COOK COOKING : Breakfast Tricks: Cook It in Advance

Here’s a menu for a weekend late breakfast. The prune-pear compote, fragrant and satisfying, can be made several days ahead; the turkey and apple sausage patties can be mixed and shaped a day ahead and quickly cooked up at breakfast time. The waffle batter, rich with the texture and taste of wild rice, can be made several hours in advance.

To fill out the menu, just add freshly squeezed orange juice, perhaps some warm caramel-pecan rolls or coffee cake from your favorite bakery, and definitely lots of good hot coffee.

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The nuttiness of wild rice highlights this waffle recipe. I couldn’t resist adding dried cranberries to the batter, but the waffles are also good without them. Cooked wild rice freezes very well, so it pays to cook more than you need while you’re at it.

VERY WILD RICE WAFFLES WITH DRIED CRANBERRIES

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup whole-wheat flour

1 3/4 cups cooked wild rice, well drained

1/3 cup dried cranberries

2 tablespoons sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/4 cups buttermilk

2 large eggs

1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

Warm maple syrup

In large bowl, mix all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, wild rice, cranberries, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Mix until combined.

In another bowl combine buttermilk, eggs and melted butter. Whisk until well combined. Add buttermilk mixture to dry ingredients. Stir well. Can be made several hours ahead and refrigerated.

Ladle batter onto preheated greased waffle iron. Cook waffles until browned and slightly crisp. Ready waffles may be kept warm in 200-degree oven while rest are cooked. Serve hot with warm maple syrup. Makes 4 waffles.

Each waffle contains about:

375 calories; 475 mg sodium; 140 mg cholesterol; 15 grams fat; 49 grams carbohydrates; 12 grams protein; 0.69 gram fiber.

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This compote also makes a wonderful dessert.

WINTER PRUNE AND PEAR COMPOTE

2 cups pitted prunes

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup Ruby Port wine

6 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons orange zest

2 large firm but ripe pears, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch dice, about 2 1/2 cups

4 orange slices

Combine prunes, water, Port, sugar, lemon juice and zest in non-reactive pan. Bring to boil. Simmer, covered, 3 minutes. Add pears. Simmer, covered, until pears are tender, about 5 minutes more. Can be made several days ahead and refrigerated.

To serve, gently reheat in saucepan or microwave oven until warm. Serve warm, garnished with orange slices. Makes 4 servings.

Each serving contains about:

388 calories; 4 mg sodium; 0 cholesterol; 1 gram fat; 85 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams protein; 2.88 grams fiber.

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This breakfast sausage is made from ground turkey. It’s just as easy to season as pork and so much better than any commercial mixture.

TURKEY SAUSAGE WITH TART APPLE AND DRIED HERBS

1 pound ground turkey

1 large egg white

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon ground sage

1/2 teaspoon salt

Dash red pepper flakes

1/2 medium Granny Smith apple, peeled, cut into fine dice, about 1/2 cup

2 teaspoons oil, for frying

Combine turkey, egg white, dried thyme and sage, salt and red pepper flakes in small bowl, using fork to mix well. Add apple. Mix until combined.

Shape mixture into 8 patties. Can be prepared day ahead and refrigerated, each patty wrapped separately in plastic wrap.

Heat oil on nonstick griddle over medium-high heat. When hot, cook patties, turning once, until browned on both sides and cooked through, about 5 to 6 minutes. Serve hot. Makes 4 servings.

Each serving contains about:

163 calories; 367 mg sodium; 55 mg cholesterol; 5 grams fat; 10 grams carbohydrates; 20 grams protein; 0.45 gram fiber.