Scarlet Oak Tavern

Scarlet Oak Tavern

1217 Main St.

Hingham, MA 02043

781-749-8200

website: http://www.scarletoaktavern.com/

I recently attended a lady’s brunch with 4 other fabulous females at Scarlet Oak Tavern in the Queen Anne’s corner of Hingham. Scarlet Oak Tavern is located in a 250 year old colonial house and has a cozy New England vibe with a Pottery Barn-esque decor.

I’d had brunch at Scarlet Oak Tavern a couple of times before with my husband and decided that it would be a great place for brunch with the girls.  They have a full bar, so if someone wanted to order a bloody mary or a mimosa to go with brunch, they’d be able to.  We had a reservation via OpenTable.com, which made it super-convenient. Our table was ready when we arrived and we were seated immediately.

I ordered the Prime Rib Hash ($13) which comes in a small cast iron skillet with a side dish of fruit salad. The hash has large chunks of beef and potatoes with a tomato-based sauce. I like this hash but it wasn’t quite what Lisa expected due to the tomato and she didn’t enjoy it as much.

 

 Amy ordered the stuffed brioche French toast with candied cranberries and sweet marscapone ($8.5). This is my husband’s favorite brunch option at scarlet oak.  It is sweet and satisfying with lightly tart bits of cranberries nestled in the creamy sweetened marscapone cheese.

Kathy order the brunch pizza ($12), which is an individual=sized pizza topped with asparagus, ham, eggs, and hollandaise sauce.

Scarlet Oak has a large bar area with a cozy lounge with a fireplace in one corner. The bar area has a special tavern menu with lots of appetizers and casual fare. I will definitely be planning a girls night out after-work event there soon.

In the warmer months they also have an outdoor seating area.

Scarlet Oak has plenty of on-site parking.

Citrus Salad with Mint Sugar

Is there anything quite so refreshing as some juicy citrus first thing in the morning??  

 I found a recipe for a citrus salad on epicurious.com. It was a little heavy on the grapefruit, so I reduced the amount of grapefruit and added some clementines and blood oranges. The assembled salad was bright & happy and was quickly gobbled up by the citrus-loving Mr.Mango.

Citrus Salad with Mint Sugar (adapted from recipe originally published in Bon Appetit)

• 1 pink grapefruits
• 2 blood oranges
• 4 clementines
• 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves
• 1/8 cup sugar
• Seeds from 1 pomegranate

Cut peel and white pith from grapefruits and oranges. Slice or segment the grapefruit and oranges. Combine fruit in large shallow bowl. (Fruit can be segmented 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)

Place mint and sugar in processor. Using on/off turns, blend until mint is finely chopped, occasionally scraping down sides of bowl. Sprinkle mint sugar and pomegranate seeds over fruit; serve.

Easy Sticky Buns

I have fond memories of my paternal grandmother’s pecan sticky buns.  She used to make huge batches of them around the holidays so that there were enough for others to take home. I’ve never made my own sticky buns from scratch, and while these Easy Sticky Buns from Ina Garten were not quite from scratch they were super easy (as advertised) and quick to make.

Instead of making your own dough, you start with frozen pastry dough and spread it with brown sugar, raisins and cinnamon.  You roll them up and put them in muffin cups that have a layer of pecans, butter and brown sugar.  And once they are baked and you invert the rolls onto a plate, they are topped with a buttery sweet caramel sauce. This Barefoot Blogger selection was made by Melissa of Made by Melissa. Melissa selected this recipe after seeing Ina Garten make them on the Today Show and several other programs.

Easy Sticky Buns

Makes 12

• 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/3 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
• 1/2 cup pecans, chopped in very large pieces
• 1 package (17.3 ounces/2 sheets) frozen puff pastry, defrosted for the filling
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 2/3 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
• 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 cup raisins

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place a 12-cup standard muffin tin on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the 12 tablespoons butter and 1/3 cup brown sugar. Place 1 rounded tablespoon of the mixture in each of the 12 muffin cups. Distribute the pecans evenly among the 12 muffin cups on top of the butter and sugar mixture.
3. Lightly flour a wooden board or stone surface. Unfold one sheet of puff pastry with the folds going left to right. Brush the whole sheet with half of the melted butter. Leaving a 1-inch border on the puff pastry, sprinkle each sheet with 1/3 cup of the brown sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoons of the cinnamon, and 1/2 cup of the raisins. Starting with the end nearest you, roll the pastry up snugly like a jelly roll around the filling, finishing the roll with the seam side down.
4. Trim the ends of the roll about 1/2 inch and discard. Slice the roll in 6 equal pieces, each about 1 1/2 inches wide. Place each piece, spiral side up, in 6 of the muffin cups. Repeat with the second sheet of puff pastry to make 12 sticky buns.
5. Bake for 30 minutes, until the sticky buns are golden to dark brown on top and firm to the touch. Allow to cool for 5 minutes only, invert the buns onto the parchment paper (ease the filling and pecans out onto the buns with a spoon), and cool completely.

 

Banana Sour Cream Pancakes

Now I’ve previously made banana pancakes and I’ve also made sour cream pancakes…but I had yet to make Banana Sour Cream pancakes. Now I have, thanks to Karen of Something Sweet by Karen.  Karen selected this week’s Barefoot Bloggers recipe from Ina Garten’s cookbook Barefoot Contessa Family.  The recipe was really quick and easy and totally worked for a weekday breakfast. The pancake batter has sour cream in it and once you’ve spooned the batter onto the griddle, you drop some chopped bananas on each pancake.  I also added chopped walnuts to half of the pancakes at the request of Mr. Mango. The pancakes were thick and fluffy, just like me! (although I usually am not filled with chopped bananas so this comparison can only go so far.)

I served up the pancakes with a pat of butter, more chopped bananas and some real Vermont maple syrup. Mmmmm!  They totally hit the spot as we listened to the sleet clicking against our dining room window. The pancakes were true comfort food in the middle of the ice & snow.

 

Banana Sour Cream Pancakes (from the cookbook Barefoot Contessa Family )

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon milk
• 2 extra-large eggs
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• Unsalted butter
• 2 ripe bananas, diced, plus extra for serving

• Pure maple syrup

Directions

1. Sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
2.  In a separate bowl, whisk together the sour cream, milk, eggs, vanilla, and lemon zest.
3. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ones, mixing only until combined.
4. Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat until it bubbles. Ladle the pancake batter into the pan to make 3 or 4 pancakes. Distribute a rounded tablespoon of bananas on each pancake. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until bubbles appear on top and the underside is nicely browned.
5. Flip the pancakes and then cook for another minute until browned.
6. Wipe out the pan with a paper towel, add more butter to the pan, and continue cooking pancakes until all the batter is used.
7. Serve with sliced bananas, butter and maple syrup.

Flour Bakery & Cafe

Flour Bakery & Cafe
1595 Washington St
Boston, MA  02118

617-267-4300

website: http://www.flourbakery.com/

 One of our favorite breakfast guilty pleasures is Flour Bakery in the South End. On Sunday mornings, the bakery is abuzz with folks lined up to pick out their breakfast treats from those displayed in the various platters and baskets arranged on the countertop.

 We ordered several items to go and took them home to enjoy as we began decorating for the holidays.  The berry bread pudding is moist and topped with blueberries and raspberries. My husband is incapable of going to Flour Bakery and NOT getting this bread pudding.

For me, one of the true treats of Flour Bakery are the cream-filled donuts. These donuts are only available on Sundays and are filled with smooth, soft sweet cream. These are not the overly sweet vanilla frosting filled donuts from Dunking Donuts. Flour’s donuts are puffy and light (for a donut) and coated with fine sugar.

The sticky buns at Flour Bakery are well-known for beating Bobby Flay’s sticky buns on the Food Network’s Throwdown. These sticky buns are pretty close to sticky bun nirvana. The sticky glaze has just the right amount of caramel-y sweetness and the top has a smattering of pecans.

They also have a good egg sandwich that I usually order without the bacon. It is served on a fresh crusty roll with Dijon mustard and lettuce. Sooo good!

I haven’t tried lunch at Flour Bakery but I’ve heard good things about their sandwiches and will hopefully get to lunch there soon.

Be warned: the lines can often go out the door on weekend mornings. The seating can be rather limited, but at least in the summer they offer a few additional tables outside on the sidewalk.

TWD:Kugelhopf

 

If you have a day where you want to be trapped in your house all day poking at dough every half hour or so, have I got a recipe for you!  Kugelhopf!  This German/Alsatian breakfast cake is not something that you just whip together & throw in the oven. It takes lots of time and attention.

First you make the dough, which contains yeast…which lets you know right off that this is not something that you will be able to slam together quickly. You let it rise out of the fridge…then in the fridge, then you put it in the pan. I don’t have a Kugelhopf pan so I used one of my Bundt pans… 

 

And let it rise some more…

 And then, at long last it is time to put that puppy in the oven.

The resultant baked could is more bread-like in texture than cake like. Mine was dotted with plump golden raisins and topped with a dusting of confectioners sugar. It was great spread with a bit of orange marmalade and served with a cup of tea for breakfast.  I enjoyed make the Kugelhopf as its been awhile since I baked anything that involved using yeast and I loved how it involved using techniques than some of the recent Dorie picks. 

 Kugelhopf was selected for this week’s Tuesdays with Dorie recipe by landa at The All-Purpose Girl. Please stop by her blog for the Kugelhopf recipe and to read about her quality time with Kugelhopf.

TWD Rewind: Pecan Sour Cream Biscuits

As you may have figured out by now, I am trying to catch up with past Tuesdays with Dorie selections. The Pecan Sour Cream Biscuits were selected back in February by Ashley at Eat Me, Delicious.  She has the recipe on her blog, so head on over and check it out.

 These biscuits were really easy to make and the results were great. They are just slightly sweet and I loved the added crunch of the chopped pecans. They were super tasty topped with butter or honey.  The biscuits were the perfect breakfast for this time of year, with the leaves falling and blanketing the yard.  On mornings like these I want comfort food for breakfast…a bowl of cold cereal & milk just won’t do… 

 

I will definitely be making these biscuits again and maybe even try making some delicious breakfast sandwiches from them. I think the touch of sweetness would be a nice complement to my homemade apple & sage chicken sausage.

Eats: Toast

Toast
121 Nantasket Ave
Hull, MA 02045

781-925-5221

website: http://www.toasthull.com/

Toast is a store-front restaurant located in the ground floor of the Horizons condo complex directly across the street from Nantasket Beach. You can see the ocean from through the large windows at the front of the restaurant. The vibe is casual, bright and family friendly. There are about 10 tables plus 5 or 6 stools at a counter. Toast is open for breakfast and lunch Tuesdays through Sundays. They take credit cards so don’t worry about having to remember to drag your sleepy head to an ATM before getting your morning coffee fix.

The breakfast menu’s offerings average around $7 per entree. There are a selection of omelets, egg sandwiches, pancakes and other dishes. We order two of the options from under the Toast Specialties heading. The “burnt toast” ($6.50) is creme brulee battered french toast with caramelized sugar. Four thick slices of french toast were served sprinkled with powdered sugar. The french toast had a sweet crackly thin crust of sugar giving it that creme brulee feel. The french toast is served with real maple syrup, so bonus points to Toast for not forcing us to use the imitation stuff.

 ”The white omelet” ($8.50)  is an egg white omelet with chicken sausage, spinach, and jalapeno jack cheese. The omelet comes with hash brown potatoes and your choice of toast. For a place named Toast, they fittingly have a nice selection to chose from for toast: English muffin, dark or marble rye, sourdough, multi-grain, whole wheat, raisin pecan, white, or Texas toast.  I went with the sourdough toast, since it’s one of my favorites. The has browns were the shredded potato variety and were a hit with us. They were fried up to just the right level of crispiness. The omelet itself was very flavorful and packed with chunks of juicy chicken sausage. My only complaint might be that there was a bit too much cheese in the omelet for my taste. I usually love cheese, so maybe I wasn’t in a super cheesy mood that morning.

 

Service is on the slow side on Sundays since the place fills up and they can only push so much food out of the small kitchen at a time. We had to wait about half an hour between ordering our food and it arriving in front of us.  For me it was worth the wait, but my husband might take some convincing!

TWD: Pumpkin Muffins

 This week’s Tuesdays with Dorie recipe was selected by Kelly at Sounding My Barbaric Gulp! (love the name of her blog!)  The recipe is a great one for this season: Pumpkin Muffins. She has the recipe for the muffins posted on her blog, so go check it out.

 

 I halved the recipe and cooked it in mini loaf pans instead of in muffin cups. I used golden raisins and walnuts in the batter and topped the loaves off with more walnuts.  

The muffin/loaves ended up nice and moist and I loved the addition of the raisins. I would have loved to try them with the sunflower seeds but I didn’t have time to run to the store to get any. Oh well, next time…

My husband thought the recipe was good but told me to make them “a bit sweeter next time”.  I thought they were perfectly pumpkiny and a great fall breakfast especially fresh out of the oven with a touch of butter.

Some of the other TWD bloggers made some yummy sounding substitutions such as dried cranberries, candied ginger and chocolated chips. I may try one of those next time I make the recipe.

TWD Rewind: Cheddar Apple Scones

In a continued effort to catch up with all the past Tuesdays with Dorie recipes that I wasn’t around for, I made the Cheddar Apple Scones for breakfast this past weekend.  The scones were selected as a TWD pick by Karina at The Floured Apron back in June. If you are interested in the recipe you can find it on her blog.

I really enjoy a good scone, they are so comforting and go perfectly with a cup of hot tea or coffee. Since we had some fresh apple cider from our visit to the orchard this recipe seemed like the perfect thing to make for breakfast this weekend.

The recipe was really easy and quick to make.  Fresh  out of the evening they are great with some whipped butter and a cup of hot apple cider.  I loved the sharpness of the cheese combined with the sweetness of the dried apple.

I’ve been taking them to work with me this week for breakfast. They are very portable and survive my train ride to work just fine.

This is yet another Dorie recipe that I will be making again. They would be great as part of a festive fall brunch.