Sweet Sunday Morning. When starting the day with a sweet bite, it becomes even sweeter itself. That is at least my theory. Some honey in your tea, a little cinnamon in the milky rice, some fruits in your yogurt, a marmalade on your toast…. and once in a while a little more indulgence, like these mini pancakes, with caramel ricotta, chocolate covered “in season” strawberries & toasted pine nuts. Various fruits are perfect here, use your fantasy and look out for possibly what’s in season.
Spring on toast & toast for spring. Grab the season of rebirth and cherry blossoms into your hand and savor these springful toast slices accompanying your senses into the new cycle of life with colors, delicate taste, seasonal food, elegance and a completely natural sparkling wine from LaStaffa, a classical method biodynamic verdicchio wine with a small percentage of trebbiano grapes, a true rarety, cultivated in the rolling hills of Staffolo nestled in the hills in the north of the Marche region, in the Esino valley. In fact its name is “Mai sentito” (Never before heard of). It is a perfect match here and its so appropriate to make a toast to spring, summer coming up and Mother Earth, with this fresh, crisp, fruity and extremely convivial natural spumante, expressing in such a beautiful way the distinct characteristics of the area.
Asparagus, bacon strips, butter. A classic. Like a 19th century novel or a Bach minuet. Everything perfectly in place, in harmony as it should be, yet so inspired. The orange pepper and the parmigiano butter give a little twist to this all time classic, to be enjoyed with asparagus in season.
A lot of vitamin D here: mackerel, eggs and butter…. and a lot of taste. A quick and substantial lunch or aperitivo dish. With a glass of dry traditional method sparkling wine, you’re in for a “bubbling” tastebud adventure.
When I make those butter fried slices of bread for late Sunday breakfast or whenever I need extra sunshine into my morning, the lines from Richard Rodger’s score of “Oklahoma” automatically come to mind: “Oh, what a beautiful morning, oh, what a beautiful day”, and I feel like Gordon MacRae admiring the golden meadows on a super sunny day. That is what food can do to us. In addition to nurturing us, it takes our spirit on the most incredible “voyages”. Use the fruit you have in season for topping.
There are some food combinations that seem like a match made in heaven. Like butter and truffles, like eggs and truffles, like eggs, truffles and butter……
Playing with the quantity of eggs (from 1-3) remains a big challenge together with their delicate cooking process. You need to chose well your skillet, of the right measure and non-stick or iron cast would be best. The pan needs to embrace well the eggs and not be too large for the eggs with slightly high soft borders. We wish to obtain a well cooked but glossy white and a soft and creamy yolk. This recipe foresees 3 eggs, and is the perfect portion for a romantic tête-à-tête, or as a “gourmand brunch” for one person that wishes to fill up with seasonal flavors wrapped in the perfumed and comforting creaminess of the eggs.
Ciambella is such a beautiful word and comforting in a way. The second part of the word “bella” means “beautiful” in Italian, so there’s one reason for the word’s expression for something good. Pronouncing “Ciam“, adds gladness and saliva to your palate in advance. It reminds of the sound of “yum“, meaning something that tastes or looks delicious. This bundt cake, ciambella, or better ciambellone, because of the size of it, is very light (despite the size of it), and extremely fragrant and zesty. An important factor for its lightness is given to the presence of extra virgin olive oil and zest in the dough. Then we exalt the zestiness, almonds as well as the mild olive oil in the dough with a second oil, a fruity Sicilian one.
Pancakes are one of my favorite things, and one day I think I will write a short story, or a “love poem” recalling all the “pancake” moments of my life. Or a song. In whatever circumstance they add joy, comfort, an intoxicating perfume, and then you have a world of choices for the fillings.
This recipe comes from my mother’s cookbook, “Hratt og bítandi” (2000, Ormstunga editor).
I added some baking powder and vanilla extract, that is typically put in pancakes in Iceland and fry them a little differently.
This salad is very refreshing as well as nutritious. I make it a lot in autumn in grape season to get the best qualities of this extremely healthy fruit. It contains of course the famous tannins, polyphenols, easily assimilated sugars, organic acids and A, B and C vitamins. The best hour to eat your grapes? Morning or lunch. So this makes for a perfect brunch salad.
This melon salad is a delicious and nourishing aperitivo (and in that case you pour more wine in proportion of the fruits), or as a refreshing dessert. Great on the summer brunch table or as an elegant picnic component.
