Roasted Broccoli

What you need

• broccoli
• olive oil
• grated parmesan
• chipotle - dried, ground
• salt and pepper

I used a whole bunch for two people.
Break/cut florets off in large bite sized pieces
Peel the stems and chop into large bite sized pieces too
Toss in olive oil
Then toss in chipotle, salt, pepper, parmesan
Throw on a cookie sheet and jiggle it into a single layer
Toss it into an oven at 425
Let em turn nice and brown

Salted-Butterscotch-Caramel-Sauce

What you need

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup cold butter (in pieces)
• some salt
• some cream

Pour sugar and water in a pot and heat it up - Do Not Stir
Once it gets nice and brown but not burned toss in the butter and take it off the heat
Throw in some salt
Once it cools a bit throw in some cream
Chill and then pour on things that need a little butterscotch umphhhhh

Dutch Baby

What you need

• Eggs
• Flour
• Milk
• Butter
• Sugar

Beat together until you have a pancake like batter consistency... wait... this is pancake batter.
OK, it's pancake batter without a leavening agent like baking powder.  And a greater butter ratio cause this is more like a Yorkshire pudding.  And the ratio should be more egg than in pancake batter.  So, I'm going to add some proportions.  Per person - 1 egg, 1/4 cup flour, 1/4 cup milk, tablespoon butter, tablespoon sugar... blech... I hate measuring things

Beat together ingredients
Pour into a cast iron skillet that you have lubed with more butter
Put into a an oven that's heated to around 350.
Remove when done (it will be brown and puffy).

Top with honey, lemon, more sugar, berries, peaches, jam, chocolate chips, maple syrup... this is just a platform to carry something on it.

Here's one I made for myself.  I dressed it with a bit of salted-butterscotch-caramel-sauce so it's more of a dessert than a breakfast.

Buttermilk Omelette

What you need

• eggs - for myself, I'll use 3.  If that's too eggy for you, don't use so many
• buttermilk
• salt and pepper
• additional things

Separate the whiles from the yolks
Whisk the whites until they're nice and aerated - this gives the omelette some volume
Add yolks, salt and pepper and your additional things.


Additional things


How about cheese
Cheese with some leftover roasted garlic
Some chopped bacon
Fresh tiny cherry tomatoes
Chopped fresh rosemary
Hot peppers
Sweet red peppers
Onions
Mushrooms
... you get the idea.  An omlette can contain anything.  Put it all in and some chopped cooked potatoes, slam it in the oven and call it a frittata.


Add a bit of buttermilk (you know, doesn't have to be buttermilk - it could just be 2% - but buttermilk tastes better)
Whisk together
Pour into a hot cast iron skillet that's been lubed with either olive oil or butter
Now you can either finish cooking on the stove-top - turn the heat down and give it time to cook in the middle without burning the bottom.


Or, sprinkle some cheese on top and slide it under the broiler to finish.


Slice out in wedges or be dramatic and do the flippy flippy onto itself.

Mushroom Rillettes

What you need

• some mushrooms - crimini, oyster, shitake, portobello... I used all
• butter
• scallions
• capers
• duck fat
• brandy
• chipotle pepper (I used dried and ground)
• salt and pepper

Chop all the mushrooms into small pieces - julienne or in pea sized chunks

Sautee in the butter

Add chopped scallions, capers, chipotle, salt and pepper

Try to reduce most of the moisture out of the mushrooms

Add duck fat and simmer away in that fat for a while - like an hour

Toss in some brandy

Spoon into ramekins, let cool and then refrigerate

If there's not enough duck fat to form a layer on top - add some more.

Serve on some toast or crackers with cornichons

Really really dense mushroom flavour.  Now that's some umami.  I really like heat from the chipotle.  I just had it again with some toast and a cheese omelette - it is so good, like a mushroom condiment.

Whole Head of Cauliflower

What you need

• whole head of cauliflower (Duh!)
• can of diced tomatoes (or you can chop them yourself)
• some chopped onion, celery, carrots - yes, mirepoix
• anchovies
• a little bit of heat - cayenne, chopped hot pepper, tobasco, you pick
• olive oil
• salt and pepper
• shredded cheese - cheddar, provolone, mozzarella, or all of them
• if you need some more liquid to get it to the right level add some water (boring) or some chicken stock (acceptable) or some home-made duck stock (ding-ding-ding we have a winner)

In a pot that's a little bit bigger than the cauliflower, saute the mirepoix in some olive oil
Add the tomatoes, anchovies, little bit of heat, salt and pepper and let that simmer for a while
Now you only want the pot to be between 1/3 and 1/2 full
Take the culiflower, trim the leaves and most of the woody stem but leave the florets attached
Place the whole cauliflower in the sauce - it should rise to about halfway up the head
Put a lid on it and let it simmer
When the florets are nice and soft, take the lid off and put the whole pot under the broiler - this will carmalize the cauliflower
Once it's getting nice and brown, cover with cheese and put back under the broiler
Once the cheese is nice and brown, take it out, let it cool a bit and serve in the pot

After you've eaten all the cauliflower (and you will), if there's sauce left over (and you're tired of just spooning it into each other's mouths) save it.  You can pour it on some gnocchi tomorrow.

This is such a delicious way to eat cauliflower.  Anne, who hates this wonderful vegetable, loves this dish.