Breakfast Archives - Retro Food For Modern Times

Category: Breakfast

21
Jul
2024

Grapefruit Oat Brulee

categories: 1970's recipes, 500 Recipes for Quick Meals, Breakfast, Desserts, Grapefruit

Hello friends and welcome to a recipe which is top ten, maybe even top five of everything I have cooked this year! Grapefruit Oat Brulee is delicious, quick, has only four ingredients and is (mostly) a healthy snack/dessert/breakfast. You might even find yourself eating it for all of the above, it’s that good! The recipe comes from 500 Recipes for Quick Meals by Marguerite Patten (1972).

I mean really…how good does that look? These photos make me want to run out and buy a bag of grapefruit immediately just so I can recreate this dish over and over again. I made these a while ago, and even now, looking at the pictures is making my mouth water.

My only word of advice, apart from urging you to purchase your own bag of grapefruit without delay, is that this dish can be quite messy to eat. Consequently, I discovered that segmenting the grapefruit before broiling is the most efficient method. I want to give credit where credit is due: I’m actually grateful to Marguerite for omitting this step from the recipe. It unintentionally empowered me to experiment with several grapefruits to develop a user-friendly process for you, dear readers!

How To Segment A Grapefruit for Bruléeing

First, cut the grapefruit in half.
Then, to stabilize the grapefruit, cut a small slice from its bottom.
Next, use a sharp knife to carefully separate the pith from the grapefruit flesh, loosening the segments. Then, using the same knife, meticulously slice along each segment of the grapefruit.
This methodical approach will make eating your grapefruit a lot easier!

Grapefruit Oat Brulée – The Recipe

Grapefruit Oat Brulee

Print Recipe

A delightful recipe for breakfast or dessert – take your pick!

Author: Taryn Nicole

Ingredients

Scale

2 grapefruits
30g butter
2 tbsp rolled oats
2 tbsp golden syrup

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

Halve the grapefruit, and prep as outlined above.
Melt the butter in a saucepan
Add the oats and golden syrup.
Mix thoroughly.
Sprinkle oat mixture over the grapefruit.
Place under a medium hot grill (broiler) until lightly browned and crisp on top

Notes

Adapted from a Margeurite Patten recipe found in 500 Recipes for Quick Meals (972)

For a a less oaty version of this, you can check my recipe for Bruléed Grapefruit here.

Next week in the July 20 years ago Today post, there will be one…actually….maybe even two recipes that are also in my Top Ten things I’ve cooked this year! July has been a good month for recipes! Speak you then!

21
Apr
2024

April 2004 – The Letter L

categories: 20 Years Ago Today, Breakfast, Delicious, Drinks, Fruit, Lamb, Lemon, Magazines, Mango, Meat

Hello, retro food lovers! Today’s post features the letter L and Delicious Magazine from April 2004. Our meal today has a slightly Indian feel with a lassi, some lamb and a lovely lemony dessert! But before we get to the food, let’s set the scene.

The Da Vinci Code was the best-selling book of the first half of April. Quelle surprise! However, for the remaining two weeks, Glorious Appearing stole the number-one spot! Before you get excited, this book sounds dreadful! I would rather read The Da Vinci Code! Toxic by Britney was number one on the charts and Hellboy was number one at the box office.

Hopefully more on the side of glorious, rather than toxic or hellish is our menu for April 2004!

Mango Lassi

I am starting my L themed meal with a Mango Lassi. Lassis are yogurt-based drinks often containg spices. Think of it as a Punjabi smoothie. Lassis boast a long history, dating back to 1000 BC! People believed they had healing properties. Drinking lassis could improve your digestion and your skin and reduce bloating just to name a few!

Lassis can be sweet or savoury. The mango here makes this one quite sweet so it would have been an equally nice way to end the meal! This also takes less than a minute to make so quick as well as delicious. I used frozen mango in mine so you do not have to wait until mangoes are in season to make this!

Mango Lassi Recipe

Spiced Lamb Lollipops with Korma Sauce and Toasted Almonds

This, like the Mango Lassi above comes from an article called “Curry on Jamie”. No surprises for guessing that the Jamie is one Mr Oliver, who seems to be featuring in thee 20 Years Ago posts rather a lot. The Lamb Lollipops were a version of a curry. The twist was that instead of the meat being cooked in the curry, it was grilled and served with a curry sauce for dipping. It was absolutely delicious! I served my Lollipops with a radish and coriander pickle from the same article and some bought paratha.

Lamb Lollipops Recipe

Lemon Posset with Lemon Crunch

Apart from the letter L, there is another linking factor between today’s recipes. The lassi dates back to ancient times, Korma is believed to be created in the 16th century for Shah Jalan at the inauguration of the Taj Mahal and our dessert also has it’s roots in history. The OED traces posset back to the 15th century where, like the lassi, it was known for it’s healing properties. I liked the lemon crunch because it added some texture into what was otherwise a very soft dessert. The texture of the posset was panna cotta-esque. An almond biscotti would have also gone down a treat with this…and created a link with the lamb dish!

Lemon Posset Recipe

I found the quantities here made for quite a sweet mix so l added more lemon juice, specifically as I also knew the crunch would also be sweet.

My Nigella Moment – Breakfast Almond Croissants

For first-time readers, this refers to the moment at the end of Nigella Lawson’s cooking shows when she sneaks back to the fridge to have another bite of something delicious. In these Twenty Years Ago posts, it is something contained in the magazine that does not fit with the overall menu theme but I’m sneaking it in because it is too good not to share.

One of my favorite bakery treats is an almond croissant so I was delighted to find a recipe where I could do a cheats’ version at home. These were delightful. And also went nicely with some mango lassi!

Breakfast Almond Croissant Recipe

Oh, I just realised another link. These meals all belong in a spectrum from yellow to brown…the posset is light lemon yellow, the mango lassi is a pale orange, the korma sauce was a deep orange and the croissants were brown. These colours are also all autumnal so maybe I was also channelling the seasons with my meal!

Have a great week!

13
Dec
2023

St Niklas Granola

categories: Breakfast, Christmas

Hello friends! Today we a celebrating the festive season with another lovely homemade gift. Unlike the Sparkling Lavender Mustard or my Christmas Pudding, each of which need to rest for about a month before being ready to gift, the St Niklas Granola can be whipped up in an hour or so and gifted as soon as it cools!

Annabel Crabb & David Sedaris

The recipe for the St Niklas Granola comes from the Book Special Guest by Australian Journalist, Annabel Crabb. I adore Annabel Crabb, she is smart and funny and she writes a good recipe! The St Niklas Granola is inspired by those spicy Dutch Christmas cookies called Peppernoten. In the introduction, to the granola, she also speaks of the rather suspect story surrounding them. I believe this is the same story as told by David Sedaris in his story “Six To Eight Black Men”. I linked to his reading of this way back in 2015 and can heartily recommend it. It is so funny! (And the Fig, Fennel and Pistachio Roulade that was the featured recipe would also make a wonderful Christmas gift for the Foodie in your life!

Listening to Six to Eight Black Men has become one of my Christmas traditions. Making the St Niklas granola may well become one too.

Speaking of Christmas traditions, Fairytale of New York is one of my favourite (Christmas) songs and features on any Christmas playlist I compile. I was upset to hear of the recent passing of Shane McGowan. His duet with Sinead O’Connor, Haunted is also one of my favourite songs. How beautiful is her voice here? It gives me shivers to hear it. It is so sad to think that we have lost two such talented musicians this year.

But back to the granola…

St Niklas Granola Recipe

I am not much of a breakfast person, so I usually eat my Granola as an after-dinner treat instead of dessert. Sometimes, I also just grab a handful for a little snack on the go. Some yoghurt and fresh fruit make it as good in the morning as it is in the evening. The hit of spice and, especially the little hits of ginger when you get them are soooo good! I love Annabelle’s suggestion of serving it with ice cream as a dessert too!

And of course, when I suggest you give this as a gift, what I really mean is make an entire batch and keep half for yourself!

Have a wonderful week!

04
Apr
2020

Bruléed Grapefruit

categories: Breakfast, Grapefruit

I am not normally a breakfast person. If I am super organised I throw some granola and yogurt into a bowl and eat that once I get into the office. Or I will grab a bagel on my way. But usually, my breakfast is a coffee (or two). Nowadays, maybe because I am walking my dogs early in the morning or because I am at home and surrounded by food, by about 10:30 I am HUNGRY! Bruléed grapefruit, which many of you will recognise as the darling of the 1970’s diet book has become my breakfast of choice.

Why?

It can be made in stages so easy to do between calls
So tasty!
All those 1970’s diet books can’t be wrong – this is kind of healthy for you!
Using a culinary blowtorch is fun!
It looks so pretty and colourful, it cheers me up (all these days we need all the cheering up we can get!).

How are you all coping with life in social isolation? I am in week three of work from home and oh boy, it’s a rollercoaster. I woke up with a sore throat the other morning and immediately assumed I had the ‘rona. Which I do not. The days seem to drag even though my work has seemingly doubled. And how can I go from looking totally respectable in my bathroom mirror to looking like trash 5 minutes later on a video call? But I’m still working which is something to be very grateful for when there are so many people being laid off so the vortex of ugly between my bathroom and my computer seems like a small price to pay!

Variations

I like to top my bruléed grapefruit with some coyo and usually either some granola or chopped pistachio nuts. Of course on the day I decided to take photos I had neither in the house. So, I topped it with a maraschino cherry. Which was delicious!

Other toppings could include:

Greek or Flavoured Yoghurt or whipped cream
Berries or other fruit
Nuts or seeds of your choice
Vanilla ice cream (hey, you’re working from home, who’s going to know!)

Another way to mix this up is to vary the flavourings in the sugar:

Add some cinnamon for a warming and sweetly spicy effect
Adding lavender or other flower infused sugar will bring out the floral notes in the grapefruit
Give it an Asian twist by adding a little chilli, some chopped up crystallised ginger and a dash of salt

Hmm…my recipe plugin is not working at the mo so here is recipe old school style

Bruléed Grapefruit

1/2 ruby red grapefruit
1 tbsp caster sugar
A large dollop coconut (or other) yoghurt
1 Maraschino cherry

Place the grapefruit cut side adown on kitchen paper and leave for around 5 minutes to drain any juice from the top. The drier it is, the better it will brulée.

Sprinkle the sugar on the cut side of the grapefruit.

Set your blowtorch to high and move to and fro over the grapefruit to caramelise the sugar. (If you do not have a blowtorch, set your grill (broiler) to high, wait until it is hot and set your grapefruit under it until the sugar caramelises).

Serve immediately with a dollop of yoghurt and a cherry on the top!

I have no stories since it is week 3 in the house but I thought it might be interesting if we started to share how we are entertaining ourselves during social distancing. This is what I’ve been up to:

Doing

This puzzle again….Arrgghhhh…what is wrong with me?

Watching

I watched Dare Me on Netflix which I really liked. I am about halfway through The Haunting of Hill House which I am loving but I can only watch in small doses because it scares the hell out of me.

For film club I need to watch The Martian and Stand By Me.

Hmm…maybe we all need to watch The Martian…

Reading

I am reading Two Can Keep a Secret which is the sequel to One of Us is Lying which I loved!!!! As well as an Agatha Christie for the next Dining With The Dame.

What are you reading, watching doing during lockdown? I would love to get ideas for new things!

Stay home, stay safe, eat grapefruit for breakfast!

02
May
2019

Name Plates: Eggs Benedict

categories: Breakfast, Brunch, Classic Recipes, Eggs, Name Plates, United States of America

Hello brunch! Eggs Benedict is one of my favourite brunch dishes. Mind you, I would also eat them for breakfast, lunch or dinner. I’m not that fussy! But today’s project is to uncover the eponymous Benedict,

What Are Eggs Benedict?

Okay, so…given this is such a brunch favourite, I know many of you will already know exactly what Eggs Benedict entails. And all of you are quite welcome to skip to the next section.

For those who are in the dark, Eggs Benedict is a dish typically served at breakfast or brunch which consists of two halves of a toasted English muffin, topped with bacon or ham, a poached egg and Hollandaise Sauce.

Who Was Benedict?

Larousse names Brennan’s Restaurant in New Orleans as one of the possible birthplaces of Eggs Benedict. And there is certainly an amazing looking Eggs Benny on their website.😍 However, all the other research I have done points to New York as being the birthplace of Eggs Benedict.

Delmonico’s in New York is a contender. A regular customer, one of the Le Grand Benedict family, got bored with the regular breakfast and asked for “poached eggs on toasted English muffins with a thin slice of ham, Hollandaise sauce and a truffle on top” as a more exciting alternative.

In 1967, a letter to the New Yorker said that Commodore E.C.Benedict, a yachtsman and retired banker was the inventor of Eggs Benedict.

My favourite story, however, and so the one we are going to go with, suggests that the recipe was devised by one Lemuel Benedict in 1942 when he strolled into the Waldorf Hotel with a raging hangover and asked for “buttered toast, poached eggs, crisp bacon, and a hooker of hollandaise”.

Instead of looking askance at him and saying in a very stern manner, “We Sir, are a classy establishment and hence not familiar with the practice of measuring our sauces, Hollandaise or otherwise in units of sex workers”, the kitchen complied and Eggs Benedict was born!

Can we just take a step out to talk about how delicious Hollandaise Sauce is?

OMG..it’s the best thing in the world. Sometimes, when I really don’t feel like cooking? I will buy a jar of Hollandaise sauce, heat it up in the microwave and just dip vegetables…asparagus, broccoli, beans, etc right into the jar for my dinner!

And do you also know that it was only very recently that I reaslised Hollandaise is just French for “from Holland”? I mean, it’s totally damn obvious when you think about it but….at the time?

The Recipe

Given it’s likely New York origins, I used the recipe from the New York Times for my classic version of Eggs Benedict.

Some variations are below.

Variations

The interwebs abound with variations of Eggs Benny. You can change the meat:

This Naughty Benny swaps out the ham for mortadella and adds an onion jam.

You can change the base:

This one swaps out the English Muffins for Potato Rosti.

You can combine it with other brunch favorites such as this Benedict BLT.

Or add some Italian Pizzazz with an Eggs Benedict Pizza.

You can also swap out the sauce

For those who like a bit of booze with their Benny, this one has a beer-based sauce.

I guess the only constant is the eggs…

Oops, scratch that. Here’s a vegan version.

A myriad of other versions can be found here

Modern Day Benedict

In my mind, there can only be one:

What’s your favourite version of Eggs Benedict?

And to whom would you dedicate a modern dish of poached eggs, ham and hollandaise sauce on an English Muffin?

Have a wonderful week!