Continental Breakfast, Broiled Grapefruit, Mimosa's, and Father's Day

When I was a younger man, my job frequently took me on the road. No matter what was on my agenda I tried to schedule a full breakfast every day to start my day off right. I grew up thinking that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. If there wasn't time for a complete breakfast I frequently ended up having a continental breakfast.

English muffin and scrambled eggs

A continental breakfast is a lighter morning meal that is offered for guests who don't have the time to enjoy a leisurely breakfast in a full service restaurant. The continental breakfast is usually a self- service buffet and guests can help themselves, rather than being served.

 

In a hotel a continental breakfast buffet usually consists of an assortment of individual size boxes of dry cereals that convert into a serving bowl. You cut the box open on the dotted lines, open the waxed paper inside and pour the milk right into the waxed paper bag with the cereal. It's fun and comforting. I grew up in a simpler time as a baby boomer.

Retro cereal bowl. Just pour the milk in.

There is often an assortment of croissants, bagels, English muffins, jams, jellies, assorted juices, milk, cream, coffee and tea.

Some fresh fruit. It’s not uncommon to have a cook at a hot station serving scrambled eggs, waffles, or pancakes. Sometimes there's even bacon, ham, or sausage.

A really quick breakfast.

It was in the early 80’s I first discovered “broiled grapefruit.” Even today I think many people have never heard about it, or tasted one.

Cut through grapefruit segments

INGREDIENTS (Serves 2) 
1 whole grapefruit, cut in half, pink, ruby red, or plain
4 tsp. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon, divided
2 tsp. butter, cut into 4 pieces, optional
1 whole Maraschino cherries,* drained, cut in half
NOTE: *You may use any fresh fruit berry to decorate the center of the grapefruit.

Don't complain I didn't invent this

DIRECTIONS

Place your oven rack in the center. Turn on the broiler. If you have a Crème Brûlée torch you can eliminate using the oven and use it instead.

Lay on the brown sugar

Cut each grapefruit in half. Using a grapefruit knife or a small serrated knife, cut the individual triangular shaped grapefruit sections so that when served they can easily be removed with a spoon. Place each grapefruit half into an oven proof deep ramekin.

Remove from oven and garnish with maraschino cherry

Once you have sectioned the halves, place a small pat of butter in the center of each grapefruit half. Mix the brown sugar and cinnamon together and sprinkle over the  tops of each grapefruit half. Place the ramekins in the broiler, leaving the door open enough so that you can watch the grapefruit so that the tops don’t burn. Broil until the butter is melted and sugar is starting to brown and caramelize.

Maybe you prefer blackberries

Remove the ramekins from the broiler and place a drained Maraschino cherry in the center of each grapefruit half. For this example we used fresh blackberries.

Why not finish with a sweet roll or a donut?

What would a Continental breakfast be without a refreshing drink to suit the occasion. The mimosa is an excellent choice.  To build a mimosa you only need two ingredients; champagne (sparkling wine) and orange juice. I prefer a good quality dry prosecco or a brute champagne and fresh squeezed orange juice. There is nothing worse than starting the day with a headache caused by drinking cheap champagne.

Can I interest you in a prosecco mimosa for Father's Day?

To many, a classic mimosa is about 1/4 champagne and 3/4 orange juice. I prefer equal parts of each. Fill the glass half way with champagne and top off with orange juice. Do not stir or shake. Enjoy the day and please drink responsibly. Happy Father's Day!

Maybe you're a Bloody Mary person

My brother, who lives in the south is always trying to show me how to barbecue.  Today he sent me a picture of his bacon wrapped pork tenderloins and chicken.

Does anyone remember eating cereal in a box? What is your favorite breakfast item or drink? How did you celebrate Father's Day. 

© TMelle 2014

Chef's Salad or a Cold Salad Plate

Chef's salad with Thousand Island dressing

In my wonder years, well over 40 years ago, I worked in downtown Chicago. At the time I was also dating a girl who would eventually become my wife. She also worked in the city and we often met for lunch at one of several local restaurants. If we were in the mood for pizza it was Gino's East. If it was skirt steaks and beer, it was off to Barbecue and Brew, featuring "all you can eat salad and all you can drink beer," also now closed. Imagine that, but that's another story.
One of the restaurants we visited often was The Cambridge House. They had one of those 5 page menus that had too many choices on it. My favorite quick lunch was a Francheezie, or a Chef’s salad with creamy garlic, thousand Island dressing, or a little of each.

The Francheezie

http://dumplingproject.blogspot.com/2012/07/francheezie-retro-hot-dog.html This salad is more than a side salad, it is a meal. A Chef's salad is great for those hot summer days or nights when nothing else sounds good.

Chef's salad ingredients

INGREDIENTS

6 slices bacon, cooked crispy, drained, crumbled
8 cups iceberg lettuce, washed, torn, or chopped
2 whole tomatoes, cut into wedges
12 cucumber slices
2 whole hard boiled eggs, peeled, sliced, or wedges
1/4 lb. Swiss cheese, cut in strips
1/4 lb. ham, cut into strips
to taste thousand island dressing, creamy garlic, or both
toasted croutons, as needed

Hard-boiled eggs either sliced or wedges

DIRECTIONS

Cook bacon until crisp and drain on paper towels. 
Crumble bacon pieces and set to the side. 
Prepare your croutons and set to the side. 
Prepare your hard boiled eggs. When cool, peel, slice and set to the side. You can also cut the eggs into wedges if you prefer. 
Slice the cheese and the ham into strips and set to the side. 
Cut the tomatoes into wedges and set to the side. 
Serve with your favorite salad dressing.

Wash the lettuce and spin dry. Rub a large salad bowl with garlic, tear lettuce into pieces, or chop and place into the salad bowl. The lettuce should be ice cold.
Place the tomato wedges around the edges, followed by the eggs; add the strips of ham and cheese.
Toss croutons around the salad and place some on a plate to the side with the Thousand Island dressing to be added by those eating the salad.

If I didn't order the Chef's salad, I would often order the Cold salad plate, which consisted of a bed of Iceberg lettuce, tomato wedges, a hard-boiled egg cut in half, radishes and your choice of three scoops of Chicken, Egg and Potato salad, or Tuna, Egg and Potato salad.

Iceberg lettuce, tomato wedges and radishes

If you didn't want the  potato salad you could substitute that with cottage cheese and some fresh fruit. It really was a build your own salad plate. When you finished the trio of salads, you would pour your favorite dressings on the bed of lettuce, tomatoes and radishes. 

Egg salad, Tuna salad and American Potato salad

Keep in mind that these are retro salads and as good today as they were way back then. Why not post your favorite salad recipe in the comments section below, or follow this bog by signing up on the upper right "Followers" section. 

      

Serves 4-6

© TMelle 2014

California Fish Tacos

When visiting California many years ago, I was truly amazed at the number of fish taco stands and trucks there were. "How come I never heard of this before?" I wondered.

Yes that's guacamole on the side!

If I thought about it for a minute, I probably would have figured it out on my own. California has an ocean to the west that runs from the south to the north. Where there's an ocean there's fish and a lot of them. So it just makes sense. I should also point out that my good friend had a son who wanted to start a taco truck business in Australia. I did a little research and found that it had great potential in Australia, but not so much in California.

True Cod and Char Crust "Amazin' Cajun" Blackening Seasoning

Recently I went to my daughter, the chef to ask her about fish taco's. Many do have lettuce, cabbage or a slaw on them, but it is not required. Most any seasoning will do but I prefer a Char Crust blackening spice.

Let the spice rub get cozy with the fish

When I went to get the fish I was looking for mahi-mahi, or tilapia,  neither of which they had. What they did have was fresh Alaskan true cod, which is wild caught, available year round and sustainable. Make sure the fish filet is uniform in thickness so that it cooks evenly.

What do you really need? Other than the fish, the other ingredients include corn or flour tortilla's and for the fish you're going to need a great seasoning. Cajun spice seems to be a popular one. Next up is some kind of salsa (rojas or verde) and some pica de gallo. Do you like cilantro? Many people don’t and think it tastes like dish soap. No problem, just pick up some curly, or Italian parsley. This is a great substitution for cilantro. Don't forget to get some fresh limes! A fresh lime squeezed over fish taco’s adds a fresh taste that can’t be achieved by bottled lime juice.

Pica De Gallo, Salsa Rojas, Queso Fresco Red Cabbage

Sprinkle the fish liberally with olive oil or butter on both sides, and then massage the spices into the fish. Let the fish sit for about 15-30 minutes to allow the flavor to develop. 

Preheat the lightly oiled cast iron pan or griddle until really hot. Place the fish into the hot pan. Cook the fish on the bottom for 2-3 minutes until that side becomes opaque half way up develops the blackened crust (not burnt). Using a fish spatula carefully flip the fish over and cook this side as you did for side one. Do not touch the fish for at least 2-4 minutes depending on the thickness of the fish.

Developing that blackened look

Carefully lift one corner to see if it is grilled to perfection. Carefully remove it from the pan to a cutting board or a platter. Stop what you're doing and take a picture. A properly blackened piece of fish really is a thing of beauty. Let the fish rest for a couple of minutes while you cook some tortilla's. I used the min-corn tortillas.

Okay this looks delicious.

Drizzle or spray the pan or griddle with oil and place your tortillas on it. Just heat them until they get some color on them but are still soft and pliable. Some people use one tortilla per taco and some use two. Whatever floats your boat. It really doesn't matter.

Flip these over and lightly brown side two. Once all of your tortillas are ready begin assembling your fish taco's. Fold the tortilla in half and place a dollop of the salsa in the center of the shell and then some of the grilled fish. Spoon some of the pico de gallo over the fish, a little more salsa. Drizzle with some fresh sour cream or crema and then sprinkle with crumbled Queso Fresco. Put 3-4 tacos per person on the plate and add a good dollop of guacamole on the plate as a garnish.

True cod fish tacos

What to serve with this meal? How about some fresh corn on the cob? Never worry about making to much corn. If you have left-overs why not whip up some green corn tamales.

Where did I put the butter?

Apparently the method of blackening, was discovered or started by New Orleans Chef Paul Prudhomme. The first time I had blackened anything, it was a steak, and it was burnt. My first thought was that anyone can burn a steak. Then I had a steak that was blackened, but not burnt, and it was delicious. The secret is not to let whatever it is that you’re cooking burn. It is the caramelization of the fat and spices on the fish that you're after. That being said, why not try blackened steak or chicken taco's next time?

      

© TMelle 2014