Blackberry Syrup & Then Some

I couldn’t really tell you why I haven’t been motivated to blog this year… I haven’t been nearly as diligent about going to the grocery store, cooking for one on a weeknight has be come a bit less appealing, and if I’m really honest, I’ve just been prioritizing other things. I’ve been keeping busy by having dinner with friends, pretending to eat healthy, going to the gym a bit, you know usual life things. The usual life things that I am out experiencing, rather than documenting and blogging about.

At the end of the day, I don’t think it really matters because I feel like most things in life wax and wane at some point, and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. I’ve still been enjoying cooking and food and as I downloading the pictures from my trip to Seattle last weekend, I realized I have a lot of things to share with you!

I believe I’ve mentioned before my dad’s epic skills in the garden. The thing that he’s been growing the longest and what we all count down to every year are blackberries. He’s continually trying new recipes and methods to make the most of the fruits of his labor – and because of his diligent efforts we’ve enjoyed some of the best pies, jams, sauces and syrups. Of course, not every recipe comes out just right the first time, but we have experienced some happy accidents, like jam not setting and becoming an equally delicious ice cream topping!

This year he gave me some delectable jam and syrup. Since I don’t usually keep ice cream in the house, I have been eating the syrup on all sorts of morning treats like french toast and pancakes – yum! He’s got this recipe just right and I am using is sparingly hoping that it will tide me over until the next blackberry season.

I made bread in June! Loved my pain de mie with its crisp crust and soft lofty center.

It also made the most delectable french toast. Slice thick. Add a splash of almond extract to the egg. Coat in almonds. Fry!mmm… fresh blackberry syrup on buttermilk pancakes

Blackberry Syrup (adapted from Joy of Cooking)

• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 cup blackberries (pureed and pressed through a fine mesh sieve)
• 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• 1 tablespoon port

Bring the sugar and water to a boil. Add berry puree, lemon zest and port. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 10 minutes or until thickened.

Russell’s Tips:

• Be sure to strain your pureed blackberries, as the seeds are not so pleasant in a smooth syrup.
• The recipe called for a cinnamon stick, if you want more of a spiced syrup you can add the stick to the simmering or a bit of cinnamon powder
• Most importantly – TASTE TASTE TASTE! Every batch of berries is a little different, so be sure to taste as you go and adjust to the sweetness of the fruit you are using.

Cook the Book: JB’s French Toast

Chapter 2: Toasts, French Toasts, and Breakfast Sandwiches – Recipe: J.B.’s French Toast

With a name like James Beard associated with this French toast, how could I not try it? While this chapter is chock full of random things, like sausage and applesauce toast, Welsh Rabbit and strawberry sandwiches, I do love French toast and was drawn to the crunchy exterior of this recipe. Marion says that is her favorite French toast recipe and that James Beard once told her they used to serve it in the dining cars on the Santa Fe Railroad – I was sold.

I actually made this recipe in the Mile High City of Denver with my friend Kendra. She was good enough to put up with me for a whole week over the 4th of July, and I absolutely loved it. It was my second trip out there, and I do love the charming brick houses, the laid back feel and the heat of their summer vs. my blustery SF one. We did a breakfast for dinner one evening with one of her girlfriends, complete with mimosas and breakfast casserole too.

I liked this toast! It had a great crunch on the outside from Corn Flakes, and I especially loved the bites with a lot of sugar that had accumulated in the crevices. Her recipe does state to use a dense white bread – and I wish mine had been denser. I used a loaf of French bread that was just a bit too light resulting in a super custardy center. Not always a bad thing, but I do like a little more solidity to my french toast. Also, be warned that there is a lot of nutmeg in this one! Kendra loved it. Me, not so much. I’ll definitely balance with some cinnamon next time. But overall a nice variation on a classic, great texture, simple to make and paired with some berries, just right for summer.

Be sure to check out the other toast recipes here:

• Rachel, Ode To Goodness
• Natasha, Claro Southwick
• Aimee, Homemade Trade
• Sammy, Rêve du Jour
• Claudie, Bohemian Kitchen

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the fact that Marion Cunningham so unfortunately passed away last week at 90 years old. This New York Times article is a nice snippet of her background and this piece by Michael Bauer is very touching about her, and their relationship. I had no idea she was from the SF Bay Area and had such a hand in the progression of home cooking. To be honest, I didn’t know too much about her before we started this project or her passing (it was all a little before my time) but I am now so happy that we have decided to test out this book and help bring some of her to life.

J.B.’s French Toast* (4 servings)

• 3 eggs
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 cups cornflakes
• 4 tbsp (1/2 stick) butter
• 6 slices dense white bread
• 6 tbsp sugar

Stir the eggs, milk, nutmeg, and salt together in a bowl until well blended. Strain the mixture through a sieve into a shallow bowl in which you can dip the bread easily [I skipped this step and it was just fine]

Crumble the cornflakes slightly (to make each flake about half its original size) and spread them on a piece of waxed paper [I used a shallow bowl, again, just fine]

Dip (don’t soak) both sides of each slice of bread into the milk batter. Then press each slice of bread on both sides into the cornflakes to coat the bread well.

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat and fry 3 slices of bread until golden on each side. When done, sprinkle about 1 tablespoon sugar on top of each slice and keep warm in a 250 degree oven while you fry the other 3 slices in the remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Serve hot.

*Recipe copied from The Breakfast Book, by Marion Cunningham, 1987

Easter Tree & A Strata

I had never heard of an Easter tree until I moved to Germany. I think it may be a tradition for some here, but for me growing up Easter was all about Easter baskets, egg hunts, matching dresses with my sister and a few family get-togethers. However, when we grew out of the candy and filled plastic eggs, there wasn’t much celebrating done.

The year I lived in Germany, celebrating Easter returned with two small kids in the house and I learned about the easter tree. SO cute! Hanging dyed eggs from fresh spring branches is so festive and adorable, I had to continue the tradition when I returned home. Of course, it is essential to have a good egg recipe on hand to make use of all the blown out eggs. A frittata would be perfect or perhaps some soft scrambled eggs, but this strata is one of my favorites.

I’ve been making this strata for a few years, and usually reserve it for Bay to Breakers, but it has also made an appearance on New Year’s morning, at my birthday brunch one year and Christmas morning. It’s a fantastic option for hosting morning events, including Easter brunch, because it can be made the night before and just popped into the oven the morning of. I love the eggy bread on the bottom and crispy texture on top, and the fact that it’s loaded with flavor from sausage, mushrooms and spinach. I made it along side with a bacon and cheese recipe, one time for a larger crowd, and this one won out by a mile. It’s a must try the next time you need a hearty breakfast!

And now for the Easter Tree! I made eggs a few years ago, when I first moved back to San Francisco, and decided this year was the year to make some new ones. I have a lovely bunch of twigs in my apartment that make the perfect tree and made the dyes on my own with food coloring. It’s all the rage to be making dyes with natural foods, beets, etc, but I used what I had on hand and am really pleased the result. I went with just off primary colors, simple linear designs, some over lapping colors and left bits of white for contrast, resulting in an elegant Easter Tree. I love love love it.

The process:

• To blow out the egg, I poked each end with a push-pin, and cracked the holes a bit bigger so my needle would fit through
• Let them rest and dry out for a period of time before dying
• Dye per the instructions of the dye you are using – note: the eggs do not sink! You have to submerge with pressure from a spoon or something to get the whole egg one color
• When they are dry, you can begin threading per the below image instructions.

After this point, tie a knot in the end and rotate the string so that the knot ends up inside the egg

Final result: simple, elegant Easter eggs

Sausage, Spinach, Mushroom Strata

• 4 links mild Italian sausage
• 1 pkg (~10 oz) crimini mushrooms
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 pkg (~9 oz) baby spinach
• 8 cups sourdough bread cut in 1-2 inch cubes
• 2 cups cheddar cheese
• 7 eggs
• 2 cups milk
• Salt & Pepper

Coat 13″x9″ baking dish with cooking spray. Heat a bit of oil in a skillet and brown sausage, transfer to a bowl. In the same skillet brown onions and mushrooms until mushrooms have released their liquid. Add spinach and cook until wilted, season with salt and pepper. Add spinach/mushroom/onion mixture to sausage and mix to evenly distribute. Place half of bread on bottom of pan. Top with sausage mixture and 1 cup cheese. Place rest of bread cubes on top. In a separate bowl mix eggs and milk, season with salt and pepper. Pour liquid over bread. Press down to make sure all bread is submerged. Cover and refrigerate 8 hrs or overnight.

Heat oven to 350 degrees and bake for 50-55 min until top is slightly brown. During last 10 minutes of cooking sprinkle remaining cheddar cheese over strata. Let cool 10 min before serving. Serve warm.

Recipe Repeat: Scrambled Eggs and Bacon

I don’t know why it’s taken me so long to post this,  seeing as that it was SO good. I think I felt kind of awkward posting about breakfast again and I had a mildly busy week. But really, the breakfast I made last weekend is nothing to be shy about. I was inspired by this recipe on Gilt Taste where Ruth Reichl explains the technique to making fabulous scrambled eggs, namely being a sauce pot rather than a frying pan, low heat and lots and lots of butter. This was similar to the double boiler scrambled eggs I made last year, here, and they were so good last time I wanted to try them again using the true sauce pot technique. The result was SUPER creamy eggs, with the smallest curds that were almost like a sauce over my veggies and toast.

In addition to the luscious eggs, I sautéed some asparagus and mushrooms with onion and garlic in my new cast iron skillet. I can tell already I’m going to love that thing. The onions caramelized and salt and pepper was all seasoning the vegetables needed to be amazing. I put a touch of tarragon in the eggs, which is really mild and almost a sweet, it paired back really well to the onions and mushrooms. I also added some goat cheese to the eggs, right at the end, which helped balance out the sweet notes. I loaded it all up on toast (two pieces with the bottoms touching are why it looks round) and served it with a side of brown sugar bacon like I had made here, and it was perfect.

The following night, I had left over veggies and served up the same elements in a slightly different fashion – I spread the goat cheese on the toast and put a fried egg on top. Oh, how I LOVE a runny yolk. Just as amazing.

Scrambled Eggs and Bacon*

• Whisk eggs with salt and a pinch of tarragon. Heat a sauce pot over low low heat and melt some butter. Add eggs and continuously stir, eventually it will thicken with the smallest of curds. Cook until done, adding goat cheese at the very end, mix in and leave clumps of cheese to your desire.
• Heat oil in a cast iron skillet. Add finely chopped onions and salt, saute until translucent. Add garlic, cook for a minute. Add asparagus and mushrooms, cook for a few minutes to brown, then add salt and pepper to taste. Cook until vegetables are tender.
• Toss 8 oz of bacon with 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1/4 tsp ancho chili powder, 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper. Line rimmed baking sheet with foil. It’s better if you cook on a cooling rack, or something for the grease to drip down, but in a pinch you can just cook on the foil. Lay out bacon and cook at 375 for 15-30 min until brown and crisp.

* click on the links above for more detailed recipes, but the gist of them is here.