Cooking The Breakfast Book: Chapter 10: Breakfast Sausage Patties with Applesauce

As we've worked our way cooking through this book for the past five months, somewhat unintentionally the chapters have been lining up nicely with the seasons and the weather.

It's starting to really feel like fall is here lately in San Francisco (we spent this evening weatherproofing our old Victorian flat windows, for example), so a heartier breakfast is just the thing.

When contemplating what to serve this savory sausage with, simple seemed best. Whole grain sourdough toast and homemade applesauce is a menu pairing that will absolutely be repeated. And, I froze most of the patties from this batch, so it will be extra easy to whip up again.

The simplicity of the sausage is key too; by not over-complicating the ingredients, they truly shine through. I used fresh thyme, but had recently dehydrated sage from the last food swap. It still had a sharp and strong odor and flavor, so I was happy to put it to good use here.

Breakfast Sausage Patties
Twelve patties
Adapted from from The Breakfast Book by Marion Cunningham  

This recipe can also be made into links if you feel so inspired. Instead of buying pre-ground pork, ask the butcher to grind it for you on the spot. If the pork is too lean to provide the necessary proportion of 1/3 fat, ask to buy additional fat and have it added in. If you are grinding the meat yourself at home, make sure it is well-chilled.

2 pounds pork butt (1/3 fat to 2/3 pork), coursely ground
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground pepper
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 tablespoons minced fresh sage, or 2 1/2 teaspoons crumbled dried sage
2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme, or 1 teaspoon crumbled dried sage

Combine all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl, thoroughly but gently mixing together. You want to avoid having the meat become to "creamy", which won't pose a problem if the meat is chilled. If it is too sticky to form into patties, wet your hands slightly with cold water.

For each patty, use about 1/4 cup of sausage and pat into a round, flat patty. 

In order to brown the meat, place the patties in a hot pan and cook over high heat for 2-3 minutes on each side. Then reduce the heat and finish cooking for another 4-5 minutes, or until done. Blot off excess fat with paper towels and serve hot.

I highly recommend applesauce as a classic accompaniment to these pork sausages. I just happened to have made some a couple days prior from gifted apples off a friend of a friend's trees. (Thanks Pamela!) They were so perfectly flavorful, I didn't even add any sugar, so the applesauce was an ideal compliment to the richness of the meat.

My Cook the Book partner-in-crime Natasha made the Trout Fried with Oatmeal, a recipe that had also caught my eye. It looks beautiful! If I ever do this again, need to figure out a way of sharing the meals we make among the chefs, or at least inviting more friends over to eat.

Swapper Profile: Patricia Algara + Tía Paloma's Sopa de Calabacita Recipe

It's swapper profile time again! It is my enormous pleasure to introduce Patricia Algara. If you are a swap regular you undoubtedly already know (and love) Patricia as our swap benefactor, who provided the free swap locale on Harrison Street for close to the entire first year of our existence. You also will recognize her infectious smile and generous spirit. Watch out, it's contagious! Patricia was the very first person to reach out to us when we started our swap, and her enthusiasm has never waned. She's shared her garden smarts and bounty, her passion for landscaping and community connection, and of course her love of growing, making and sharing food. She often brings piles of sunshiny Meyer lemons, herbs, and veggies from the Algarden, but has also busted out kombucha mother, mini pumpkin pies, hummus, and more for the swap. Since soup weather is upon us, her Tía Paloma's recipe is perfectly-timed, and assuredly delicious! Name: Patricia Algara Home (+ hometown swap): San Francisco - hometown: San Luis Potosí, Mexico Profession: Landscape Architect How did you first get involved in food swapping? How long ago?  I got involved in the food swap last year. I believe it was the second swap.  I have a small urban farm in Berkeley (1/5 of an acre) the "Algarden". It produces more than enough food for the 5 families that live next to it and myself with lots to spare. I had been thinking that a food swap would be an excellent way to share the produce. I was so happy to find the SF food swap and I have been participating and helping host the event ever since. What did you make for the last food swap and what inspired your choice? I don't really make anything. I bring fresh produce from the garden, whatever is in season and fresh herbs. Sometimes honey on the comb from my bees. What’s your favorite thing about swapping? Learning about new recipes; Building a community of like minded people who share a joy in connecting to their food and sharing it; Reducing the amount I spend at the grocery store. I'm all about exchange of goods and services rather than money and the swap allows me to do with some items that otherwise I would have to buy. Who or what most influences your cooking? The Algarden, whatever is in season at the garden. I try to eat most of my meals from the garden. It has pushed my creativity for new recipes, especially for Kale and Zucchinis. What’s your favorite kitchen tool? The Blender. I would be very happy with a Vitamix... some day! Your current flavor or ingredient obsession? Turmeric and bee pollen. So good for you! Biggest food surprise? Fava greens, they make delicious salads If the Rapture came tomorrow, what would your last meal on earth be? My mother's chilaquiles and pastel de tres leches When I'm not in the kitchen… I'm at the Algarden. Favorite local food experience: Oysters at Tomales Bay Recipe from Patricia La Sopa de Calabacita de la Tía Paloma. My aunt Paloma's zucchini soup. This is my California adaptation of my aunt’s original recipe. My version is dairy-free and low fat, her's is heavenly!

3-4 zucchini

1-2 sweet onions

4 cloves of garlic 

Coconut oil (use butter for the original version)

½ gallon rice milk (use milk and cream or half and half)

Turmeric

Fresh Rosemary

Salt

Lots of fresh black pepper
 

Grate the onion and the zucchini.

Sauté the onion and garlic with the spices. When the onions are transparent add the zucchini. Sauté for a little. Add the milk. Enjoy!

Cooking The Breakfast Book: Chapter 9: Oven Fries for Happy Times

French fries are my power food. Looking back I think it's because growing up we never really ate out at restaurants very frequently, nor were we allowed to eat anything remotely like junk food...except while traveling. Which luckily for me was pretty much every summer, all summer. So when in Germany visiting my mom's side of the family, oh how I loved to say "Mit pommes frites" when placing my own order! And while summers in Montana visiting my dad's side were more likely to feature Indian fry bread, french fries made regular appearances too: at the Havre Dairy Queen after swimming, or while on the road of course.

They remain one of my favorite foods, and probably my ultimate comfort meal. But making them at home for breakfast? OK, Marion, I'm with ya.

Oven Fries
Serves 3
Adapted from from The Breakfast Book by Marion Cunningham  

These are identical to french fries, but made in the oven instead of by deep frying.

2 russet potatoes, peeled
1/4 cup vegetable oil
Salt and lots of pepper

Preheat the oven to 425°. 

Cut the peeled potatoes into pieces measuring 1/2 inch wide by approximately 3 1/2 inches long. Pour the vegetable oil into a 10-inch square pan. Toss the potatoes in the oil, coating the completely on all sides. Apply salt and pepper liberally. 

Put the potatoes in the oven and cook for 15 minutes. Turn them over and apply more salt and pepper on the second side. Pour off any liquid, and return them to the oven to bake for another 15 minutes or until the fries are golden around the edges. Remove from the oven and eat them while they're hot.

Top your breakfast fries with an egg! It will taste excellent even if you do a crap job of cooking said egg because it's election day and you're trying to both cook and get out the door to vote before work. (I ended up voting after work, but at least I started the day right, right?)

For more potato goodness from my Cook the Book pals visit: Emily, Natasha and Claudie.

Familial Tastes + Preserving Quince

I inherited my love of quince from my mother who in turn inherited it from hers. My mom is from Germany, where quince are called Quitte and my Oma would cook compotes and more with them. The past number of years we've both been gifted quince from friends with trees of their own and have of course shared the bounty with each other. This year, while she's been recreating the quince dishes of her childhood — and making a phenomenal James Beard's Quince Tart! — mine were languishing in my fridge.

When I first took them out, they were so fragrant even through the plastic bag I worried they were overripe. Perhaps they were as some of the larger ones were getting a bit gritty, but the beauty of making preserves is some slightly imperfect fruit really doesn't matter.

Quince are similar to large apples, but can be much tougher to cut and core. Since these were well-ripened, I was pleased to find that cutting and coring was actually pretty painless. Some cooks also complain about peeling them, but I've found the perfect tool for that task is a serrated peeler.

I debated between making membrillo (quince paste), poached quince or quince preserves, but in remembering the look and flavor of my beautiful quince jam jars from last year (and in the interest of available time), I went with the latter.

Like apples and other fruits, quince turn brown once exposed to the air, so squeeze some lemon juice over them while you're prepping the fruit to prevent this.

Magically quince also change their complexion when you cook them with sugar. From their natural golden color, they become a gorgeous rosy hue that somehow perfectly matches their aroma. And the longer you cook them, the rosier they become.

  

Vanilla Quince Jam
Adapted from Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving
Yields approximately 6 half pints

7 cups quince, peeled, cored and chopped
8 cups water
3 cups sugar
1 vanilla pod, split
Juice of 1 lemon, to prevent fruit from browning

Scrub the fuzz off the fruit under a cool, running tap. Dry the fruit and cut into quarters. Remove the core from each piece and then take the skin off each piece using a serrated peeler.

Chop into pieces and place in a large non-reactive pan, squeezing in the juice of one lemon. As you add chopped fruit from the additional quince, mix it around to coat with the acidic citrus juice.

Add water and sugar to the pot and bring to a full boil. Once sugar is dissolved, turn heat down to medium-high and stir frequently to keep from burning.

Once the fruit has begun to break down and turn somewhat translucent, smash the chunks down further using a potato masher.

Cook until your jam comes off a spoon in sheets, and ladle into hot, prepared jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace.

Process in a water bath canner for 10 minutes.

If you are not an experienced home canner, please consult the USDA guidelines or follow the detailed directions in a trusted source such as the above-cited cookbook.

Cooking The Breakfast Book, Chapter 8: Pink Grapefruit Apple Dish

In case you are just tuning in to this Cook the Book project, the first and third Tuesdays of the month deliver recipes from Marion Cunningham's The Breakfast Book to your mornings — brought to you by myself and four blogger pals: Emily, Natasha, Rachel and Claudie. Chapter 8 is titled 'Fruit Fixing' and includes a range of fresh and cooked fruit preparations.

Marion's Pink Grapefruit Apple Dish appeals to me in all kinds of ways. I love the literalness of the name, I really love grapefruits, and I appreciate how these ingredients you might not normally expect to be together actually marry well for a fresh, bright and surprisingly tasty side dish.

  

Pink Grapefruit Apple Dish
Serves 2-4
Adapted from from The Breakfast Book by Marion Cunningham  

3 pink grapefruits
2 sweet, firm apples
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh mint
A sprinkle of sugar, as needed

Peel two of your grapefruits, removing as much white pith as possible. Then break into sections and remove the fruit from the membranes and skin. Put the grapefruit sections in a bowl. Slice your third grapefruit in half and squeeze the juice out it, straining out the bulk of the pulp if that is your preference.

Next peel and core the apples, slicing them into thin slices. 

Immediately add the apple to the grapefruit, gently stirring to coat them with the acidic grapefruit juice to keep them from browning.

Chill the fruit and top with a tablespoon or more of chopped fresh mint. If your grapefruits are not sweet enough, sprinkle a small amount of sugar over the top and serve in fancy dishes.

Cooking notes: I modified the quantities of the original recipe as I found that just one grapefruit and one apple were enough for single servings for two people. The use of an additional grapefruit just for juice was needed though, and the mint is really the secret weapon here, so I increased the amount. Also, since my grapefruits were actually quite tart, I sprinkled just a tiny bit of sugar over each dish before serving.

Dehydrating Fruit - Cook It! September Resolution: Raisins

Grapes = Raisins. So simple. And so much more lip-smacking when you make them yourself. That's what I did for the Grow It Cook It Can It September Cook It! 2012 dehydrate fruit resolution.

I started with a bunch of small organic green grapes; seedless, and very flavorful. Gave 'em a rinse and pulled out all the stems. Though now I know why you sometimes get little stem bits in your raisins — those suckers can be tough to remove! Popped the grapes into the dehydrator at 135 degrees, and went to sleep.

After 12 hours, to my delight they were starting to look like raisins!

And after a little more than 26 hours, my grapes had been truly raisin-ified.

Since grapes are pretty much pure water, it can take some time to dehydrate them. Count on anywhere from 24-48 hours depending on the size of the grapes you are using.

These raisins really do pack so much more punch in terms of their pure, grape-y flavor, I have found myself mostly just eating them as a snack. This is one of the best dehydrating projects I've done so far, and the payoff was great.

Cooking The Breakfast Book, Chapter 7: Buttermilk Baked Eggs

I adore eggs. I like them all ways, any time. Especially soft boiled, or poached, or in what I call "egg things" and most others call egg-in-a-hole. I also recently started a new job and have been trying to eat breakfast before I leave the house in the morning, which is far from easy for this night owl. But, this is my kind of recipe, and it makes breakfast extra easy. I made these Buttermilk Baked Eggs yesterday before work even.

The things I like best about this dish are the following: (a) it's an effortless way to fancy up a favorite dish, (b) it's an ideal use for that leftover buttermilk you inevitably end up with from some baking project or another, (c) aside from super simple prep, it's mostly cooking time, so this is a breakfast that you can make quickly and while doing other things, and (d) the buttermilk makes this humble dish surprisingly luscious and creamy. Thumbs up for eggs transformed.

Buttermilk Baked Eggs
Serves 2
Adapted from from The Breakfast Book by Marion Cunningham  

2 slices sandwich bread
2 eggs
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup buttermilk

Preheat oven to 350°. Lightly toast the bread slices, and cut a hole in the center of each one using a 1½-inch circular cutter (or a small glass). Butter the bottom of an ovenproof dish and place the toast in it. 

Break the egg directly over the center, so that the yolk fills the hole. Add salt and pepper to taste, and then spoon 1/4 cup of buttermilk over each egg and bread slice.

Bake for 15 minutes.

Clamoring for more eggs? Of course you are! Find them among our society of Cook the Bookers: 

Rachel from Ode to Goodness

Natasha from Non-Reactive Pan

Emily from The Bon Appétit Diaries

Claudie from The Bohemian Kitchen

Sammy from Rêve du Jour