by greg patent
photoss by michael gallacher

Egg casserole with ham, cheese and mushrooms, buttermilk yogurt pancakes or buttermilk cinnamon waffles can perk up anyone’s appetite on a lazy summer weekend morning. I’m not suggesting you make all three at once; the recipes are here for you to enjoy at your leisure.

When our kids were growing up, we often made pancakes or waffles on weekends. We all love butter, but I’m the only one in the family who likes maple syrup, so everyone else topped their treats with jam or yogurt or sour cream. If in season, I’d often sprinkle a few blueberries or huckleberries on the pancakes as they cooked.

Now, decades later, I find that my grandsons love chocolate chips in their pancakes. In fact, when I cook for them, pancakes mean chocolate chips.

Waffles should be crunchy on the outside and tender on the inside. That’s a personal preference, of course. Like whole wheat? You can substitute it for up to half of the white flour. Want a nutty taste? Add a couple of tablespoons of toasted wheat germ or a few tablespoons of chopped walnuts to the batter.

I’m compulsive about filling each small waffle square with just the right amount of maple syrup. But if you don’t care for syrup, try spreading your waffle with some jam instead. For extravagance, whipped cream or sour cream and fresh fruit will always bring on the smiles.

Egg casseroles are substantial main dishes and may be served by themselves or with a side of fresh fruit. I like them a lot because I can put them together the night before and bake them about an hour before serving.

So even though weekends are times for taking it easy, all these recipes can be started the night before and finished the next day, giving the cook more pleasure than work.

Overnight egg, mushroom & ham casserole

ingredients

6 slices firm whole grain or white bread (I use Birdman)
2 tablespoons butter
8 ounces mushrooms, cleaned and diced
1 medium onion, diced
8 ounces deli ham, about 1/3-inch thick, diced
Salt and pepper
8 large eggs
2 cups whole milk
1/2 cup chopped parsley
8 ounces shredded sharp or extra-sharp cheddar cheese

This delicious casserole is easy to put together and can be assembled the night before and refrigerated. But if you want to bake and serve it right away, go right ahead. The crucial ingredient is the bread, which must be firm-textured. Do not use a fluffy or puffy bread because the casserole will be too soft. I’d avoid strongly flavored breads because you want the taste of the egg, mushrooms and ham to dominate.

directions

Trim crusts from the bread and cut the bread into 1-inch pieces. Butter a 12 x 8 x 2-inch baking dish and arrange bread in a single layer to cover the bottom of the pan. (Why not just arrange intact slices of bread in the pan? The bread tends to float up into the eggs during baking and pieces of bread, for some reason, work better than whole slices.)

Melt the 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. When the butter foam subsides, add the mushrooms and onion and stir well. The butter will be absorbed and the vegetables will appear dry at first. Keep cooking and stirring, and in 2 to 3 minutes the vegetables will glisten and look shiny. Continue cooking and stirring for a minute or so and add the ham. When the ham is heated through, in about another minute, take the pan off the heat. Season with about ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper, and let cool until warm.

In a large bowl, beat the eggs to combine the whites with the yolks thoroughly. Add the milk, 1 teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper, and beat to combine. Stir in the parsley.

To assemble, spread the ham, onion, and mushrooms evenly over the bread, and sprinkle with about half the cheese. Pour in the eggs and milk, and sprinkle the remaining cheese on top. Cover the pan tightly with plastic wrap,v and refrigerate overnight.

Bake, uncovered, on the center shelf in a preheated 325-degree oven for 45 to 60 minutes, until the eggs are puffed and nicely browned on top. Be sure entire casserole is puffed. The center is often the last to do so. Cool 10 minutes before cutting into squares and serving. Casserole will settle on standing.

Makes 8 servings.

Buttermilk yogurt pancakes

These pancakes are so light they practically fly off the plate. The combination of buttermilk and yogurt gives the pancakes a taste that suggests a sourdough starter, but the texture tells you no starter was used. You can prepare the dry and liquid ingredients separately the night before and combine the two the next morning for breakfast or brunch. Serve these cakes hot off the griddle with butter and syrup.

ingredients

1 ½ cups unbleached
all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
2/3 cup plain low-fat yogurt
1 large egg
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 ½ cups fresh huckleberries or blueberries or chocolate chips (optional)

directions

Measure the flour by spooning it into dry measuring cups, filling the cups to overflowing, and sweeping off the excess with a metal spatula. In a medium bowl, whisk together thoroughly the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, yogurt, egg, vanilla and oil. Add the liquid mixture to the dry ingredients, and fold both together gently with a rubber spatula just until the dry ingredients are thoroughly moistened. It is not necessary to break up any small lumps of flour. Batter will be thick. Let stand about 10 minutes.

Heat an electric griddle to 350 degrees. (If your griddle doesn’t have a thermostat, or is not electric, adjust the heat to medium-high.) Lightly coat the griddle with cooking oil or nonstick cooking spray. For each pancake, spoon about 1/4 cup batter onto the griddle and spread to a 3- to 4-inch circle. If using berries or chocolate chips, sprinkle them over the pancakes.

When the tops of the pancakes are full of broken bubbles and start to lose their glossy look, in 2 to 3 minutes, flip them and cook until the undersides are golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes more. Serve immediately.

Makes about twelve 4-inch pancakes.

Buttermilk cinnamon waffles

These crunchy yet tender waffles, lightly spiced with cinnamon, can be served for breakfast, brunch, or even dessert. For breakfast or brunch, butter them generously and pass maple or agave syrup separately. A spoonful of yogurt or sour cream along with a few berries makes a more substantial meal. For dessert, spread the waffles with fruit jam and top them with whipped cream. Sprinkle with raspberries, blueberries or huckleberries or with sliced peaches.

ingredients
2 cups unbleached     all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 to 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 large eggs
2 cups buttermilk
1/4 cup butter, melted and cooled slightly

directions
Preheat a waffle iron. To measure the flour, stir the flour, dip a 1-cup dry measuring cup into the flour filling it to overflowing, and sweep off the excess. Put the flour into a medium-size bowl and repeat to measure the second cup. Add the sugar, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon, and whisk together thoroughly.

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs to combine the yolks and whites well, and stir in the buttermilk and butter. Add the dry ingredients and stir gently with a rubber spatula only until the batter is smooth or has a few lumps. Do not beat or overmix or the waffles will be tough.

Bake the waffles following the waffle iron manufacturers’ instructions, buttering the grates or coating them with oil or cooking spray before making each waffle. Serve as soon as possible.

Makes about six 8-inch round waffles or 10 4-by-8-inch square waffles.

Greg Patent is a food writer and columnist for the Missoulian and Missoula magazine. Visit Greg’s website at www.gregpatent.com. You can write him at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
Michael Gallacher is a photographer for the Missoulian. He can be reached at (406) 523-5270 or by email at
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