Hotcakes, flapjacks, drop scones, pfannkuchen, griddle cakes,  crêpes, pikelets  or pancakes. It seems every nation on earth has their own version of sweet, savory, stuffed, thick or thin pancakes. Despite the numerous guises and flavor combinations that can be found on all four corners of the culinary planet, one thing remains constant across all borders, pancakes are comfort fodder for the masses.

Evidence of pancake creation can be linked back to prehistoric times, where a batter of milk, flour, egg and spice was prepared on searing hot stones  to resemble what we have come to expect the humble pancake to be today.   The great Roman gourmand and author Marcus Gavius Apicius wrote about a batter that incorporated pepper and honey, a version that would be worth giving a try some 2,000 years after he penned the recipe.

My history with this famed pan cooked batter does not stretch back as far as ancient Rome, but it does come after years of trial and error having   cooked and created hundreds of breakfast brunch stacks in many  professional  kitchens over the last 20+ years.

This pancake recipe is a cross between the New Zealand style pikelet and the North American pancake, a pikelet usually being smaller, thinner and sweeter than its star spangled cousin, the pancake.  This pancake recipe uses the addition of melted butter to give the edges a crisp quality and helps to make the texture short and flaky rather than stodgy.

Here are a few watch points to bear in mind when preparing and cooking your next stack:

Mix the dry ingredients and wet ingredients separately. This will help to achieve a uniform batter that is well incorporated and lump free.

Cool the melted butter before incorporating. Adding hot butter to the wet ingredients could scramble the egg yolks.

Allow the batter to rest for an hour before using, or better still make the batter  and rest overnight covered in the refrigerator. Resting will allow the gluten in the flour time to relax so the batter doesn’t become gluey when cooked. Take the Batter out of the fridge 30 minutes before you intend to use it.

Use butter to cook the pancakes, not oil. This will add to the overall flavor and will also help maintain the correct temperature in the pan whilst cooking the pancakes.  If the butter burns, the pan is too hot to add the mixture. Remove the pan from the heat and allow it to cool slightly before placing back on the heat and adding the batter. The best time to add the batter is when a bit of butter melts and sizzles without colour.  This will ensure the pancakes cook evenly with golden crisp edges.

My… Best Pancake Recipe

Ingredients

Makes 15 pancakes

100g butter – melted and cooled
1 3/4 cups of milk
1/4 cup of cream
2 egg yolks
2 cups of plain flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt

Extra butter for frying

Method

Into a measuring jug  whisk together the milk, cream and eggs. Add the cooled butter and combine well.

Stir the dry ingredients together in a large mixing bowl and make a well in the centre. Slowly pour in the liquid ingredients, whisking continuously until a smooth pourable batter has formed.

Heat a skillet on medium heat or induction setting 6 with 1/2 teaspoon of butter until it sizzles.

Add a small ladle approx 60mls or 3 tablespoons of batter to the pan and allow to cook for 1 minute or until bubbles begin to form in the cake. Flip carefully and cook on the other side for a further 45 seconds.

Repeat the last 2 steps until all the mixture is used up, stacking the pancakes as you go.

Serve warm with all The usual suspects like maple or golden syrup, grilled bacon and fresh banana, stewed fruit, fresh berries, or cream and jam. For something a little different try mango cheeks with  grated palm sugar and yogurt, lemon juice and vanilla sugar, or grilled pineapple rounds with grated ginger.

Grilled Tomato Recipe

Summer is so close I can smell it. The City is dancing  to the sound of  Havaiana flip flops slapping on the hot pavement  and produce in the local farmers  markets are getting more rosy by the day. Summer means  buxomous strawberries, voluptuous watermelons and of course, one of my summertime ‘steadies’,   juicy flame red tomatoes.

Summer wouldn’t be summer without a box load of tomatoes from the market and when I’m not making Tomato Chilli Jam to use up the multitude of glass jars I have been hoarding throughout the winter, I looking for exciting ways to salute one of natures cheapest and most accessible superfoods.

As breakfast is the most important meal of the day, we might as well start with a simple breakfast recipe to kick start my tomato tribute. Watch this space for more wonderful ways to enjoy tomatoes.

Spiced Grilled Breakfast Tomatoes

Serves 4 as a side dish for breakfast

Ingredients

8 medium to large firm yet ripe roma tomatoes ~ sliced in half length ways

3 heaped teaspoons of cumin powder

3 heaped teaspoons of garam masala

2 teaspoons of cumin seeds

2 Tablespoons of Dark brown sugar

Sea salt and black pepper

Extra virgin olive oil for drizzling

Method

• Preheat the oven on fan grill or grill at 180C and place the rack in the position just above half way, but not right at the top of the oven as you don’t want to have your tomates kissing the top element as they will burn thanks to the sugars present.
• Place the tomatoes in a a deep oven tray in a  single layer with the cut side facing up.
• Sprinkle the tomatoes generously with the cumin powder, garam masala and brown sugar making sure the mixes are evenly distributed on top of the tomatoes.
• Sprinkle over the cumin seeds and dust with some sea salt flakes and a good grinding of black pepper.
• Finish with a drizzle of olive oil and place under the grill for 15-20 minute until wonderfully caramelized and cooked through gently.
• Remove from the oven and serve as a delightful side dish to breakfast eggs and fresh avocado.

Through trial and error we are able to establish some exceptional dishes that we keep coming back to time and time again.

This is one of them.

Of all the guests I have put this dish in front of, plates have  come back licked clean ~ and sighs of contentment have echoed sweetly in my ears. To a chef, no other sound could be sweeter or more sincere.

The Beautiful Myriam

The beautiful photography was done by a very special lady ~ Myriam Thibault [@myriamthi] who’s post on a  recent breakfast I hosted with my partner @iconic88 was very humbling and moving. Read it here >> Bridget Cooks up a storm. Introducing Breakfast Degustation

Myriam conducts gourmet food and walking tours around Sydney and as a French x-pat also host tours to France! Her website Myitinaray is a food lovers paradise!

Ricotta Drop Scones with Poached Peaches and a Clove and Vanilla Butter

Please note that if peaches are out of season try substituting the peaches for poached pears or sweet baked apples. Fresh lady finger banana work nicely too.

Ingredients:

4 eggs ~ separated

1 cup of plain flour

½ tsp bicarb soda

¾ tsp cream of tartare

150g fresh ricotta

1 ¼ cups milk

150gms unsalted ~ softened but not melted

1 tsp vanilla paste or pure vanilla extract

1 tsp ground cloves

1 Tbs caster sugar

2 peaches ~  sliced in half round ways with seeds removed.

6 Tbs brown sugar

3 cinnamon quills

3 star anise

1.5 lts of water

Apple syrup for drizzling

Method:

• Firstly prepare the clove butter by mixing together the 100gms of the butter, ground cloves, vanilla and caster sugar in a bowl until well combined.
• Place the butter on top a large strip of glad wrap and roll up to make a thin sausage. Tie securely at both ends and place in the fridge to harden up for a couple of hours.

• Cook the peaches by bringing to the boil the water, brown sugar, cinnamon and star anise. Bring the liquid to the boil and reduce by 1 /3 before adding the peaches and cooking gently for 20 minutes until tender. Set aside and keep warm.

• Preheat the oven on fan cooking 180C for the ricotta drop scones

• Prepare the ricotta scone mixture by mixing together the egg yolks, ricotta and milk. Mix in the flour, baking soda and cream of tartar and add a pinch of salt.
• Whisk the egg whites in a clean bowl until they form stiff peaks and then carefully fold them through the ricotta mixture.

• Prepare a pan for frying by placing on to the heat  and melting a small knob of butter. DROP in Tbs full of the mixture ~ 2 Tbs makes one ricotta drop scone. You need to make enough drop scones for 3 per person.
• Carefully flip the scones and place in the oven to finish cooking for 5 minutes.

• To assemble, on to a deep bowl plate start with a poached peach and a dribble of apple syrup and then a few scones, add a few slices of the clove butter and another peach and top with a scone and butter slice. Top with a  dusting of icing sugar and a sprig of mint (optional)

Banana and Coconut bread proves squashed banana’s aren’t just for slipping on…

As a chef, I’m loathe to throw out food!

Anything  that resembles something edible gets used, re-hashed, turned into stock, made into muffins or smoked, deep fried, preserved and brined.

I once worked in a very busy breakfast restaurant were fresh bananas were used by the box load daily. Sometimes the bananas would sit in the hot kitchen a little longer than desirable to be used under hotcakes, so we would turn these bananas into gorgeous loaves of twinkling banana bread.

My heart starts to sing when I see bananas starting to ripen and brown. I like to help them along in their over-ripening process by squeezing and prodding them and placing them in the freezer to really push them along the browning up stage.

Once the bananas are fully ruined for “normal” peeling and eating, its time to turn up the heat in the oven and make some of these delicious banana loaves. I like to use thread coconut in mine which helps to keep the bread decidedly moist and the crumb tender.

Ingredients:

4 large squeeshy, over ripe, brown and nasty BANANAS ~ mashed with a fork

125gms butter ~ softened

125gms/1/2 cup caster sugar

125gms/1/2 cup brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 large eggs ~ beaten lightly

250gms/2 cups of plain flour

2 tsp baking powder

pinch of salt

1 cup of thread coconut

Methodology:

Preheat your oven on bake or fan bake 190C/ 380 F.

Into a large mixing bowl combine the butter and sugar, followed by the banana mess, eggs and vanilla extract.

Toss in the coconut and stir well to combine.

Sift the flour, baking powder and salt straight over top of the wet ingredients and fold through. At this point you want to be careful not to over mix. Over mixing will excite the gluten in the flour  causing  your bread to became tough and gluey. So to keep the gluten from getting to excited, be gentle with this step and fold rather than mix furiously.

Grease a loaf tin ~ making sure all the corners are adequately covered so the bread doesn’t stick. Pour the mixture into the tin and bake for 1 hour.

Test the bread by touching the middle gently with your finger ~ it will bounce back when it is cooked. You can also test by placing a skewer into the bread. If the skewer comes out clean with no sticky batter on it ~ its ready.

Remove form the oven and allow the loaf to to cool slightly for 10 minutes before turning out on to a wire rack to cool completely.

Photo by powerbooktrance

The Wonder Breakfast When Your on the GO!

Sweet nothings  can deny me  my favourite way to start the day… OK my SECOND favourite way to start the day ~ wink wink nudge nudge, nuff said.

I’m consciously aware of the importance of a hearty breakfast in our daily diet, but up until this point it has  eluded me in the physical sense. I’m either to busy, to lethargic  or too busy being lethargic .

I craved something tangible … I quick fix.

Something that was swift to prepare and easy to digest, would fill me up and was light and SUPER tasty.

The day that my Banana and Manuka Honey Smoothie slid into my life is a day I will never forget. It sums up breakfast on the go for me like toast and marmalade  could never do.

And did I mention the health benefits???

So here comes the wavier first.  Though I’m no doctor, the ingredients that make up this smoothie are good for your heart, kidney’s and bones that will help to enhance your mood if your feeling a little flat.

Along with the wonders of the Banana as mentioned above, you also have the added benefits of calcium rich yogurt with its benefical bacteria and your favourite super food and mine ~ Manuka honey.

Manuka honey is fabulously exclusive, thanks to it  being produced by bees that collect pollen from the Manuka trees that grow on the East coast of New Zealand.

This particular honey has all the benefits of normal honey plus the added bonus of being antibacterial and antiviral. In fact, Manuka honey is medical grade honey ~ great for wound healing, burns, wrinkles, acne and a myrid of other ailments.

For those of you similar to myself who like the idea of drinking your yogurt and bananas rather than chewing them ~ this is the Breakfast treat for you!

Banana and Manuka Honey Smoothie

~makes enough for 1 large glass

1 Banana ~ ripe and smooth, best to avoid unripe bananas  in a smoothie as it wont be as creamy

2 Tbs Greek yogurt

2 tsp Manuka honey

350mls of chilled apple juice

Place all ingredients into a blender and whizz until nicely combined and oh so smooth ~ie.

The fame that surrounds this scrambled egg recipe spreads from one corner of the globe to its significant other.

A recipe that has stood the test of time including a mere mention in the New York Times as being  “as light as the breath of an angel” and in the London Times as being “the best eggs in the world” .

The same online publication named the humble little  restaurant “bills” where the recipe began its journey of world domination as one of the “7 wonders of the food world” and I was fortunate to once been in charge of its stoves.

I can not take credit for its genius, but as head chef for  Bill Granger , the well known caretaker of this simple yet effective protein setting technique, I can most certainly whip you  up a batch ~ and I could probably do it with my eyes closed.

For a 45-seater restaurant in the heart of leafy Darlinghurst, Sydney Australia, it was not unusual for us to fuel the bellies of 350 patrons on a Saturday morning where they would begin queuing at 7am  for a  taste of the world famous scrambled eggs.

It was once home for breakfast to her royal highness, The Queen of daytime TV Oprah Winfrey, who along with Good Morning America, found it necessary to seek out and discover just what makes these eggs tick.

With a little care and attention, you can create your own Bill Grangers scrambled success at home, with just 3 ingredients, no need for queuing, a nod from “O”  and a gentle nudge.

The 10-min Foodie ~ Best Scrambled Eggs in the World.

Bills scrambled eggs ~ photo by reggie_l

Start with a clean bowl and a fork, and break into it 3 large organic free range eggs and 1/3 cup of full cream.

Yes, cream. Not milk, not light cream, not soy milk, not half and half. Pure, unadulterated full bodied cream. So despite risking stating the obvious, this is not an everyday food. It’s treat food at its most special.

Now using  a fork,  whisk  the eggs and cream together until no streaks are visible. It is not necessary at this point to be overly  ferocious  with your whisking as all you are attempting to do is to bring the 3 eggs and the cream harmoniously together  ~ minus the streaks.

Into a non stick pan ~ I can’t not stress the importance of a non stick pan here quite enough ~ Heat  a teaspoon of  butter on a medium-high temperature until the butter melts without browning it.

Once the butter has succumbed, sprinkle in a pinch and a half of of sea salt flakes and allow the salt a few seconds to begin to dissolve before introducing the eggs and cream to the butter and the pan.

Resist the urge at this point to stir the eggs. Allow the eggs 20 or so seconds to begin to set on the bottom of your non stick pan.

Once  a few bubbles begin to surface in the egg, turn the heat down to medium and gently, ever so gently begin to nudge the eggs around the pan ~ moving the cooked egg to allow the uncooked to settle on the base of the pan.

This entire process should take less than a minute, as once the egg has set all way round, invert the egg on to plate and serve immediately with super thick slices of crusty bread and an extra knob of butter for spreading thickly. Enjoy your scrambled egg recipe and let us know how it tastes

Watch this video for my updated version:

How to make the best scrambled eggs perfectly

Photo by Pink Sherbet Photography

Of all the culinary weapons in a 10min foodies arsenal, the humble egg is one of the most versatile and useful.

Once you have mastered the art of cooking an egg to its sublime perfection, its just a matter of adding a few delicious bells and whistles to take you to gourmet paradise.

In this episode of a 10min foodie I will share with you the secret to cooking perfect scrambled eggs that we will then take to new heights with the addition of  a few  flavorsome spices, which equals a delicious dinner in under 10 minutes.

photo by missturner

Somewhere amid my Good Friday revelling and relaxing, it dawned on me that maybe there are  souls out there that are indifferent to the humble hot cross bun. To these individuals, no amount of mocha, chocolate or butter added to the baked bun can  disguise the fact that at the end of the day they are simply bread with fruit and spices.

So I decided to flip it on its head- slightly- by combining the flavors of our traditional hot cross bun with a wonderful base muffin recipe that I use daily in the restaurant that I cook in. The muffins that are produced from this recipe are incredibly moist, stunningly good looking and divinely tasty. Combine this with the spiced up flavors of hot crossed buns and you have a sure fire winner in anyone’s book!

Recipes makes 9 super duper sized muffins!

Preheat your oven on bake at 180C and spray a large 9 hole muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray and line with paper muffin cases.

Start by melting together 85gms of unsalted butter, 35mls of vegetable oil and 125gms of honey. Allow the mixture to melt over a medium heat and bring to a gentle bubble before removing from the heat and allowing to cool slightly.

Into a mixing bowl add 3 eggs, 220gms caster sugar, 250gms of Greek yogurt and 150gms of ricotta and mix well. Now you can mix in 250gms of raisins and the zest of 1 lemon and 1 orange until well combined.

Once the butter mixture has cooled slightly add it to the ingredients in the bowl and stir to mix the butter through effectively.

Now you can add in to the bowl all the dry ingredients which are 3 cups of sifted plain flour, 3 tsp of baking powder, 1 1/2 tsp of cinnamon, 1 tsp ginger and 1 tsp of nutmeg. Fold and combine well and then fill the muffin holes by piling the mix high in the cases.

Bake for 30-40 minutes or until the muffin springs back when touched on top and is golden brown. Allow the muffins to cool for 5 minutes in the tin before turning out on to a wire rack.

Make the cross topping by mixing 2 tblsp of icing sugar with a couple of drops of lemon juice and a couple of drops of water until a paste is formed. Dribble paste into a cross on top the muffin and devour while still hot with plenty of delicious creamy butter.

Photo by ricoeurian

Easter may be a distant recollection, but the glut of hot cross buns may be making you a little hot, cross and bothered. But before you propel the stale baseballs in the rubbish or feed them to the birds, take a gander yonder and try one of these tempting things to do with leftover hot cross buns.

The birds will understand.

Hot Cross Bun Bread and Butter Pudding

Layer buttered slices of HCB with home made custard and a sprinkling of raisins into a baking dish and bake in a moderately hot oven for 20-30 until golden brown and luscious.

Nutella Stuffed Hot Cross Bun  French Toast

Thickly slice HCB and layer two slices with a thick coating of nutella. Sandwich the HCB and dip into an egg mix made with 2 eggs, 50mls of cream and tsp of icing sugar. Fry in a pan on both sides until golden brown.

Ricotta and Homemade Preserved Fruit Hot Cross Bun French Toast

As for the above recipe, sandwich the HCB with fresh ricotta cheese, homemade or good quality poached fruit like plums or peaches and dip and fry as per the previous recipe.

Crispy Hot Cross Bun Pieces with Chocolate Fondue
Why not cover two of your Easter bases in one go by slices the left over HCB into small-ish chunks and frying them until crisp in a pan with butter and a dash of oil. Think of it like making hot cross bun croutons. Now fork them and dip into your favourite chocolate fondue alongside fresh fruit.

Hot Cross Bun Stuffing for a Roast Dinner

Think of this recipe idea as a sweet savoury balance for stuffing into the cavity of a chicken, duck or turkey. Shred 2 stale HCB and mix with 1/2 a grated carrot, a knob of melted butter and a grinding of black pepper and sprinkling of sea salt flakes. Stuff and roast as normal.

And if after attempting some of these giddy recipes you find yourself still inundated with hot cross buns, wrap them up and pop them into the freezer as they will keep for up to a month.

Any other ways of using up hot cross buns? Drop me a line. Would love to hear them!!