Snow Day Breakfast

With work and school, it can be hard to find the time to make a nice breakfast every day for my little fellows. Snow days are a great opportunity to spend time with my boys and make them something yummy to eat.  And I think cold weather might makes things taste better.




dutch baby
Previous attempts at Dutch Baby have been wildly unsuccessful. Today's turned out perfectly. It's a bit like a crepe batter [more eggs, less flour than pancake batter]. Also known as a German Pancake, I believe they are exactly the same as popovers, only without the special pan. These are crispy on the edges and creamy inside with a hollow center.

makes a 9" loaf pan size, which serves 3-4
 2 eggs
1/4c sugar
1/4c flour
1/2 TB sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 TB butter

Preheat oven to 375. Melt the 1 TB butter and pour into pan. Mix remaining ingredients until smooth. Pour into pan and bake 15-20 min until golden brown. Batter will go from laying in the bottom of the pan to puffing up along the sides.




buttermilk molasses  syrup
I've made pancake syrup with corn syrup before and its hit or miss. Sometimes it tastes nice, other times its just too corn syrup-y. This kind of syrup is really more of a caramel sauce, which is a decadent way to dress up your pancakes, waffles or even toast. Amazing on ice cream too.
The molasses comes from the use of dark brown sugar, but if you dont have it, you could probably substitute the 1/4c water for molasses and get a similar flavor.

Makes about 1/2 cup of syrup.
1/2c dark brown sugar
1/4c water
1TB butter
1tsp maple extract
1 TB buttermilk
pinch of salt

Stir sugar and water together in a saucepan, bring to boil. Boil 2-3 mins. Take off heat, add in butter in pieces and buttermilk. Stir in maple extract and salt, mix till smooth and combined.
Keeps for a few weeks in an airtight container.

soft boiled eggs 
I learned how to make these from a book called Japanese Soul Cooking. They are often used in ramen, bento and make a damn tasty snack. The trick is the exact cooking time and starting the eggs in cold water, not dropping them into boiling water. Do it once and you'll be amazed how easy it is.

makes 4 eggs
4 eggs
pinch of salt

Poke a tiny hole in the bottom of each egg [the round part, not the pointy end] with a pushpin or needle. Place eggs in a saucepan, cover eggs completely with water. Bring to boil. Once it reaches a boil, let cook exactly 5 minutes. Drain the hot water and shock in cold water. Will keep in the 'fridge for several days. Peel and slice right at service time. Serve with a pinch of salt on each yolk.

Steamy coffee action shot!