theme: Brunch

Posted on » by Michael » Theme:

Greek Salad

Why This Recipe Works

Most versions of Greek salad consist of iceberg lettuce, chunks of green pepper, and a few pale wedges of tomato, sparsely dotted with cubes of feta and garnished with one forlorn olive of questionable heritage. For our Greek salad, we aimed a little higher: We wanted a salad with crisp ingredients and bold flavors, highlighted by briny olives and tangy feta, all blended together with a bright-tasting dressing infused with fresh herbs. For a dressing with balanced flavor, we used a combination of lemon juice and red wine vinegar and added fresh oregano, olive oil, and a small amount of garlic. We poured the dressing over fresh vegetables, including Romaine lettuce, tomatoes, onions, and cucumbers, as well as other ingredients, including fresh mint and parsley, roasted peppers, and a generous sprinkling of feta cheese and olives.

 

Ingredients

Vinaigrette

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 ½ teaspoons lemon juice from 1 lemon
2 teaspoons minced fresh oregano leaves
½ teaspoon table salt
⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 medium clove garlic, pressed through garlic press or minced (about 1 teaspoon)
6 tablespoons olive oil

Salad

½ medium red onion, sliced thin (about 3/4 cup)
1 medium cucumber, peeled, halved lengthwise, seeded, and cut into 1/8-inch-thick slices (about 2 cups)
2 hearts romaine lettuce, washed, dried thoroughly, and torn into 1 1/2-inch-pieces (about 8 cups)
2 large vine-ripened tomatoes (10 ounces total), each tomato cored, seeded, and cut into 12 wedges
¼ cup loosely packed torn fresh parsley leaves
¼ cup loosely packed torn fresh mint leaves
6 ounces jarred roasted red bell pepper, cut into 1/2 by 2-inch strips (about 1 cup)
20 large kalamata olives, each olive pitted and quartered lengthwise
5 ounces feta cheese, crumbled (1 cup)
Nutritional Information

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION

Per Serving (Serves 6)

  • Calories 244
  • Cholesterol 21 mg
  • Fat 20 g
  • Sodium 532 mg
  • Saturated 5 g
  • Carbs 11 g
  • Trans 0g
  • Dietary Fiber 3 g
  • Monounsaturated 12 g
  • Sugar 5 g
  • Polyunsaturated 1 g
  • Protein 5 g

Instructions

Serves 6 to 8

Marinating the onion and cucumber in the vinaigrette tones down the onion’s harshness and flavors the cucumber. For efficiency, prepare the other salad ingredients while the onion and cucumber marinate. Use a salad spinner to dry the lettuce thoroughly after washing; any water left clinging to the leaves will dilute the dressing.

1. Whisk vinaigrette ingredients in large bowl until combined. Add onion and cucumber and toss; let stand to blend flavors, about 20 minutes.

2. Add romaine, tomatoes, parsley, mint, and peppers to bowl with onions and cucumbers; toss to coat with dressing.

3. Transfer salad to wide, shallow serving bowl or platter; sprinkle olives and feta over salad. Serve immediately.

Per Serving:

Cal 180; Fat 14 g; Sat fat 3.5 g; Chol 10 mg; Carb 8 g; Protein 5 g; Fiber 2 g; Sodium 600 mg

Posted on » by Dino » Theme:

Dutch Baby

“This classic American treat is somewhere between a pancake and a popover. Serve it warm, sprinkled with sugar and lemon juice.”

Recipe adapted from Serious Eats

  • Yield: Serves 6–8
  • Active time: 10 mins
  • Total time: 30 mins

*Note: It is important to let your eggs and milk come to room temperature before using.

Ingredients

  • 3 large eggs, left at room temperature for 30 minutes
  • 3 tablespoons sugar, plus more for garnish
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ¼ teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
  • ⅔ cup (about 3.75 ounces) flour
  • ⅔ cup milk, at room temperature
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
  • ½ lemon for juicing, optional

Directions

  1. Place skillet in oven on middle rack and preheat to 400°F.
  2. In the bowl of a food processor combine eggs, sugar, cinnamon, salt, and vanilla extract. Pulse until combined. Add flour and pulse to combine. With motor running, add milk, and process for 30 seconds.
  3. Take hot skillet out of oven and add butter, swirling to coat pan until butter is melted.
  4. Pour batter into pan. Bake until dough is puffed and golden, about 20-25 minutes. Serve immediately, with extra sugar sprinkled on top, and a squeeze of lemon, if desired.

Posted on » by Dino » Theme:

Overnight Brown-Butter Yeast-Raised Waffles with Lemon Chantilly

A post shared by Ashley Covelli (@bigflavors) on

Notes

I had made this recipe for Overnight Yeasted Waffles before and they we OK. Our standard waffle recipe is very good and has become such a favorite that all of the buzz about yeasted waffles didn’t really live up to the hype. They were perhaps only marginally better.

I found this new recipe for Overnight Brown-Butter Yeast-Raised Waffles and not only did it look easier but the thought of the golden brown butter flavoring made my mouth water. I’m happy at how it turned out, but it made much less than I thought it would! Pay attention to the serving size here, you may need to double or even triple it if you’re having guests.

The Lemon Chantilly was a suggested accompaniment and somewhat of an afterthought, but it turned out to be a stellar! I ended up macerating the lemons overnight since the waffle batter was also prepared the night before.

Yield

Makes two 8-inch square waffles or three 7-inch Belgian waffles

Timing

Active Time: About 10 minutes for waffles, 15 minutes for Chantilly & Lemon Syrup
Total Time: 12 to 18 hours

Ingredients

For the Waffles

  • 3 ounces unsalted butter (6 tablespoons; 85g)
  • 3/4 ounce sugar (4 teaspoons; 20g)
  • 1 teaspoon (4g) Diamond Crystal kosher salt (for table salt, use half as much by volume or use the same weight)
  • 10 ounces cold milk; any percentage will do (1 1/4 cup; 280g)
  • 1 large egg, cold
  • 7 1/2 ounces all-purpose flour (1 1/2 cups; 210g)
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons (4g) instant dry yeast (not rapid-rise)
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • Safflower, vegetable, or canola oil for greasing the iron, if needed

For the Lemon Chantilly

  • 4 ounces (1/2 cup; 110g) heavy whipping cream, cold
  • 2 ounces (1/4 cup; 55g) fresh lemon syrup, cold
  • 1/8 ounce (1 tablespoon; 4g) freshly grated lemon zest

For the Lemon Syrup

  • 15 ounces (2 1/2 cups; 425g) “used” lemon rinds, from 6 medium lemons or 12 Meyer lemons
  • 7 ounces (1 cup; 200g) sugar

Instructions

For the Batter

  1. Melt butter in a 3-quart stainless steel saucier or saucepan, stirring and scraping with a heat-resistant spatula as it bubbles, and cook until golden brown.
  2. Remove from heat and immediately stir in sugar, salt, and milk, followed by egg.
  3. Sift in flour and stir until smooth.
  4. Add yeast and baking soda last, stirring to combine.
  5. Cover and refrigerate overnight, between 12 and 18 hours. The batter should be gooey and spongy at this point.

For the Lemon Syrup

  1. Cut each lemon into a few chunks and toss with sugar in a large glass, ceramic, or stainless steel mixing bowl. Cover tightly and let stand at room temperature, stirring once every 45 minutes or so, until sugar has completely dissolved, about 3 hours (or up to 12 if timing is an issue).
  2. Using a cheesecloth-lined or fine-mesh stainless steel strainer set over a nonreactive bowl, strain syrup.
  3. Working in batches, transfer rinds to a stainless steel potato ricer and squeeze to release any extra syrup, allowing it to pass through strainer into bowl; discard rinds. Refrigerate syrup for up to 3 months in a glass bottle or pint jar.

For the Lemon Chantilly

  1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, combine cream, lemon syrup, and zest (if using).
  2. Whip at medium-high speed until fluffy and thick, about 5 minutes. Use immediately, or refrigerate for up to 1 week in an airtight container. For piping, re-whip the Chantilly after 24 hours.

For the Waffles

  1. Set waffle iron to medium and preheat until the indicator is ready; if using cast iron, brush lightly with safflower, vegetable, or canola oil.
  2. For an 8-inch square machine, scrape in half of the batter per batch. For a 7-inch Belgian machine, scrape in about one-third.
  3. Close lid and griddle until golden brown but still steaming, 5 to 7 minutes depending on the depth and heat of your machine. (Cooked waffles can be held on a rack in a 200°F oven while remaining batches are cooked.)
  4. Serve immediately with Lemon Chantilly and/or maple syrup.