Breakfast! The most important meal of the day (2004-2011)

[Kim Shook]

Ann – I always love your pictures so much! The eggs on a cloud are just gorgeous! As are the sandwiches – what recipe are you using for those rolls? I need to order some back bacon – we a pork freaks and I’m sure we’d be immediately addicted!

percyn – I never, ever thought to use pate as a breakfast meat, but it is a wonderful idea, especially a nice, rustic chunky one like you used! Thanks for the inspiration.

We had a guest this weekend – a high school friend (32 years ago! ) down from DC. Breakfast this morning was baked eggs w/ goat cheese and herbs, brown sugar bacon, cheese grits soufflé and bread machine brioche w/ assorted preserves:

The bacon was amazing! Like bacon brittle. Wow. I wouldn't make it all the time, but I kept thinking about it all day and had to stay very busy to not go in the fridge for a nibble every so often!

[prasantrin]

The bacon was amazing! Like bacon brittle. Wow. I wouldn't make it all the time, but I kept thinking about it all day and had to stay very busy to not go in the fridge for a nibble every so often!

Being the smarty I am, I went straight to your website to look for the brown sugar bacon recipe, and it's not there!!

I googled, and found a bunch, but I'd love to know which one you used! Or did you do-it-yourself? (just sprinkle brown sugar and broil?)

I just made bacon yesterday, so I'm itching to try it.

Edited September 28, 2009 by prasantrin (log)

[Jenni]

Jenni, care to share the recipe?

Hi percyn,

The kadala recipe is from Ammini Ramachandran's book "Grains, Greens and Coconuts". I made the puttu with 2 cups puttu flour (the red rice kind), 1 cup coconut, a little ghee, salt and some coconut to put between the layers. If you want more details on making puttu, you can PM me, as it is usually made in a special tube and I don't want to derail the thread by getting in to too much detail here!

[Kim Shook]

The bacon was amazing! Like bacon brittle. Wow. I wouldn't make it all the time, but I kept thinking about it all day and had to stay very busy to not go in the fridge for a nibble every so often!

Being the smarty I am, I went straight to your website to look for the brown sugar bacon recipe, and it's not there!!

I googled, and found a bunch, but I'd love to know which one you used! Or did you do-it-yourself? (just sprinkle brown sugar and broil?)

I just made bacon yesterday, so I'm itching to try it.

Definitely NOT a recipe. Like you, I googled, and ended up just sprinkling a good amount of brown sugar on the bacon, pressing it down lightly and baking at 375 degrees for about 25 minutes. A couple of caveats: I used really good thick bacon (since you made bacon, you don't need this advice, but others might) and I put it on Reynolds Non-stick foil. It looks like it's not going to work, because when you first take it off the pan, it's really gooey and a little limp, but when it cools a little it gets perfectly crispy. Mine were done about 20 minutes before we ended up eating, so I just put them back on the pan under the eggs when I cooked the eggs for about 7 minutes and they were perfect. Let me know how you liked it. I can't wait to have it for dinner tonight!

[Jenni]

Yesterday morning I was making idlis to take to college for lunch and I had some batter left over. So I made utthappam with carrot and onion topping for my Dad.

Here it is cooking on the pan.

And on the plate. Sorry it's not a very good picture, I am not very good at presentation!

[Darienne]

Looks good to me!

[percyn]

Got some Uni (Sea Urchin) from my local Sushi purveyor.

Made Soft Scrambled Eggs w/Uni - creamy, mildly sweet eggs complimented the sea essence of the urchin. Ohhhhh...soooo goood.

Edited October 3, 2009 by percyn (log)

[menuinprogress]

Great looking dish, Percy. I'm ashamed to admit that I've never actually tried uni - even though I live in an area that is one of the prime sources.

[percyn]

You had lamb offal and made your own wine, but have not tried Uni?

If you can, buy some locally (they are heavily regulated), get some ASAP...you don't know what you are missing

[prasantrin]

Definitely NOT a recipe. Like you, I googled, and ended up just sprinkling a good amount of brown sugar on the bacon, pressing it down lightly and baking at 375 degrees for about 25 minutes. A couple of caveats: I used really good thick bacon (since you made bacon, you don't need this advice, but others might) and I put it on Reynolds Non-stick foil. It looks like it's not going to work, because when you first take it off the pan, it's really gooey and a little limp, but when it cools a little it gets perfectly crispy. Mine were done about 20 minutes before we ended up eating, so I just put them back on the pan under the eggs when I cooked the eggs for about 7 minutes and they were perfect. Let me know how you liked it. I can't wait to have it for dinner tonight!

Thanks! Mine is almost out of the oven. It's swimming in melted caramelized bacon fat, but I'm thinking I could probably figure out something to do with that (biscuits, maybe?). Maybe I should have put the bacon on a rack, or pre-cooked the bacon a litle before caramelizing it. Oh well, I'm sure it'll still be good!

Oh, I'm about to eat it for my second breakfast with some runny scrambled eggs! I might even put goat cheese in the eggs, because I've got quite a bit I need to use.

Edited October 4, 2009 by prasantrin (log)

[thecoffeesnob]

My Sunday breakfast consisted of homemade granola, Greek yogurt and sliced bananas. Incredibly simple but so good!

If only all mornings could be spent this way instead of gobbling down a slice of toast in two seconds before rushing out the door to get to work.

One can always dream, can't they?

[prasantrin]

My bacon would have been better had I not overcooked it, but it's still pretty good. I ate it with goat cheese scrambled eggs on freshly cooked rice.

I'll be making it again, for sure! But precooking a bit to get rid of some of the fat, so it won't be swimming so much in it.

[deensiebat]

You had lamb offal and made your own wine, but have not tried Uni?

If you can, buy some locally (they are heavily regulated), get some ASAP...you don't know what you are missing

I've never had uni either. But oh do I want it now...

[Jacquester]

started off as scrambled eggs, ended up as scrabmbled eggs with gouda nd tarragon fresh oj and lots of coffee,, oh yeah and a piece of leftover chocolate cake I made last night

[Kim Shook]

My bacon would have been better had I not overcooked it, but it's still pretty good. I ate it with goat cheese scrambled eggs on freshly cooked rice.

I'll be making it again, for sure! But precooking a bit to get rid of some of the fat, so it won't be swimming so much in it.

The bacon that I used was pretty lean, so I didn't have a pan-ful of fat when I finished. I didn't want to clean a rack, but I'm sure that would help. I think that you could cook the bacon until it was almost done and then drain the fat and apply the brown sugar - it caramelizes pretty quick. Glad you liked it!

[C. sapidus]

Beautiful breakfasts all, with a particular shout-out to Ann_T’s eggs in a cloud.

This morning a very small amount of banh mi leftovers (unfortunately, not including any char siu pork) became a personal-sized batch of fried rice. Served with limes and Sriracha.

Liver pate fried rice with roasted chile paste and daikon-carrot pickle

[Blether]

Hamaguri miso shiru - miso soup with clams. I used a standard dashi and was still surprised by how little miso it took to reach the right level of saltiness. The clams were given 'shionuki' overnight in a bowl of salt water with a teaspoon or two of flour - no sand here.

I was out of fresh spring onion.

Bruce, once again your food pictures dazzle. What's your secret ? From the angle of the shadows, it isn't on-camera flash.

Edited October 11, 2009 by Blether (log)

[C. sapidus]

Bruce, once again your food pictures dazzle. What's your secret ? From the angle of the shadows, it isn't on-camera flash.

Blether, thank you for the kind words. Nothing special with the light – I just put the plate on the cooktop, turn the hood lights on high, and snap away with my point-and-shoot camera. The hood does have halogen lights, so perhaps that helps.

Mmmmm, clam soup for breakfast sounds brilliant.

[Prawncrackers]

Hmmm, miso soup with clams sounds like a wonderful breakfast option but where is the egg?! Everyone knows this thread is really a front for runny egg yolk porn I wonder if poaching an egg in miso soup would work?

I had leftover brown crab meat and salmon roe (it's egg, it counts) on toast. The brown meat is one of my favourite things to eat, topped with the salty roe it was a sensation. I love having nice leftovers to put on toast in the morning, it's instant satisfaction. I think Percy knows where i'm coming from with that one:

[Blether]

Brown crab meat... (sigh). And the contents of prawn heads when the prawns are good quality and fresh.

I have to correct an error - I said 'shionuki' when I meant 'sunanuki'.

'Brilliant' ? That's very British.

[percyn]

...

I love having nice leftovers to put on toast in the morning, it's instant satisfaction. I think Percy knows where i'm coming from with that one:

Very nice Prawn!! Reminds me of my staple weekday breakfast before I rush to work in the morning - fresh OJ, toasted mini wheat bagel, boiled egg (often yolk removed to lower cholestrol) topped with Swedish smoked roe with cream cheese.

Edited October 13, 2009 by percyn (log)

[percyn]

Made Scrambled Eggs /White Truffle Butter on Toast and Lil'Smokies

[percyn]

Let me first start my saying this was not made by me nor was it what we had for breakfast, though it was my dinner last night when friend and private chef Shola Olunloyo hosted a "Breakfast as Dinner" event.

Scallop . Chamomile-Apple Gelee . Breakfast Radish . Celery - the sweetness from the apple complimented the sea-sweet scallop. Delicate yet flavorful.

Marble Rye Ice Cream . Smoked Char . Sorrel - It would be hard to identify the flavor of the marble rye ice cream in a blind taste test, but it gave a great backdrop to the house smoked salmon. In a way, to me, this dish was about the contrasts - salty, smokey and slightly sweet flavors with creamy and crispy textures and contrasts in temperatures as well.

Egg Salad "Chiboust" . Caviar . Puffed Parsnip - A simple yet profound bite. Another study in contrasts. The saltiness and the pop from the caviar contrasted the Chiboust and the caviar gently popped in your mouth while the parsnip brought some crunchiness to the party in your mouth. Makes you wish they sold parsnip puffs in stores - Shola, I smell a business opportunity.

Rainwater Madeira Oatmeal . Roasted Matsutake . Parmesan - A savory delight. You could easily fool someone by introducing this dish as a slightly softer version of a mushroom risotto. Wish they served this at the cafeteria at work - for breakfast or lunch. Will certainly have to try this at home.

Toasted Croissant Soup . Cheddar Whey Froth . Bacon Wrapped Andouillete - One of the highlights of the night in a dinner full or stellar dishes. The Andouille and Bacon were smokey and super flavorful while the soup had great depth and the cheese whey froth lifted the dish to a new level.

Spanish Mackerel . Tomatoes . Chermoula - Shola was afraid this dish would not fit into the theme, but there are many cultures who have fish for breakfast besides the British - it is fairly common in the far east. The Chermoula kicked a$$.

Meadow Run Farm Egg . Triple Chicken Bouillon . White Truffle. Whipped Foie Gras - Looks can be deceiving - this was an umami bomb. The egg was cooked so that the yolk was just set, though I would have liked to try some with a slightly runny yolk.

"La Ratte" Potato-Oxtail Terrine . Potato-Egg Yolk Foam . Oxtail Jus - On an ordinary day, this version of "steak and eggs" would rock - and it did. However, in this meal of superstars, it did not shine as strong.

Old Spot Pork Belly . Dulche de Miso . Apple . Fennel . Celeriac - Now, I have had my fair share of pork belly (and yes, I have the belly to prove it) and Shola's pork belly is on top of the list and this was probably the best one I have every had. Just perfect ratio or fat to meat and the skin....ohhh that crispy, crunchy, flavorful skin. If I were a poet, I would write an ode to the pork belly skin. The Dulche de Miso and Sous Vide apple puree were amazing and have been added to my "must try at home list".

Dessert #1 - Caramel Corn Puffs . Celery Root Milk . Corn Sorbet . Mint - Another simple looking dish, but very unique flavor profiles, making you wish you could have this everyday.

Dessert #2 - Frozen Butterscotch . Smoked Chocolate . Roasted Banana Sorbet . Bourbon Maple Glazed Benton Bacon - A "Maverick" dessert.... conceptually intriguing, texturally interesting and flavorful.

[kayb]

Gosh....after that, I'm almost ashamed to post my meager effort from this morning....gluten-free pancakes (for the gluten-allergy child who was visiting) with peach sauce and creme fraiche:

It was my inaugural run at gluten-free pancakes, and they were less than stellar. The peace sauce, though, with diced fresh peaches, honey, ginger and amaretto, was pretty wonderful.

[percyn]

Those pancakes and peaches look good!!