The East Coast received another snow storm warning today. I feel bad for DC. Just when they thought the snowpocalyspe was over, another snow storm is preparing to hit the town again. We, New Yorkers expected a few inches last weekend as well, but we got nada. I don’t really know what’s going to happen this time. But if for some reason you find yourself snowed in with only two eggs in the refrigerator and a family of four to cook breakfast for, here’s a way to make it happen.

CREPES CITRON MIEL
125 grams flour
2 eggs
20 grams sugar
1 cup milk
1 pinch salt
1 tbps melted butter
1 lemon juiced
1/4 cup honey

Makes approximately 10 large crepes.

Mix the dry ingredients together in a bowl and make a well.

Crack the eggs into the well and whisk while adding half of the milk in small amounts until you get a smooth batter.

Add the remaining milk and let the batter rest for an hour.

Meanwhile, mix the honey and the lemon together.

When ready to make the crepes, add the melted butter to the batter.

Heat a nonstick pan. Add butter to coat.

Ladle the batter into the center of the pan and swirl to spread evenly.

Cook for 30 seconds and flip. Cook for another 10 seconds and remove and place the crepe best side down on a plate.

Fold the crepe in half and in half again.  Then, drizzle with the lemon honey mixture.

Repeat the process for each crepe.

Enjoy hot.

Freemans is one of my favorite places to grab brunch in New York city. It almost feels like a hidden gem located at the end of a tiny alley. The food is socially conscious sans the pretentiousness and the vibe is very nice… um despite the animal heads hanging on the wall. But maybe you have an affinity for taxidermy. Anyway, what brings me to Freemans for brunch over and over is their skillet egg dish, which I absolutely love. Eggs decadently baked on a bed of spinach with heavy cream, bacon and gruyere, and served with sourdough toast. It’s such a simple yet delicious dish that I felt I should share it with you. Here’s my vegetarian adaptation of the dish, which offers a nice alternative to the oh so predictable omelet for a brunch party.

BAKED EGGS with SPINACH and CHEESE
3 eggs
1 cup frozen chopped spinach (thawed and squeezed of all water)
1 shallot finely diced
1 garlic clove minced
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/3 grated cheese like Emmental, Gruyere or Jarlsberg
1 tbsp butter

Preheat oven to 450°F.

In a skillet, saute the shallot and garlic in butter for 2 to 3 minutes until softened.

Stir in the spinach, then add the cream, salt, pepper, nutmeg and simmer.

Remove skillet from heat and make 3 large indentations in spinach. Carefully break an egg into each indentation without break the yolk.

Sprinkle with cheese and bake, uncovered, until egg whites are set but yolks are still runny, 8-9 minutes.

Serve hot with buttered toast.

My husband picked up a rare treat one recent weekend: a carton of blueberries.

But he wasn’t about to use the whole stash for his fruit smoothie. I claimed a cup to make blueberry muffins.

Not just any ho-hum blueberry muffins, however. Berry Oatmeal Muffins.

Several years ago I cut the recipe out of a magazine — I can’t even remember which anymore — but I had never followed the exact recipe. Blueberries often are expensive, so I had always replaced them with the (free) red raspberries from my parents’ bushes. The results were delicious.

I prefer the tartness and color of the raspberry muffins, but my husband, whose favorite fruit is the blueberry, liked these better. These muffins are worth a try either way, and the recipe is simple enough to experiment with your favorite fruit (or whatever is on sale). Next up for me: Peach Oatmeal Muffins.

Berry Oatmeal Muffins
Adapted from an unknown source

1 1/2 tablespoons + 1 cup old-fashioned or quick-cooking oats, divided
1 1/2 tablespoons + 1/2 cup packed brown sugar, divided
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries (or raspberries)
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, to taste
1 cup yogurt (plain or fruit-flavored)
4 tablespoons melted butter
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Butter a muffin pan.

Combine 1 1/2 tablespoons oats and 1 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar in a small bowl and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine remaining oats, brown sugar, flour, baking powder and cinnamon. In a medium bowl, combine yogurt, butter, egg, and vanilla extract. Stir wet ingredients into dry ingredients until the batter is moistened but still lumpy. Gently fold in blueberries.

Fill muffin cups almost to top, and sprinkle reserved oats and brown sugar over muffins. Bake 18 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm. Makes 12.

Last year, I spent a great portion of my summer shuttling between Paris and San Sebastian. I was shooting mini video series on the restaurant scene of the Basque Country. It was a great experience that allowed me to dine at amazing restaurants and interview incredible chefs. If you’re foodie, then you know that San Sebastian’s culture is deeply rooted in gastronomy. From mom and pop’s shops to 3-star Michelin restaurants, the food is certain to blow your mind no matter where you eat.

One of my favorite spots was a tiny little restaurant called Bar Nestor. It’s one of those places that you aren’t likely to read about in the guide books, but that all the local foodies know about. The restaurant is known around town for three things: the best heirloom tomato salad, the best Txuleta (bone-in steak) and the best tortilla de patatas (potato omelet). I swear I didn’t know eggs and potatoes could taste so delicious. Nestor only makes two tortillas per day. One for lunch and one for dinner. It is so popular that most times, you have to reserve your slice in advance. I’m serious!

Nestor was one of the places I filmed during my culinary voyage. Hence, I was able to follow the man (Nestor) in his kitchen and watch him while he made the world’s best tortilla de patatas. Here’s what I learned.

TORTILLA DE PATATAS
5 starchy potatoes – $2.00
6 large eggs – $1.50
1 small onion – $0.40
Salt and pepper – Pantry
Olive oil – Pantry

Serves 6 for $4.90

Peel and cut the potatoes into thin uniform slices.

Wash the potatoes to remove the starch and pat them dry with a kitchen towel. Heat up some olive oil in a shallow pan and fry the potatoes over medium heat until slightly brown. You may need to fry the potatoes in two or three batches so as not to overcrowd the pan.

Remove the potatoes from the pan, drain excess oil and set aside. Follow with the onions and fry until brown, but not burnt. Drain excess oil and add to the potatoes. Remove the pan from the stove.

Break the eggs into a medium or large bowl. Whisk well. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add the potatoes and onions. If the potatoes are stuck together, separate them with your fingers. Mix well until fully integrated.

Return the pan to the stove and heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Pour in the egg/potato mixture. Move it around and flatten the top to ensure the potatoes are well distributed. After the bottom has brown and the edges have set, turn down the heat to low and allow the tortilla to cook inside.

Once the top is no longer runny, place a large plate over the pan and flip the tortilla onto it. Make sure to use a kitchen towel or mittens. Slide the tortilla back into the pan and cook the other side over medium heat until golden brown.

The tortilla is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out dry, but Nestor serves his tortilla slightly runny in the center. I like mine that way. Let the tortilla cool a little, then cut it into wedges. Serve warm or at room temperature with bread and tomaquet (recipe below).

TOMAQUET
2 plum tomatoes – $1.00
1 tbps sherry vinegar – Pantry
2 tbps olive oil – Pantry
1 garlic clove minced – $0.10
Salt and pepper – Pantry

Total cost $1.10

Peel and finely dice the tomatoes; then mix with the other ingredients. Serve cold or at room temperature.

This recipe is great for feeding big crowds on a budget. Add a mixed green salad, a bottle of Spanish wine, a little flamenco music and you can have a great Spanish brunch party for less than $20.00.

A friend of mine once told me that she was so broke during college that she had to bake her own baguettes. She said that at times that’s all she would have to eat with butter. I exclaimed: “Oh my God!” Shamefully, this was not so much because I empathized with her as it was because I was amazed that she baked her own baguettes.

See I love bread, but bread baking is one of the few processes that have never worked out for me. I’ve tried, tried, tried and failed, failed, failed miserably each time. So after numerous trials followed by countless ego-crushing failures, I was on the verge of giving up. But I stumbled upon the following youtube video which completely dispelled my fear of bread baking.  6 hours later, I had baked my first successful batch of French baguettes for 1/4 of what it would cost me to buy a similar quantity at Whole Foods.

What I didn’t know is that baguettes are baked at a very high temperature in steam injection ovens, producing crusty and light breads. Luckily, this method can be replicated at home by placing a metal roasting pan in the oven and pouring hot water into it to create steam.

Mini French Baguettes (adapted from several recipes)

I tried to simplify the recipe as much as I could, but feel free to ask any questions in the comment section.

Makes 8 mini baguettes

4 cups bread flour
1 tsp active dry yeast
2 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
Warm water

Proof the yeast by mixing it with 1/2 cup of warm water and a teaspoon of sugar. Let it stand for a few minutes until it becomes foamy.

Meanwhile, mix the flour and the salt in a bowl with a wooden spoon.

Incorporate the yeast mixture to the flour. While mixing with the wooden spoon, gradually add warm water until you obtain a dough ball that detaches itself from the edges of the bowl. The dough will be a little sticky, but no worries.

Transfer the dough ball to a floured surface and knead for about 8 minutes until smooth.

Place the dough into a bowl lightly coated with oil, cover with a kitchen towel or a plastic bag and let rise at room temperature for 2 hours. The dough should double in volume.

After the dough has doubled. Transfer it to the floured surface and gently knead for 4 minutes.

Divide it into 8 equal pieces. Gently stretch each piece and roll it to form a log that will later be shaped into a mini baguette. Set aside and repeat this process with the remaining pieces of dough. This allows each piece to relax a little.

Starting with the first log that you shaped, elongate each baguette by rolling it back and forth on the work surface until the loaf reaches the desired length. Be mindful that the bread will expand as it bakes.

Place the mini baguettes on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or lightly floured. Make 2  diagonal slashes on each loaf with a sharp knife and dust with a little flour.

Cover with a kitchen towel and let rise for 40-60 minutes until the mini baguettes are plump.

30 minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. Place an empty roasting pan on the bottom rack.

After the oven temperature has reached 500 degrees F, pour 2 cups of hot water into the roasting pan to create some steam and place the baking sheet with the baguettes on the top rack.

Bake for 10 minutes at 500F, then lower the oven temperature to 400 degrees F and bake for 20 -25 minutes until the mini baguettes are golden brown and crisp.

Voila! Enjoy your fresh baked mini baguettes while they are still warm with butter, cheese and French charcuteries. And if you want to be really French, add a glass of red wine.

Bubble-and-squeak is one of England’s gifts to world cuisine. That probably sounds like an oxymoron to many people (although I will blog about the history of English food soon, so prepare to be surprised: a common reaction among readers may be swooning amazement at its rich and diverse heritage).

Bubble, as it’s commonly known in Britain, is a time-honored way of using up leftover vegetables. Sometimes this is from the Sunday roast – roast potatoes are smashed up and mixed with chopped carrot or cabbage or peas – but for most its two main ingredients are mashed potato and cabbage. And as bubble is so tasty and such a simple yet sublime accompaniment to fish or meat for an easy midweek meal, home cooks often prepare the mash and cabbage just to make it specially.

It most commonly appears in the artery-clogging, though peerlessly delicious and satisfying, Full English Breakfast. However, with one or two tweaks bubble can play a role in a gourmet dish. embodying the mantra that with the right treatment cheap ingredients can make the greatest dishes.

Here is my favorite method of making bubble-and-squeak from scratch – I like it with pepper-crusted monkfish fillets with a couple of generous dollops of salsa verde on the side, but it is versatile enough to go with almost any meat or fish. And of course with bacon and eggs.

1. Boil 1lb of peeled potatoes until tender, drain and mash in the pan.
2. Blanche 5oz of shredded green cabbage in boiling water for a couple of minutes. Drain under cold running water and leave to dry. (Pat dry with kitchen paper if necessary).
3. Chop up 4 rashers of smoked bacon and fry until crisp. Drain on kitchen paper.
4. Chop up 1 shallot and 3 cloves of garlic and fry in the same oil as the bacon until tender.
5. Add the shallot, garlic, cabbage and bacon to the mashed potato, and add an handful of your favorite chopped herb – try parsley, cilantro or maybe dill. Mix well.
6. Make 4 cakes from the mixture, and toss in seasoned flour until coated. Leave in the refrigerator for up to one hour.
7. Heat ½ inch of olive or sunflower oil in a large skillet, carefully slide the cakes in on a spatula, and cook for 3-4 minutes on each side – check occasionally to see how the underside is browning. Once cooked, drain on kitchen paper.

Photo from foodnetwork.com

I love brunch.  But then again, so do a lot of New Yorkers.  This often results in long lines at even the most basic of brunch spots, and if you’re really hungry, sometimes it’s not worth the wait.

Imagine my glee when I found that JoJo offers a brunch menu on weekends. A part of the Jean-Georges enterprise, JoJo is a luxe, contemporary French restaurant, set in a coral townhouse on the Upper East Side.  Dinners can be pricey, but the brunch menu is an absolute steal.  You can order breakfast dishes a la carte, or choose three courses from the $24.07 prix-fixe brunch menu, which is almost identical to their lunch menu.

My eggs benedict arrived with leafy greens and cubed roasted potatoes.  The potatoes were excellent—nice and crisp on the outside, with a hint of butter and rosemary.  The eggs were beautifully poached, laid on thin slices of grilled ham atop a toasted English muffin.  My friend’s goat cheese frittata was equally delicious, its layers of zucchini and shitake mushrooms lightly melding together in a cloud of savory goodness.  We ended the meal with a pear tart, topped with pear sorbet and crème anglaise.  Everything was so good, we decided to come back next month for buttermilk pancakes and French toast.

Though the restaurant was almost full, I’m pretty sure it was the first time I ever had brunch where I didn’t have to shout to make myself heard above the din of other patrons.  Above all, there was no wait, and the service was superb.  So if you’re searching for a delicious, quiet brunch set in plush surroundings, I suggest you try JoJo.

Currently, brunch is not the only deal to be had at JoJo.  The restaurant is also offering a Spring promotion, consisting of $24 lunches and $35 dinners.

JoJo
160 E 64th St
(between 3rd Ave & Lexington Ave)
New York, NY 10021
Tel: (212) 223-5656