North Pond (2610 N. Cannon Dr.; 773-477-5845) ranks among the city's best with seasonal ingredients front and center.

North Pond's Leek, Celeriac, and Muenster Frittata with Chioggia Beet Vinaigrette (Serves 4)
(Plan on an hour of preparation time on your first try.)

Ingredients

• 1 large Chioggia (or other) beet, peeled and quartered
• 2 cups orange juice
• 8 eggs, beaten
• 1/4 cup whole milk
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 small bulb celeriac (also called celery root), diced into 1/4-inch cubes
• 1 medium leek, white part only, diced
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 4 ounces Muenster cheese, diced into 1/4-inch cubes
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon Champagne vinegar
• Salt and white pepper
• 1 head Bibb lettuce
• 1 teaspoon pine nuts, toasted

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and preheat a 10-inch cast iron skillet.
2. In small saucepan, bring beets to boil in orange juice with salt to taste. Reduce to a simmer and cook until beets soften, about 30 minutes. Remove from heat and purée in a blender until smooth, using some of the cooking liquid until the purée is a little thinner than applesauce. Reserve.
3. Combine beaten eggs with milk. Reserve.
4. Melt butter in saucepan over medium heat. Add celery root and leeks; season with salt and pepper and cook until soft but not brown.
5. Lightly oil the preheated skillet. Add vegetables and pour the egg mixture over them. Sprinkle diced cheese over the top and bake for eight minutes, or until frittata is puffed, lightly browned, and set in the center.
6. Mix one tablespoon of beet purée with olive oil and Champagne vinegar. Season with salt and pepper. Toss Bibb lettuce with vinaigrette and toasted pine nuts.
7. Cut frittata into wedges and place atop pools of warm beet purée. Gently place salad on top of the frittata, leaving eggs and beet purée partially exposed.

From Chicago Magazine
http://www.chicagomag.com
Photo: Tyllie Barbosa

The buttermilk scones from Bennison's Bakery (1000 Davis St., Evanston; 847-328-9434) have been a hit at farmers' markets in Evanston, Wilmette, and Chicago, where some 40 dozen of the addictive breakfast pastries sell for $2 each every weekend in the summer. Here, the recipe for the whole-wheat version that Bennison's makes with organic ingredients for the Green City Market.

Bennison's Bakery's Glazed Scones
(Makes about 24 scones)

Ingredients

• 1 cup whole-wheat flour
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1-1/4 cups sugar
• 1/2 tablespoon plus 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Zest from half a lemon
• 14 tablespoons butter, cold
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 cup dried apricots
• 1/4 cup golden raisins
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup hot water
• 1-1/2 cups confectioner's sugar

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Chop the apricots, combine with other fruit, and cover with warm water for 10 minutes. Drain and set aside.
3. In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, mix the flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and lemon zest until uniformly combined. Cut the butter into small pieces and blend with the flour mixture until crumbly and the butter chunks are reduced to the size of peas.
4. Add buttermilk in a stream at low speed until almost all the flour is absorbed. Add fruit, and mix just enough to incorporate.
5. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead lightly a few times to form a ball. Divide the dough into four equal pieces. Flatten each piece into a one-inch-thick disk and use a sharp knife to cut each section into six wedges.
6. Brush the tops of the scones with the egg and two tablespoons of water, whisked together. Place on a parchment-lined cookie sheet and bake for 17 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove to a cooling rack nested on a tray.
7. While the scones bake, make a glaze by whisking the remaining hot water into the confectioner's sugar until smooth. Spoon over the tops of the scones while they are hot, letting the excess drip onto the tray.

From Chicago Magazine
www.chicagomag.com

BEST NEW BREAKFAST
FRED’S AT BARNEYS NEW YORK
When Fred’s at Barneys opened here in April, the ladies who lunch made it an instant see-and-be-seen destination. The breakfast served on the weekends—it’s technically a brunch, name- and hourswise—keeps the luxurious setting (and the price that goes with it) but carries a more casual vibe. A cocktail, a baked-goods basket, an entrée, and a dessert are offered for a prix fixe; our highlights were the firm-on-the-outside, yielding-on-the-inside potatoes and the cloud-fluffy three-egg omelet. The prix fixe meal runs $24 or $38, depending on whether you want the fancier Champagne. 15 E. Oak St.; 312-596-1111

RUNNERS-UP: We didn’t love the stark hotel atmosphere at LB Bistro & Patisserie (Sheraton Chicago, 301 E. North Water St.; 312-464-1000), but the cinnamon-batter-dipped, strawberry-cream-cheese-filled brioche French toast won us over. The banana-stuffed French toast with toasted pecans stands out on the affordable, British Isles-tinged menu at Bananas Foster Café (1147 W. Granville Ave.; 773-262-9855), but the portions reflect the prices.

http://www.chicagomag.com/Chicago-Magazine/August-2009/Best-of-Chicago/Food/

Breakfast
1. Keys Cafe
2. Hell’s Kitchen
3. Good Day Cafe
4. The Original Pancake House
5. Perkins

Brunch
1. Lake Elmo Inn
2. Jax Cafe
3. Ideal Diner
4. St. Paul Grill
5. Nicollet Island Inn

Brioche Doughnuts

Fry up Mindy Segal’s fluffy, sugar-coated doughnuts for breakfast or an after-dinner treat.
www.hotchocolatechicago.com

Makes about 35 doughnuts.

Starter
1/3 cup + 2½ tsp whole milk
1 tbsp yeast (dried)
1 large egg
1 egg yolk
1¾ cup all-purpose flour

Dough
5 eggs
¾ cup sugar
1¼ lbs flour (about 4 cups) + extra flour for dusting
1 oz (about 1 tbsp) clover honey
1 tsp salt
½ lb butter (2 sticks), softened, divided into tablespoon-size chunks
Canola oil, for frying
1 cup granulated sugar


Ganache
10 oz 64% chocolate
1 cup heavy cream

1. Begin with the starter: Heat milk to about 90 degrees. Remove from heat and stir in yeast with a fork. Let the mixture sit until it gets creamy and foamy, about five minutes. (If mixture doesn’t foam, start over with new yeast.) Mix in egg and egg yolk with a fork. Add one cup of the flour and mix with a wooden spoon until a dough forms. Pour the rest of the flour over the top of the mixture (don’t mix it), cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for about an hour, until it has doubled in volume.
2. Make dough: In the bowl of a standing mixer, combine starter, eggs, sugar, flour and honey. Fit the mixer with a dough-hook attachment; mix on low speed. Add salt. Mix until dough comes together, pulls away cleanly from the sides of the bowl and forms a ball, about three to four minutes. Add softened butter one tablespoon at a time, waiting to add more until the last bit is incorporated. When all of the butter is added, you should have a soft, smooth, shiny dough. Place it in a greased bowl, cover with plastic and refrigerate overnight.
3. In the morning, let the dough sit in a warm place for three hours—it should come to room temperature and have risen slightly. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough approximately a half-inch thick. Cut doughnuts with a cookie cutter (HotChocolate’s are two-inch circles); cut hole in the middle of each doughnut using a smaller cookie cutter and set aside to rise in a warm, draft-free space until they’ve risen and are slightly puffy, about 30 minutes.
4. While doughnuts are rising, make ganache. Roughly chop chocolate and place in a medium mixing bowl. Set aside. In a small sauce pot, bring heavy cream to a boil. Pour over the chopped chocolate, coating entirely. Let sit one minute, then whisk cream and chocolate together to form a smooth, shiny ganache.
5. Attach a deep-fry thermometer to a heavy pot, and heat about three inches of canola frying oil to 350 degrees. Fry the doughnuts two or three at a time, about one minute per side, until golden brown. Remove from oil, drain on paper towels and toss in granulated sugar to coat while still warm. Serve warm with a small bowl of chocolate ganache for dipping.

TIPS
• A deep-fry thermometer ensures the proper temperature—find one for $12.95 at Sur La Table (755 W North Ave, 312-787-5111). If the oil isn’t hot enough, the doughnuts won’t crisp evenly and will become soggy. If it’s too hot, the doughnuts will cook on the outside but remain undercooked on the inside.
• Don’t have a cookie cutter? Cut out the doughnuts with an upside-down measuring cup, then unscrew the removable KitchenAid imprint from the front of the mixer and use it to cut out the middle.

Chilaquiles Rojas

from Chino Latino's executive chef, Noah Barton
www.chinolatino.com/

Serves: About 8

1/2 pound chicken breast
2 cups chicken stock
2 tomatoes, cored
2  Guajillo chiles
1 jalapeno chile pepper, stemmed, halved
1/4 yellow onion, peeled, halved
1/4 yellow onion, diced
1 T. minced garlic
1 T. cilantro, chopped
1 T. epazote, chopped
pinch oregano
salt to taste
6 ounces tortilla chips
4 eggs
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 pound queso fresco
1 T. cilantro, chopped

1. In large stockpot, combine chicken and chicken stock and bring to a boil. Simmer until chicken is tender, remove chicken and cool. When cool enough to handle, shred chicken and hold in refrigerator for later use.

2. Add tomatoes, guajillos, jalapeno and halved onion to chicken stock. Cover and bring to a low boil for 30-45 minutes.

3. Saute onions and garlic in large saute pan until translucent and slightly browned. Set aside.

4. Remove simmering vegetables from heat, add oregano, epazote, and cilantro. Completely puree with mixer to make salsa.

To make chilaquiles:

1. Heat chicken, salsa and tortilla chips over medium heat in large saute pan, stirring frequently and tossing to mix well.

2. Heat non-stick saute pan and spray with Pam or add clarified butter. Add eggs and cook over easy.

3. When tortillas are beginning to soften (not soggy), remove from heat and place on large serving platter. Add over easy eggs and top with queso fresco, sour cream and chopped cilantro.

4. Kiss that hangover "adios."

One of the silliest exhibitions at the State Fair is the butter sculptures.  Take 500 pounds of solid-state dairy product and turn it into art! Yippee!
More at: www.citypages.com
http://mnstatefair.org/

Key's Cafe Famous Caramel Rolls

Source: Key's Cafe - Minneapolis, Minnesota
www.keyscafe.com

2 (1 pound) loaves frozen bread dough, thawed
3 cups packed brown sugar
3/4 cup heavy cream
10 ounces melted butter

Blend brown sugar and butter in a 13 x 9-inch baking pan; add cream. Spread over bottom of pan. Flatten bread dough, sprinkle cinnamon-sugar mixture on top and roll up and cut each loaf into 4 pieces. Place on top of caramel. Let rise in a warm place to double in size or overnight.

Bake at 350 degrees F for about 45 minutes or until brown on top.

Ina's Gingerbread Pancakes

www.breakfastqueen.com

Ingredients:  

Yield: 20 (3 inch) pancakes
1 cup flour
1/2 cup each sugar, potato starch* see note at bottom
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp. each baking soda, ground ginger, ground cloves, dry mustard
1/4 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp. salt
2 cups buttermilk
1/2 cup sour cream
2 eggs
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 Tbsp. molasses

*You can find potato starch in a box in the Jewish Food Section of your supermarket. It might also be in the natural food area.

Directions:    

1. Sift all dry ingredients together in a large mixing bowl and stir until well blended.
2. Combine all wet ingredients and mix until well blended. Stir into flour mixture and blend well without over mixing.
3. Heat oiled griddle or skillet over medium-high heat. Heat the oven to 200 degrees.
4. Pour 1/4 cup of batter onto the griddle for each pancake. Cook until bubbles appear on the tops - about 3 minutes.
5. Turn over and cook about 1 minute more.
6. Place pancakes, uncovered, on a oven-safe platter in the oven until all pancakes are made.