Gold - Radically simple: brilliant flavors with breathtaking ease

W eekday mornings hardly need a recipe book; thats what bagels, oatmeal, and frozen waffles are for. Trust me, I have a 14-year-old daughter. With the exception of some interesting 5-minute juice blends, 10-minute dishes such as Creamy, Lemony Eggs with Prosciutto, Peanut Butter-Granola Bruschetta, and a Breakfast Surprise, you might just wait until Friday to use this chapter.

But on weekends and holidaysand birthdays, toomorning food should get the same respect given to food-after-dark. With pleasure aforethought, you will find here a handful of ideas meant for the morning after. These are prepared the night before and practically make themselves in the morning. A multitalented Cheese Strata with Prosciutto, Basil & Spinach soaks up an eggy custard overnight. Morning Fruit Soup with Tapioca coalesces while you dream. Overnight Tabbouleh becomes a Mediterranean-Rim breakfast adorned with hard-boiled eggs. A specially formulated batter allows both you and Double-Rise Pancakes to rise slowly in the morning.

Some dishes need take no more than 20 minutes to make and often just a handful of ingredients. Surprisingly, Homemade Turkey Sausage and Steak & Eggs with Salsa Verde & Fontina fit that criteria. While the first pot of coffee is brewing, you can also take advantage of my 30-Minute Bakery, whipping up tender fruit muffins, a variety of scones, or Petit Pains au Chocolat, and feel deeply satisfied early in the day.

Few things are better in the morning than freshly squeezed orange juice except, perhaps, these fabulous blendsone for every day of the week. Choose one combination; combine the ingredients in a large pitcher, chill until ready to serve. Each will serve 6. Add some prosecco for fun.

Peel a 5-inch piece of ginger. Grate on the large holes of a box grater. Put the grated ginger in a paper towel and squeeze hard to extract juice.

Process 2 pounds of seeded watermelon in a food processor to make 4 cups.

Make these by the pitcher so that you dont need to be shaking and stirring when your guests arrive.

1 cups pear nectar

2 cups apple juice

4 limes

4 teaspoons honey

1 cups vodka

4-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled

Stir the pear nectar and apple juice together in a pitcher. Squeeze 6 tablespoons lime juice into the pitcher. Add the honey and stir until it dissolves; stir in the vodka. Grate the ginger on the large holes of a box grater. Place the grated ginger in a paper towel and squeeze to extract 1 tablespoon juice; add to the pitcher. Stir, cover, and refrigerate until well-chilled.

Pour into chilled martini glasses or serve over ice. Garnish each with a slice of lime. SERVES 6

Part drink, part salad, this spin on a Bloody a Mary is chock-a-block with shrimp. Begin with ice-cold ingredients. Eat the shrimp, then drink up!

1 pound cooked peeled medium shrimp, about 32

3 cups tomato juice

6 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

3 tablespoons gin

1 tablespoons orange juice

3/4 teaspoon Sriracha

cup freshly grated horseradish

4 short celery stalks with leaves

Divide the shrimp among 4 tall glasses. Combine the tomato juice, lemon juice, gin, orange juice, and Sriracha in a pitcher; stir well. Add salt to taste. Pour over the shrimp; top with as much horseradish as you like. Add a celery stalk to each glass. Place the filled glasses in the freezer for 3 minutes before serving. SERVES 4

Like hollandaise, these ultra-creamy scrambled eggs are made in the top of a double boiler, giving them a voluptuous texture.

6 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto

6 extra-large eggs plus 3 egg whites

Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

3 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

Line the centers of 4 large plates with overlapping slices of prosciutto. Combine the eggs and whites and beat with an electric mixer or whisk until thoroughly mixed. Add the lemon zest, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, and teaspoon salt and pepper. Mix well.

Bring several inches of water to a boil in the bottom of a double boiler. Reduce heat to a simmer. Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in the top of the double boiler; add the eggs. Cook, stirring constantly with a rubber spatula, until the eggs have thickened into small curds, about 10 minutes. Add the remaining butter in bits as you go along. Spoon the hot eggs onto the prosciutto. Garnish with chives. SERVES 4

A more distinctive version of the classic lox, eggs, and onions, these eggs rest on slices of sable, gently warming them. Sable, or smoked black cod, is available in upscale food stores.

8 thin slices smoked sable

2 cups chopped leeks, white and light green parts only

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

10 extra-large eggs

Overlap 2 slices of sable in the centers of 4 large plates. Wash the leeks; dry well. Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a very large frying pan. Add the leeks; cook, stirring, until soft and golden, 10 minutes. Beat the eggs well with an electric mixer or whisk, adding salt and pepper. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter in the pan with the leeks; add the eggs and continue to cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until just set, 2 minutes. Spoon the eggs atop the sable. SERVES 4

Delicious served with room-temperature Italian White Bean Salad (page ).

6 ounces pancetta in -inch-thick slices

1 tablespoons olive oil

1 cups finely diced red onions

12 extra-large eggs

1 cup chopped fresh mint, plus sprigs for garnish

Preheat the broiler. Dice the pancetta into -inch cubes. Heat the oil in a 10-inch ovenproof skillet. Add the pancetta and onions; cook over medium heat until the onions are soft, about 10 minutes.

Using an electric mixer or whisk, beat the eggs, cup cold water, and teaspoon salt and pepper in a bowl until thoroughly mixed. Pour the eggs into the hot pan with the pancetta. Cook over high heat for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add the chopped mint; continue to cook and stir for 1 minute. Reduce heat to low; cook without stirring for 20 minutes. Cover; cook 5 minutes longer, or until the frittata is just set (the center will be a bit runny). Uncover and broil 30 seconds, until just firm. Cool 5 minutes; cut into wedges. Garnish with mint sprigs.