Making Christmas Breakfast Special

It seems that as soon as the air turns frosty and the days shrink into darkness, the Christmas season arrives. And then the air begins to tingle with a mounting excitement. Early December finds many RVers heading out to their kid’s home for the holidays, or hunkering down for Christmas in the desert or mountains far from home. Wherever one might be, there is a magic to a Christmas morning!

Christmas mornings are such a joyous time that they call for a special breakfast. Try this for an eye-opener—mix 3 cups of tangerine juice with 1 cup of cranberry juice; stir the juices together, cover and chill overnight. This makes 4 cups.

Or cut a large grapefruit in half and loosen the outer edge of the fruit with a sharp knife; sprinkle each half with 1 tablespoon of brown sugar and a dash of nutmeg, cinnamon and mace. Add a tiny bit of butter and 1 tablespoon of sherry; broil 10 minutes. Serve hot with a red cherry in the center.

Fruit compotes are always a welcome treat:

APRICOT CITRUS CRANBERRY COMPOTE
2/3 cup of sugar
1/2 cup of cranberries
6 ounces of dried apricots
1 grapefruit
2 navel oranges

In a small pan, combine 1/3 cup of sugar and 1/3 cup of water; bring to a boil, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Add the cranberries and simmer 5 minutes, or until they have barely popped. Transfer the mixture to a small bowl, let it cool, and then chill it, covered.

In a small pan, combine 1/3 cup of sugar and 1/3 cup of water; bring to a boil, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Add the apricots to simmer, covered, for 5 minutes, or until they are tender. Transfer the mixture to a small bowl, let it cool, and then chill it, covered.

Cut the rinds and piths from the grapefruit and oranges; cut into sections, and chill them, covered. The fruit may be prepared up to this point two days in advance and kept covered and chilled. Stir the cranberries and the apricots with their syrups into the citrus mixture. Serves six.

Scrambled eggs are always a favorite. For the most fluffy scrambled eggs, add liquid to the eggs before cooking (1 tablespoon of water for each egg). Break the eggs in a bowl, add water and salt (1/4 teaspoon of salt for every 2-3 eggs) and beat with a fork until thoroughly blended but not frothy. Choose a frying pan to fit the amount of egg mixture to be cooked. Keep the temperature constant—over-heating makes scrambled eggs rubbery. When the pan is hot, pour in the egg mixture. Cook eggs, gently lifting cooked portion to allow uncooked portion to flow underneath, until eggs are softly set. Use a wide spatula—this helps to maintain the whole mess of the golden mass and its light, smooth, creamy texture. Never rush eggs—they need to cook slowly and gently. Remove pan from heat when the eggs are still creamy.

From the Lost Mountain Winery on the North Olympic Peninsula comes this recipe for Christmas sausage:

Mix 2 pounds of ground pork with 2 teaspoons of salt, 1 1/2 teaspoons of freshly ground black pepper, 1 1/2 teaspoons of cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg and 1/4 teaspoon of cloves. Mix this all together and moisten with dry sherry. Form into patties and fry until done.

Here’s a very special egg dish from the Northwest:

SCRAMBLED EGGS WITH SMOKED SALMON
8 eggs
2 tablespoons of butter
3 scallions, chopped
3-oz. package of cream cheese
4 oz. of diced smoked salmon
1 teaspoon of dill weed
1/4 teaspoon of ground black pepper.

In skillet, melt butter; add scallions and sauté until soft. Add cream cheese, cut into small chunks. When cheese begins to melt, add diced smoked salmon, and eggs beaten with dill weed and freshly ground black pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, over medium heat until of desired consistency. Serves four.

How much simpler life would be if everyone ate only dinner on Christmas Day, but that’s not the way it works. People still want breakfast—after all, unwrapping presents can really build up an appetite!

CRANBERRY CRUMBLE COFFEE CAKE
1/4 cup of chopped almonds
1 cup of sugar
1/2 cup of butter
1 teaspoon of vanilla
2 eggs
2 cups of flour
1 1/4 teaspoons of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1 cup of sour cream
1 cup of whole-berry cranberry sauce

Sprinkle chopped almonds over the bottom of a greased 9-inch springform pan; set aside. In a mixing bowl, cream the sugar, butter and vanilla; beat for 1-2 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add to batter alternately with 1 cup of sour cream, mixing well. Spread 3 cups of batter over almonds. Spoon cranberry sauce over the batter.

For the topping, combine 1/4 cup of flour, 1/4 cup of sugar, 1/4 cup of chopped almonds and 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla; cut in 2 tablespoons of butter until crumbly. Sprinkle over batter. Bake in preheated 350-degree oven 70-75 minutes; cool in pan on a wire rack 15 minutes; remove sides of pan and serve warm.

MINCEMEAT MUFFINS with SHERRY BUTTER
1 cup of flour
3/4 cup of whole-wheat flour
1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg
1 tablespoon of baking powder
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1/4 cup of sugar
1 cup of buttermilk
2 eggs
1 cup of mincemeat
2 tablespoons of butter, melted

Combine flour and whole-wheat flour, nutmeg, baking powder, salt and sugar. In a small bowl, whisk together buttermilk, 2 lightly beaten eggs, mincemeat and melted butter, and stir the mixture into the flour mixture until it is just combined. Divide the batter among 15 greased and floured 1/3-cup muffin tins and bake in preheated 400-degree oven 20-25 minutes.

To make the sherry butter, cream together 1/2 stick of unsalted butter, softened, and 1/4 cup of powdered sugar; stir in 1 teaspoon of cream sherry, and chill 30 minutes.

A special Christmas breakfast may even make those that have grumbled “humbug” so many times over the past few weeks sit back and revel in the warm glow of a Christmas morning.

HINT OF THE MONTH: Don’t experiment with Christmas meals—it makes the little ones cry and the old ones nervous.

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Marian Platt's regional narrative cookbook of Washington’s Sequim Valley, From My Kitchen Window, can be ordered by sending cash, check or money order for $25 (includes tax and handling/mailing costs) to Marian Platt, 434 Chicken Coop Rd., Sequim, WA 98382. Phone (360) 683-4691