Burrito-less Breakfast Burrito: a yummy low-carb breakfast

Since moving to New York City we’ve worked hard to reduce our intake of carbs (okay, with the exception of wine, but w/e). One of my favorite recipes in Gainesville was to make breakfast burritos (with various meats, veggies, garnishes, etc.), but tortillas are the epitome of everything that’s bad about carbs. So we had to figure out how to make a special breakfast while cutting back on carbs.

So I started developing – as we call it – a Burrito-less Breakfast Burrito. The fun thing about this dish is you can add whatever you love about breakfast into this versatile dish.  Here’s what I do for two servings.

INGREDIENTS
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 small onion, finely chopped
1/3 red pepper, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
6 large eggs
Splash of half and half
Pinch of salt
Pinch of pepper
½ cup Mexican blend shredded cheese (or shredded sharp cheddar)
1 avocado, diced
1 tomato, chopped, seeded and drained on a paper towel (or substitute drained salsa)
1 scallion, sliced thinly
½ cup sour cream

Wisk eggs with half and half and season with salt and pepper.  Add butter to skillet and saute onion, garlic and red pepper on medium low heat until tender. Add egg mixture. Once eggs are mostly set, but still runny, sprinkle shredded cheese on top, cover for a couple of minutes and cook until the cheese is melted.

Place eggs on the center of each plate and sprinkle avocado and tomato around. Dollop sour cream around the edge of the plate and garnish with scallion.

Note: Can add sausage or bacon to the plate – or play with ingredients you love in an omelet or breakfast burrito. The nice thing is you won’t even miss the tortilla. It’s so delicious and fresh.

19 Months and counting: still so much to explore

We’ve just passed the 19^th month mark after moving away from a 35-year-life spent in Gainesville, Fla., to an urban existence in New York City. We’re sure there are more than a handful of family and friends who expected we’d be back in Gainesville by now, but those people didn’t appreciate the depth of the love we feel for this amazing city – and for the urban lifestyle.

Most people who visit NYC see the city through a certain lens: Times Square and Broadway, Rockefeller Center and the stores along Fifth Avenue, the Empire State Building, and the Statue of Liberty. While these NYC institutions are certainly the city’s lifeblood and we’d never criticize those who visit these parts of the city, New York City’s charm is actually defined by the smaller neighborhoods that dot the metropolitan area. Those friends of ours who have been able to visit have been introduced to a NYC different than what they might have seen before. Kind of like if you visit Gainesville there’s a lot more to the city than The Swamp (football stadium) or Butler Plaza.

What do I mean? 

I mean a trek through Central Park – although not necessarily the John Lennon Memorial area or the skating rink or the Central Park Zoo. Head further north and you’ll find the Central Park Bramble and Lake, a wild, natural garden and lake far away from the horse-drawn carriages and $3-7 a-minute pedicabs rides. Or the 1.66 mile trek around the Reservoir.  Or the Conservatory Water at E. 74^th Street, an ornamental pond where model boat owners run their vessels across the shimmering waters in the spring and summer.

I mean a walk along the Hudson River – starting anywhere in the W. 110s all the way down to Battery Park. There are wonderful paths along Riverside Park that offer beautiful views – and if you want, you can grab a glass of wine at Pier I; catch a ride on the North River Lobster Company’s “Floating Lobster Shack;” tour the Intrepid Sea, Air, Space Museum; or take a 3-hour Circle Line tour around the entire Manhattan Island where you learn about Spuyten Duyvil Creek - which is a short tidal estuary connecting the Hudson River to the Harlem River Ship Canal - and view the boroughs from the water and the bridges that connect them. Yes, these places still attract out-of-towners, but they are a little different from the usual fare.

And let’s not even get into the other areas of the city? Brooklyn – great little neighborhoods and Coney Island. Queens, with its wonderful Asian cuisine that we have yet to explore, and Harlem – where we’ve just scratched the surface of this iconic community.

The wonderful thing about moving somewhere new – no matter your age – is the chance to visit the nooks and crannies around your new home.  We’re still finding all the ones around us – whether it’s the week we spent in the Catskills last summer or the upcoming visit we have planned for Philadelphia. Cause let’s face it – Philadelphia is to New York City as Gainesville is to Orlando, or Hartford, Ky. to the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville. Just a hop and a skip down the road – and a whole 'nother world to visit!! 

Dorie Greenspan's ultimate rustic French food: Marie-Helene's Apple Cake

Several months ago I shared my favorite cookbooks and how they’ve changed the way I cook and the foods we love.  One of the cookbooks that was relatively new at the time of my earlier post has since become one of my favorites of all time. It’s Dorie Greenspan’s “Around My French Table” – an amazing cookbook where Dorie shares how she fell in love with France and its wonderful culinary history, and how she learned to make its amazing dishes.

 In addition to the earlier mentioned “Roast Chicken for Les Paresseux” – translated into “Roast Chicken for Lazy People,” I have also fallen in love with Dorie’s “Marie-Helene’s Apple Cake.” It is literally one of the easiest dishes you can make, and it’s just the pure definition of rustic, comfort food.

It’s one of those dishes I make when I’m feeling a bit down-in-the-dumps, when there’s two feet of snow on the ground or when I’m expecting someone to drop by for a cup of coffee and a small snack. It lasts up to three days – just hanging out on its own antique cake stand – and if anything, tastes better on day three than when it comes out of the oven. I often add my own twists to recipes, but there’s no way to improve on Dorie’s take on apple cake. Make sure though, that you choose four different apples – including at least one that’s nicely tart. Every bite will taste different depending upon the apples perched on your fork. You can add a soft dollop of whipped cream or a scoop of French vanilla ice cream, but honestly, it’s simple goodness on its own.

Enjoy – and appreciate how simple real French cooking is to make.

DORIE GREENSPAN’S “MARIE-HELENE’S APPLE CAKE”

INGREDIENTS
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch of salt
4 large apples (if you can, choose 4 different kinds)
2 large eggs
3/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons dark rum
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Generously butter an 8-inch springform pan and put it on a baking sheet lined with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper and put the springform on it.

Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in small bowl. Peel the apples, cut them in half and remove the cores. Cut the apples into 1- to 2-inch chunks.

In a medium bowl, beat the eggs with a whisk until they're foamy. Pour in the sugar and whisk for a minute or so to blend. Whisk in the rum and vanilla. Whisk in half the flour and when it is incorporated, add half the melted butter, followed by the rest of the flour and the remaining butter, mixing gently after each addition so that you have a smooth, rather thick batter. Switch to a rubber spatula and fold in the apples, turning the fruit so that it's coated with batter. Scrape the mix into the pan and poke it around a little with the spatula so that it's evenish.

Slide the pan into the oven and bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until the top of the cake is golden brown and a knife inserted deep into the center comes out clean; the cake may pull away from the sides of the pan. Transfer to a cooling rack and let rest for 5 minutes.

Carefully run a blunt knife around the edges of the cake and remove the sides of the springform pan. (Open the springform slowly, and before it's fully opened, make sure there aren't any apples stuck to it.) Allow the cake to cool until it is just slightly warm or at room temperature. If you want to remove the cake from the bottom of the springform pan, wait until the cake is almost cooled, then run a long spatula between the cake and the pan, cover the top of the cake with a piece of parchment or wax paper, and invert it onto a rack. Carefully remove the bottom of the pan and turn the cake over onto a serving dish.

The cake will keep for about 2 days at room temperature and gets more comforting with each passing day. However long you keep the cake, it's best not to cover it - it's too moist. Leave the cake on its plate and just press a piece of plastic wrap or wax paper against the cut surfaces.