Cookbook: Breakfast in Texas

Breakfast. It's my favorite meal of the day. It was a meal my mom did well. It was a meal my grandmas did well. My Grandma Ashley lived in the country, and her breakfasts were farm bacon, farm sausages, scrambled eggs, peach preserves, butter from the churn, plum jelly, black coffee, and those magnificent biscuits. If I had to pick a last meal, it would probably be my Grandma Ashley's breakfast. 

I picked up a copy of Breakfast in Texas a few years ago at the Texas Book Festival, and I've been trying recipes from it, a few each month, ever since.

What have I tried? Hill Country Cinnamon Rolls, with a filling of Texas pecans and cream cheese. Czech Cream Cheese and Blueberry Kolaches. 

   

I made Brunch Biscuits with Paula's Texas Lemon Butter last week (though, sadly, I didn't have Paula's Texas Lemon liqueur here to make the lemon butter). The author describes these biscuits as "made from a dough that's sort of a lazy cook's version of puff pastry." Yep, filled with butter (with a ratio of 2 cups flour to 1 cup buttermilk to 1 3/4 cups of butter). Wonderful layers. Delicious flavor.

I tried Brisket, Bacon, and Egg Breakfast Quesadillas for Father's Day. 

BRISKET, BACON, AND EGG BREAKFAST QUESADILLAS

1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter

1 large jalapeno, stems, seeds, and veins removed, minced

8 eggs, whisked with 1/3 cup medium-hot water and 1 teaspoon kosher salt until frothy

6 smoked bacon slices, cooked until crisp, then drained well and crumbled

8 (8-inch) flour tortillas

2 cups shredded gouda cheese

1 pound barbecued beef brisket, sliced thin and heated

4 ripe homegrown tomatoes, cut into small dice

5 green onions, thinly sliced, including green tops

2 cups salsa of your choice

In a 12-inch nonstick skillet, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the minced jalapeno and saute for a minute or two. Turn the heat down to low-medium and add the beaten eggs, stirring rapidly. Cook, stirring constantly, until the eggs are almost set, then stir in the crumbled bacon. Continue to cook, stirring, until the eggs are softly scrambled, but done; leave no runny, uncooked egg, but don't cook then until they are stiff. Set aside to keep warm.

Place the tortillas on work surface and scatter some of the cheese over each one, covering the entire tortilla. Divide the brisket between the tortillas, allowing about 2 ounces per tortilla. Lay the sliced brisket on one side of the tortilla. Scatter some of the diced tomatoes, green onions, and salsa over the meat, then top each with a portion of the scrambled eggs. Fold the top half of the tortillas down over the fillings to make half-moon shapes. Heat a large dry skillet over medium-high heat. Cook each tortilla until the cheese is melted and heated through, sticking the quesadilla together, about 2 to 3 minutes per side, turning once. 

To serve, cut each quesadilla in half and serve, passing additional salsa if desired.

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