The most important meal of the day. ~ Breakfast, the recipes Chef Hermes

The most important meal of the day. ~ Breakfast, the recipes.

Posted by Chef Hermes on May 26, 2013 · Comments Off

Recently I was working with a client, whose PR company had given away a Dinner, Bed & Breakfast package to a blogger. Naturally I looked this blogger up, and at the time she was a handful of places above me in the Foodies100. By the way, this is how Foodies100 describe their site:

Every month, the Foodies100 analyses and ranks all of the parent (Food) blogs in our community. Our results are designed to measure blogs based on popularity, engagement and influence.

Since that blogger visited, I briefly rose to 52 before sinking back to my more usual position just outside the top 100. The other blogger sank into the oblivion of the top 500 as the badge on her site said, before bumping up into the top 250 this month.

Now if you’re reading this and think ‘what has all this got to do with breakfast recipes?’. Well, as part of the deal bringing the aforementioned blogger to my former client, was that they would get 3 articles published by her; according to the owner. One of those articles it appears, was about Granola, which she’d had for breakfast. Now as I was in charge of the pastry section & responsible for some of the breakfast mise en place (advanced preparation) including Granola, and on duty the morning when the blogger asked for the recipe; I can tell you what she has published, isn’t it.

Normally I wouldn’t be so public about another blogger like this, but quite frankly I just don’t understand how this has happened. How did my former client’s PR company think it was a good idea to give a billy no mark blogger a £300 a night package, on the proviso that they’d get 3 articles out of her; which 1 is about their breakfast granola, for which she doesn’t even have the recipe for?

Deep breath; and moving on. So I’ve decided to do a post on breakfast recipes, often a meal missed by bloggers & food writers in terms of sharing recipes. So here are some of mine, including the fabled granola recipe, enjoy.

The Breakfast recipes

Breakfast Granola

500 Demerera sugar
25g Muscavado sugar
40g Honey
35g Golden syrup
60g Butter
100g Porridge oats
75g Dessicated coconuts
70g Pecan nuts
45g Flaked almonds
30g Peeled pistachio nuts
50g Hazelnuts
50g Brazil nuts
30g Sunflower seedds
Grated zest of 1 orange

Combine all the dry ingredients, separately combine all the sugars with the butter and the orange zest & bring to the boil.

Mix with the dry ingredients and bake for 15-20 minutes at 150ºC. Store in an air tight jar when cool.

Breakfast Scones

150g flour
30g Butter
1g Salt
11g Sugar
7g Baking powder
90g Buttermilk

Rub the flour, baking powder, salt, sugar and butter together. Once rubbed in, gradually add the milk until all combined to make the dough.

Wrap in clingfilm and rest in the fridge for 30minutes.

Roll out 3.5-4cm thick and cut into 4cm squares, then dip the top into egg wash and then sugar, place onto tray; egg wash and sugar facing upwards. Bake at 200ºC until golden brown.

Croissant Vannille

1000g Flour
280g Sugar
800g Butter
200g Ground almonds
200g Ground hazelnuts
2 Vanilla pods, split
3 Eggs

Cream butter, sugar & vanilla together slowly until light and fluffy.
Beat the eggs & add slowly. (If curdles/splits add heat to recover).
Then mix in sieved flour, ground almonds and ground hazelnuts.
Roll into small croissant shaped pieces and refrigerate
Bake at 180-200ºC for 10-12minutes.

NOTE:

Big thanks to my Twitter follower, Colm Carmody for the Croissant picture. Follow him here

Yogurt & Compote jars

Compote:

400ml Water
300g Caster sugar
75ml White wine
1 Vanilla pod
300g Rhubarb
1kg Fresh halved strawberries (stalks removed)

Bring water, sugar and split vanilla pod to the boil.
Add the chopped rhubarb and cover with a piece of greaseproof paper, and reduce heat.
When slightly softened, remove from the heat and add strawberries; leave to cool in own syrup.

Yogurt:

300g Greek style natural yogurt
1 Vanilla pod, split

Combine the two ingredients together. Steep with the used pod in the yogurt overnight, then remove.

Finishing the jars: ¼ fill the jars with chilled compote, then top up with the vanilla yogurt. Chill overnight.

Banjo Sandwich

This is a sandwich from my Dad ( hi Dad, you’re getting a mention again), and I’ve tweeted variants of it quite recent.

2 Eggs, fried but still runny
2 Rashers of bacon, grilled to required crispiness or personal preference.
Heinz Tomato ketchup
2 slices of white bread, buttered.

Fry the eggs in a knob of butter (I’d recommend a blinis pan for this), whilst simultaneously grilling the bacon.

Whilst waiting for the 2 aforementioned items to cook, butter the bread.

When the bacon & the eggs are ready, lay the bacon rashers first, then the eggs and top with a good dollop of tommy K. DO NOT CUT IN HALF.

Now consume. This sandwich gets its name from the action where the various juices & sauce will, at some point end up on your chest; causing you to do the natural thing; curse & lightly rub it – making you look like you’re playing an air banjo.

There are three key things to remember when eating this breakfast treat.

Don’t wear any form of clothing you value.
The eggs & bacon need to be hot during assembly.
Do not in any scenario toast the bread, this will change the structural integrity, making it a bacon butty!
Use proper butter, NOT marg or its variants.