Wake Up!

In the spirit of spring and summer Sunday mornings on the Central Coast, here are some mouthwatering breakfast ideas that will get your taste buds humming and maybe brain cells working after a long Saturday night. Sweet and savory pancakes, grilled French toast, homemade chocolate granola and creamy banana oatmeal are some of the highlights this issue. Enjoy!

Makes 6 4-inch pancakes

Serves 2-3

Citrusy and light with crisp edges, this yeasted pancake is spongy and screaming to be covered in honey-butter and pistachios .

1 cup fine semolina

1/2 tsp dry activated yeast

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp sugar

1 cup whole milk, heated 105-110 degrees

1 room temperature egg

1 tsp orange zest, plus more for garnishing butter for greasing pan honey butter, whipped pistachio, crushed

In a blender, combine semolina, yeast, salt, baking powder, and sugar. Blend for 10 seconds. Add warm milk, egg and zest. Blend for 1 minute. Let mixture rest in a warm spot (70-80 degrees) for 30 minutes or until mixture doubles in size.

Heat a griddle or skillet to medium-high heat. Using a 2-oz ladle, measure portions of batter onto butter greased griddle. Allow space for spreading. Fry pancakes until the tops are full of popped bubbles, begin to look dry, and bottoms are golden brown. Don’t flip, as these only get cooked on one side.

Serve pancakes bubble side up. Top with butter, honey, pistachios and orange zest to taste.

savory dutch BaBy

Makes 1 10-inch pancake

Serves 4

A tender custard filled with fresh chive and sharp cheddar cheese, balanced with sweet asparagus, smoky ham, and tart crème fraîche

INGREDIENTS

4 tbsp room temperature unsalted butter, plus 2 tbsp more for pan

3 eggs

3/4 cup whole milk

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp salt

1 bunch chives, thinly sliced

3/4 cup grated aged cheddar cheese

1 bunch asparagus tops, blanched, chilled and tossed with salt, pepper, lemon and olive oil

6 oz thinly sliced ham

2 tbsp crème fraiche

PROCEDURE

In a blender, combine flour and salt, blend for 10 seconds. Add butter (4 tbsp), eggs and milk, blend for 1 minute. Leave batter in blender and let rest for 20-25 minutes. Add chives and cheddar cheese to blender, pulse once or twice to combine.

Place a medium cast-iron skillet or pan on the middle rack of oven. Preheat oven and skillet to 425 degrees.

Add butter to heated pan, swirl until it melts and coats the skillet. Pour batter into skillet, bake for 20 minutes or until pancake is puffed and lightly brown.

While Dutch baby bakes, prepare asparagus. Garnish the warm Dutch baby with asparagus spears, ham, and crème fraîche. Cut into four pieces and serve immediately.

Makes 5 6-inch pancakes

Serves 4-6

Fluffy, nutty and filled with citrus zest, these power pancakes are topped with creamy almond butter, toasted coconut, kiwi and blackberries

INGREDIENTS

1 cup oat flour

1 1/2 cups blanched almond flour

1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes, toasted, plus more for garnishing

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp salt

1 1/2 cups plain almond milk

3 tbsp coconut oil, melted, plus more for pan

4 tsp fresh citrus zest, lemon, orange and lime

2 egg yolks

2 egg whites, whipped to soft peaks almond butter kiwi, sliced and diced blackberries, split toasted coconut maple syrup, warmed

Heat a griddle or skillet to medium-low heat.

In a blender, combine oat flour, almond flour, toasted coconut flakes, baking soda, baking powder, and salt, blend for 10 seconds. Add almond milk, melted coconut oil, egg yolksl and citrus zest. Blend for 1 minute. Using a rubber spatula, slowly pour and fold pancake mixture into whipped egg whites until just combined, don’t overmix.

Using a 4-oz ladle, measure portions of batter onto coconut oil greased griddle. Allow space for spreading. Fry pancakes until the tops are full of bubbles and begin to look dry and bottoms are golden brown, about 5-6 minutes. Flip and brown the other side, about 1 minute.

To assemble, quarter each pancake, spread a thin layer of almond butter on each layer, top with kiwi, blackberries, toasted coconut, warm maple syrup. Serve immediately.

Serves 2

Tangy yogurt and smoked salmon are layered atop crunchy toast Dukkah adds pops of complex flavors while the jicama is a fresh and sweet accompaniment

Dukkah

2 tbsp hazelnuts

2 tbsp coriander seeds

1 tbsp cumin seeds

1 tbsp sesame seeds

1 tbsp nigella seeds

1 tsp fennel seeds

1/4 tsp salt

Hearty Breakfast Toast

2 slices bread of choice, toasted

4-6 tbsp plain yogurt

4 oz smoked salmon or lox, divided

2 tbsp dukkah, plus more if wanted

1/2 cup jicama, peeled and diced small

2 tbsp chopped parsley

1 tbsp fresh lemon juice

1 tbsp olive oil salt and pepper to taste

For the dukkah in a dry skillet over mediumlow heat, toast the nuts and seeds shaking the pan to toast evenly and to avoid burning. Toast until fragrant and the oils are released, or 4 to 6 minutes. Set aside and let cool. Once cooled, combine, nuts, seeds, and salt in spice grinder and pulse until desired consistency is reached; coarser is my personal favorite. Store in airtight container for later. Dukkah can be made a few days ahead of time and will keep for one week.

In a small bowl combine jicama, parsley, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper, mix and set aside while you assemble the toast.

Divide and smear 2-3 tablespoons of yogurt on top of each toast. Top with 2 ounces of smoked salmon and 1 tablespoon of prepared dukkah. Spoon half of the jicama-parsley salad over the toast and serve immediately.

This tasty, meatless quiche is easy to make and looks great when it’s finished.

INGREDIENTS:

2 tbsp butter

1 onion, minced

1 tsp minced garlic

2 cups chopped fresh broccoli

1 (9 inch) unbaked pie crust

1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (you can easy substitute cheddar cheese for this step)

4 eggs, well beaten

1 1/2 cups milk

Salt & Pepper to taste (roughly 1/2 tspof each)

1 tbsp butter, melted

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 C).

2. Over medium-low heat melt butter in a large saucepan. Add onions, garlic, and broccoli. Cook slowly, stirring occasionally until the vegetables are soft. Spoon vegetables into crust and sprinkle with cheese.

3. Combine eggs and milk. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in melted butter. Pour egg mixture over vegetables and cheese.

4. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until center has set.

What to do with the dinner party leftovers… with say pasta Bolognese, especially when the party goes until the wee hours

Sauté a handful of spinach with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Add in left over Bolognese sauce (chunky preferred) then heat through. Make a hole in center of pan and crack egg