Tag: breakfast

Damien Pignolet’s Tiny Omelette of Goat’s Cheese & Pine Nuts

.Reading time 2 minutes.

Serves: 1

Nat and I had a simple French lunch a Sunday or two ago and I cooked this omelette from Damien Pignolet’s book, ‘french’.

It’s a book I have had for years and it’s just lovely 80s and 90s French from his various restaurants. (If you haven’t, Bistro Moncur in Woollahra is a wonderful long lunch!)

This omelette is predictable delicate and just a lovely way to kick things off; I doubled it so that we had a small omelette each.

Enjoy.

Ingredients

1 whole egg
1 egg yolk
2 tsp crème fraîche
2 tsp pine nuts, toasted until pale golden
1/4 tsp thyme leaves
1 tsp unsalted butter
2 tsp rosemary oil (below)
1 tbsp rindless mature goat’s cheese, broken into small pieces

Method

  1. Place the egg, egg yolk, crème fraîche, and pine nuts in a small bowl for each omelette. Season with a tiny pinch of salt, freshly cracked black pepper and thyme leaves. Using a fork, break the eggs and yolks, lightly mixing the ingredients so that streaks of white and yolk are still visible – this ensures lightness of texture in the omelette.
  2. Heat the butter and rosemary oil in a blini pan, pour in the egg mixture, wait a moment for it to set, then shake the pan and, using a spatula or fork, draw the cooked egg away to allow the raw mixture to flow underneath and cook. While the omelette is still quite moist, add the goat’s cheese, flip half the omelette over and turn out onto a warm plate.

Rosemary oil

To make the rosemary oil, put 4 tbsp of olive oil in a small ovenproof bowl with 2 tbsp rosemary leaves and place in a 150c oven for 10 minutes. Allow to cool then strain into a bowl or storage jar; the oil will keep for several days. This quantity is enough for 9 tiny omelettes. Rosemary oil can also be used to sauté potatoes, along with some garlic, or to brush on a small fish such as red mullet before grilling.

Gordon Ramsay’s best breakfast sandwich – Cajan style

.Reading time 2 minutes.

Serves: 2

I’m not sure how Christmas croissant breakfast will be the same for us after eating this. Usually a loaded croissant is a yearly treat but it made it on the menu twice this year.

This breakfast sandwich is seriously good. Better than you think it will be.

The old bay seasoning brings a warmness to the sambo that’s met with the creaminess of the egg and mayo with the crispness of the lettuce giving it the final flare.

Do yourself a Sunday favour.

Ingredients

2 croissants
2 eggs
4 Rashers bacon
Butter
Old Bay seasoning
Olive oil
2 pieces of romaine lettuce
4 Slices of tomato
2 slices of cheddar cheese
Salt

Old Bay Seasoning

1 tsp celery salt
1/4 tsp smoked paprika
1/4 tsp cayenne

Spicy mayo

2 tbsp mayonnaise
2 tsp Sriracha
1/4 lemon
Old Bay Seasoning

Method

  1. Mix together the Old Bay seasoning and keep aside.
  2. Add mayo, Sriracha and about a teaspoon of Old Bay. Squeeze the lemon and mix. Taste and adjust with Old Bay and Sriracha to suit your spice levels!
  3. Turn heat to medium-high heat and add bacon. Add a touch of pepper and Old Bay as it cooks in pan. Remove from pan on to plate or bowl with a paper towel. Keep the drippings in the pan.
  4. Add a knob of butter into pan. Season the butter with a pinch of Old Bay. Once butter mixture is browned, crack and add the eggs. Take pan off heat so that egg cooks evenly. Add a touch of Old Bay on top of egg that’s frying. As it. cooks, you can lightly baste the egg with the butter sauce in pan to further cook.
  5. Heat another pan to high heat. Add sliced croissant slice side down until nice browned.
  6. On plate, put the bottom of croissant and put a thin layer of mayonnaise, followed a layer of lettuce (chopped to fit the croissant) and dust with some salt. Then add tomato and cheese. Put a layer of mayo on top of the cheese and add the bacon on top of that followed by the fried egg. Put a dash more mayo around egg and top with your other layer of the croissant!

Jamie Oliver’s Mexican Breakfast: Chilli tomato stew, eggs and cheese wrapped in tortillas

.Reading time 3 minutes.

Serves 6

I am not usually very adventurous with breakfast. Scrambled eggs and bacon or an Eggs Benedict is my go to in pretty much any hotel or café; occasionally an omelette as long as it has ham, cheese and mushroom.

I do cook pancakes from time-to-time, though with some chopped parsley, milk and garlic powder, scrambled eggs and few slices of buttered toast are my regular offering to the boys and Nat on a Sunday morning; boring perhaps, comfortable yes.

I had these eggs cooked for me for my last birthday and with a flute of good French, this dish reminded me of why being adventurous can come with such reward.

Are these the best eggs ever? My mother thinks Kylie Kwong has this honour stitched up whilst my father thinks Roger Verge’s Fried Eggs with Wine Vinegar wins.

For me – this Mexican breakfast – is way up there and a fabulous way to celebrate someone’s birthday; if you’re celebrating the birthday of someone my age, it will definitely be the best present they get.

Go Jamie Oliver. Go Nat!

Ingredients

Olive oil
1 onion, peeled and finely sliced
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely sliced
2 red peppers, deseeded and finely sliced
2 fresh red or orange chillies, deseeded and finely sliced
1 large dried chilli
3 fresh bay leaves
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
2x 400gm tins chopped tomatoes
2 large tomatoes, sliced
6 large eggs (free range Nat!)
6 tortillas
150gm grated cheddar cheese, to serve
Method

  1. In a large fry pan (with a fitted lid) or a tagine (which we used and is far more dramatic for purposes of presentation), heat the oil to a medium-high heat.
  2. Add the onion, garlic, pepper, both the fresh and dried chillies, bay leaves and a good pinch of salt and pepper; stir and cook for 15 minutes to soften and caramelise.
  3. Add the tinned tomatoes and try to break them up/mash them a little as they combine and cook; bring to the boil and then reduce and simmer for five or so minutes as the sauce thickens and reduces slightly.
  4. Check the seasoning and then layer the fresh tomato slices over the sauce.
  5. Make six wells in among the tomato slices and sauce and crack the eggs into the wells; try to crack them as quickly as possible so they cook consistently.
  6. Season the eggs and cover the pan for 3 – 4 minutes or until the eggs are poached to your liking.
  7. Whilst the eggs are cooking, warm the tortillas in the oven or microwave.
  8. At the table, sprinkle some of the cheese on a tortilla and add an egg with the sauce and tomato; wrap it up and enjoy with Champagne.