NEWS for North Dakotans
Agriculture Communication, North Dakota
State University
7 Morrill Hall, Fargo, ND 58105-5665
June 4, 1998
The eastern horizon begins to lighten some time between 5:00 and 5:30 a.m. these days. During June, there is an all-too-brief period when perfection can prevail—those early mornings when there are no clouds to obscure old Sol, and the wind is observing a Sabbath.
These are the days when North Dakotans should spend every waking minute, and some sleeping minutes too, outside—enjoying the best of what Mother Nature has to offer. These are the days that bring tourists to North Dakota and keep the natives living here. These are the days to enjoy a leisurely brunch, outdoors if possible—a brunch featuring wholesome North Dakota products.
Depending upon when you plan your brunch, you may want to include chokecherries or Juneberries or strawberries or maybe some gooseberries or rhubarb. You may want to cube and brown some lean cuts of pork and then mix it with shredded potatoes, sauteed red and green peppers, and onions. Blend a white sauce into the mixture for a colorful baked hash. Biscuits or cornbread would be nice accompaniments, each boasting varying amounts of high-quality North Dakota flour, of course.
Steak and eggs could be an option for this picturesque morning of leisure. To ward off any guilt such a meal might produce, tell yourself you'll partake of this breakfast combination only on those summer days that are mosquito free, cloudless and windless. You could grill the steaks and serve an oven-baked omelett on the side, along with hash browns so crispy that you hear an echo when you're chewing. How about some thick slices of grilled bread? Texas isn't the only state that can boast about terrific toast.
By now I hope I've got you thinking about possibilities. Buckwheat pancakes perhaps? Sounds good, huh? But as tasty as those golden gems can be, the leisurely pace of a perfect brunch demands something less labor intensive.
Here's the ticket: Leisurely French Toast, a recipe I adapted from two others I found on the Internet (http://soar.Berkeley.edu/recipes/breakfast/breads/). When I tried it at home, I was surprised at how it turned out. The bottom was as brown and crisp as if I'd fried the bread on a griddle. My version resembles caramel rolls, bread pudding, cheese cake—and of course, French toast—and it's easy to make. The perfect dish for the perfect day.
Leisurely French Toast
Yield: 8 servings
Ingredients:
12 cups of inch-square bread cubes
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, cut in half-inch cubes
1 cup brown sugar
½ cup butter
2 tablespoons corn syrup
6 eggs
2½ cups milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Procedure:
Spray with cooking oil a 13x9x2 baking dish made of glass or some
other oven-proof material that will not react with and discolor
eggs. Place bread in dish, and then evenly distribute cream
cheese cubes among bread cubes. In a small saucepan, heat brown
sugar, butter and syrup. When thickened, drizzle over bread
mixture; while caramel is cooling, combine remaining ingredients
and whisk until eggs are well blended. Pour mixture over
caramel-coated bread and cheese and refrigerate 2 to 24 hours.
Bake at 350 F for about 40 minutes or until top is golden brown.
What's Your Take on This, Julie?
A late-morning brunch is a nice compromise for breakfast skippers, and French toast is a favorite menu item. Most of us think of French toast as whole pieces of bread dipped in a light batter of eggs, milk and possibly a little flour and fried. This recipe is slightly out-of-the-ordinary with its bread cubes and caramel sauce. Unique is good—very good in this case.
When made with regular cream cheese, this rendition of French toast is fairly high in calories and fat—535 calories and 27 grams of fat per serving, even when prepared with skim milk. With a simple substitution of light cream cheese, also called Neufchatel, you can cut the calories per serving by about 40 and the fat grams per serving by about 5, bringing the total to 495 calories and 22 grams of fat.
By using a liquid egg substitute, you can shave another 40 calories and 4 grams of fat from the per-serving total. Egg substitutes are made up of egg whites, which are fat free, and other ingredients that give them the same baking and cooking properties as whole eggs. With these two substitutions, your total becomes 460 calories and 18 grams of fat. Another option, of course, would be to eat a smaller portion.
Regardless of how you prepare this recipe, try to balance higher-fat foods with lower-fat foods later in the day. Serve fresh or canned fruit as a side item with your brunch. Fruit is naturally low in calories and contains little, if any, fat. If meat is a menu item, try one of the lower-fat sausage products or turkey bacon. Use smaller plates and eat smaller portions to control calories and fat. If you splurge at brunch or lunch, opt for a lighter meal later in the day.
Instead of an afternoon snooze, top off your brunch with a brisk walk. If you are on a mission to be healthier this summer, don't forget the value of physical activity in addition to healthful eating. The latest Surgeon General's report advises 30 minutes of physical activity at least five days a week. Only about 17 percent of North Dakota adults do light to moderate activity on a regular basis.
Before you stop reading, remember that today's ideas about fitness differ from the "no pain no gain" principles of yesteryear. Activities can include gardening for 30 minutes, walking for 30 minutes—even washing windows, the floor or your car for 45 minutes. Three 10-minute segments of activity counts toward your goal too. Think of it—a healthier body and clean windows at the same time.
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Sources: Dean Hulse (701) 231-6136 & Julie Garden-Robinson (701) 231-7187
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