Morning Glory : Give Me Some Sugar

By RUTH REICHL

May 6, 1993 12 AM PT

TIMES FOOD EDITOR

You can, of course, do the right thing and start the day sensibly. You can have that half grapefruit, that bowl of bran with skim milk, that toast with margarine. It might even make you feel proud of yourself for the rest of the day.

But it probably won’t. The only intelligent thing to do the first thing in the morning is indulge yourself. You have the rest of the day to repent. And you probably won’t have to because a really wonderful breakfast will put a smile on your face that is likely to remain there for the entire day.

So go ahead, eat a dreary breakfast if you think you must. Meanwhile a few of us will be starting the day with dessert. Look around--you’ll know which ones we are.

Classic Cheese Blintzes With

Strawberry Sauce

Baked Apples With

Apple Cider Cream

Great Coffee Cake

Cappuccino CLASSIC CHEESE BLINTZES WITH STRAWBERRY SAUCE

Basic Blintzes, 9 inches in diameter

2 cups farmer cheese

3 tablespoons cream cheese, softened

5 tablespoons pot cheese (rich cottage cheese) or cottage cheese

3 to 4 tablespoons butter, for frying or baking blintzes

2 large egg yolks

3 to 4 tablespoons sugar

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Sour cream or yogurt

Strawberry Sauce

Prepare blintzes, stack and keep warm, covered with kitchen towel.

Mash farmer cheese, cream cheese and pot cheese in bowl. Beat cheese with egg yolks (reserve egg whites for another use), sugar and cinnamon to taste until mixture is smooth and thoroughly blended.

Spoon 2 1/2 to 3 tablespoons filling onto brown side of each blintz near 1 edge. Fold over edges of blintz to right and left of filling so that each covers about half of filling. Roll up, beginning at edge, with filling. (Blintzes can be filled 1 day ahead and refrigerated, covered.)

Blintzes can be baked or fried. Arrange blintzes in 1 layer in shallow buttered baking dish. Dot each blintz with 2 small pieces of butter. Bake at 425 degrees, about 15 minutes, or until heated through and lightly browned.

To fry blintzes, heat butter in skillet. Add blintzes flap-side down. Fry over low heat 3 to 5 minutes on each side. Do not let burn.

Serve blintzes hot with sour cream and Strawberry Sauce to taste. Makes 12 to 14 blintzes, or 6 servings.

Each serving contains about:

403 calories; 733 mg sodium; 251 mg cholesterol; 23 grams fat; 30 grams carbohydrates; 19 grams protein; 0.31 gram fiber.

Strawberry Sauce

2 cups fresh or frozen strawberries, thawed

2 to 3 tablespoons powdered sugar, sifted

Dash fresh lemon juice, optional

Puree strawberries in food processor or blender until very smooth. Whisk in powdered sugar to taste. Add lemon juice. Refrigerate until ready to use. (Sauce can be kept, covered, 2 days in refrigerator.) Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Basic Blintzes

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

3 large eggs

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/4 cups milk, or more as needed

2 tablespoons butter

1 to 3 teaspoons oil

Sift flour into medium bowl. Push flour to sides of bowl, leaving large well in center of flour. Add eggs, salt and 1/4 cup milk to well and whisk ingredients in well briefly until blended. Using whisk, stir flour gently and gradually into egg mixture until mixture is smooth. Gradually whisk in remaining 1 cup milk.

Strain batter if lumpy. Cover and refrigerate, about 1 hour. (Batter can be refrigerated, covered, up to 1 day.)

Melt butter in small saucepan over low heat. Stir batter well. Gradually whisk melted butter into batter. (Batter should have consistency of whipping cream. If too thick, gradually whisk in more milk, about 1 teaspoon at time.)

Heat 8- to 9-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle with few drops of water. If water immediately sizzles, pan is hot enough. Brush pan lightly with oil. (If using non-stick pan, no oil is needed.) Remove pan from heat. Working quickly, with bowl of batter near pan, add 2 tablespoons batter to small pan, or 3 tablespoons to large pan, adding batter to edge and tilting and swirling pan until base is covered with thin layer of batter. Immediately pour excess batter back into bowl.

Return pan to medium-high heat. Loosen edges of blintz with metal spatula, discarding any pieces clinging to sides of pan. Cook blintz until bottom browns lightly and top is set. Slide blintz out onto plate, with uncooked side facing up. Reheat pan few seconds. Continue making blintzes, stirring batter occasionally with whisk. Adjust heat and brush pan with more oil if necessary. If batter thickens on standing, very gradually whisk in little more milk, about 1 teaspoon at time.

Pile blintzes on plate, each separated with wax paper or foil, as they are done. (Blintzes can be kept, wrapped tightly, up to 3 days in refrigerator, or can be frozen. Bring blintzes to room temperature before using, to avoid tearing them.) Makes 12 to 15 blintzes.

BRADLEY OGDEN’S BAKED APPLES

1 1/2 cups apple cider

Juice 1 lemon

Juice 1 orange

5 tablespoons firmly packed light-brown sugar

1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

6 tablespoons softened cream cheese

1/3 cup walnut pieces

1 tablespoon maple syrup

2 tablespoons currants

4 baking apples (such as Granny Smith or Winesap)

Apple Cider Cream

In small saucepan, combine cider, lemon juice, orange juice, 2 tablespoons brown sugar and cinnamon. Place on high heat and bring to boil. Stirring frequently, continue boiling until liquid is reduced by half. Remove from heat. Set aside.

In small bowl combine remaining brown sugar, cream cheese, walnuts, maple syrup and currants. Mix well.

Core apples, leaving bottom of each intact. Peel each apple 1/3 of way down from top and fill with walnut mixture. Place filled apples in 2-quart baking dish.

Pour cider reduction into dish. Bake at 400 degrees 30 to 40 minutes, or until tender, basting occasionally.

To serve, place each apple in bowl with Apple Cider Cream and top with drizzle of pan juices. Makes 4 servings.

Each serving contains about:

422 calories; 59 mg sodium; 43 mg cholesterol; 19 grams fat; 62 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams protein; 1.76 grams fiber.

Apple Cider Cream

1 1/2 cups apple cider

1 tablespoon apple brandy

1/2 tart apple, cored and cut into 1-inch pieces

1/3 cup heavy whipping cream

In medium stainless-steel saucepan combine cider, brandy and apple. Bring mixture to boil over medium-high heat and continue boiling, stirring occasionally, until liquid is reduced to 3/4 cup. Add cream, lower heat and reduce sauce to 1 cup. Remove from heat and strain.

Spoon several tablespoons of cider cream under each baked apple.

MARION CUNNINGHAM’S GREAT COFFEE CAKE

1 cup butter

1 cup sugar

3 eggs

2 1/2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup sour cream

5 teaspoons vanilla

Cream butter and sugar in bowl until light. Add eggs and beat thoroughly.