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Breakfast/Brunch

Appetizers/Starters, Breakfast/Brunch, Dinner, Lunch, Savory Snacks

Zwiebelkuchen (Onion Tart)

The atypical traditional German Zwiebelkuchen (Onion Tart). OK, that sounds rather contradictory, eh? Here is the thing: the recipe is traditional. Onions, Speck, Paprika and Nutmeg. And yes, while it looks a little like a quiche, it only has one egg in it. In Swabia (the Southwestern part of Germany nearest to the French and Swiss borders), this Zwiebelkuchen is often eaten in the fall and is a great accompaniment to new wines.

But why atypical? Well, my presentation, actually. While it certainly is possible that a cast iron pan was used at some point in the history of Zwiebelkuchen-making, it is more often made in a tart pan with a removable bottom or even as a square on a regular Backblech. Also, I am quite sure that no one bothers to cut out many little leaves, cut patterns in them and then glue them to the edge. So there. Typical German recipe. Typical me presentation. All good. Well, would have been better if that one side of the crust didn’t decide to take a nose dive into the filling, but imperfection is perfection.
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Breads, Breakfast/Brunch, Sweet Snacks

Grosse Neujahrsbrezel

Happy New Year! Now that we have crossed that imaginary line to the new year, here is some more “lucky food” to usher in the year. This is a traditional German Neujahrsbrezel (New Year’s Pretzel). It’s sweet, sort of like Challah bread (that is pearl sugar, not salt). Some people hide a cent piece in it, and who ever find it, gets all the luck. I, of course, didn’t do that because I’m not sharing it with anyone so I’ll just claim all the luck as is. Goes great with coffee at breakfast and actually makes great bread for French Toast too. Enjoy!
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Breakfast/Brunch, Sweet Snacks

Almond Spice Breakfast Swirls

Last of the experiments before the big Christmas Day feast, and another breakfast thing to boot. There are a number of breakfast swirls / cinnamon buns on this site, so this time I focused on almond in addition to the spice. Again, turned out lovely and light. Serve them right out of the oven for an amazing Christmas treat!
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Breakfast/Brunch, Sweet Snacks

Walnut Streusel Bread

Here’s a recipe for those people who want to make something special for a holiday (or run of the mill too) breakfast, but won’t wan to spend a lot of time fussing about in the kitchen. All told, this recipe only takes about 20 minutes or prep and an hour of baking. Start to finish in under 90 minutes. Walnut-y (can be subbed with pecans or even cashews) and cinnamon-y, but not too overwhelming. A Coffee-cake, but not really. At any rate, it’s yummy, nearly fool proof and pretty quick.

PS: fills a standard 9 x 5 inch loaf pan (my pan was a little bigger, which is why it doesn’t fill up). You could also make two smaller loaves. This Walnut Streusel Bread also freezes well.
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Breakfast/Brunch, Sweet Snacks

Swedish Holiday Wreath

More pre-Christmas baking experiments in the works. Because I mostly give food gifts, I have to test out my recipes before making the final “masterpieces”. Some of them work well right off the bat, like this one. The saffron, orange, cinnamon and ginger work well, and I like the way the pearl sugar looks a little like snow, something we are missing this December in New England (yes, that is a little bit of a complaint … I like a little snow leading into Christmas!). Cardamom always reminds me of a family friend from Sweden. Happy memories!
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