Whether you think of it as breakfast, brekkie, brunch or le petit-déjeuner, our first meal of the day is often the most culturally specific. And, especially taken a little later, a leisurely meal between breakfast and lunch time, or brunch, can be a fun way to entertain. Try these delicious brunch recipes.
Mushroom & Cheese Pies Thanks to chef Simon Sandall who rattled off this suggestion on the spur of the moment when we were making beef Wellington together and wondering what to do with leftover mushroom duxelles and pastry off-cuts. You could always make the duxelles specifically for these pies and whip up a larger batch […]
Potted Trout Potting is an old English technique for preserving meat or seafood by storing it under a layer of fat, similar to French confit or rillettes. The food was traditionally cooked thoroughly to eliminate excess moisture then packed into a ceramic pot. Meats with a lot of natural fat could be sealed under a […]
Persian Omelet What Persians call omelet is more like what I would call scrambled egg with tomato. It’s usually not a pretty dish, but it is a tasty one that appears on almost every breakfast menu in Iran. Typically the egg is finely scrambled so that it’s a creamy red mass, I opt for a […]
Pa amb Tomàquet Called pan con tomate in other parts of Spain, this classic Catalan snack is about as simple and delicious as you can get. There are many variations, but this is how it was taught to me many years ago by my Catalan flatmate, Susie. Susie told me that her family always made […]
Spungata (Ligurian Apricot Tart) This delicious fruit tart, called spungata in Liguria and spongata in neighbouring Emilia-Romagna, is similar to what other Italian regions call crostata. In Liguria it’s often given as a gift when visiting friends and family. Apricots are a common filling, but it’s also made with apples, pears and other fruits; the […]
Fresh Fruit with Spicy Thai Salt I was reminded of this classic Thai dish at Viand, when Annita Potter served a simple pre-dessert of pomelo segments alongside a little mound of ground salt, sugar, chilli and kaffir lime. I’ve bought sliced pineapple from Asian grocery stores with a little pod of the salt-sugar-chilli combo, but […]
Turkish Breakfast I loved every meal in Turkey – but I think breakfast, kahvaltısı, was my favourite. It was so different from what I grew up with and I never tired of it. Each morning, my travelling companions and I sat down to a plate of chopped cucumber and tomato (so fresh and ripe it […]
I first tasted this dish in the mid ‘90s at Middle Eastern restaurant Fez in Darlinghurst, and it became my go-to breakfast dish. Years later I discovered that it’s the long slow cooking that gives hamin eggs their creamy texture and brown onion skins that add the beautiful colour. In Israel these eggs are called […]
Once you discover how easy it is to segment an orange, you’ll be making this simple dessert regularly. Use vivid Persian pistachio slivers instead of almonds if you like (no need to toast them) or add some pitted olives, chopped parsley, olive oil, salt and pepper for a delicious savoury version. This orange salad is […]
Mango Lassi Sometimes made with buttermilk instead of, or as well as, yoghurt, lassi is a refreshing drink that can be served for breakfast or as a snack at any time. It can be flavoured with pureed fruit such as mango or made in more of a savoury style seasoned with spices like saffron or […]
