Breakfast Made Beautiful

Recipe

Waffles:

• 1 1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon of baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon of salt
• 1 medium ripe banana
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 large egg, the egg white and yolk separated
• 1/2 cup of milk
• 4 tablespoons of unsalted butter, melted
• a touch of water for moisture  

Warm Blueberry Syrup:

• Fresh blueberries, pureed
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter

Directions:

Waffles: 

1. First, prepare waffle maker by spraying with non-stick cooking spray, and adjust the waffle iron to the appropriate temperature (medium to high heat is what I recommend).
2. To prepare for the waffle mixture: In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine sugar, flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. 
3. In a separate bowl (I prefer my KitchenAid) whisk together the banana, sour cream, egg, milk, and melted butter.
4. In the center of the dry ingredients,  make a well and add the liquid mixture to the middle. Stir soft and slowly until all of the ingredients are fully mixed together, making sure not to over stir. Add a touch of water for consistency and moisture. 
5. Use about 1/4 cup to a 1/2 cup of the batter and place on the waffle iron grid. Cook until golden brown.
6. Remove from iron and serve on a warmed plate. 

Warmed Syrup:

1. Start by pureeing approximately 1 cup of blueberries. I used my handheld Cuisinart to do this. 
2. In a medium saucepan over low heat, combine blueberries, honey, maple syrup, and butter. 
3. Stir until butter is melted and syrup is warm. Add more honey if you would like a thicker consistency. 
4. Serve warm on top of the waffles with a few fresh berries.

Presentation:

On mornings that I'm not downing a quick bowl of cereal or rushing out the door, I love to cook a beautiful and delicate breakfast complete with all of the fixings. Not only do I love to have the food taste delicious, but I also like to create a beautiful presentation. Food, to me, is true art and making it look delightful is just as  fun as eating it. The tray I created this morning is super simple and requires mainly food to make it look scrumptious.

Some important details to keep in mind when it comes to presentation, is first, make sure you have all of the essentials. In this situation, aside from the main course (made from scratch waffles and homemade syrup), I included, freshly topped blueberries, beautifully cut oranges as an accent, a beverage, butter and of course the necessary eating utensils. From here, I started arranging.

First, I began by arranging all of the items on a serving platter purchased from Target. These trays are  perfect if you want to make this a breakfast in bed type of morning. Next, I arranged the syrup in a  simple Corningware white dish. This way the person eating can delegate how much syrup they would like. Of course we can't forget about a morning beverage. Today, I was feeling like a little bit of OJ. I thought this would look beautiful with my monogrammed mug from Anthropologie. I completed the look with gold silverware tucked in folded white napkin and finished with a side of stacked butter. And wa la- my morning was complete!