Breakfast is indispensable. Not only does it provide essential early-morning nourishment to people of all ages throughout the week, it's also becoming more and more trendy for both business meetings and social gatherings. Any time families and friends want to get together in a relaxed setting, they now consider breakfast.

Why? Because the meal has a universal appeal to all ages and all pocketbooks.

Low-carb diets also have brought once-forbidden breakfast foods back into favor. Egg consumption has steadily risen in recent years. "In 1993, it was 234.6 per capita; in 2003 the figure was 254.1," Linda Braun, director of consumer education for the American Egg Board, says.

Braun attributes some of this to present dietary trends but says a more compelling reason is that eggs offer some newly identified benefits. "The yolks are rich in choline, a nutrient that shows promise in early studies for preventing memory loss in later life, and lutein, known to combat age-related macular degeneration and cataracts."

Whatever the rationale, steak and eggs, and a barnyard full of other egg dishes from frittatas to huevos rancheros, are being devoured with gusto.

At home, omelets and toast have always been popular, in the wee hours after a night on the town.

In restaurants, the meal was once pretty much over by 10 a.m. Today, that's no longer true. With changing lifestyles, people are enjoying breakfast fare at all hours of the day and evening, too. Numerous restaurants across America, including the most fashionable eateries, now serve traditional morning foods well past noon.

Veteran WCBS and Crain's New York Business restaurant reviewer Bob Lape concurs. "The 'power' has been restored to power breakfast in many restaurants as the white-collar work force starts earlier both at the desk and in taking meetings."

But beyond nostalgia's pull, today's breakfasters want more.

When it comes to oatmeal, for example, they might seek out steel-cut oats imported from Ireland for toothsome texture and earthy flavor.

If Mom's breakfast was the benchmark of comfort foods in the good old days, today we want to capture that feeling and more. For anyone looking to move beyond mundane morning food, high-quality, well-prepared ingredients are the key.

And who cares what time you eat breakfast?

I often serve huevos rancheros, Mexican farmer-style eggs, to guests. Beaten egg whites add a puff of air, or "soufflé," to keep them light, while corn, cheddar cheese and peppers add zest. Once baked, they can sit for at least 1/2 hour. Even at room temperature, they are very tasty.

Huevos Rancheros Casserole Soufflé

• 1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 5 to 6 Italian frying (Anaheim) peppers, about 6 inches long
• 12 eggs, separated
• 4 cups loosely packed shredded medium or sharp cheddar cheese
• 2 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels
• 1 cup milk
• 2 jalapeno peppers, seeds and membranes removed, and minced, or 2 rinsed pickled jalapenos, chopped
• 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 6 cups purchased tomato salsa, warmed

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Butter a 9-by-13-inch earthenware or glass casserole.

Make an incision along each Italian frying pepper and remove the stem, seeds and membranes, keeping the pepper in one piece. Partially fill a saucepan or skillet with water and bring to a boil. Add the peppers, return water to a boil, and cook until peppers are softened, about 3 minutes. Remove and blot with paper towels. Cool completely, then line the bottom of the casserole.

In a large bowl, beat egg yolks until smooth, stir in cheese, corn, milk, jalapenos, and salt and pepper. In another bowl, whisk the whites into soft peaks, then gently fold into yolk mixture until almost blended. Scrape into the prepared casserole pan and bake in the middle of the oven until eggs are puffy and the top is lightly browned, about 7 minutes. Turn temperature to 325 degrees, and cook until the eggs are baked through but not dry, 22 to 25 minutes. A knife inserted into the center should come out almost clean. Remove and let eggs sit for a few minutes before cutting into 12 rectangles. Spoon on salsa and serve.

Makes 6 servings.

• Per serving: 660 calories, 41 g total fat, 26 g saturated fat, 520 mg cholesterol, greater than 3,000 mg sodium, 37 g carbohydrates, 5 g fiber, 19 g sugar, 38 g protein

Luxurious enough to please the most sophisticated diner, this breakfast dish was created by City Limits corporate executive chef Peter Assue.

City Limits Crab-Lobster Cake Benedict

• 1 cup hollandaise sauce, prepared and kept warm in a double boiler
• 1 tablespoon olive oil, plus oil for frying
• 1/4 cup finely diced onion
• 1/4 cup finely diced carrots
• 1/4 cup finely diced red pepper
• 2 tablespoons medium sherry
• 4 ounces crabmeat, free of shell and cartilage
• 4 ounces cooked lobster meat, diced
• 4 ounces cooked jumbo shrimp, diced
• 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
• 2 tablespoons chopped chives
• 1/4 cup thick mayonnaise
• 1 1/2 cups fresh white bread crumbs
• 6 eggs
• 3 English muffins, split and toasted

Prepare the hollandaise sauce and keep warm.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the vegetables, sweat for 5 minutes, then pour in the sherry and cook, stirring to deglaze the pan. Remove vegetables and drain off any liquid in the bottom of the pan.

Combine the lobster, crabmeat and shrimp in a large stainless steel bowl. Add vegetables, chives, cilantro and mayonnaise and gently mix. Carefully shape fish mixture into six cakes and coat with bread crumbs.

Wipe out the skillet. Pour in enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan. Heat until hot then fry the cakes until golden brown on both sides, turning once. Keep warm over low heat or in the oven; meanwhile, poach the eggs.

Place a crab cake on each muffin half, top each with a poached egg, and spoon on hollandaise sauce. Serve two crab cakes per person.

Makes 3 servings.

• Per serving: 900 calories, 57 g total fat, 20 g saturated fat, 790 mg cholesterol, 1,170 mg sodium, 45 g carbohydrates, 3 g fiber, 7 g sugar, 46 g protein

Cookbook author Marion Cunningham first served me these pancakes, melt-in-your-mouth little morsels, at Bridge Creek, her former breakfast restaurant in Berkeley, Calif. They are delicious with warm maple syrup poured over them. To gild the lily, I borrowed author Rose Levy Beranbaum's idea of adding solidly frozen fresh blueberries directly to the pancakes while on the griddle. They stay plump and juicy that way.

Heavenly Blues

• 4 eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 4 tablespoons cake flour or 3 1/2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
• 2 cups sour cream
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• Solid vegetable shortening for greasing the griddle or skillet
• 2 cups blueberries, frozen very hard

Beat the eggs, salt, baking soda, flour, sour cream and sugar together in a large bowl with a wooden spoon until smooth. This can be done in a food processor or blender, as well.

Heat a griddle or large skillet until very hot. Add just enough shortening to cover with a thin film. Drop onto the hot griddle small spoonfuls of the batter measuring about 2 1/2 inches in diameter when spread out. When a few bubbles appear on top of the pancakes, drop a few berries onto each pancake, and quickly turn and cook the second side briefly. Serve with maple syrup or confectioners' sugar.

The batter keeps for up to one week when covered and refrigerated.

Makes 50 to 60 dollar-size pancakes.

• Per serving: 360 calories, 26 g total fat, 14 g saturated fat, 210 mg cholesterol, 440 mg sodium, 24 g carbohydrates, 2 g fiber, 18 g sugar, 9 g protein

Sally Kofke, of Montclair, N.J., makes this delicious granola in a large batch and stores it in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator. It lasts for up to 3 months.

Sally's Granola

• 6 cups (1 1/2 pounds) rolled oats
• 3 cups (1 pound) sunflower seeds
• 3 cups (1 pound) coarsely chopped nuts, such as walnuts, pecans and Brazil nuts
• 2 cups (2/3 pound) hulled pumpkin seeds
• 1 cup sesame seeds
• 1 cup unprocessed bran
• 1 cup wheat germ, preferably untoasted
• 2 teaspoon salt or to taste (optional)
• 2/3 cup honey
• 2/3 cup boiling water
• 2/3 cup vegetable oil
• 15-ounce box dark raisins

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a very large bowl, combine oats, sunflower seeds, nuts, pumpkin and sesame seeds, bran, wheat germ and salt. Pour honey into a quart measuring cup, pour in boiling water, and whisk to dissolve the honey, then add the oil. Pour over dry ingredients and stir until all ingredients are evenly moistened.

Spread mixture in several jellyroll pans so the depth is no more than 3/4 to 1 inch deep. Press mixture flat and bake in the preheated oven until granola begins to brown around the edges, about 15 minutes. Rotate pan position to ensure even cooking.

Remove pans from oven, turn granola with a spoon or wooden spatula, mixing browned edges into the center and scraping the bottom thoroughly. Flatten again and return pans to the oven, baking and turning until evenly colored, about 40 minutes. Remove from the oven.

Put raisins in a very large bowl, add granola, and mix thoroughly. Cool completely, then refrigerate in tightly covered containers.

Makes about 5 quarts.