Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, despite how often some of us skip it for various reasons. I have four recipes that will not only inspire you to NOT skip breakfast, but they may make you want to get up even earlier in the morning, even if it is only on the weekends!
First up is one of my personal favorites, Quiche Lorraine. This French staple can be a bit time consuming if you opt to make the crust yourself, but the filling itself is quick and easy. You can certainly use store-bought pie crust to save time, which I often do, but this time I decided to make my own.
I started the crust the previous night. I added one cup all-purpose flour and one half teaspoon kosher salt to a food processor and pulsed a few times. I diced and added one stick of butter pulsing again until it looked like cornmeal. I added three tablespoons of ice water and let the machine run until the dough started to come together. It was not quite holding together so I added another tablespoon ice water and ran it again. I ended up needing another two teaspoons ice water for the dough to finally hold. I took out the dough, shaped into a disc, wrapped in plastic wrap, and refrigerated overnight.
The next morning, I rolled the dough on a floured work surface until it was 1/8" thick and approximately 11" in diameter. I carefully placed it into a fluted tart pan with a removable bottom, pressed into the fluted edges, and used my rolling pin over the top to remove the overhang. I poked holes all over the surface using a fork and then refrigerated the whole thing for 30 minutes.
I covered the bottom of the crust with parchment, added pie weights and baked the tart on a sheet pan in the bottom third of the 375 degree oven for 40 minutes, until the edges were turning golden. I removed the pie weights and parchment, and then popped back into the oven for 15 minutes. I removed and allowed it to cool for 30 minutes.
For the filling, I melted one tablespoon of butter in a large skillet and added one small, thinly sliced onion, one teaspoon of kosher salt, and black pepper. I cooked until the onions began to soften and I added one half cup of water to prevent the onions from burning. Once the onions were golden and the water had evaporated, I turned off the heat.
In a separate skillet, I rendered six slices of bacon until crispy, around 12 minutes and then drained on a paper towel-lined plate.
To serve alongside the quiche, I made Truffle Parmesan Fries. I sliced russet potatoes into wedges and arranged on parchment-lined sheet pans. I sprinkled with salt, pepper, Parmesan cheese, and fresh rosemary leaves, followed by a drizzle of truffle oil. I baked at 400 degrees for around 30 minutes, until golden and crispy, turning once around the 15 minute mark.
Back to the quiche....I combined the cooked bacon with the onions, added one teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, and spread evenly over the surface of the pie crust.
Next up, one half cup of shredded gruyere.
I whisked two large eggs with one cup heavy cream and carefully poured over the onions, bacon, and cheese.
I baked at 375 degrees for 30 minutes until golden brown, and then allowed to cool for another 30 minutes before slicing and serving with the fries. Perfect breakfast.
Next up, Fried Chicken Muffins with Red Eye Gravy. The epitome of comfort food. Red Eye Gravy is mainly a southern dish and is often made with the drippings of cooked ham or bacon. The gravy also contains coffee among many other ingredients.
I started the gravy by sautéing a diced onion in one half stick of butter, seasoning with salt and pepper.
Once softened, I whisked in one quarter cup flour and cooked for several minutes.
I added one cup each of milk, heavy cream, beef stock, and coffee, and whisked again until there were no lumps.
I brought it to a boil and then reduced heat, simmering for several minutes until it thickened and coated the back of a spoon.
Finally, I added several dashes hot sauce and Worcestershire sauce, along with one diced ham steak plus a handful of chopped fresh parsley.
I brined boneless skinless chicken thighs in buttermilk overnight and fried them when the gravy was finished. I removed the chicken from the buttermilk and into a bowl of heavily seasoned flour (salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika), coating all over. Then back into the buttermilk again and finally back into the flour a second time before frying in 360 degree canola oil for 7-8 minutes, until golden. When I removed the chicken, I immediately seasoned with salt.
To plate, I added a spoonful of gravy...
...followed by the bottom half of a toasted English muffin...
...a crispy chicken thigh...
....more gravy...
...some fresh chives...
...a runny egg (which makes any dish better.) with some salt and pepper...
...and finally, the top half of the muffin.
A few dashes of hot sauce can never hurt!
Third, how about a mouth-watering Chorizo Potato Hash with Salsa Roja and Lime Crema? This dish is packed with so much flavor!
I started the salsa by toasting a dried arbol, guajillo, and pasilla chile in a dry skillet for a few minutes.
I also blistered tomatillos, an onion, a jalapeńo pepper, and several tomatoes under the broiler.
I removed the stems from the dried chiles and combined them with the blistered vegetables in a food processor along with one canned chipotle in adobo, one clove of garlic, a handful of cilantro leaves, salt, and pepper. This salsa has quite a kick so if you want it more mild, you could remove the seeds from the jalapeños and dried chiles, and you can leave out the chipotle although that does provide tremendous flavor.
For the hash, I browned and broke up one pound of chorizo in a drizzle of oil
While the chorizo cooked, I chopped an onion and two potatoes. (The smaller the dice on the potato, the faster they will cook.)
I removed the chorizo to a paper towel-lined bowl and added the onions and potatoes to the skillet along with a teaspoon each of chili powder, ground cumin, Mexican oregano, salt, and black pepper.
I cooked until the potatoes and onions were softened and starting to brown, and then I added back the chorizo and tasted for seasoning. (Mine needed more chili powder and cumin.) I finished with chopped fresh cilantro.
What could make this hash even better? How about a garlic, olive oil fried runny egg? Yes please! I heated a few tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil over low heat and added three thinly sliced garlic cloves, sautéing for several minutes until the garlic started to brown but not burn.
To make sure the garlic cooked but did not burn, I added one quarter cup water and let it simmer until mostly evaporated.
I cracked my eggs right on top of the garlic oil and cooked for several minutes until the whites were set but the yolks still runny, and I seasoned with salt and pepper.
I put one egg on each mound of hash along with a few slices of garlic.
To finish, I sprinkled with fresh Cotija cheese, lime crema (one half cup sour cream, the zest and juice of half a lime, and a pinch of salt), fresh cilantro, and a large dollop of the salsa roja.
Last but not least, this gorgeous and delicious Breakfast Congee might qualify as the most comforting breakfast dish you will ever eat.
Congee is a porridge made from rice and it gets its creamy consistency by using a much higher liquid to rice ratio and a longer cooking time. I cooked three minced garlic cloves, one small diced shallot, and one tablespoon grated ginger in a drizzle of canola oil in a large pot. I then added one cup of rice and toasted in the oil for several minutes before adding seven cups of stock. You can use water or any type of stock. I used ham stock. I brought the rice to a boil, lowered to a simmer, and cooked covered for one hour, until the rice broke down and became thick and creamy. I stirred occasionally to prevent burning. I topped the congee with crispy bacon, a soy egg (I used Jet Tila's Ramen Eggs recipe), fresh sliced Fresno chiles, a drizzle of sesame oil, a spoonful of chili crisp, sesame seeds, some fresh scallions, and a pinch of furikake (Japanese seasoning).
So how's THAT for the best way to start your day??? Try these recipes! Trust me you will be making them over and over again.
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