Holiday Breakfast Round-Up + Pink Saturday

We have lots going on today. It's Pink Saturday and we've been asked to share our favorite holiday movie with you. That's way too easy, so I'm going to cheat a bit and simply give you a visual clue. There will be no homework for anyone who can correctly name my favorite movie. Are you ready?



....and finally I want to share some ideas for holiday breakfasts with you. The recipes that appear below are easy to make but they produce dishes that are festive enough to make holiday meals special. I must admit I'm a bit spoiled when it comes to holiday breakfasts. The Silver Fox makes breakfast on Thanksgiving and Christmas morning, so the recipes are, of necessity, very straightforward and easy to complete. As an aside, they are also very easy to clean up after. Add one or several of them to the menu for your holiday breakfast or brunch and I know you'll be happy with the results. Here are some of my favorites.






Asparagus and Mushroom Strata









Eggs Florentine












Oven Baked Scrambled Eggs









Frittata with Spring Herbs and Leeks











Pumpkin Pancakes with Orange Caramel Syrup









Baked French Toast with Cardamom and Apricot Preserves










Breakfast Polenta with Chorizo and Queso Fresco










Smothered Eggs in Spoonbread











Swiss Onion Tart











Brussels and Liege Waffles







This post is being linked to:
Pink Saturday, sponsored by Beverly at How Sweet the Sound.

Pumpkin Pancakes with Orange-Caramel Syrup

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...While searching for ways in which to use a small amount of leftover puree, I came across several recipes for pumpkin pancakes. I finally decided to play with one developed by Cara Eisenpress, who, along with her cohort Phoebe Lapine, created the blog Big Girls Small Kitchen. The two, both twenty-something cooks, have also written a book called Cara and Phoebe's Quarter Life Kitchen which will be in bookstores this spring. Their blog is terrific and I'm sure that their book, which features an introduction by Ina Garten, will be as well. While I've added a bit more spice and have created an orange-caramel syrup to drizzle over the finished pancakes, Cara's original recipe is solid. The changes that I made were simply to better suit the tastes of my family who love a hint of orange with their pumpkin. I must also admit that, unlike Cara, I cook my pancakes on an electric griddle. Folks would find the ones I make in a skillet most unappealing. If you plan to use the orange-caramel syrup, make it before you begin to work on the pancakes. For best taste, the pancakes and the syrup should both be served warm. I also suggest going easy with the syrup. It is very sweet and a little goes a long way. Both the pancakes and the syrup are simple to make. If you are looking for something a little different for fall and winter breakfasts, you might want to give these a try. Here are the recipes.

Pumpkin Pancakes with Orange-Caramel Syrup...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite inspired by Cara Eisenpress

Ingredients:
Syrup
4 tablespoons butter or margarine
1/3 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup orange juice
1 tablespoon freshly grated orange zest
Pancakes
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon mace
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/3 cup pumpkin puree
1 large egg
1 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled, or neutral oil


Directions:
1) To make syrup: Melt butter and brown sugar together in a small saucepan set over medium heat. Add orange juice and simmer until mixture is thick and smooth. Stir in the orange zest and set aside. Keep warm.
2) To make pancakes: Combine flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, mace, nutmeg, and brown sugar in a medium bowl. In a separate small bowl, combine pumpkin and egg and whisk to combine. Add milk, vanilla, and butter or oil, and whisk until mixture is smooth. Pour wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and fold only until combined--a few remaining lumps will do no harm. Heat a cast iron skillet or electric griddle. Using 1/4 cup batter for each, cook until bubbles form on top and surface of pancakes is no longer shiny. Flip cook 3 minutes longer. Remove to a serving plate. Serve hot with room temperature butter and still warm syrup. Yield: 10 pancakes.

You might also like these recipes:
Mini Ricotta Cakes - Expat Cucina
Latkes - Healthy Green Kitchen
Gingerbread Waffles - Annie's Eats
Applesauce Pancakes with Spicy Apple Syrup - The English Kitchen
Sourdough Pumpkin Pancakes - Neo-Homesteading
Red Velvet Pancakes - The Sweet's Life

Uptown Hoe Cakes with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce - Foodie Friday

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...If you are looking for something unusual to serve for breakfast or brunch, I think you'll love this recipe. These thin and savory pancakes are packed with flavor and take grandma's hoe cakes to another level. They are made with corn in several guises, but the real flavor boost comes from the roasted red pepper sauce that is served with them. The recipe is similar to the one that is used at the Wishbone Restaurant in Chicago. The hoe cakes are very simple to make and everything, except the addition of egg whites, can be done the day before you plan to serve them. This batter is probably thinner than most you have worked with, but it will make lovely little cakes. The instructions I have call for making pancakes that are two and one-half inches in diameter and I do do that when I'm not rushed. When time trumps intent, I opt for standard size pancakes. The red pepper sauce comes together in minutes and has the added advantage of being wonderful with plain grilled chicken. In case you're wondering why these are called hoe cakes, they got the name because they were originally cooked on the flat of a hoe over an open fire. Here's the recipe sans the hoe.

Uptown Hoe Cakes with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite

Ingredients:
Hoe Cakes
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
2 teaspoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon + 1 pinch salt, divided use
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2-1/4 cups low-fat buttermilk
2 large eggs, separated
1-1/2 tablespoons Tabasco sauce
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup cream-style corn
2/3 cup fresh or thawed frozen corn kernels, coarsely chopped
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1/4 cup fresh bread crumbs
1/4 cup vegetable oil
Pepper Sauce
1/2 cup dry white wine or white vermouth
3 shallots, minced
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces
2 red bell peppers, roasted, peeled, seeded and pureed or two whole roasted red peppers from a jar, drained, patted dry and pureed

Directions:
1) To make sauce: Combine wind and shallots in a saucepan and reduce by half over medium-high heat. Add cream and cook until reduced by half. Lower heat to medium-low and whisk in butter a piece at a time, until it emulsifies. Whisk in pureed bell pepper. Keep sauce warm over very low heat. If it separates, it can be whisked together again.
2) To make the hoe cakes: Mix flour, corn meal, sugar, 1/4 teaspoon salt, baking powder and baking soda in a bowl. Place buttermilk, egg yolks, tabasco sauce and butter in a second bowl. Whisk to combine. Stir in creamed corn, corn kernels and green onions. Add flour mixture and stir just to blend. Beat egg whites with a pinch of salt until stiff peaks form. Fold into batter.
3) Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Pour or spoon in batter to form cakes in 2-1/2 inches in diameter. Cook until bubbles form on top, 2 to 3 minutes. Turn cakes and cook until they spring back when touched, about 1 to 2 minutes. Repeat with remaining bateer, adding more oil as necessary. Keep warm in a low oven or serve immediately drizzeled with some sauce. Yield: 32 hoe cakes.

This recipe is being linked to Designs By Gollum - Foodie Friday