Breakfast Tips & Tricks from Chef Matt of the Blue Palmetto Cafe
With the world turning upside down, it is time for some comfort in the kitchen. Nothing says comfort better than a delicious breakfast and I hope you will take some time this weekend to prepare some easy breakfast favorites for your family. At the end of this post, you will find my secret recipe for Lemon Blueberry Scones! But, first here are some tips for an easy breakfast you can make at home.
Bacon – Bake it!
Yes, you can bake bacon in the oven and it will be better than pan-frying. Fire up the oven to 350. Then place parchment paper on a sheet pan. Place the bacon so the pieces do not overlap. Then cook the bacon to your desired crispiness. This method can take anywhere from 15-30 minutes depending on the thickness of the bacon.
By baking the bacon, you render the fat slowly versus in a pan where the temperature can be too hot and the bacon will start to burn or unevenly cook. The best part of this method, there is less mess! Whoever is in charge of cleaning the kitchen will thank you!
Eggs – Scrambled, over easy, poached, over medium or hard boiled
How do you like them? I prefer scrambled. I just take some eggs, crack them into a bowl and whisk them with some salt & pepper. No milk, no water, no other additives. To make delicious scrambled eggs, heat a pan and add some butter. I wait until the butter is foamy and bubbling before I add my eggs. My tool of choice is a rubber spatula. This is the best tool for scrambled eggs. Next, cook the eggs to your desired doneness.
My secret to perfect hard-boiled eggs – place eggs in pot and cover with water, bring to a boil, shut off the heat and cover. Set a timer for 12 minutes. After 12 minutes, drain and then shock the eggs in ice water… simple and easy hard-boiled eggs!
What is your condiment of choice on eggs? My favorite condiment is Cholula Hot Sauce (The green one, red is good too, but the green one is where it’s at). You can also add a little salsa – maybe I’ll share my homemade recipe for salsa next time! Drop us a comment and let us know if you want this super-secret recipe next time.
Time to Make the Scones
Below is my personal recipe for Blueberry Lemon Scones. I have been working on this recipe for a while and these scones are flakey, buttery and some of the best, I have ever had. Florida blueberries are in season now! What are you waiting for?
CHEF MATT’S BLUEBERRY LEMON SCONES
YIELD: 8 SCONES
• 2 CUPS ALL PURPOSE FLOUR
• 6TBSP SUGAR
• 2 ½ TSP BAKING POWDER
• ½ TSP SALT
• ZEST OF ONE LARGE LEMON
• 8TBSP UNSALTED BUTTER – FROZEN
• ½ CUP HEAVY CREAM
• 1 LARGE EGG
• 1 TSP VANILLA
• 1 CUP BLUEBERRIES
LEMON GLAZE
• 1 CUP POWDERED SUGAR
• 2-3 TBSP FRESH LEMON JUICE
1) PREHEAT OVEN TO 400 DEGREES. LINE SHEET PAN WITH PARCHMENT PAPER.
2) MIX DRY INGREDIENTS IN A LARGE BOWL. ADD LEMON ZEST AND MIX AGAIN. GRATE FROZEN BUTTER INTO DRY MIXTURE AND COMBINE UNTIL IT RESEMBLES A COARSE MEAL. SET ASIDE.
3) IN A SEPARATE BOWL WHISK CREAM, EGG AND VANILLA TOGETHER. MIX INTO DRY INGREDIENTS AND GENTLY MIX WITH RUBBER SPATULA UNTIL ALL IS MOISTENED. DO NOT OVERMIX. FOLD IN BLUEBERRIES WITH FLOURED HANDS AND WORK THE DOUGH INTO A BALL. PLACE THE BALL OF DOUGH ON A FLOURED WORK SURFACE. PRESS DOUGH INTO AN 8” DISC AND CUT INTO EQUAL WEDGES. PLACE WEDGES ON BAKING SHEET.
4) BAKE FOR 20-25 MINUTES OR UNTIL LIGHTLY GOLDEN. REMOVE FROM OVEN AND ALLOW TO COOL FOR A FEW MINUTES.
5) WHILE SCONES ARE COOLING WHISK THE GLAZE INGREDIENTS UNTIL SMOOTH. DRIZZLE OVER WARM SCONES.
Blog post was written by Chef Matt Fulwood of the Blue Palmetto Cafe at Bok Tower Gardens.