Good mornings: pioneering chef Margaret Fox shares her favorite breakfast recipes

Sunset, Jan, 2005 by Charity Ferreira

Margaret Fox learned to make French toast at age 9 and never looked back. As the original chef-owner of Mendocino's Cafe Beaujolais, she turned breakfast into the California coastal town's most popular meal. After 25 years in the business, she no longer owns the restaurant--she's now the culinary director for Harvest Market in nearby Fort Bragg--but she still loves morning food.

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Making breakfast at home for her family and friends brings back what Fox--a self-proclaimed morning person--most loved about the restaurant: getting up early, filling the place with delicious aromas, and feeding others. Capture the feeling of a cozy weekend morning with some of her favorite breakfast dishes.

Grandma Carroll's Cinnamon Rolls

PREP AND COOK TIME: About 1 hour, plus 3 hours to rise

MAKES: 12 cinnamon rolls

NOTES: A friend's grandmother introduced Margaret Fox to these rolls.

1 1/4 cups whole milk
    1 package (2 1/4 teaspoons) active dry yeast
1 1/4 cups plus 3 tablespoons sugar
  3/4 cup (3/8 lb.) plus 2 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
      About 5 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
  1/4 cup ground cinnamon
      Icing (recipe follows)

1. In a 2-quart pan over medium heat, heat milk to lukewarm. In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in 1 cup warm (110[degrees]) water. Let stand 5 minutes.

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2. If using a heavy-duty mixer: With the paddle attachment, stir milk, 3 tablespoons sugar, 2 tablespoons butter, the salt, and 3 1/2 cups flour into yeast mixture. Beat on high until slightly stretchy, about 2 minutes. Switch to dough hook and, on medium speed, beat in 1 1/2 cups more flour until a stiff dough forms. Continue beating until dough pulls cleanly from bowl, 5 to 7 minutes longer; if dough is still sticky, add more flour, 1 tablespoon at a time.

If mixing by hand: With a wooden spoon, stir milk, 3 tablespoons sugar, 2 tablespoons butter, the salt, and 3 1/2 cups flour into yeast mixture. Stir vigorously until slightly stretchy, 2 to 4 minutes. Stir in 1 1/2 cups more flour until a stiff dough forms. Scrape onto a floured board and knead until smooth, elastic, and no longer sticky, about 8 minutes; add flour as required to prevent sticking. Return dough to bowl.

3. Cover bowl airtight and let dough rise at room temperature until doubled, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

4. Scrape dough onto a floured board and press gently to expel air. Divide in half. Roll each half into a 10- by 16-inch rectangle. Spread 6 tablespoons butter over each rectangle. In a small bowl, mix 1 1/4 cups sugar with cinnamon. Sprinkle half the mixture over each rectangle.

5. Starting from a long edge, roll each rectangle into a tight cylinder. Cut each cylinder into six equal pieces. Place, cut side down and slightly apart, in two 7- by 11-inch baking pans. Cover pans and let stand at room temperature until rolls are almost doubled in size, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

6. Bake in a 350[degrees] oven until rolls are browned, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool in pan 10 minutes, then drizzle with icing. Serve warm from the pan.

Icing. In a bowl, mix 3 cups powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and 1/4 cup water. Thin with water if icing is too thick to drizzle.

Per cinnamon roll: 559 cal., 24% (135 cal.) from fat; 7.2 g protein; 15 g fat (9 g sat.); 100 g carbo (1.7 g fiber); 442 mg sodium; 40 mg chol.

Blueberry-Cream Cheese Coffee Cake

PREP AND COOK TIME: About 1 hour

MAKES: 10 to 12 servings

  1 cup fresh blueberries, rinsed, or frozen blueberries
1/4 cup apple juice
  1 teaspoon cornstarch
  2 cups all-purpose flour
  1 cup sugar
1/2 cup (1/4 lb.) cold butter, cut into chunks
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
  1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
3/4 cup plain low-fat yogurt
  1 teaspoon vanilla
  2 large eggs
  6 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
  1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 cup sliced almonds

1. In a 1- to 2-quart pan over medium heat, bring blueberries and apple juice to a boil. Lower heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until blueberries have released their juices, about 3 minutes. In a small bowl, blend cornstarch and 2 teaspoons water. Add to blueberry mixture; stir until it simmers and thickens, about 1 minute. Let cool to room temperature.

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2. In a bowl or food processor, mix or whirl flour and 3/4 cup sugar. Add butter to flour mixture. Cut in with a pastry blender or pulse until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Reserve 1/2 cup; pour remaining into a large bowl. Stir in baking powder, baking soda, salt, and lemon peel.

3. In a bowl, mix yogurt, vanilla, and 1 egg until blended; stir into flour-baking powder mixture until incorporated. Spread batter in a buttered 9-inch round cake pan with a removable rim.

4. In a bowl or food processor (no need to wash from step 2), beat with an electric mixer on high speed or whirl cream cheese, remaining 1/4 cup sugar, remaining egg, and lemon juice until smooth. Spread over batter in pan, leaving a 1/2-inch border bare. Gently spread blueberry mixture over cream cheese mixture, leaving some visible. Stir almonds into reserved flour mixture and sprinkle over cake, concentrating most around edge of batter.