March 23, 2015

A Nod to Spring

We started house-hunting about ten days ago, and at the time I had no idea how all-encompassing it would feel. The market is such in Seattle right now that you don’t really get to think about this very large, immensely important decision for a few days (or even overnight, in some cases); you have to either make an offer right away or move on. And I’m not one to make very big decisions quickly. So there’s been a lot of pacing, and trips to the grocery store for bad (but so good) Easter candy consumed late at night while scanning through new listings online. I’ve had my head down for awhile now and I think somehow during this time, spring has moved right on in. Sure, we had blossoming trees even last month and noticeably more light, but lately the rain is even different: softer and sweeter. And there’s possibility and change in the air.

The photos featured in this post are from my new column over on The Kitchn called But First, Breakfast. I was inspired to write this column largely from some of the feedback from my book, Whole Grain Mornings. So many of you have said you love the book and use it often — but many of the days you crack it open happen to be weekend days. In my cooking classes, the recipes that students seem to respond to most are the accessible recipes that they can easily recreate at home the next day should they choose to. So I got to thinking about how nice it’d be to have a breakfast column that was geared towards doable, inspired morning fare that could either be tackled on an average weekday … or I’d give lots of make-ahead tips and time-saving tricks so it could be prepared over the weekend for the busy days ahead. It will be posted bi-weekly on the weekends with just this in mind.

I think you’re going to like this first recipe for Baklava Breakfast Parfaits. I’ve long felt like baklava is perfectly acceptable morning fare, but I realize not everyone would agree so I set out to create a breakfast parfait that featured many of the flavors of the popular sweet without feeling so desserty. And I have to say, it was a success. One of the components of the recipe is this buttery phyllo topping (below) that we’ve started to call “pie brittle” in our house. You will have a bit leftover which is really good news as I’ve discovered a wide range of delightful culinary uses for it (may I suggest starting by sprinkling it on top of your vanilla ice cream?). I hope you enjoy the column, and look forward to hearing about any recipe successes you have or things you’d love to see featured.

Get the Recipe: Baklava Breakfast Parfait

Beyond this parfait, there so many spring finds around the internet to get excited about:
Coconut Sea Salt Caramel Ice Cream – Minimalist Baker
Breakfast Porridge with Soft Eggs and Pea Shoots – Bon Appetit
Honey Rhubarb Quinoa Cornbread – Edible Perspective
Warm Cauliflower ‘Couscous’ with Green Peas and Herbs – Green Kitchen Stories
Cornmeal Crusted Fish Tacos with Lime Crema – Brooklyn Supper
Lemon Bars with Olive Oil and Sea Salt – Melissa Clark

And as if that weren’t enough, there are a few cookbooks coming out so very soon that I can’t wait to cook from:
My New Roots by Sarah Britton
The Sprouted Kitchen Bowl + Spoon by Sara and Hugh Forte
Simply Ancient Grains by Maria Speck

Hope you’re seeing all the blossoms and light from your windows, too. See you back here soon, friends.

Susan
March 23, 2015

Fantastic, thank you very much! I do LOVE your book and this breakfast post is going to be a real treat.

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Carole
March 23, 2015

I had horrid childhood encounters with honey (OMG, think homeopathic daily brews with hot cider vinegar!) and have never liked it since. My husband LOVES baklava and I love pistachios, so I think I'll try to be a big girl and give this a go. First I'm going to call my mother and tell her about my PTHD.........(post traumatic honey disorder).

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Lauren
March 23, 2015

Hi Megan,
I just moved to Seattle to do the MFA in writing thing, and stumbled across your blog in the last few weeks. I’ve been bookmarking places to visit from your wealth of Seattle posts. Thanks for helping me feel not so alone as I’m settling in.
I must tell you that I live dangerously close to Theo. 
Thank you for sharing your life and recipes with us, (especially this one, I love baklava), and congrats on the new column!

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Kathleen
March 23, 2015

Oh my goodness, Megan. I think this is brilliant! I am not going to be one bit sad about having honey crumble leftovers, either. (Fun to see you at the market Sunday! Good luck with house hunting, too. That seems really stressful.)

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Kasey
March 25, 2015

I hope it is going well for you, and you're seeing things you like. I can tell you after almost a year of being 'in it' that it's very emotional, but I am sure when you find your home it will be worth it :) This sounds so unique -- and baklava is one of my favorite things. Miss you, friend.

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kristie {birch and wild}
April 4, 2015

Pie brittle? Um, yes.

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Marisa
April 20, 2015

This looks delicious, and I'm excited about your column for The Kitchn! Do you know if there's a way to directly link to just your column entries? I've tried googling it, and I've tried searching within The Kitchn, but I haven't been able to just see the But First, Breakfast posts. Thanks!

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megang
April 20, 2015

Thanks, Marisa! Let me check on this for you.

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inteligentny_dom
May 22, 2015

This must be delicious! Looks really nice :)

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