Mom started this serious breakfast-making when we were in South Africa, needing to eat at 6 AM so we could be out the door at 6:20. Breakfast is varied, filling, and delicious: cobbler, clafouti (klah-FOO-ti), chocolate cake, baked french toast, hash, banana bread, etc. Desserts work really well for breakfast - just cut the sugar, and it gets pretty healthy. And all of these (or almost all) can be mixed up, spread into her stoneware Pampered Chef 9x13 pan the night before, and ready to go in the morning. But even with this vast variety, you can get a little bored. Oh the tedium of plenty.
Through the long, cold, dark winter days, when I wake up before the sun and am out the door soon after, I don't have time to make fun breakfasts. Breakfasts where you have to think it through and then spend time doing it? No, I must be content making it the night before and setting the oven to start at oh-dark-thirty. Also, that fresh fruit, straight from our garden or a local farmer, which adds color, flavor, and zing to any breakfast dish, is seriously lacking in the middle of the winter.
So, now summer's starting (they're calling for a high of 90°F today!) and I get to have fun! Apricots, peaches, berrrrriiiiieeeessss (yum), bananas, apples... all readily available to me. I wanted some kiwi, too, but it turned out I ate the last one a few days ago. Oh well. So blossomed this gorgeously scrumptious breakfast. I should also note that the original recipe (which I won't even reference because I don't think I ever followed it) called for a sugar cookie base, but that's not such a great idea with 7 kids. Um, hyper anyone? The biscuit base worked just as well. And I still got up at 6 AM to start breakfast, but it wasn't dark. So I was happy. MMMMMmmmmmmm...Summer Breakfast Pizza
serves 8-10
oven 450°F
Ingredients:
Biscuits:
3 c whole-wheat flour
1 1/2 Tbsp baking powder
1 Tbsp sugar
3/4 tsp cream of tartar
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 c butter
1 c milk
Cream Cheese Spread:
8 oz cream cheese, softened
2 Tbsp orange juice
1 Tbsp powdered sugar
2 tsp orange zest
Topping:
1-2 cups of fruit. I used strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, apricots, apples, and bananas. The blueberries were frozen, so I thawed them first, but everything else was fresh.
Directions:
1. In a food processor, stir together flour, baking powder, sugar, cream of tartar, and salt. Cut in butter till mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add milk all at once. Mix just until dough clings together. 2. Lightly flour a pizza pan and pat dough out onto the pan. The dough will be sticky; add more flour as needed, and then lick your fingers.
3. Bake in a 450°F oven for 10-12 minutes or till golden.
4. Meanwhile, beat the cream cheese, orange juice, powdered sugar, and orange zest until well blended. Set aside.
5. Prepare fruit topping. Thaw anything (like blueberries) that's frozen. Slice larger pieces of fruit (like apples, apricots, strawberries) so they will lie flat on the biscuit. Set aside.
6. When you pull the biscuit out of the oven, spread the cream cheese over the top while the biscuit is still warm. This way, the cream cheese will melt and spread more easily. Spread as far out to the edges as you can. You may have some cream cheese leftover, but it will be good on toast
or snack.
7. Create a beautiful fruit arrangement on top and serve to your family. Be prepared to watch it disappear in an eighth of the time it took you to prepare it, but be sure to help with that disappearing act.
Credit where credit is due:
Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook, 1990s edition
Orange Nut Bread & Cream Cheese Spread, Taste of Home, Karen Sue Garback-Pristera
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