Back in the day, breakfast was simple: Cereal. Eggs and toast. The special-occasion pancake or waffle.
The menu didn’t change much whether you were eating in the kitchen at home or in a booth at your local diner.
And yes, breakfast out was pretty much the exclusive domain of diners. No star chefs were getting up at 5 a.m. to cook breakfast. Often that was when they were ending their day, not starting it.
Dining out has changed, and so have our expectations about what breakfast can be. A fabulous restaurant breakfast or brunch can be the highlight of the weekend.
So when you’re at home, how do you wow family and friends gathered for a special occasion breakfast like say, Christmas morning?
Perhaps the question is really, how do you provide a restaurant-quality experience without an army of sous chefs?
For the answer, we turned to Andrew Smith, executive chef at West Egg Cafe on Atlanta’s Westside.
Five months ago, Smith came to helm West Egg Cafe and immersed himself full time in the world of breakfast. But of course, he’s been eating breakfast all his life. “Really, mostly breakfast for me is a cup of coffee. Or scrambled eggs. Or oatmeal.”
In addition to cooking breakfast for the diners at West Egg, the single dad fixes that same breakfast – minus the coffee — for his seven-year-old son Aidan. “He will eat anything. He loves scrambled eggs. He loves oatmeal. All the basics. For something fun, we’ll make monkey bread. And a couple of times we’ve made cinnamon rolls. He likes to watch what I’m doing and get in there to help. I’m teaching him now how to flip pancakes.”
Teaching his son to cook is important to Smith. “The more involved you get your kids into cooking, the better it is for the family. And for the kid when he grows up. It’s hard to believe that so many people don’t know how to cook.”
Special-occasion breakfasts when he was growing up weren’t fancy affairs. “Christmas breakfast was real simple. My mom would make banana bread and we’d have a big meal later on because everybody was focused on the presents.” When he goes home to visit, his mom still makes it a point to do the cooking and give her chef son a break.
But that doesn’t keep Smith from having great tips for the rest of us.
“Plan ahead. Prepare ahead. The reason restaurants can successfully host so many people and big crowds is that we’re all very adept at being prepared and ready to go. If we were making the Monte Cristo French Toast, we’d have the bread cut, the sandwiches put together and the batter made.
“Keep your recipes simple and use really good ingredients. A dish doesn’t have to be super complex to be absolutely delicious.
“Especially in winter, plan a breakfast that’s about comfort food and things that make you feel warm inside. It should be a hot breakfast but that can be something as simple as good scrambled eggs.
“Taking the extra time to cook for your special guests is just a way to show them your love with what you’re doing.”
West Egg Cafe’s general manager Anna Comstock sometimes plays mixologist, which is a job she enjoys although she says she knew nothing about mixing drinks until she landed this job. That hasn’t stopped her from exercising her creativity. “As general manager, we get a real feel for our guests. It’s fun to think about what they might enjoy. On Sunday, our guests seem to especially like tropical fruit drinks or maybe a hot coffee drink to warm up on these cold mornings.”
The heart of a putting out a great breakfast, Comstock and Smith agree, is thinking about your guests and serving dishes and beverages you think they’ll enjoy.
A special breakfast for Christmas morning or any other day doesn’t have to be complicated. And it doesn’t have to feature traditional holiday foods. Lay in top-quality ingredients and breakfast will be ready in minutes.
Anna Comstock’s Tropical Tequila Sunrise
West Egg’s general manager Anna Comstock created this recipe as a take on the traditional tequila sunrise featuring grenadine. It was a huge hit during weekend brunch. The restaurant uses Monin’s strawberry syrup. You can find Torani’s strawberry syrup at Cost Plus World Market.
Comstock likes Espolon tequila for this cocktail. “It’s smooth with no harsh kickback. It’s 100 percent agave and is a great mixer or served straight up. And it does all that at an amazing price.”
The proportions in the recipe are for one cocktail. You can also make up a pitcher that would serve eight.
Combine 2 cups tequila with 3/4 teaspoon strawberry syrup and refrigerate. Have a pitcher of at least 6 cups of orange juice available along with a bucket of ice. Your guests can fill their glass with ice, then add the tequila-strawberry mixture and top up the glass with orange juice.
2 ounces tequila
3 splashes strawberry syrup
Ice
3/4 cup orange juice
Orange slice, for garnish
In a cocktail shaker, combine tequila and strawberry syrup and shake well. Pour over ice into a tall Collins glass. Top off with orange juice and add orange slice for garnish. Serves: 1
Per serving: 219 calories (percent of calories from fat, 4), 1 gram protein, 21 grams carbohydrates, trace fiber, trace fat (no saturated fat), no cholesterol, 3 milligrams sodium.
Anna Comstock’s Autumn Breeze
This recipe was also created by West Egg’s general manager, Anna Comstock. “I use Jameson in this cocktail because it’s a classic whiskey with spice, honey and vanilla flavors. That works well with apples as in this drink and in Irish coffee. This is one whiskey I like better for mixing than serving straight up.”
The proportions in the recipe are for one cocktail. You can also make up a pitcher that would serve eight. Combine 2 cups Irish whiskey, 2 cups apple cider, a scant quarter teaspoon of cranberry bitters and 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon. Stir well and refrigerate. When ready to serve, stir again and serve with a bucket of ice. Your guests can fill their glass with ice, then add the whiskey mixture and garnish with an apple slice.
2 ounces Irish whiskey
2 ounces apple cider
2 splashes cranberry bitters
1 dash ground cinnamon
Ice
Apple slice, for garnish
In a cocktail shaker, combine whiskey, cider, bitters and cinnamon. Shake well. Fill a rocks glass with ice and pour mixture over. Garnish with apple slice. Serves: 1
Per serving: 169 calories (percent of calories from fat, 2), trace protein, 7 grams carbohydrates, trace fiber, trace fat (no saturated fat), no cholesterol, 2 milligrams sodium.
Andrew Smith’s Avocado Toast with Smoked Salmon
The success of this recipe is all about the quality of the ingredients. Buy smoked salmon that you love. Smith suggests serving this alongside really well made scrambled eggs, perhaps incorporating a little cream cheese in the egg mixture.
For the toast, he likes the texture of toasted ciabatta with its big holes and rustic flavor. No ciabatta? Substitute a good sandwich bread, although ciabatta can be found at stores like Whole Foods. West Egg uses ciabatta made by the bakers at their sister restaurant, The General Muir.
2 ripe Haas avocadoes
Salt and pepper
8 1/2-inch thick slices ciabatta, toasted
1/2 pound thinly sliced smoked salmon
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
2 teaspoons chopped chives
Cut avocadoes in half and remove flesh from the skin. In a medium bowl, mash avocado flesh and season to taste. Spread avocado mixture evenly on toast. Top with smoked salmon, sliced onion and chives. Serve immediately. Serve: 8
Per serving: 186 calories (percent of calories from fat, 46), 8 grams protein, 18 grams carbohydrates, 2 grams fiber, 10 grams fat (2 grams saturated), 7 milligrams cholesterol, 380 milligrams sodium.
Andrew Smith’s Monte Cristo French Toast
When is French toast more than eggs, milk and bread? When it’s “stuffed” French toast featuring ham and cream cheese “sandwiches.” A Monte Cristo is traditionally made with ham and Swiss, but Smith liked the creaminess you get when you make it with cream cheese instead. He says if you want a really flavorful ham, perhaps Black Forest or something that’s been cob-smoked, but nothing that’s too salty.
Challah is a soft, egg-rich bread traditionally served for a Sabbath meal. It’s widely available at bakeries and grocery stores with a specialty bread department. West Egg uses challah made by the bakers at their sister restaurant, The General Muir.
Smith suggests serving this with roasted sweet potato wedges and a pitcher of maple syrup alongside.
8 slices challah
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 pound thinly sliced ham
6 eggs
1/2 cup half-and-half
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
Powdered sugar, for garnish
Make sandwiches: Lay out challah on a work surface. Divide cream cheese between four slices and spread evenly. Top with ham, evenly divided, then top with second slice of bread. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, half-and-half and vanilla.
Heat a griddle or nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Dip sandwiches into egg mixture, coating all sides. Arrange sandwiches in skillet and cook until brown on both sides. Remove from griddle and cut into triangles. Dust with powdered sugar and serve immediately. Serves: 4
Per serving: 480 calories (percent of calories from fat, 54), 26 grams protein, 29 grams carbohydrates, 2 grams fiber, 28 grams fat (15 grams saturated), 310 milligrams cholesterol, 1,318 milligrams sodium.
Andrew Smith’s Chorizo-Potato Tacos
Smith likes russet potatoes in this dish because he prefers a potato that cooks up dry rather than waxy.
Fresh chorizo is becoming more available at mainstream grocery stores. Publix carries a particularly wide variety of Hispanic foods.
You can streamline the preparation by cooking the potatoes the night before. Then just before ready to serve, brown the chorizo, add the potatoes and soon you’re ready to start filling your tortillas. You can heat the tortillas on a griddle, quickly warming both sides, or you can stack them and wrap in a paper towel, then microwave for just 15 or 20 seconds until the tortillas are warm and have softened.
Serve these tacos with a side of guacamole and a salad of fresh tropical fruits such as pineapple, melon and mango.
1/2 pound russet potatoes, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch dice
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1/2 pound fresh Mexican chorizo
12 warm soft corn tortillas
1/2 cup minced white onion
1/4 cup queso fresco, crumbled
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
2 limes, cut into wedges
In a large saucepan, add potatoes and cover with water. Add salt. Bring to a simmer and cook until tender. Drain and let rest until potatoes are dry. May be made ahead and refrigerated up to 1 day.
When ready to serve, in a large skillet, cook chorizo until brown and liquid has evaporated. Stir in cooked potatoes and cook until potatoes are crisp and brown. Double the tortillas and then fill immediately. Garnish with onion, queso fresco and cilantro. Serve with lime wedges. Serves: 6
Per serving: 339 calories (percent of calories from fat, 45), 14 grams protein, 33 grams carbohydrates, 4 grams fiber, 17 grams fat (7 grams saturated), 37 milligrams cholesterol, 1,138 milligrams sodium.
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