. No, I'm right there with them.

This morning's fried egg, seasoned with salt and pepper, then sandwiched between two buttered and toasted English muffin halves, may not have been the most sophisticated fare, but it sure did satisfy.

Egg in the Nest or Toad in the Hole

Growing up we called this breakfast treat Egg in the Nest. You might know it as Toad in the Hole.By either name, it's delicious and easy to make. 

Kids and kids at heart love it.  

The Culinary Institute of America Cookbook has a recipe for this breakfast classic that includes Red Pepper Ketchup.

Toad in the Hole with Red Pepper Ketchup

Serves 8

Ingredients

16 slices sourdough bread, about 3/4 inch thick

1 cup melted butter or as needed

16 eggs

2 teaspoons salt or to taste

1 teaspoon black pepper or to taste

1 cup Red Pepper Ketchup (recipe below)

Cut holes in each slice of bread with a 2 1/2-inch biscuit cutter. Be sure not to get too close to the edge of the bread. Brush both sides of each slice of bread with the melted butter.

Heat a griddle to medium heat (the CIA cookbook calls for a gas grill or charcoal grill but for indoors I suggest a griddle, either electric or stove top). Griddle the bread on one side until golden brown' about 1-2 minutes. Flip each piece of bread over and crack one egg into the hole in each piece of bread.

Season the eggs with salt and pepper. Fry the eggs about 2 minutes for sunny-side-up, 3 minutes for medium yolks and 3 1/2 to 4 minutes for hard yolks. Flip the bread over, being careful not to break the yolk, and cook for 30 seconds more, if desired.

Serve immediately with the Red Pepper Ketchup on top or on the side.

Red Pepper Ketchup

Makes 2 cups

Ingredients

1/4 cup olive oil

5 red peppers, diced

2 tablespoons minced shallots

3/4 cups dry white wine

3/4 cup chicken or vegetable broth

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Heat the olive oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the peppers and shallots and saute until tender, about 5 to six minutes.

Deglaze the pan with the white wine, making sure to scrape up anything that is stuck to the bottom of the pan.

Top Paris pastry chef opens Nutella patissierie

I am of a certain age, which here means that I can remember a time that Nutella was sadly NOT available in US groceries.

I remember stashing jars of the chocolatey, nutty goodness in my suitcase to hold me until my next trip over the pond.

Thank goodness this indignity has been rectified, although I still think the European product far superior to what we mere Nutella newbies get stateside. And technically, US Nutella is manufactured in Canada.

For those of you fortunate enough to find yourselves in Paris, My Little Paris, the insider's guide to La Ville-Lumière or the City of Lights, suggests La pâtisserie des rêves (93 rue du Bac, 7th Metro Rue du Bac or Sèvres Babylone tel : 00 33 1 42 84 00 82) where pastry chef Phillippe Conticini creates the recipes in his cookbook,Sensations Nutella dedicated exclusively to the jar of chocolately, nutty deliciousness.

We can't think of anything more divine.

Moja Mix: make your own muesli giveaway

"When you wake up in the morning, Pooh," said Piglet at last, "what's the first thing you say to yourself?"

"What's for breakfast?" said Pooh. "What do you say, Piglet?"

"I say, I wonder what's going to happen exciting today?" said Piglet.

Pooh nodded thoughtfully.

"It's the same thing," he said.

Winnie the Pooh has the right idea. Breakfast should be exciting - not blah.

The creators of Moja Mix have set up a website where you can chase away the breakfast blues by customizing your own special breakfast mix guaranteed to put a smile on your mug.

The site is easy to navigate and offers thousands of possibilities. Choose from endless varieties of grains, nuts, and dried fruits or pick a pre-mixed cereal. 

Average cost is $9-10 for a 12-ounce custom mix.

Breakfast for dinner: omelets anytime with Julia

The newly released movie, Julie and Julia has everyone celebrating the late  and very wonderful American chef Julia Child.

I love her enthusiasm for even the simplest of meals and this video detailing the proper way to make an omelet is a classic. Child introduced the French technique to an American audience hungry for a new and nuanced way of cooking.

Break some eggs and enjoy a simple satisfying meal.

I wonder what's for breakfast

“"When you wake up in the morning, Pooh," said Piglet at last, "what's the first thing you say to yourself?"

"What's for breakfast?" said Pooh. "What do you say, Piglet?"

"I say, I wonder what's going to happen exciting today?" said Piglet. 

Pooh nodded thoughtfully.

"It's the same thing," he said.”

My feelings exactly.  Right now I think a waffle from the Waffle & Dinges truck would be just about right.

Brunch after the Easter Bunny

After the Bunny's hit the trail, try this twist on a classic brunch French Toast recipe (McCormick's)

Stuffed French Toast
serves 8

Ingredients

1 tub (8 ounces) whipped cream cheese

1 tablespoon brown sugar

3 teaspoons McCormick® Cinnamon, Ground, divided

1 1/2 teaspoons McCormick® Pure Vanilla Extract, divided

16 slices Italian bread (1/2-inch thick)

1/2 cup apricot preserves or jam

5 eggs

1 cup milk

2 tablespoons butter, divided

DIRECTIONS

1. Mix cream cheese, brown sugar, 2 teaspoons of the cinnamon and 1 teaspoon of the vanilla in small bowl until well blended. Spread 2 tablespoons of cream cheese mixture on each of 8 slices of bread. Spread 1 tablespoon of preserves on each of the remaining 8 slices of bread. Press one each of the bread slices together to form 8 sandwiches.

2. Beat eggs in shallow bowl. Stir in milk, remaining 1 teaspoon cinnamon and remaining 1/2 teaspoon vanilla until well blended. Dip sandwiches in egg mixture, soaking for 2 minutes on each side.

3. Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in large nonstick skillet on medium-low heat. Place 4 of the sandwiches in skillet. Cook 4 to 5 minutes per side or until golden brown. Repeat with remaining sandwiches, adding remaining 1 tablespoon butter to skillet. Serve French toast with maple syrup, if desired.

That's so special: eggs and caviar

Mom was right. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. I like breakfast so much that sometimes I have it for dinner!

There is a benefit to following the inverted pyramid method -- eating your big meal in the beginning of the day and gradually decreasing the amount of food you eat. For starters, you eat less during the day if you start it off with protein, fruits and grains.   A light dinner makes for easier digestion and better sleep.

I don't particularly care for cereal. It's quick and if you have young kids, they can make their own breakfast on Saturday morning so you can sleep in.  General Mills and company should use this gem as a marketing tool. I guarantee the Sugar Pops would fly off the shelves.

But, all kidding aside (wink-wink), I like to have breakfasts that look posh but are actually pretty effortless.  So much the better if I can have a delicious and nutritious breakfast for my evening repast.

One of my favorites: a simple omelette served with a dollop of sour cream topped with a big spoonful of caviar.  Looks fabulous, tastse great and takes mere minutes to prepare.  The special-ness factor runs high when you break out the caviar. 

Celebrate your special-ness.