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Eggy bread with cheddar
Take a couple of slices of thick country bread and spread a little English mustard on them. Place a large slice of mature cheddar in between and close into a sandwich. Whisk together 1 egg with 1/4 cup milk and dip in the sandwich on both sides till the liquid is well-absorbed. Melt a little butter in a pan and fry on both sides till nicely golden. Slice in half and serve.
A sort of Mexican breakfast
A really fresh and zesty breakfast option (or brunch) to set you up for a busy weekend day.
Finely chop 1 small ripe tomato and place in a bowl along with the juice of 1/2 lime and 1 finely chopped spring onion (white part only). Set aside.
In a hot pan place a corn tortilla, cover with a slice of cheddar cheese, sprinkle on a little chilli powder and cover with a second corn tortilla. Press down with a spatula to seal and fry till golden on both sides and the cheese has started to melt. Transfer the quesadilla to a cutting board.
In the same pan add a drizzle of olive oil and a handful of sliced swiss chard and/or spring onion greens. Stir fry till wilted. Move to the side of the pan and add two eggs and fry till set. Season with sea salt.
Serve the eggs, alongside the chard, salsa, corn tortilla (cut into wedges) with a spoonful of sour cream (optional).
Pikelets with bacon and maple syrup
These Australian-style pancakes are a cute alternative to the traditional pancake as the batter is “dropped” into the pan, forming into slightly irregular shapes. Served alongside some crisp streaky bacon and some Canadian maple syrup you have a perfect sweet and salty breakfast combo.
Mix together 140g self-raising flour, a pinch of salt and 2 tbs sugar. In a separate bowl whisk together 2 eggs, 180ml milk and 1 tsp melted butter (or oil). Stir into the flour mixture till well combined.
Heat a non-stick pan with a little butter or oil and drop spoonfuls of the batter in the pan. Cook for a couple minutes till bubbles appear on the surface and the base is golden. Flip over and cook till lightly golden on the other side.
Keep in a warm oven till you have finished all the batter. Meanwhile, fry up some streaky bacon till golden and crisp and then cut into bite-sized pieces.
Serve the warm pikelets alongside the bacon and a generous drizzle of maple syrup.
Serve 3 hungry people.
Omelette with soft cheese and chives
This is a quick and delicious recipe - the soft, tart cheese offsetting the richness of the eggs brilliantly. Worth a couple of attempts to get the omelette technique down right - then it should be clear sailing all the way.
In a small, non-stick frying pan add a little rapeseed oil and spread across the pan using a kitchen towel. Place on a medium heat and add three eggs. Using a heat-proof spatula start scrambling them in the pan to mix the yolks and white together. Draw in the uncooked edges as well. Then, once the mixture is half-cooked, leave the bottom to set and add dollops of soft cheese (Philadelphia will do) and chopped chives to the centre.
Once the omelette is done (some like it more wobbly than others) flip over the edge (the one closest to the handle of the pan) into the centre of the omelette. Now slide onto a plate, folding the omelette over the other, open side.
Sprinkle with sea salt and pepper.
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Le Pain Quotidien - Grilled vegetables and goat’s cheese tartine
An international restaurant chain started 20 years ago by a Belgium man passionate about bread and the idea of people eating together at large communal tables, Le Pain Quotidien has become a bit of an international phenomenon.
Still, some of his outposts remain relatively relaxed places to lounge over coffee with tartines with butter and jam, and then moving onto more savoury options with a glass of wine. When in London check out the Soho branch, which is a stone’s throw from the hell which is Oxford Circus, yet remains calm and serene, overlooking the Tudor-styled Liberty of London and with the Photographer’s Gallery just around the corner.
This particular tartine should be relatively easy to assemble: grill an assortment of summer vegetables (aubergine, courgette, red peppers, sweet onions), toast some hearty pain au levain slices (or other type of sourdough or rye bread), lay the vegetables on top of the bread, scatter with some fresh goat’s cheese, drizzle with pesto and then some fine olive oil, a bit of salt and pepper, and serve.
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Corn fritters with avocado salsa
This is inspired (taken from) Peter Gordon’s Providores cafe/restaurant in Marylebone, London. A fabulous place to waste away the weekend - moving from late morning coffee (courtesy of Monmouth Coffee), to corn fritters, to wine, to dessert, etc. Don’t be put off by the savoury mix of flavours - this is a great and classic brunch dish.
In a food processor place 525g fresh (or canned) corn kernels, 1 small red onion chopped, 2 eggs, 15g chopped coriander leaves or chives, 125 g flour, 1tsp baking powder, some salt and some pepper. Pulse till combined (but ensure you can still see bits of corn).
Heat up a pan with 1 tbs vegetable oil. Drop two tbs corn batter at a time into the pan (I like to use an ice cream scoop). Keep them well spaced from each other. Turn over after a minute or so (till golden on each side). Transfer to a warm oven while you finish up all the batter.
Serve with an avocado salsa made by mixing together 2 ripe avocados, diced, 1 quartered, deseeded and chopped tomato, 2 tbs lemon or lime juice, a dash of Tabasco (optional), some sea salt and pepper.
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