In a cereal rut?
Liven up your mornings with blueberry scones, rice pudding bowls, omelettes of champions
Being creative with the first meal of the day — every single day — is no easy feat. We’re all looking for something fast, easy, filling and, most importantly, great-tasting. If you’re stuck in a dry-toastand-cereal rut, or are looking for new morning recipes to eat at home or on the go, these satisfying suggestions will perk up your weekday breakfast routine.
Ricardo Tested We pushed the slow cooker to its limits and baked the perfect loaf of raisin bread.
Really, really good raisin bread, to be exact.
This recipe takes some time, but if you make this soft, slightly sweet, cinnamon-sprinkled, raisin-speckled loaf on Sunday (then slice and freeze it), come Monday (and Tuesday and Wednesday. . .) morning it’s ready to eat: Just pop a piece in the toaster, smear on some butter and enjoy. 11/4 cups (310 mL) warm milk 1/4 cup (60 mL) honey 1 cup (100 g) quick oats 2 tsp instant dry yeast 21/2 cups (375 g) unbleached all-purpose flour 11/2 tsp salt 2 tbsp (30 mL) melted butter 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon 1/2 cup (70 g) raisins Butter a 4 x 10-inch (10 x 25 cm) loaf pan (see note).
In a bowl, combine milk and honey. Stir in oats and yeast.
In a stand mixer using dough hook, combine flour and salt. Make a well and add milk mixture. Knead for 2 minutes. Drizzle in melted butter and knead for 2 to 3 minutes or until smooth.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough into a 10 x 14-inch (25 x 35 cm) rectangle. Sprinkle cinnamon and raisins over surface of dough. Roll into a log 10 inches (25 cm) long.
Place in prepared pan, seam side down. Lightly brush loaf with water and sprinkle with 1 tbsp of oats, if desired. Place in slow cooker and cover with a damp cloth. Let rise for 30 minutes.
Pour 1/2 cup (125 mL) of water into slow cooker. Cover and cook on High for 4 hours. The bread may slightly flow over the edge of the pan and have an uneven surface.
Remove pan from the slow cooker and let cool on a wire rack. Unmould and let cool completely.
Delicious as is the same day or lightly toasted the next day. Makes 1 loaf. Note: Make sure the loaf pan completely fits into your slow cooker.
Breakfast Rice Pudding Bowls With Raspberries and Pears
Ricardo Tested With a little bit of advance prep, this addictive recipe delivers a healthy, filling breakfast for the whole week — and the whole family. Not overly sweet, rice pudding is a great replacement for a bowl of cereal, with the added flavour boost of almond granola, raspberry-pear purée and fresh raspberries.
The creamy arborio rice pairs deliciously with the sweet, tangy fruit mixture. And the crunch of the granola will definitely wake up your taste buds! Rice pudding: 6 cups (1.5 L) milk 3/4 cup (160 g) arborio rice 1 vanilla bean, split and scraped (or 1 tsp/5 mL vanilla extract) 1/3 cup (70 g) sugar Almond granola: 1/2 cup (55 g) sliced almonds 1/2 cup (50 g) rolled oats 2 tbsp (30 mL) maple syrup Raspberry pear purée 4 canned pear halves in light syrup, drained 1 cup (125 g) frozen raspberries, thawed Topping: 1/2 cup (70 g) fresh raspberries (optional) In a large saucepan over mediumhigh heat, bring milk, rice, vanilla seeds and pod to a boil. Let simmer over medium-low heat for 25 minutes, stirring frequently. Add sugar and continue cooking for 5 minutes or until rice is tender.
Transfer to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap directly on surface of rice pudding. Let cool and refrigerate until completely chilled.
With rack in the middle position, preheat the oven to 400 F (200 C). Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper.
In a bowl, combine all the almond granola ingredients. Spread onto prepared sheet. Bake for 10 minutes or until golden brown, stirring halfway through cooking. Let cool. Set aside.
To make the raspberry pear purée, in a blender, purée the pears and raspberries until smooth. Strain.
Stir rice pudding to soften. Remove and discard the vanilla pod. Pour fruit purée into bowls, as desired, and spoon rice pudding overtop. Garnish with granola and top with the raspberries, if desired.
Makes 4 servings.
Blueberry Scones
Ricardo Tested Is there anything more satisfying than a freshly baked blueberry scone? With its moist but slightly firm texture and just the right amount of sugar and plump, juicy blueberries, this recipe is one for the books.
But the real secret here is that you can make these scones and freeze them before cooking.
Just wake up in the morning, turn on the oven, pop them in and by the time you’re dressed, warm, perfectly cooked scones will be waiting for you. 2 3/4 cups (412 g) unbleached all-purpose flour 1/2 cup (105 g) sugar 1 tbsp baking powder 1 tsp baking soda 1/2 tsp salt 3/4 cup (170 g) cold unsalted butter, cubed 11/4 cups (310 mL) buttermilk 2 cups (300 mL) fresh blueberries (see note) 2 tbsp white coarse sugar With rack in highest position, preheat oven to 425 F (210 C). Line two baking sheets with silicone mats or parchment paper.
In a food processor, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add butter and pulse until butter forms pea-sized pieces. Add 1 cup (250 mL) of buttermilk, and pulse until just blended.
On a lightly floured work surface, using a rolling pin, roll out dough into a 16-inch (45-cm) square. Arrange blueberries over the dough. Roll dough into a long cylinder and press it flat to a thickness of 11/4 inches (3 cm) while keeping it 16 inches (45 cm) long.
Cut the dough into 7 rectangles, then cut each rectangle diagonally into triangles. Place on the prepared sheets, or freeze at this point. Brush scones with remaining buttermilk and sprinkle with coarse sugar.
Bake one sheet at a time for 18 minutes or until the scones are golden brown. (Bake frozen scones for about 23 minutes.) Let cool.
Makes 14 scones.
Ham and Cheese Omelette
Ricardo Tested It’s the end of a long week. Give your weekend a kick-start with this breakfast of champions: a ham and cheese omelette that can be made in 15 minutes flat.
To elevate the perfect pairing of ham and cheddar cheese, add a sprinkle of fresh chives for a hint of onion.
And even if your omelette doesn’t look perfect, I guarantee it will taste like a prizewinner. 5 eggs 1 tbsp butter 2 tbsp chopped ham 2 tbsp grated cheddar cheese 1 tbsp chopped fresh chives In a bowl, whisk eggs. Season with salt and pepper. In a 9-inch (23-cm) non-stick skillet over medium heat, melt butter. Pour eggs into the skillet.
Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, breaking up the egg that has cooked and allowing the raw egg to run underneath.
When edges are almost cooked and centre is still slightly runny, sprinkle chopped ham, cheese and chives over half of the omelette.
Fold other half of the omelette onto the garnished half. Continue cooking for 2 minutes or until the desired doneness. Slide onto a plate. Serve with toast.
Makes 2 omelettes.