By MIKE SUTTER

When he woke up Wednesday morning, I doubt that food writer and historian John T. Edge meant to offend the entire city of San Antonio.

Except that he did.

Right there in the second paragraph in a story on Page 2 of the New York Times food section, Edge said this: “When it comes to breakfast tacos, however, Austin trumps all other American cities.”

Click here for more on this story from our sister site, Austin360.

With Parmesan cheese, heavy cream, bacon and puff pastry, this quiche sounds like a diet killer. But with 242 calories per serving, it actually isn’t all that bad. And all those ingredients are so happiness-inducing, it’s worth every calorie anyway.

The recipe starts from a basic quiche equation, a mess of eggs whisked with some heavy cream, salt and pepper. But rather than a traditional pastry crust, I went with a lighter, and delightfully fattier, puff pastry.

To up the savoriness, I added cooked bacon and grated Parmesan. What you do after that depends on your inspiration. You could use a bit of the bacon fat to saute onions and mushrooms, then add those. Thinly sliced scallions also would be a fine choice.

If you do add mushrooms, be sure to cook them until the moisture they release (this happens after several minutes of sautéing) has simmered off. You don’t want a watery quiche.

This quiche comes together in about 45 minutes. It also can be made a day ahead and refrigerated.

Serve it slightly warmed or at room temperature.

Bacon and Parmesan Cheese Quiche

Servings: 6

1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed according to package directions (each 17.3-ounce package contains 2 sheets)

4 eggs

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

8 strips bacon, cooked, cooled and crumbled

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Heat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

On a lightly floured surface roll out the puff pastry until it forms about a 12-by-12-inch square. Carefully fit the pastry into a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Gently press the pastry into the edges, then pass a rolling pin over the top to trim off any excess dough.

Top the pastry with a sheet of parchment paper, then place a second (slightly smaller) tart or pie pan into the tart. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until lightly browned. Remove the tart shell from the oven, leaving the top pan in the tart, and set aside to cool slightly. Increase oven temperature to 400 degrees.

While the quiche shell bakes, in a medium bowl whisk together the eggs, heavy cream, salt, pepper, garlic powder and thyme. Stir in the bacon and 1/4 cup of the Parmesan cheese. Carefully transfer the egg mixture to the cooled tart shell, then sprinkle the remaining cheese over it.

Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until the eggs and cheese are lightly browned and puffed. Cool slightly before serving.

Per serving: 242 calories; 169 calories from fat; 19 g fat (9 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 166 mg cholesterol; 4 g carbohydrate; 13 g protein; 0 g fiber; 670 mg sodium

Classes

CAKES ETC., 2800 N. Military Trail, West Palm Beach. (561) 615-4431

Basic Cake Decorating Class, 6:30-8:30 p.m., Tuesday and runs for two more weeks. Tuition is $40 plus supplies.

Advance Cake Decorating Class, 6:30-8:30 p.m., begins today and runs for four weeks. Tuition is $40 plus supplies.

Basic Candy Molding Class, 6:30-8:30 p.m., Feb. 11. Tuition is $20, supplies included.

Advance Candy Molding Class, 6:30-8:30 p.m., Feb. 18. Tuition is $25, supplies included.
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Restaurant Listing: Directions, review, more

I’ve written about my love of breakfast — it’s the most important meal of the day, doncha know — and I’m always interested in finding new, cheap and friendly places to start my day. Wouldn’t you know that my new favorite has the word “Friendly” in the name?

It’s Lantana’s Friendly Greek Restaurant, which I’ve been driving past forever on the way to wherever, but had never gone inside. But now I’ve ventured inside the columned doors, and discovered all the basics that make a diner magnificent — hot coffee that keeps on coming, comfy cozy booths and a revelation of a fried egg sandwich.

Also, the waitresses are chatty and cool, and at least one of them watches Survivor, giving me one more person to relate my conspiracy theories to. You can’t put a price tag on that.

FRIENDLY GREEK RESTAURANT, 610 S. Dixie Highway, Lantana. (561) 540-5223.

To show support for Tuesday’s big game, participating Dunkin’ Donuts in South Florida and the Treasure Coast will be making custom donuts for Orange Bowl parties and for fans to show support of their favorite team.

“With college football hosting its traditional bowl game in Miami, and fans traveling from the South and Midwest to be here, it seemed only natural to make custom donuts showing support for the Georgia Institute of Technology and the University of Iowa,” said Jeannie Graff of Dunkin’ Donuts.

The custom donuts come in two colors – plain donut with gold icing and blue sprinkles, and plain donut with gold icing and black sprinkles. Some locations may also weave the colors together with a marble frosted look.

The donuts are expected to be a big seller with college football fans, and with a $9.99 for two dozen donuts special, Graff envisions them as the ultimate tailgating treat.

Baked eggnog French toast should be prepared the night before allowing the eggnog to absorb into the bread. The topping of apples and apricots can also be made in advance. (Photo by Betty Rosbottom)

By BETTY ROSBOTTOM

One of the challenges for many cooks is figuring out what to serve overnight company for New Year’s Day breakfast or brunch. A dish that is simple to prepare, that can be assembled in advance, and that delivers a bit of dazzle would be perfect. Baked Eggnog French Toast with Apples and Apricots is such an all-in-one morning entree.

A friend who loves to entertain sent me the recipe, which I tweaked slightly. Slices from a crusty peasant loaf are arranged in a baking dish, covered with eggnog, then refrigerated overnight. For the topping, sliced apples and diced dried apricots are quickly sauteed in a mixture of melted butter, brown sugar and cinnamon.
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Early risers, take note: The first 50 people at the following five Palm Beach County and Treasure Coast Dunkin’ Donuts restaurants on Sat., Dec. 19, beginning at 7 a.m., will receive TWO FREE TICKETS (worth $78.00 per pair) to the Dec. 27 Dolphins-Texans game:

Palm Beach County

o 2001 10th Avenue North, Lake Worth

o 11575 U.S. Highway One, Palm Beach Gardens

Martin County

o 7850 SW Lost River Road, Stuart

St. Lucie County

o 1401 SE Village Green Drive, Port St. Lucie

For more information about the giveaway, Dolphins fans are invited to follow @DDSoFla on Twitter at www.twitter.com/DDSoFla.

Indian River County

o 900 U.S. Highway One, Sebastian

Semi-homemade marmalade has a lot of flavorful orange peels. Notice the sugary sheen on them. Tangerines were used for the jam. (Photo by Asad Rahman)

In our family, orange marmalade is right there among the favorite store-bought jams and jellies. But it jumps to the No.1 spot right away after my wife, Kaisari, is done doctoring it a bit at home. Here is her prescription, and it is simple and inexpensive.

Buy a bag of oranges, which are coming on the market right now — easy-peel tangerines or clementines work best, but navel oranges will do fine. The goal here are the peels, so peel the easy-peel ones to keep the skin in pieces as large as you can. For thick-skinned ones, score the oranges just skin-deep with a sharp paring knife into four quadrants from top to bottom. Ease the peel off in 4 neat sections.

When you have done a bunch, put them in a stainless steel bowl and pour boiling water over them. Let steep for about 15 minutes and drain. When cool enough to handle, scrape the inside of the skin sections with a spoon to take out the white pith. The skins will become pliable and almost transparent. Cut the cleaned sections into thin slices.

With the fruit sections, you have a choice — enjoy them as is, or juice them for the jam. We opt for the first choice, especially if they are clementines. Now place the julienned peels into a clean nonreactive pot and add half to 1 cup of orange juice (depending on the amount of peel), either from the juiced sections or from premium-grade store bought juice.

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Restaurant Listing: Directions, more

Before I get to describing the jewel of a restaurant that is Pelican Café, let me throw out this catch phrase: “Hot doughnuts now.”

Of course, that’s the mantra of Krispy Kreme, the chain that had a brief, ill-fated run in Palm Beach County. But it might as well be the morning motto of Pelican Café, which indeed serves some of the most glorious (and hot!) doughnuts to be found in these parts — in varieties ranging from blueberry to apple cider.

Never mind that the year-old Lake Park cafe is better known to many of its already loyal patrons for its dinner offerings, especially a solid array of Italian-American dishes. I still marvel at the thought that there’s a place to get an honest-to-goodness fresh doughnut — a “decadent doughnut,” as Pelican calls them — in town. Read the full story

Ron Del Signore, general manager of Il Bellagio at CityPlace, added breakfast to the menu, including (from left) Eggs in Purgatory, a variety of crepes and Eggs in the Basket. (Damon Higgins / The Post)

By DEBORAH S. HARTZ-SEELEY

Ron Del Signore got tired of going out to breakfast and having to wait in line for a table. So he decided to serve breakfast at the restaurant where he’s general manager, Il Bellagio in West Palm Beach’s CityPlace.

It’s a pretty spot with outdoor tables under green umbrellas overlooking the center’s dancing fountain and central piazza.

And here, he’s not offering just another bacon-and-eggs menu. To create the food, Del Signore sat down with his wife, Rosalie, and his chef, Pauli Johnston, and drew on a lot of family memories.

Del Signore thought about what he ate at his Italian grandmothers’ houses growing up in Pittsburgh.
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