Sunday, September 2, 2012

Father's Day breakfast





I don't know about the men in your life, but the one in mine loves a weekend breakfast.

I don't really know how it would differ on Father's Day, as this is what dear ole dad is getting. The same thing he has every weekend. Because he wants it!

Normally our weekend breakfast revolves around eggs on toast with stuff. I'm not overly excited about eggs, so I'll have one or none, but they're usually a feature in general. Ever since I figured out how to poach them properly, they have been requested with alarming regularity! I'm still not a pro 100% of the time, but they're pretty impressive usually.

We start with nice bread... often I'll get a loaf of sourdough or ciabatta from the bakery on Friday so it's ready for the weekend. When I'm not a million years pregnant, I'll bake one. When I'm in a hurry it's turkish bread.

Eggs are either poached or scrambled. Wanna know my secrets?

Scrambled eggs: must be scrambled with cream. No exceptions. And more salt than you think you need. Cooked very, very gently and taken off the heat before they're done, as they keep cooking anyway. If they're in separate little piles of egg, you've cooked it too long.

Sometimes I add chives, mixed herbs, tomato, fake bacon, cheese, or a mixture of these things. And pepper.

Poached eggs have to be fresh. A splash of vinegar, a pinch of salt. Boiled water brought back down to a serious simmer. Swirl the water with a spoon, crack an egg into a saucer and add one at a time. Remove with a slotted spoon and pick off the straggly bits.

Tomatoes, mushrooms and spinach on the side. Mushrooms fried in lots of butter, garlic, salt and cracked black pepper (shut up it's the weekend). Cherry tomatoes tossed in for a few minutes at the end, or halved tomatoes face down in the frying pan when you add the mushrooms. Spinach sat on top and everything taken off the heat while I tend to other things. Stir the spinach in when it wilts a bit from the steam.

Sometimes I like to add haloumi, if I have it. Avocado slices. feta scattered over the eggs with a sprinkle of lemon juice and rocket fresh from the garden. Kale with the mushrooms.

Juice, coffee for the man, a pot of tea for the mum.

And butter. Oh god, the butter. I'm so sorry.


13 comments:

  1. That sounds absolutely delicious! Definitely inspired me for a Sunday morning fry up! I can't wait, thanks for sharing!

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  2. This is seriously amazing. I am in total awe that you can poach an egg so perfectly. In. Awe. Happy Fathers day to your hubby. A xx Ps. I love butter too - soooo good.

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  3. Don't you EVER apologise about the butter. Not ever.

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  4. I'm with Beth, butter needs no apologies! And seriously, if I'd known this was happening over the fence on a weekend ... stupid fence

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  5. I made my first ever poached eggs this morning and they turned out perfectly! I used the Masterchef cheat though :P I also attempted Hollandaise sauce this morning... twice... let us never speak of this again.

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  6. Poached egss are THE BOSS. Would eat them everyday if I could.

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  7. It took me a good many years to realise I was doing it wrong!

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  8. haha that fence is the bane of our lives

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  9. ooh what's the masterchef cheat? And yeah I FAILED AT HOLLANDAISE THIS MORNING TOO.

    Worked perfectly, sat for five minutes and separated. Bastard.

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  10. I can't believe how easy they are now after I struggled for so many years!

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  11. Yes mine separated too! First one didn't thicken and at all but I really had the second one going until the second to last addition of butter. I nearly cried!
    Masterchef cheat is using lightly oiled cling wrap laid over a ramekin, crack egg in to it, wrap up, plop in water :)

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