International Breakfast Pastries, kinda…

Unless I’m completely hung over or have just finished running 4 miles, I rarely enjoy a big breakfast.  I think breakfast is perfect when it’s nothing more than fruit, a protein (like yogurt, string cheese, nuts or an egg), and a bit of starch – like a piece of toast or a granola bar.  The rare exceptions to this rule are scones, palmiers and something I swear my mom invented called “fried tortillas”.

I make killer scones (like the cheddar chive version I make for Christmas), but those who know me well know that patience is a virtue I was born without and thus far in my life have yet to acquire.  When I want a scone, I usually want it now.  A few years ago I found some great scone mixes at World Market.  Sticky Fingers scones are a “just add water” mix, but they taste almost exactly like I would have made them had I taken the time to sift flour, chop butter and whisk eggs.  Their standard flavors include tart cherry, wild blueberry, plain (which I love with fresh lemon curd), raspberry, apricot, lemon ginger, cranberry, cinnamon raisin and more.  During the holidays they have a pumpkin spice and eggnog flavors.

The reason I love these mixes so much (other than the fact that they are yummy) is because it literally takes me 5 minutes to make them.  So when I wake up with a hankering for scones (like I did last Sunday) I know I can grab a mix out of the pantry and while the oven is warming to temperature, I can blend the water and mix, line a baking sheet with parchment paper and voila!  Fresh scones in 20 minutes.  (I’ll admit though, Joel was a little confused as to why we had scones on a random Sunday morning with nary a child or houseguest in sight.  But that’s what I like about scones- – they’re not plain ‘ol muffins or storebought bagels so they seem a little bit more special.  Kind of like a nice little Sunday morning treat for yourself.)

Palmiers, also known as Elephant Ears to the non-French, are almost as easy to make as long as you remember to defrost the puff pastry the night before you want to make them.  (Which makes them a little less spontaneous, but none less the tastier.)  I roll the defrosted pastry dough flat, about ¼” thick and sprinkle it with a ton of sugar.  Then I fold each side into the middle and fold it in half lengthwise, then fold it in half again lengthwise until I’m left with a long piece of pastry eight layers thick.  I slice it into pieces about an inch thick and place it on a baking sheet.

However, there are two things that makes baking palmiers a little tough, 1) the sugar gets hella-hot and it burns easily (think molten lava dripping off the pastry – I’ve got the burn marks to prove it); and 2) the pastries must be flipped halfway through the baking time which becomes a problem because (see reason 1 above).  But I’ve found that if I have a little extra patience (and want to spare it) I’ll make them.  Madison and Joel love them and we rarely have any leftover after 24 hours.

The third breakfast “pastry” I love is something we call “fried tortillas”.  I’m not exactly sure where the “recipe” came from but these things were a Saturday morning staple in our house when I was a kid.  Basically, a medium-sized flour tortilla is dropped into a pan of heated vegetable oil and fried for about 20-30 seconds on each side.  Then I blot the grease from the tortilla; butter it (I know, right?  Wasn’t this just fried in oil?) sprinkle it with a little powdered sugar and cinnamon and breakfast is ready.  I like mine a little chewier so that I can fold it in half.  It tastes a lot like a sopaipilla or Navajo Taco (for those of you lucky enough to have ever had a Navajo Taco.)  I made these about a week ago for Madison and gobbled down three of them. “This is the best breakfast EVER Naunta!”  Ahhh, it was nice to hear those words again…..