Brilliant Breakfast Recipes

They say breakfast is the most important meal of the day, so we think you should make it really special. There’s not a bowl of soggy cereal in sight with our collection of indulgently different dishes that will give you a great start to the day.

Pain Perdu with Caramelised Pink Lady Apple Wedges, Plums and Walnuts 

A wonderfully decadent breakfast or brunch dish, pain perdu means ‘lost bread’ and can be made using any left over bread. Luxurious brioche is used in this easy to prepare French recipe. The caramelised fruit and walnut topping are all grown in the d’anjou region of France and work like magic together. Serves: 4

Preparation time: 10 minutes Cooking time: 20 minutes

INGREDIENTS

For the caramelised fruit topping:
50g golden caster sugar
30g butter, diced
1 Pink Lady apple, halved cored and cut into wedges
4 ripe plums, stone removed and quartered
12 walnut halves

For the Pain Perdu:
2 large free-range eggs
25g-50g golden caster sugar
100ml whole milk
4 slices brioche or bread, 2cm thick slices
40g butter
Cinnamon flavoured crème fraiche (optional)

METHOD
First make the caramelised fruit. In a medium frying pan add the sugar and 2 tablespoons of water, then cook on a medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Turn the heat up a little and cook until the caramel is a light golden colour, stir in the butter, simmer for a minute until it is smooth and golden. Add the fruit and walnuts, coating evenly. Leave in the pan keeping warm.

To make the Pain Perdu, beat the eggs and sugar (use less if bread is sweet) together, gradually add the milk. Place the brioche slices in the egg mixture and soak for a minute before turning over, allow them to absorb the liquid.

In a large frying pan over a medium heat melt half of the butter, when it starts to foam gently, using a fish slice add 2 slices of the brioche, cook for approximately 2 minutes each side until golden. Repeat the process with the remaining butter and brioche while keep warm whilst cooking the remaining 2 slices.

Place the slices on 4 warm plates and spoon over the fruit with all the lovely caramel juices, serve immediately. If desired, serve with a large spoonful of crème fraiche flavoured with a little ground cinnamon.

Streamline Blackcurrant Breakfast Muffins 

Cook up a batch of these muffins. They ooze with Streamline blackcurrant jam in the middle and they’ll keep you going for breakfasts all week. Lovely with a cup of tea too.

Serves: 6

Preparation time: 10 minutes Cooking time: 25 minutes

INGREDIENTS
100g spelt flour
50g golden caster sugar
1 1?2 tsp baking powder
1tsp mixed spice
50g rapeseed oil
1 Pink Lady apple, grated
1 medium egg beaten
1 banana, mashed
50ml semi skimmed milk
8tsp Streamline Blackcurrant Jam
1tsp demerara sugar

METHOD
Preheat the oven to 180C/160C Fan/Gas 4.

Line 6 holes of a muffin tin with muffin cases or greaseproof paper. In a mixing bowl combine the flour, baking powder, caster sugar and spice. In a separate bowl combine the oil, grated apple, milk, beaten egg and mashed banana. Pour the egg mixture into the dry ingredients and combine quickly but don’t over mix.

Then pour 1 dessert spoon of mixture into each case and make a well in the centre. Put a teaspoon of Streamline Blackcurrant jam in the middle and gently top with another dessert spoon of mixture. Divide any leftover mixture between the cases and sprinkle the top of each muffin with a little demerara sugar. Bake for 25-30mins until the tops are browned and the muffins are cooked through. Put on a wire rack to cool.

Sweet Eve Strawberry Cranachan with Homemade Granola and Yoghurt 

One of the most delicious things to eat in the morning. Beautiful sweet strawberries go perfectly with the creamy yoghurt and crunchy granola.

Serves 6

Preparation time: 20 minutes Cooking time: 15 minutes

INGREDIENTS 
For the granola (You could also buy the granola ready-made):
4 tbsps sunflower oil
2 tbsps honey
100g light brown sugar
Pinch of ground cinnamon
120g oatmeal flakes
120g porridge oats
150g coarsely chopped pecan nuts
150g coarsely chopped almonds

For the Cranachan:
300ml double cream
300ml yoghurt
1 tbsp caster sugar
Seeds of one vanilla pod or 1 tbsp vanilla bean paste
Whiskey or any liqueur you prefer
500g Sweet Eve strawberries

METHOD

To make the granola
Pre-heat the oven to 180°C, Then warm 2tbsps of sunflower oil, honey, sugar and cinnamon together in a saucepan. Lightly oil a baking tray. Mix together the oatmeal, oats and nuts and spread them evenly over the baking tray. Pour over the warmed honey mixture and toss well together, to coat all the dry ingredients. Roast in the oven for 15 minutes, until the mixture is crisp. Set aside to cool.

To assemble the Cranachan
Whip the cream till it forms soft peaks and then add the yoghurt, sugar, vanilla and whiskey or liqueur to taste. Break the granola into small pieces and fill serving glasses with layers of granola, cream and Sweet Eve strawberry slices.

Tenderstem Galette with Lardons, Mushrooms and Brie 

A galette is a savoury buckwheat pancake and naturally gluten-free. In France they often stuff their pancakes with ham and cheese and maybe a fried egg, or perhaps some goats’ cheese and lardons. It is fast food, often served at outdoor events but they are just as easy to make at home, and the fillings are limitless. Here the vivid green Tenderstem adds colour to the dish and gives it a healthy lift. Great for a lazy weekend breakfast or brunch.Serves: 4

Preparation time: 10 minutes (plus 2 hours to rest the batter) Cooking time: 30 minutes

INGREDIENTS

For the galette:
175g buckwheat flour
1 egg
400ml cold water (preferably sparkling)
20g melted butter (salted)
1 generous pinch of salt
salted butter for frying

For the filling:
4 shallots
200g mushrooms
100g lardons / bacon bits
1 tbsp olive oil
Salt
Pepper
500g Tenderstem
200g brie

METHOD

Start by making the batter for the galettes. Put the flour, egg, sparkling water, melted butter and salt in a bowl and whisk together. Place the batter in the fridge for at least 2 hours to rest.

Chop your shallots into small dice, slice the mushroom thinly. When you are ready to make the galette, fry your shallots and lardons in the olive oil for 5 minutes, then add the mushrooms and season. Fry for a further 5 minutes until everything is nicely cooked. Take the pan off the heat and stir through the chunks of brie which will melt and hold the mixture together. Set to one side.

Whilst the mushroom mixture is cooking either steam or boil your Tenderstem broccoli for 3-4 minutes until tender.

In a large non-stick pan, melt a knob of butter and add a ladles-worth of the galette batter into the pan. Tip the pan around to spread it out nice and thinly, just as you would to make an ordinary pancake. Remember, the first one is usually a disaster so don’t fret and just try again if this is the case!

After it has cooked on one side for 3 minutes, it should be ready to flip over and cook on the other side for a further 3 minutes. Slide the cooked galette out onto a plate. Repeat with the rest of the batter mixture.

Take 2 good spoonfuls of the lardon, brie and mushroom mixture and place in the middle of the top of each galette, then place 3-4 stems of Tenderstem on top. Fold the bottom half up and the two sides in to make a type of pocket. Serve.

Potato Pikelets, Smoked Salmon & Creme Fraiche with Shallot Sauce 

Try these tasty potato pikelets for a great savoury treat in the morning.Serves 4

Preparation time: 15 minutes Cooking time: 50 minutes

INGREDIENTS

For the sauce:
100ml extra virgin olive oil
50g shallots, finely diced or in rings
1 lemon, zest and juice
1 clove of garlic, bruised
1 sprig of thyme
1 bay leaf
25ml sherry wine vinegar
2 really ripe plum tomatoes, skinned, deseeded and cut into 1cm dice
Sea salt and mill pepper to taste
Basil leaves from 2-3 stems, finely chopped

For the pikelets:
500g floury potatoes
60g unsalted butter, melted
1 egg yolk
250g thinly sliced smoked salmon
50ml horseradish
50ml crème fraiche
10 chives, most finely chopped but keep a few long batons for decoration
2 shallots
2 sprigs of dill
1 cucumber, sliced
black mill pepper to taste

METHOD

Firstly make the base for the sauce. Place all of the ingredients apart from the vinegar, tomatoes and basil into a small pan and put onto a gentle heat. Warm the sauce until it is hot but not boiling and cook for about 20 minutes. The shallots should be cooked and soft but not coloured.

The sauce can now be poured into a clear jar, covered and stored in the fridge when cool. I think this sauce is better made a day or two before you intend to use it, as it allows the flavours to infuse. With correct storage it will keep for a couple of weeks.

Peel, quarter and cook the potatoes on a steady simmer until just cooked. Take care not to over-cook the potatoes and let them become watery. Drain the cooked potatoes then return then to the pan and set over a low heat to evaporate off excess liquid. Mash the potatoes through a moulin or potato ricer into a bowl and work in the melted butter and egg yolk. Season the mix and divide into 8 or 10 balls. Flatten the balls in a little flour to form pikelets and set onto a clean well-oiled baking tray. Bake the pikelets in a 180°c oven for 20 minutes. Carefully turn them over and cook for a further 20 minutes until light golden brown. Allow the pikelets to cool then store them in an air-tight box.

To finish the sauce, warm it through once more and remove the garlic, thyme and bay. Stir in the vinegar and add the diced tomato and basil.

To serve set one of the pikelets in the centre of the plate and lay a slice of salmon on top. Place three slices of cucumber on the salmon with the edges showing. Mix some of the chives into the crème fraiche and then combine the crème fraiche and horseradish.

Dress with the chive crème fraiche mixture, add the shallot rings and place a second slice of salmon on top.

Season with black pepper and finish with a second pikelet laid at an angle and some long chive batons. Spoon around some of the shallot sauce and serve.

For more recipes like these check out our websites – www.ukshallot.com; www.pinkladyapples.co.uk; www.tenderstem.co.uk; www.lovebeetroot.co.uk; www.streamlinefoods.co.uk; www.sweetevestrawberry.co.uk;