Tag: Weekend Brunch

Sweet Lavender Scones

Published on by Dawn7 Comments

Sweet Lavender Scones

Wow – I can’t believe it has been a week since my last post – this week just flew by, and before I knew it, I already missed my mid-week window.  It has been a little busy around here, between work and kids stuff, there hasn’t been a minute to spare.  Why is it that every year I forget how busy the end of the school year gets?  Just 6 more weeks to go…and since I am not a Super-Mom, things are bound to slip through the cracks.

The other week we were talking about the mom of one of my older daughter’s friends.  She categorized her as a Super-Mom – I agreed, not really knowing what the definition was.  So – I asked if I was a Super-Mom?  Both my girls unanimously agreed that I was not.  So – I asked what the criteria was to be a Super-Mom, and they explained the following:  you don’t work, you are on the PTA, and you can have lots of kids at your house at any time day or night.  Ok, so I guess I failed on all points.

The other day I was telling some Moms about this at boot camp – both stay-at-home moms, and one of them added:  and you probably don’t have fresh-baked cookies for them when they get home from school.  BUT WAIT – so I might not have them ready for when they come home from school – but my children probably eat more fresh-baked goods than any other kid at school – unless their parent owns a bakery!!  So don’t I get any points for that??  I guess not.

The grass is always greener on the other side – I have plenty of friends tell me how lucky I am that I never stopped working – now that their kids are in school and they are looking for a job, it is near impossible to find something being out of the workforce for 10+ years.  The truth is – I love working, and although I would make a great stay-at-home Mom, I enjoy the challenge of trying to keep everything together.  There are some people who actually think I am pretty good at it (not including my children).  So – for all you stay-at-home Moms – you should feel proud that you are a Super-Mom.  You might not ever be told that – but I am telling you that right now – my kids think you are Super-Moms, and hey – that is worth something.

So – I guess when I made these scones from Bon Appetit (which were FABULOUS, BTW – so light and flavorful) – and they loved them so much – they each had 2 for breakfast each morning.  They even told me I was the best Mom ever – but I was not a Super-Mom.  I guess I have to take what I can get…

Ingredients

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour plus more for surface
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon baking  powder
  • 1 teaspoon dried  lavender buds
  • 1 teaspoon kosher  salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking  soda
  • 3/4 cup  (1 1/2 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch  cubes
  • 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons buttermilk
  • 2 teaspoons finely  grated lemon zest
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla  extract
  • 2  tablespoons sanding  or granulated sugar

Preparation

Arrange racks in upper and lower thirds of oven; preheat to  425°. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Whisk 3 cups flour and next 5  ingredients in a large bowl. Add butter; rub in with your fingers until mixture  resembles coarse meal.

Whisk 1 cup buttermilk, zest, and vanilla in a small bowl. Add  wet ingredients to dry ingredients. Stir until shaggy dough forms.

Transfer to a lightly floured surface; knead until dough  forms, about 5 turns. Pat into a 10×6″ rectangle. Halve dough lengthwise. Cut  each half crosswise into 4 squares. Cut each square diagonally in half into 2  triangles. Divide between baking sheets. Brush with 2 Tbsp. buttermilk. Sprinkle  with sanding sugar.

Bake until scones are golden and a tester inserted into the  center comes out clean, 13–15 minutes. Transfer to wire racks; let cool.

For a printer-friendly version of this recipe, please click here:  Sweet Lavender Scones

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Scrambled Eggs with Leeks, Fava Beans, Crispy Breadcrumbs and Parmesan

Published on by Dawn2 Comments

Breakfast for dinner – I love it.  In fact – I make it a point to serve breakfast for dinner one night each week.  My kids just love it.  Most of the time I serve egg sandwiches – occasionally I make pancakes – and every once in a while I find a recipe that I want to make that takes us in a completely different direction. 

Last month in Bon Appetit I saw this recipe and all I could think about was spring.  Fava beans and leeks just remind me of spring – one of the most memorable dishes I remember eating before my older daughter was born (and she was born at the end of may) was a risotto with fava beans.  The funny thing is, I saw my neighbor who helps out at the local farmers market and asked him if there were a lot of fava beans at the market – and he said it was too early!  He did have some extra leeks for me – but I had to head to the regular market to find the fava beans.  So maybe in the Pacific NW, fava beans are more late spring. 

This dish was delicious – although I would have much preferred fresh from the farmer’s market fava beans.  The crunchy breadcrumbs on top were a great combination with the eggs – and 4 of us almost completely devoured this.  It is not too often that I eat 3 eggs for dinner, but when it is so good, you can’t stop.

Ingredients

Crispy breadcrumbs:

  • 1 1/2 cups coarsely torn French bread
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • Fine sea salt

Eggs:

  • 1 cup peeled fresh fava beans or frozen (double-peeled)
  • 12 large eggs (preferably organic)
  • 1/2 cup crème fraîche or sour cream
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
  • 2 cups chopped leeks (white and pale green parts only; from 2 large)
  • Wedge of Parmesan cheese

Preparation

For crispy breadcrumbs:
Preheat oven to 400°F. Place bread in medium bowl. Drizzle oil over, tossing to coat. Scatter bread pieces on small rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt. Bake until bread is golden brown, stirring often, 10 to 12 minutes. Cool on sheet. DO AHEAD: Can be made 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature. Rewarm 3 minutes in 350°F oven before using.

For eggs:
Cook fava beans in medium saucepan of boiling salted water until tender, about 14 minutes. Drain. Whisk eggs, crème fraîche, and 1/2 teaspoon sea salt in large bowl to blend.

Melt butter in heavy large skillet over low heat. Add leeks. Sauté until tender but not brown, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt. Mix in fava beans. Increase heat to medium-high. Add egg mixture. Stir with heatproof spatula until eggs are almost set but still creamy, 3 to 4 minutes. Season with pepper.

Transfer egg mixture to platter. Sprinkle with crispy breadcrumbs. Grate Parmesan cheese over and serve.

For a printer-friendly version of this recipe, please click here:  Scrambled Eggs with Leeks

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