Read an Excerpt
CHAPTER 1
Breakfast
"DRINKIN' LOTS OF CARROT JUICE AND SOAKIN' UP RAYS ..."
In Margaritaville, breakfast is the first opportunity of the day to feel relaxed and taken care of. For us, mornings aren't about being rushed out the door or running late to work. They're about drinking coffee with your feet in the sand or reading the newspaper in a hammock. While we know not every single morning will be the most leisurely, we're always looking for ways to start every day in the Margaritaville state of mind. That might mean fixing a quick smoothie with island flavors like coconut and pineapple to take with you on your commute so you can close your eyes and pretend your feet are on the sand. Or maybe it's about inviting your family over on a weekend morning for a tall stack of Triple B (Buttermilk, Blueberry, and Banana) Pancakes or a big platter of Huevos Rancheros. This chapter includes all these plus so much more. From our famous Key West Omelet to new favorites like Key Lime Yogurt with Graham Cracker Granola, this chapter will have you going to bed dreaming of getting into the kitchen in the morning.
Pineapple and Coconut Milk Smoothie
Serves 4
Basically a piña colada for breakfast, this smoothie could not be faster or easier to make, thanks in particular to the frozen pineapple. It requires no peeling or chopping and it also acts as both fruit and ice so it makes the smoothie chilled and thick without any risk of diluting it. Speaking of piña coladas, a splash of rum and a squeeze of lime would not be terrible here. ... Drink these while looking at a view.
One 13.5-ounce can low-fat coconut milk, well shaken One 10-ounce package frozen pineapple
Place the coconut milk, frozen pineapple, and pineapple juice in a blender and puree until smooth. Divide among four glasses, garnish with fresh pineapple if you'd like, and serve immediately.
Key Lime Yogurt with Graham Cracker Granola
Serves 4
With all the familiar flavors of key lime pie translated into breakfast, this crunchy granola, made with oats and crushed-up graham crackers, gets sweetened with a little bit of coconut and honey. It's just the thing to balance creamy, tart yogurt that's swirled with a bit of key lime juice. A shower of berries makes this decidedly healthy and also really beautiful. This makes more than enough granola for four servings. Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for at least a week and make for a good snack or ice cream topping.
One 4 ½ -ounce sleeve of graham crackers, crushed
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
Place the crushed graham crackers, oats, coconut, butter, honey, and salt in a large bowl and stir everything together. Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking sheet. Bake, stirring now and then, until the oats and coconut are golden brown and the whole thing smells nutty and wonderful, about 15 minutes. Set the granola aside to cool (it will crisp as it cools).
Meanwhile, place the yogurt and key lime juice in a large bowl and whisk together.
Divide the key lime yogurt and the berries among four bowls or glasses. Sprinkle with as much granola as you like and serve immediately.
Baked Boatmeal Squares with Blueberries and Coconut
Makes 9 squares
Baked almost like a bar cookie and cut into squares for serving, this oatmeal is both portable and can also be made ahead and enjoyed at room temperature or warmed up. In other words, you can make a batch one day and have breakfast for the whole week. We love taking this with us for a day on the boat (boatmeal!), but it's also great for breakfast on the go, whether you're headed to school or work. The blueberries can be swapped out for chopped apples or raspberries and the coconut can be swapped out for any type of chopped nut or dried fruit. These are also wonderful for desserts, served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Baking spray
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray an 9 x 13-inch square baking pan with baking spray. Line the bottom with parchment paper cut to fit and spray that, too, just to be safe.
Place the oats, salt, cinnamon, and baking powder in a large bowl and stir to combine. Add the brown sugar, eggs, milk, and vanilla and stir well. Stir in the blueberries and coconut.
Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking pan and spread it into an even layer.
Bake until the oatmeal is firm to the touch and light golden brown on top, about 25 minutes. Let the oatmeal cool in the pan for at least 15 minutes, then transfer it to a cutting board. Cut it into 9 even squares. Serve warm or at room temperature. Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or wrapped well and frozen for up to 3 months (defrost and warm in a toaster oven before eating).
Huevos Rancheros
Serves 4
The chorizo in these huevos rancheros makes them incredibly savory and satisfying, but if you prefer a vegetarian version, simply leave it out. You could add some sautéed onions and peppers, if you'd like, or just keep it simple with beans and scrambled eggs. Either way, don't skip the broiling. The melted cheese is the best part! The cured chorizo will enhance the smokiness of the dish, but fresh chorizo works equally well. Serve on the weekend after a big night.
2 tablespoons neutral oil (such as canola or vegetable), for frying
Place the oil in a large nonstick skillet set over medium-high heat. Add the chorizo and cook, stirring now and then, until it's browned and crisp and has released all its fat, about 5 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the chorizo to a plate and set it aside. Leave the fat in the skillet and return it to medium heat. Crack the eggs into the skillet in a single layer (work in batches, if necessary) and sprinkle each with a large pinch of salt and a few grinds of black pepper. Sprinkle the eggs with the cheddar cheese and cover the pan. Cook until the cheese is melted and the egg whites are set, about 2 minutes.
Place the tortillas on serving platter (or in a large skillet, which is a fun way to serve these). Top each tortilla with a fried, cheesy egg. Divide the reserved chorizo, beans, pico de gallo, queso blanco, avocado, sour cream, and cilantro among the eggs. Serve immediately with lime wedges for squeezing over the dish.
Key West Omelet
Serves 1, generously
You could say Key West, Florida, is our Graceland, so it should be no surprise that key lime juice, the Keys' most distinctive flavor, appears in so many of our signature dishes. This omelet, full of shrimp and crab and topped with decadent Key Lime Hollandaise sauce, makes any morning feel like a weekend.
6 medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
Coarsely chop 3 of the shrimp (leave the other 3 whole). Place the oil in a small nonstick skillet set over medium heat. Add both the chopped and whole shrimp and the crab and season with a large pinch of salt. Cook, stirring, until the shrimp are just firm to the touch and opaque, about 3 minutes. Transfer the 3 whole shrimp to a plate and set aside. Add the eggs and another large pinch of salt to the skillet. When the eggs on the bottom begin to set, after about 30 seconds, use a rubber spatula to gently pull the sides of the cooked eggs toward the center of the pan. Repeat the process until the eggs are just cooked through, about 3 minutes. Carefully flip half the omelet over itself to form a half-moon and slide it onto a plate.
Top the omelet with the reserved shrimp, the hollandaise, and chives and serve immediately.
Key Lime Hollandaise
Makes 1 cup
Using a blender to do all the difficult work of emulsifying, we make this hollandaise sauce the modern way. We like to clarify the butter for the sauce, which we walk you through in the recipe, since it leaves you with butter that tastes, if you can believe it, even more like butter. It's a chef-y trick from Carlo, and he explains that by getting rid of the milk solids (the white proteins that naturally separate from the butter when you cook it), you're left with clear butter that's truly like the essence of butter. If that didn't sound good enough, we add a good dose of key lime juice to flavor the sauce, because no matter where we are, we never stray far from Key West.
16 tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into large cubes
Line a small sieve with a coffee filter or a piece of cheesecloth and set it over a medium bowl.
Place the butter in a small pot set over high heat. Once it melts, let the butter cook until the white milk proteins float to the surface, about 3 minutes. Once the butter boils, reduce the heat to medium and cook until the white milk proteins sink to the bottom of the pot. Strain the butter through the coffee filter or cheesecloth and discard the solids. Set the warm, melted clarified butter aside.
Place the egg yolks, key lime juice, salt, and cayenne in a blender and puree until combined. With the machine running, slowly drizzle in the clarified butter (make sure it's still warm) to form a thick, emulsified sauce. Add the water and blend to combine. Serve the sauce warm from the blender (it can sit in the blender for up to 30 minutes before serving).
South Florida Eggs Benedict
Serves 4
The ultimate weekend brunch, eggs Benedict are always a hit, but the Key Lime Hollandaise sauce makes this version especially memorable. For a version of eggs Florentine, try swapping out the Canadian bacon for a spoonful of warm JWB Creamed Spinach.
1 tablespoon neutral oil (such as canola or vegetable), for frying
Place the oil in a large nonstick skillet set over medium heat. Add the Canadian bacon in an even layer and cook, turning the slices a few times, until warmed through and lightly browned in spots, about 4 minutes. Keep the Canadian bacon warm over low heat.
Meanwhile, place 8 cups water in a large saucepan set over high heat and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to keep the water at a simmer and stir in the vinegar and the salt. Working with one egg at a time, crack each egg into a small bowl. Stir the water gently to create a whirlpool and, while gently stirring, carefully slip the egg into the water. Repeat the process as quickly as possible with the remaining eggs and work in batches as necessary to makes sure the eggs stay separate (this will be determined by the size of your pan). Poach the eggs until they're barely firm to the touch, about 3 minutes. Remove the eggs with a slotted spoon and blot dry on paper towels.
Place the English muffins on plates, toasted-sides up. Place a slice of warm Canadian bacon and a poached egg on top of each half. Drizzle the hollandaise over everything, top with the chives and chile flakes, and serve immediately.
Spicy Breakfast Quesadillas
Serves 4
We love a breakfast quesadilla, but it's a hard thing to make for a crowd since you normally have to wait for one to finish before you can make another in your skillet. Enter two hot baking sheets. By heating them up in the oven and baking the quesadillas between them, you can easily make a bunch of quesadillas at the same time. Of course, if you're just making one for yourself, you can go ahead and make it in a skillet on the stovetop. Simply sear the quesadilla in a bit of oil or butter until browned on both sides and the cheese is melted (just like making a grilled cheese).
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Place two baking sheets in the oven to heat up.
Place the butter in a large nonstick skillet set over medium heat. Once it melts, add the eggs and salt and cook, stirring with a rubber spatula, until the eggs are just set, about 4 minutes.
Take one of the hot baking sheets out of the oven and spray with cooking spray. Place the tortillas on the pan and evenly sprinkle both of the cheeses over the surface of each tortilla. Evenly divide the scrambled eggs among the tortillas, being sure to put them on only half of each tortilla. Top the eggs with the pickled jalapeños and cilantro. Fold each tortilla in half to form a half-moon. Spray the top of each quesadilla with cooking spray and stack the other hot baking sheets on top on them so that the quesadillas make contact on both sides with the hot baking sheets.
Place the quesadillas, sandwiched between the baking sheets, in the oven and bake until both sides are golden brown and the cheese is melted, about 10 minutes.
Cut each quesadilla into wedges and serve immediately, with the pico de gallo on top.
Triple B (Buttermilk, Blueberry, and Banana) Pancakes
Serves 4 to 6
While these classic buttermilk pancakes have both blueberries and bananas in them, you could easily just do one type of fruit. Or try other mix-ins such as strawberries, peaches, walnuts, granola, coconut, and/or even chocolate chips. If you don't have a griddle and can't make more than a couple of pancakes at the same time, keep the finished ones warm in a 250°F oven while you cook the rest of the batch. This is the best thing to make for your family on the weekend.
2 cups all-purpose flour
Place the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar in a large bowl and whisk together. Add the eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla and whisk just until combined (a few lumps are okay, and it's better to leave them than whisk the batter too much).
Place a griddle or a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Coat the surface of the griddle or skillet with butter (about 1 teaspoon) and ladle the batter onto the surface, making whatever size pancakes you like. Put a few blueberries and banana slices on each pancake and cook until the undersides are golden brown and small bubbles appear on top around the fruit, 1 to 2 minutes, then carefully flip each pancake over. Cook until golden on the bottom, about 1 minute. Repeat, being sure to butter the griddle or skillet between each batch, until you run out of batter.
Serve the pancakes warm, with whatever blueberries and bananas are left, plus extra butter and maple syrup.
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Excerpted from "Margaritaville The Cookbook"
by .
Copyright © 2018 Margaritaville Enterprises, LLC.
Excerpted by permission of St. Martin's Press.
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