Eggnog Pancakes

It's eggnog season!  You know it has officially arrived as soon as the red holiday cups and seasonal lattes reappear at Starbucks.  When I was a kid, it was the Shamrock Shake at McDonald's that I waited for every March, all minty and cool.  Secretly it's still a guilty pleasure, but for now, it's all about eggnog.  

While it's in season, I take advantage of eggnog any way I can.  Pancakes are the perfect vehicle for one of my favorite holiday treats. 

Eggnog Pancakes

Makes 10 pancakes

1 cup all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons granulated sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

¼ teaspoon kosher salt

Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 cup good quality eggnog

¼ cup milk

1/2 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

2 tablespoons vegetable oil, plus more for pan

Unsalted butter, for the pan and to serve

Pure maple syrup, to serve

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon. In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg, eggnog, milk, lemon zest, vanilla and the oil. Add the dry ingredients to the wet, whisking to make sure everything is combined and there are no lumps. Allow batter to rest for 5 minutes.

Melt 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 tablespoon oil in a medium, non-stick skillet or on a griddle pan over medium-low heat. When butter starts to bubble, drop pancake batter into the pan using a ¼ cup measure. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes until bubbles form on the surface of the pancakes and the underside is golden brown. Carefully flip the pancakes and cook for another minute or until golden brown. Serve warm with butter and maple syrup.

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Awaken Your Senses & Help a Worthy Food Charity Win $10,000!

It's official, fall is finally here! We're almost 30 days into the brrrrr months (Septembrrrr, Octobrrrr. You get the picture) and that means, roaring fires, my favorite old robe, comfy slippers and the return of the hot breakfast.


As excited as I am for the change of seasons (okay, I admit they don't actually change much in L.A, but let me have my moment) I'm even more excited to announce that Good Bite and I have teamed up with Quaker Oats to launch the Awaken Your Senses Challenge. It's a campaign that takes the favorite food memories of twelve of the nation's top food bloggers and allows yours truly to use them as inspiration to create twelve original Oatmeal Creations. And how cool is this... America (that's you guys!) gets to vote on the winner! But wait! It gets even better...

Every two weeks, a new round of videos will be posted where you can vote for your favorite. With each round, semi-finalists will be selected.

And the best part...

At the end of eight weeks the blogger’s video with the most votes wins! And $10,000 will be donated to their favorite food-related charity! So what are you waiting for? Head to YouTube.com/QuakerTalk and vote!

A couple of behind the scenes shots from the Quaker Awaken Your Senses shoot.

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A Few Good Eggs: Or, My Take on the Classic French Omelette

I once read that in order to get a job as a chef in some French restaurants you had to prove that you could make a perfect omelette. This seemingly simple task is where the job is won or lost. The French take their omelettes very seriously and apply the same care in making them as they do a fancy beurre blanc sauce. On my personal quest for omelette perfection, I’ve come upon a few simple truths: 

 1. The pan matters. A good-quality, ovenproof nonstick skillet, about 9-inches in diameter with curved sides is perfect. 

 2. Never use more than 3 eggs in your omelette. If you’re feeding more than one person, make two omelettes! 

3. You need patience to make a good omelette. You can’t rush perfection, so don’t try. 

4. Season the omelette after you’ve cooked it, never before. The idea is that the outside be perfectly and beautifully yellow, unmarred by flecks of pepper and free of any brown spots. 

5. The omelette should be “custard-like” and forgive the expression, “as soft as a baby’s bottom.” 

6. An omelette is a beautiful thing, perfect in its simplicity. It needs little more than a scattering of fresh herbs, none of that cheese and ham nonsense. 

And finally, Julia Child once said, "Wine is essential with anything! Particularly omelettes for lunch." 

Far be it for me to argue with a master. 
 

ingredients for the perfect Omelette

The Perfect Omelette

Serves 1

3 large organic eggs
1 tablespoon heavy cream
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1 tablespoon fresh chives, finely chopped
1 tablespoon tarragon, finely chopped
Kosher salt & freshly cracked pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Whisk eggs and the cream in a small bowl. In a 9-inch ovenproof non-stick saute pan, heat the butter over high heat until bubbling and foamy. You want it hot, but whatever you do, don’t let it brown. Add the eggs all at once to the center of the pan. There should be an audible hiss. Immediately reduce the heat to low and using a heat-resistant rubber spatula stir constantly. The key thing to remember here is, “low and slow.”

When the eggs begin to “just set” on the bottom (the top will still be wet) turn off the heat and toss the pan into the preheated oven. Let it go for about 1½ minutes until the top is still moist- looking and custard-like. Season with salt & pepper and scatter the chives and tarragon over the top of the eggs. Using the rubber spatula, gently loosen the edge of the eggs from the side of the pan and fold one side over toward the center. Use the pan to help you invert the omelette onto a plate folded over itself in thirds. Perfection!

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Scones. Not Stones!

I feel quite confident proclaiming these to be the best scones I’ve ever tasted. That sentiment has been echoed by everyone who has ever had the pleasure of tasting them still warm from the oven and drizzled with sweet, sticky glaze. They capitalize on the “made for each other” combination of blueberry and lemon and require (in my opinion) no further embellishment of butter, Devonshire cream or jam, but feel free to slather on as you see fit.

I promise you, these are nothing like the heavy, dry and crumbly scones that may have turned you off in the past. I may run the risk of overusing the adjective “light,” in this blog, (light in texture mind you, not in calories!) but that’s exactly what they are. There simply is no other word. The secret to that dreamy lightness lies, of course, in taking extreme care not to overwork or over bake the dough.

Ingredients for blueberry scones

Blueberry Scones with Lemony Glaze

Makes 8 scones

FOR THE SCONES
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting board
5 teaspoons sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon kosher salt
Zest of 2 lemons
9 tablespoons unsalted butter, diced and very cold
1½ cups fresh blueberries
2 large eggs
1/3 cup heavy cream, plus more for brushing tops

FOR THE GLAZE
½ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
1 lemon, zest finely grated
1 tablespoon unsalted butter

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and set aside. Meanwhile, in a large bowl whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and lemon zest. Add the butter and work it into the flour mixture with a pastry cutter or by pressing it between your fingers until the mixture resembles coarse meal and the butter is about the size of peas. Using your fingers, gently toss the blueberries with the flour mixture. At this point I usually place bowl back into the refrigerator to keep the butter cold while I whisk together the cream and the eggs.

Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour in the eggs and cream. Using the tines of the fork and working from the outside of the flour mixture, gently start incorporating the dry ingredients into the wet until just combined being careful not to mash the berries. The key is not to overwork the dough, but to just bring it together. It will be crumbly, but that’s exactly what makes a moist, tender scone in the end.

Lightly dust your work surface with flour and turn the dough out onto it. Gently knead the dough and pat it out into a 6-inch rectangle. Using a knife or a pastry bench scraper, cut the dough into 4 equal squares. Cut each square in half on the diagonal to make eight triangles. Carefully transfer the scones to the prepared sheet pans. Brush tops with remaining cream. Bake until lightly golden brown and firm to the touch, about 15 to 18 minutes.

Meanwhile, to make the glaze, mix the lemon juice and confectioners' sugar together in a microwave-safe bowl (I use a Pyrex glass measuring cup). Stir until the sugar dissolves. Add the lemon zest and butter. Nuke it for 30 seconds on high. Whisk the glaze to smooth out any lumps. Cool the scones slightly on a wire rack then drizzle artfully over the top of the warm scones. Genius!

VARITAION: To make Cinnamon Chocolate Scones, substitute 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon in place of the lemon zest and 1½ cups chopped bittersweet chocolate chunks for the fresh blueberries.

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