Eat First

Maggies Trackside Diner, Liverpool

I was happy to see recently that the little diner near the railroad tracks and Heid's, in the village of Liverpool, is open again -- and called Maggies (sic) Trackside Diner.

For a long time, this was the home of the American Diner, which served up Conservative politics along with eggs and bacon and earned a reputation as "maybe the most politically incorrect diner in the Empire State -- and possibly the nation'' (Fox News). 

 

The American Diner closed in July and its replacement, Maggies, debuted in late August. I stopped in on a recent Sunday, newspaper in hand, and took a seat at the horseshoe-shaped counter. The new proprietor, Maggie (Giacovelli Voultsios), wiped the counter, greeted guests and poured coffee. A gentleman seated next to me remarked that the place has been cleaned, painted and "spruced up.'' It's now decorated in a railroad motif, with train art and graphics. In addition to the counter seats, there are about 12 tables.

 

The menu is short and sweet, with the usual diner line-up: eggs every way, pancakes, waffles, omelets, etc. If you're super hungry, you'll also find things like a mashed potato omelet, biscuit and gravy bowl and giambrotte -- which the menu describes as a "Utica favorite,'' with eggs, hot and sweet peppers, home fries, Italian sausage, cheese and Italian toast. On another visit, I bet I can convince my usual diner mate to try it.

 

I ordered what has become my diner breakfast go-to: two eggs sunny side up, meat, hash browns/homefries and toast ($6.95), with coffee. In this case, the meat was Gianelli Italian sausage and the potatoes were hash browns, nicely crisped. The place was pretty packed, but it didn't take long for my food to arrive -- I was still working on the front section of the newspaper. Everything was cooked to order and hot.

 

I love diners and the diner tradition in America -- there's something quaint and comforting and Norman Rockwell-esque about them, with people from all walks of life bonding over breakfast out, prepared by someone else. I drive through Liverpool often and will definitely stop in again for my "usual'' -- and some conversation at the counter, hold the politics.

 

Maggies Trackside Diner is at 214 Oswego St., Liverpool. Hours are 6 a.m. to 2 p.m., seven days a week. Breakfast is served all day, and lunch specials feature comfort foods like meatloaf and macaroni and cheese, with rice pudding for dessert. Information: (315) 802-6696, Facebook

 

 

 

Let's Go Orange -- Clap-Clap-CLAP-CLAP-CLAP!

It's March Madness and Central New York is bleeding Orange.

If the closest you get to orange food in your diet is the sauce on your chicken wings or the Cheez Doodles in your snack bowl, here's some orange food that's more pure and natural:

Pumpkin-Maple Scones.

The pale orange and utterly delicious scones were the first in a three-game streak of going orange in the kitchen.

 

 
To get out of a winter cooking rut, I turned to some magazines for inspiration and found plenty in the autumn issue of Edible Finger Lakes magazine, which contained a recipe for Winter Squash Scones and Roasted Delicata Squash Stuffed With White Beans, Greens and Sage.

I made the scones with organic pumpkin puree (canned) in the interest of convenience and the main course with butternut squash because delicata was not available.

 

The extra pumpkin puree was used to make a couple Pumpkin-Apple-Maple Smoothies, a healthy way to go orange for breakfast.

To make one, combine a half-cup of low-fat vanilla yogurt, a quarter-cup of pumpkin puree (or to taste), a couple spoonfuls of applesauce, a splash of milk and a tablespoon or two of maple syrup in a blender. Blend until smooth. To thicken the mixture, add a couple ice cubes. Serve in a tall glass, garnished with a sprinkle of cinnamon and freshly grated nutmeg.

If you care about your body and what you put into it, you know that it's important to eat a rainbow of foods, including red, green, yellow, blue, purple, brown and ORANGE. The color of pumpkin, squash and other vegetables comes from beta carotene, which plays a role in maintaining healthy vision. Beta carotene is believed to delay cognitive aging, help the heart function properly and protect skin from sun damage.

For an orange recipe using carrots, see my first-ever Eat First blog post, Orange Comfort in a Bowl (2009).

Pumpkin-Maple Scones
Adapted from Edible Finger Lakes magazine

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
½ cup pumpkin puree
¾ cup heavy cream
3 tablespoons maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg beaten and mixed with a little water to make an egg wash
Maple sugar for garnish (optional)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment or a silicone baking mat.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger. Add chilled butter to flour mixture and combine using a pastry cutter until you have pea-sized chunks.

In a separate bowl, combine pumpkin, cream, maple syrup and vanilla until smooth. Add to the flour mixture, mixing lightly with a fork until the liquid is just incorporated. Do not over mix.

Knead the dough several times in the bowl, then turn it out onto a floured work surface. Cut the dough in half and pat each half into a disk, roughly 1 inch high and 5 inches in diameter. Cut each disk into six wedge-shaped scones, and place the scones on the baking sheet, spacing about 1 inch apart.

Brush the tops of the scones with the egg wash and sprinkle with maple sugar. Bake for 15 minutes, until the tops are lightly browned. Cool on a rack.  Stir together the confectioner’s sugar and syrup until smooth. Makes 12 scones.

Rise and shine: Brunch at L'Adour

Who needs three meals a day? Brunch, that lovely combination of breakfast and lunch generally reserved for weekends, is the perfect meal for lazy, unstructured Sundays. And nobody does brunch better than L'Adour Restaurant Francais in downtown Syracuse.  

THE VIBE: Bustling and welcoming. Sunny and bright (if the weather cooperates), thanks to south-facing windows along the front. Relaxed and convivial. Couples and students, some with their parents, brush tables with families and babies in strollers. If a table isn't open, you're welcome to share space at the bar.

 

LIQUID ASSETS: Juices, teas and coffee (the house blend, $3 a cup, comes from Kind Coffee Co. on West Fayette Street). If you're after something festive, like Champagne or a Mimosa, you'll have to wait until noon.

 

THE MENU: Enjoy something as simple as a house-made almond croissant and coffee. Or, feast on crepes, poached eggs, omelets, galettes, quiches and sandwiches. You can even have escargots, if that's your pleasure first thing in the morning.

DECISIONS, DECISIONS: Who could resist sharing a basket of pastries and a trio of homemade jams ($12) with coffee before our main course? The basket contains a selection of five pastries worth splitting and sharing, including a French apple turnover, raisin Danish and almond croissant.

For my entree, I chose the Atlantique galette, a savory crepe topped with house smoked salmon and creme fraiche ($10). The salmon was moist, tender and mildly smoky in flavor. And the creme fraiche? Ooh la la -- can you say rich? Garlicky potatoes (the menu described them as sauteed, but they looked to be fried) and a Provencale tomato stuffed with bread crumbs rounded out the plate.

Robert set to work on a house specialty, the brunch plate ($18). The feast big enough for two features a poached egg Adourette (with ham, Hollandaise and toasted bread), Belgian waffle with maple syrup (and a hint of orange in the batter), smoked salmon, bacon, potatoes and Provencale tomato.

Do French people eat like this for breakfast? I don't think so, but the plate is a lovely combination of savory and sweet and Robert finished it (to the surprise of our waitress).

THE DAMAGES: $60 (including tip). Lucky for us we had a $50 gift certificate, a birthday gift from a thoughtful friend.

WOULD WE GO BACK? Mais oui! Even if we don't have a gift certificate. A visit to L'Adour is worth saving up for, we agreed the next morning, over leftover pastries.

 

THE DETAILS: L'Adour is at 110 Montgomery St., Syracuse, across the street from City Hall. Breakfast/brunch is served 8 to 11 a.m. Friday and 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Check the website for dinner and lunch times.

 

 

Edible Postcard: Granola you'll feel good about

 

There are lots of things to like about Price Chopper: the artisan breads (with the 25-cent coupon to clip from the bag for a future purchase), the seafood department and the meat section, not to mention the friendly service in both areas.

One more reason: the Snacking Granola. I discovered it recently, walking from the bakery to seafood, and my life has changed. No longer do I need to make my own granola to have good granola!

Price Chopper's granola is made with oats, honey, soybean oil, brown sugar, almonds, dried cranberries, raisins, flax seeds, sunflower seeds, other wholesome ingredients and -- best of all! -- not a shred of coconut. It costs $2.49 for an 8-ounce container packed with pieces that you can munch as you walk through the store break up and sprinkle on your yogurt.

There's a reason they say not to go food shopping on an empty stomach, and Price Chopper's Snacking Granola is it: I could have eaten the entire container while roaming the aisles.

In a rare show of restraint, I made it last for several breakfasts.

Try some and see if you don't love it, too!

 

A breakfast that goes down smooth

Sometimes, I like to start my day with a nice cold one. You read that right, a cold one. But not the kind of cold one you're thinking. Breakfast is a bit early for beer, don't you think? You don't hear people saying "It's 8 a.m. somewhere!,'' do you?

I'm talking about a nice, cold, refreshing smoothie.

Smoothies, made with lowfat yogurt, fresh fruit and juice, are a great way to start your day in a healthy way, with several servings of fruit. Sip one, slowly, through a straw. They're surprisingly filling. Plus, they're portable. Pour one in a glass and go about your housework, makeup routine and other business. It's a breakfast that goes where you go, and can even be poured in an insulated container and taken in the car.

The best thing about smoothies is that they are an all-season treat. In the summer, I make them with strawberries, peaches, melon, blueberries, cherries and other fruits.

In the winter, I make them with apples, pears (both add nice thickness), frozen pineapple chunks and blueberries, tart cherries and other summer fruit we have stashed in the freezer. I even throw diced frozen banana in there, which might come as a surprise to those of you who know I'm not a big fan of bananas. Even though they're not my favorite fruit, they're a great source of potassium. Winter Morning Breakfast Smoothie You will need:

1/2 cup lowfat vanilla yogurt

Half a cup of frozen pineapple chunks Half of a banana, diced, also from the freezer 1 whole apple, peeled, cored and diced Handful of frozen blueberries or tart cherries 1 tablespoon honey (optional) 1 tablespoon wheat germ (optional) Splash of apple cider, orange juice or other fruit juice you have on hand Dash of vanilla extract, sprinkling of cinnamon Blend yogurt, fruit, juice and vanilla extract until blended. If mixture is thick, add more juice. If it seems thin, add ice cubes to blender one at a time and blend. Add honey and wheat germ and blend until combined well.

Pour smoothie into a tall glass. Serves one.

 

Baked oatmeal: It's what's for breakfast

Nothing is more warming and comforting and filling on a cold winter morning (minus zero this a.m.!) than a bowl of oatmeal topped with milk and a sprinkling of brown sugar -- or maybe a drizzle of maple syrup or molasses.

Except for a bowl of baked oatmeal.

Yes, oatmeal cooked in the oven in a pan, cut into squares, served warm in a bowl and topped with a little milk. No need for sugar: A little bit is mixed into the oatmeal and sprinkled on top before baking to form a nice crust. The recipe comes from the December 2007 issue of Gourmet magazine, and has been altered slightly. If I ran a bed-and-breakfast inn, this would be one of my signature winter dishes. The dry ingredients can be readied the night before and mixed quickly with the wet ingredients (milk, yogurt, applesauce, eggs and oil) in the morning.

This is a breakfast that's a bit more elegant than your ordinary oatmeal, but just as delicious -- and nutritious. Studies show that a diet that includes oatmeal may help lower cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart disease and diabetes. But wait, there's more good news. The fiber in oatmeal makes you feel full longer, a plus for those trying to lose weight.

Baked oatmeal is at its best warm from the oven, but leftovers can be refrigerated, then reheated in a warm oven (300 degrees) on subsequent mornings.

You will need:

3 cups rolled oats

1/4 cup Demerara cane sugar (see note)

2 teaspoons cinnamon (divided)

1 cup raisins, dried cranberries or a combination of dried fruits

6 tablespoons chopped pecans or walnuts, toasted (optional)

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

The night before your breakfast of baked oatmeal, combine oats, sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon, dried fruit(s), baking powder and salt in a large bowl. See wet ingredients, below.

In the morning: Heat oven to 350 degrees and lightly oil an 8-inch baking pan.

Whisk together 1/2 cup applesauce, 1/2 cup lowfat yogurt (plain, vanilla, banana), 1/2 cup milk, 2 large eggs, 1/4 cup canola oil and 2 teaspoons vanilla extract.

Add to dry ingredients, blending well.

Spread mixture in prepared pan. Sprinkle top with 2 tablespoons Demerara cane sugar mixed with 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and a little freshly grated nutmeg.

Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean. Serve warm with a little warm milk, if desired. Go forth, fueled for the day.

Note: Demerara sugar is coarse, unrefined sugar with large, brown crystals.