Breakfast is big at my house. We love breakfast for breakfast, lunch, and supper. Now that my children are older, we forego the turkey dinner and cook a big breakfast on Thanksgiving morning, so that everyone can get where they need to be. At the circulation desk, I noticed The Art of Breakfast: How to Bring B&B Entertaining Home by Dana Moos when it was returned, so I grabbed it before it was put on the shelving cart.
The book itself is a beautiful book. The pictures are mouth-watering, but I could have used a few more of them. Moos is a Maine author, and it’s published by Down East Books, so it has a local flavor which is a bonus. The food looks delectable and elegant, but the instructions are simple, and Moos also has some personal tips at the bottom of recipes when they are needed.
I enjoy a good crepe, but I hesitate to make them because they are intimidating to me. Moos includes recipes for both sweet and savory crepes, and that’s where I started. Though not difficult, there are some preparatory steps that will make the process easier such as making ahead the fillings.
The recipe for the two different crepe pastries, sweet and savory, only differs by 1 tablespoon of sugar, so in hindsight, I would not make two different batters, but when making something for the first time, I follow the instructions exactly, so I made two different batters. The recipe says that the batter will make 12 crepes. I actually got 16 or 17 per batch. Even with the extra crepes, there was quite a bit of filling left over, so next time I might cut back the fillings by one-third.
After cooking the first two, I had the knack of swirling the batter in the pan so my crepes ended up thin and even. The crepe pastry was firm, thin, and smooth with good flavor. (For those of you who may not have had a crepe before, the batter relies heavily on eggs, so if you don’t like an eggy flavor, this might not be for you.)
For the savory crepes, I made the Ricotta, Butternut Squash, and Zucchini filling with Sage Brown Butter. (The other savory filling recipe provided is Asparagus, Parmesan, and Ricotta with Fresh Maine Crab and Brown Butter.) Though the filling tastes fine, it was runnier than I expected and this was a problem when it came to filling the crepes. These crepes are pouch shaped, and it was a juggling act trying to keep the filling in. The crepes weren’t bland, but I would have liked a little more flavor, so when I make them again I will add some crumbled breakfast sausage and/or bacon.
The sweet crepes require the Basic Cheese Filling recipe, that also makes a lot and it, too, was runnier than I expected, but not as bad as the savory filling. Also, if you have a sweet tooth, you may want to add a little more sugar. After filling the crepe, they are baked for 30 minutes. These were delicious warm, but just a yummy cold, too. I chose to top my crepes with stewed strawberries, but Moos offers a yummy choice of Pineapple, Cherry, and Pecan Cheese filling, or Blueberry Apricot filling.
If you are looking for a way to liven up your breakfast, you need to give The Art of Breakfast a try.