I miss brunch. The ritualistic act of rolling into a restaurant as morning is a hair’s breadth from turning into afternoon, an empty stomach but full in the knowledge that I can order excellent breakfast food while legitimately also having an alcoholic drink. I’d also order a coffee and maybe even a smoothie too; it’s not the time of day that makes brunch, it’s the amount of drinks you order and the lack of plans which follow.
And that’s why this post isn’t called Five Delicious Ways to Eat Eggs for Brunch. Because these are the decadent, ridiculous ways I’ve souped up my boring, restaurant-less mornings in my own home. It’s breakfast but it’s better.
Eggs, Spinach, Bread from Greenfeast: Autumn, Winter by Nigel Slater
This is one of those recipes that I could kick myself for not throwing together myself, but then, that’s the difference between me as an amateur cook and a professional chef (and not the only difference, I’m sure!). Nigel Slater‘s Greenfeast duo of recipe books are split between the colder and warmer months, focusing on seasonal produce and the food you want to eat at that time of year. Eggs, Spinach, Bread is essentially a lightly spiced French toast, flavoured with, amongst other things, my favourite spice, cumin. It’s easy and it’s delicious.
Buy Greenfeast: Autumn, Winter here
Cloud Eggs
Look, I’m only human, and a millennial to boot, so occasionally an Instagram food fad grabs my curiosity. Cloud Eggs promise no explosion of flavour, but if you’re looking to serve up something that look impressive, or gets kids excited, this is a solid bet. There are a whole heap of recipes out there for this but this is a quick nutshell version:
- Whisk up two egg whites until light and aerated, stop before they start turning into stiff peaks. Make sure to keep the egg yolks in one piece for later!
- Verrrrrry gently fold through some chopped chives (or any flavour to your liking).
- Pile the egg whites into two mounds on some greaseproof paper and pop onto a baking tray.
- Make a small dip into the middle of each egg white mound, then bake for 8 – 10 minutes in an oven at 230°.
- Gently tip an egg yolk into each of the egg clouds and bake for another 2 – 3 minutes until the egg has set.
- Serve on hot buttered toast (and probably put ketchup on it, if you’re anything like me)
Cheese Stuffed Marmite Potato Cakes with Poached Egg from @WhatIAteForBreakfast
I can’t even begin to describe the deep, animal feelings I experienced when I saw this pop up on my Instagram feed. CHEESE. MARMITE. POTATO. Add bread and you’d have my four essential food groups, and it really did taste as good as I’d imagined. Emily Scott runs the Instagram account What I Ate For Breakfast and is my go-to source of downright filthy, drool-worthy ways to start my day. Follow her and you’ll never be satisfied with jam on toast ever again, but start with this recipe – my favourite, so far, and turn it up a notch with a poached egg on top. Boom!
Bacon and Egg Breakfast Naan from Dishoom: From Bombay With Love
The first restaurant I went to when the world tentatively reopened was Dishoom and I knew exactly what I wanted to order: a bacon and egg naan with a side of masala baked beans and a chocolate chai. We went on what should have been our wedding day, and it was honestly the only thing that could’ve cheered me up that day. Early on in lockdown, I had placed a huge order with Red Rickshaw to stock up on Indian ingredients so I could start making my way through the Dishoom cookbook, and along with the gunpowder potatoes, the bacon and egg naan has been my most repeated recipe.
Buy the Dishoom recipe book here
Scrambled Egg and Soy Sauce Red Onion Sandwich from Home Cookery Year by Claire Thomson
There are quite a few components to this colossal sandwich so you should probably be more prepared than I was when I decided to make this off the cuff one morning. An excellent sandwich is a delicate, finely crafted art, one which always surprises me when I get a really, really good one. You know the sort: one with complex textures, layers of contrasting but complementing flavours and retaining it’s excellence in every bite. This recipe includes roasting red onions in soy sauce and slices of cheese melted on top of the buttery scrambled eggs. Lush.
These are the recipes I’ve added to my regular rotation, but I’m forever on the lookout for more so please do share your favourites with me! If you love the sound of some of these, remember to support the chefs by buying their books or following them on social media.
PIN IT FOR LATER
