Seasonal Pantry: Warm up to Christmas breakfast

Ahh, Christmas morning. If you don't have little kids waking you up before dawn, it is a great time to linger under the covers, listening to the quiet - there are fewer commuters - and simply enjoying the comfort of your bed.

I always make sure my bedroom is clean, I put flowers on the desk at the end of my bed and I have a few candles that, when lit, reflect in the mirror over my dresser. Sometimes I make tea or coffee, grab a good book and read for an hour or two.

At some point, it is time for breakfast. I might make cinnamon coffee cake, a long time favorite, or beignets, almost always with really good bacon alongside. I also like to make fresh-squeezed tangerine juice, and now and then, put grapefruit, cut in half and sprinkled with sugar, under the broiler.

This year, I'll share the morning with three dachshunds, Lark, Bobby and Jordan and they'll get something special, too, along with an extra-long walk, possibly at the coast.

One of my favorite things about Christmas morning is that, should you be so inclined, you get to repeat the ritual in a week, on New Year's morning. It's a great way to start the new year, especially if you aren't paying for too much partying the night before.

For links to several of my favorite Christmas recipes, including Lamb's Wool, a delicious drink make of baked apples, and several coffee cakes, visit “Eat This Now” at pantry.blogs.pressdemocrat.com.

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In September, renowned restaurateur, chef and writer Madeleine Kamman passed away.

As the year draws to its conclusion, I find myself thinking of her and of a dish I learned at her side during my two-week stint at the School for American Chefs at Beringer Vineyards.

The recipe is from one of her later books, “Madeleine Kamman's Savoie” (Atheneum, 1989), which includes an entire chapter on “farcement,” or potato puddings. This version is my own, adapted from the one she taught me. In hers, the pudding has a layer of minced prunes and dried pears, which I have replaced with minced bacon. As a nod to my friend, I serve a pear compote alongside.

Please note that you will need a 1½ to 2 quart soufflé dish for this. I like to serve this savory pudding with poached eggs alongside. And to drink? Dry sparkling wine, of course.

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Potato Pudding with Bacon

Makes 6 servings

3 large potatoes (about 1¼ to 1½ pounds), such as Yukon gold or Yellow Finn, scrubbed and pricked with a fork or paring knife in several places

2 large eggs, beaten

2 large egg yolks, beaten

1/3 cup corn flour or very fine cornmeal

- Kosher salt

- Black pepper in a mill

1 stick (1/4 pound) good-quality butter such as Clover or Strauss, at room temperature

12 ounces best-quality bacon

- Boiling water

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Bake the potatoes until they are tender when pierced with a fork, about 40 to 60 minutes, depending on their size.

Remove the potatoes from the oven and let rest 5 minutes. Wrap a potato in a towel and break it in half crosswise. Put one half, flesh side down, into a potato ricer and press into a large mixing bowl. Continue until all of the potatoes have been riced. If you do not have a potato ricer, pass the potatoes through the medium blade of a food mill. (Do not use a food processor.) If you have neither a potato ricer nor a food mill, let the potatoes cool just until they are easy to handle and then use the small blade of a box cheese grater to grate them. The potatoes must still be warm at this point.

Reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees.

Mix the eggs and egg yolks into the potatoes, add the corn flour or cornmeal and season generously with salt and pepper. Mix the butter into the potatoes, a small bit at a time. Set aside.

Take one-third of the bacon, cut it into medium dice and fry it until it loses its raw look. Transfer to absorbent paper and reserve the bacon fat.

Line the soufflé dish or other container with the remaining raw bacon, overlapping the slices just barely so that there is no room between them.

Carefully pack half of the potato mixture into the dish. Scatter the cooked diced bacon over the top and cover with the remaining potato mixture.

Using a pastry brush, coat a sheet of cooking parchment or aluminum foil with bacon fat and set it, fat side down, over the potatoes. Put a roasting pan or baking dish that is at least 3-inches deep into the oven and set the soufflé dish in the center. Carefully pour boiling water into the roasting pan or baking dish, leaving enough room so that it does not overflow.

Bake for 1½ hours. Open the oven and insert a bamboo skewer into the center of the pudding. If it comes out clean, the pudding is done. If it does not, cook 30 minutes more.

Lift the pudding out of its water bath and set on a cooling rack for 15 to 20 minutes. Remove the parchment or foil, set a sturdy serving plate on top of the pudding and invert it, so that the pudding drops onto the serving dish (wishing on lucky stars and holding your breath is appropriate at this time). Serve hot.

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This compote is simple, delicious and takes just minutes to make. And don't worry about the alcohol; it all burns off, leaving the compote safe for children and for people who avoid alcohol. The technique adds a slightly caramelized flavor.

Pear and Pomegranate Compote

Makes 6 servings

1/2 lemon

4 firm-ripe Bartlett or Anjou pears

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons maple syrup

- Pinch of salt

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 ounces pear brandy

- Arils of 1 pomegranate

Fill a medium bowl half full with water and squeeze the juice of the lemon into it.

Peel the pears, remove their cores and cut them into 3/8 inch dice; put the diced pears into the acidulated water.

Put the butter into a medium sauté pan and set over medium heat. Drain the pears thoroughly.

When the butter is melted, add the pears and let cook without stirring for about 3 minutes, until they take on a bit of color. Use a thin metal spatula to turn over the pears and cook until lightly browned.

Add the maple syrup, salt, vanilla and cinnamon and agitate and shake the pan very gently.

Increase the heat to high, carefully pour the brandy over the pears and, if it does not automatically ignite, ignite it with a match. As soon as the flames die down, remove from the heat and let cool slightly.

Reserve about a third of a cup of pomegranate arils and divide the rest among individual dessert bowls or other small bowls. Spoon the compote over the pomegranate arils and top with a few of those that you have reserved. Enjoy warm.

Michele Anna Jordan is the author of 24 books to date. Email her at michele@micheleannajordan.com.