Breakfast for dinner.
I’ve always embraced the tradition of celebrating a loved one’s birthday by cooking the person’s absolute favorite meal.
Learning someone’s most beloved supper opens a little window to their soul; making that meal is a heartfelt way of spoiling them on their special day.
For my own birthday this month, I treated myself to breakfast for dinner, my cherished comfort meal. Every day I wake up hungry and think about what I’ll enjoy that morning before I even climb out of bed. Because I rarely have time to whip up a full, hearty breakfast spread, a birthday dinner seemed the perfect occasion to bring all my morning favorites together, along with some friends and family, to welcome my 29th birthday.
I adore fluffy pancakes and crispy-edged French toast, but to me, waffles reign supreme. Crisp on the outside and airy within, Belgian waffles are an especially perfect vehicle for toppings like berries, peanut butter or maple syrup thanks to their deep, square craters.
For my b-day menu, I jazzed up a basic buckwheat waffle batter with blueberries, lemon zest and poppy seeds, topping them simply with butter and real maple syrup.
No brinner (breakfast for dinner) would be complete without a hearty egg dish at its center. To honor spring, peas and chives greened up my skillet-baked frittata, nestled alongside button mushrooms and dollops of creamy goat cheese. Removing the skillet from beneath the broiler just before the center is set allows the residual heat from the pan to gently finish cooking the eggs, leaving them soft and creamy rather than dried out.
I relished the challenge of creating a breakfast-y dessert to complete my ideal meal. With
strawberries and rhubarb in season, a parfait felt like just the right way to feature these fleeting flavors. Roasting the fruit with a splash of balsamic vinegar brings their sweetness seeping out into a ruby-colored juice that thickens with the oven’s heat, creating an irresistible compote for swirling into creamy, vanilla bean-flecked yogurt.
To add contrasting crunch and a rich hit of cocoa, I topped the parfaits with a homemade cacao nib granola, made with a mélange of nuts, seeds and oats. Using a greater ratio of nuts and seeds to oats makes for a blend that is filled with protein, fiber and healthy fat: a more satisfying breakfast “cereal” to carry you through the morning, skipping the 9 a.m. hunger pangs in exchange for sustained energy until lunchtime.
Thankfully, this recipe makes more than enough to top the parfaits, leaving plenty to enjoy for weekday breakfasts with a splash of milk or dollop of yogurt.
Even if it’s not your birthday, I hope you’ll still fall for these breakfast delights featuring late spring’s bounty. The strawberry rhubarb parfaits can be made ahead and topped with granola just before serving, a perfect picnic treat sealed neatly in mason jars.
The frittata makes for a quick, no-fuss weeknight dinner alongside a simply dressed spring greens salad. Or make the whole menu for brunch or brinner and feast under the June sun, toasting with something bubbly to a beautiful summer ahead.