Breakfast Anytime Recipes

Wednesday, October 25, 2006

Fall Fruit Sauce

4 to 6 servings

Former Pensacola News-Journal food editor Lou Elliott Jones came up with this recipe during the holiday season several years ago. It goes particularly well with pancakes and a chicken or turkey sausage.

1/2 cup water

1/2 a lemon

2 apples, preferably different kinds such as Granny Smith and McIntosh, peeled, cored and cut into 1/4 -inch slices

2 cups maple syrup

1 cup cranberries

Heat the water in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Squeeze the juice from the lemon (should be about 2 tablespoons) into the pan, then add the lemon half and the apple slices, stirring gently to combine. Cook for about 15 minutes, until the fruit has softened and released its juices. Add the maple syrup and cook for 10 minutes, or until the juices have almost evaporated. Add the cranberries and cook for a few minutes, just until they start to pop. Discard the lemon half. Serve warm.

Per serving (based on 6): 313 calories, 0 g protein, 81 g carbohydrates, 0 g fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 0 g saturated fat, 11 mg sodium, 2 g dietary fiber

Recipe tested by Bonnie S. Benwick; e-mail questions tofood@washpost.com

Curried Waffle Club Sandwiches

Makes 4 sandwiches (eight to nine 4-inch-square waffles)

Cookbook author Dorie Greenspan has updated this recipe from her "Waffles From Morning to Midnight" (William Morrow, 1993), which is out of print. Amounts can easily be doubled or tripled.

It's best to assemble the filling ingredients before you start making the waffles. Serve with a bright-tasting coleslaw or a yogurt-cucumber salad. You may have a little chutney mayonnaise left over; it can be covered and refrigerated for up to 2 weeks.

For the chutney mayonnaise:

1/4 cup Major Grey chutney or your favorite chutney, coarsely chopped

1/2 cup reduced-fat mayonnaise

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

For the sandwich fillings:

8 small leaves romaine or iceberg lettuce

8 slices tomato (from 1 medium tomato or 2 plum tomatoes)

8 slices turkey breast (about 1/3 pound)

4 strips crisp bacon, cut in half

For the waffles:

1 cup flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

Pinch of salt

1 tablespoon Madras curry powder

1 cup low-fat buttermilk

1/4 cup low-sodium chicken stock

1 large egg, lightly beaten

3 tablespoons golden raisins, chopped, or whole currants

2 tablespoons chopped walnuts or pecans

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

For the chutney mayonnaise: Combine the ingredients (salt and pepper to taste) in a small bowl. Cover and keep at room temperature while you prepare the waffles.

For the sandwich fillings: Have them ready near the work surface where you will assemble the sandwiches.

For the waffles: Preheat the waffle iron, and preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Place a baking sheet on the middle oven rack.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and curry powder. Set aside.

In a separate medium bowl, combine the buttermilk, chicken stock and egg, stirring to mix well. Add the mixture to the dry ingredients bowl, mixing well. Add the raisins or currants, nuts and melted butter, stirring just to combine.

Lightly grease the hot waffle iron grids with nonstick spray oil, if necessary.

Pour 1/3 to 1/2 cup of the batter evenly on the heated grids, using a heatproof spatula to even out the batter. Close the lid and bake for 4 to 5 minutes (depending on the make of your waffle iron), or until the waffle is light brown and lightly crisped. Transfer to the baking sheet in the oven as you continue to make more waffles.

To assemble: Working with 2 waffles at a time, build each sandwich by placing a lettuce leaf on the waffle, then spread the lettuce with some of the chutney mayonnaise. Layer 2 tomato slices across the mayonnaise, 2 slices of the turkey breast, and 2 pieces of bacon strips and spread more chutney mayonnaise on them. Layer with another lettuce leaf and top with the second waffle. To serve, spear with toothpicks, cut in half and serve immediately.

Per serving (based on 1 tablespoon chutney mayonnaise): 403 calories, 21 g protein, 37 g carbohydrates, 19 g fat, 114 mg cholesterol, 8 g saturated fat, 749 mg sodium, 2 g dietary fiber

Recipe tested by Bonnie S. Benwick; e-mail questions tofood@washpost.com

Nassau Grits

4 servings

This recipe is adapted from the "Some Like It South!" cookbook by the Junior League of Pensacola (eighth printing, $18.95 ), whose editor reports that the dish is made at a long-popular local breakfast joint called the Coffee Cup. Serve with sauteed or roasted eggplant or pan-seared fish fillets.

1/4 pound peppery bacon, cut into 1/2 -inch pieces

1 green bell pepper, stemmed, seeded and cut into 1/4 -inch dice

1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped (about 1 cup)

3/4 cup cooked ham, cut into 1/4 -inch dice

One 15-ounce can diced tomatoes, and their juice

3/4 cup quick-cooking or stone-ground grits (not instant)

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the bacon just until it starts to crisp, about 4 minutes. Add the diced green bell pepper and onion, stirring to combine. Cook for about 3 minutes, until the vegetables have softened. Add the ham, stirring to combine, and cook for 5 minutes. Add the chopped tomatoes, and reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook for 20 to 23 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, make the grits: Using a large saucepan, prepare the grits according to package directions, cooking them until they are slightly dry ("tight," in grits-speak). Add the bacon-vegetable mixture to the grits and cook, uncovered, for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add salt and pepper to taste. Divide among individual wide, shallow soup bowls and serve hot.

Per serving: 352 calories, 20 g protein, 35 g carbohydrates, 15 g fat, 46 mg cholesterol, 5 g saturated fat, 1,314 mg sodium, 2 g dietary fiber

Recipe tested by Tom Wilkinson; e-mail questions tofood@washpost.com