Chapter 40 (A Telegram From Uncle Eric continued)

How It Tasted

(Juice, coffee, and cantaloupe appeared repeatedly in these meals, and so I’ve confined my remarks to the entrees).

Breakfast #1

French Toast

I was pleasantly surprised at how good this French toast was—far better than the stuff I make, quite honestly. Bettina’s version had me adding a little sugar to the milk/egg mixture in which the bread was dipped, and that seemed to make a big difference—it not only gave the dish an agreeable taste but improved the texture as well.

Broiled Bacon

I’m generally not a huge fan of bacon (although my husband and son enjoy it), but I have to admit that this dish was satisfactory. This version (cooked under the broiler) seemed designed to set my nerves on edge with its potential for triggering a three-fire alarm salute, but happily the cooking process was entirely problem-free.

Breakfast #2

Creamed Beef on Toast

All I have to say about this dish is that it’s enough to make me swear off beef forever. Soaking the dried meat beforehand did in fact reduce the salt content, but NOTHING could make it make the taste or texture more appealing. It’s very difficult for me to believe that Bettina would serve such a dish to the finicky Uncle Eric—unless he was a career soldier and/or born without tastebuds.

Breakfast #3

Sweet Milk Griddle Cakes

These cakes weren’t exactly a taste sensation, but I was intrigued by the culinary history behind them. A recipe from the good old pioneer days (when many lacked ovens for baking), these cakes really did have something of a bready texture and, in a pinch, would make an adequate substitute for the more traditional loaf.

Breakfast #4

Baked Apples

These apples might have been OK had the sugar and cinnamon stayed inside the fruit. Unfortunately I didn’t leave enough core to hold the crucial ingredients in place, and the filling ran out into the baking dish. End result: pale, flavorless apples that would send Uncle Eric running to the nearest restaurant.

Broiled Ham

This ham dish tasted fine but simply wasn’t worth all the hacking and sawing I had to do to the shanks to obtain the necessary slices. Like Bettina I hate to see waste, and my acrobatics with the knife left a much too larg pile of useless fat and meat scraps.

Breakfast #5

Codfish Balls

I honestly can’t say that this fish dish was bad…simply because it had no taste at all. None of us were too crazy about the texture either—creamy smooth, like a puree meant for the dentally challenged.

Breakfast #6

Waffles

I definitely enjoyed the chance to use my secondhand waffle maker, but the finished product wasn’t much different from a box of frozen Eggos. In fact, I don’t think anyone would have noticed had I substituted pre-made waffles—when a dish is loaded down with syrup and sweeteners it’s hard to appreciate the finer points.

Breakfast #7

Poached Eggs

Alas this dish was completely unremarkable (except of course for the fact that I managed this time not to break any of the yolks). As I mentioned before, poached eggs are a weekend staple in our house, so these pedestrian eggs attracted no special attention or comments from the troops.

French Toast

This represented another opportunity to make Bettina’s version of French toast, and once again we were all pleased with the results. It's good stuff, no question about it.

Would I Make This Again?

Truthfully, I’d rather swear off eating forever than face the creamed beef again, and the codfish balls were almost as bad. But the French toast was excellent, and the poached eggs and broiled bacon and ham were certainly satisfactory. All in all I expect Uncle Eric would have been pleased with five out of the seven breakfasts Bettina had at her disposal—alas the two featuring beef and fish would have him taking up semi-permanent residency in the bathroom!