Early Favourites

Sun Herald

Sunday June 11, 2006

By Karen Martini

These recipes make breakfast special - whether you're having decadent French toast a deux or sitting down to a late, leisurely brunch.

1. Egg, leek and bacon piesThese pies are delicious straight from the oven - when the pastry and cheese are meltingly warm. But if you can stop yourself from eating the lot, pack them up for an outdoor brunch or breakfast picnic.

2 leeks, trimmed and cut into 6- to 8-centimetre pieces

2 sheets frozen ready-rolled

puff pastry, thawed

5 rashers bacon, chopped

2 eschalots, chopped

160g goat's cheese

6 free-range eggs, whisked

200ml pouring cream

6 sprigs flat-leaf parsley, chopped

sea salt and freshly cracked

black pepper

Makes 8

Preheat oven to 170C fan-forced (190C conventional). Cook leeks in lightly salted boiling water over medium heat for 8-10 minutes or until tender. Drain and set aside. Cut each pastry sheet into quarters and line 8 greased muffin tins, pushing pastry into the base of each one.

Heat a non-stick frying pan over medium heat, add bacon and cook for

3 minutes. Add eschalots and cook until bacon is crisp. Divide leek and bacon mixture evenly between pies and sprinkle with goat's cheese.

Combine eggs, cream and parsley and season well. Divide egg mixture evenly between pies. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden and cooked. Serve warm.

2. Dried fruit compoteServe this delicious breakfast compote with yoghurt, muesli or porridge. It can be made at any time of the year and will keep for at least seven days in the fridge.

650g mixed dried fruit (choose

from apricots, pears, peaches, prunes, apples, figs, etc)

200g caster sugar

1.5L water

1 lemon, zest only

1/2 vanilla bean, split

Serves 6-8

Combine all ingredients in a large saucepan and stir over low heat for 4 minutes, or until sugar dissolves. Bring to the boil, then reduce heat further and simmer over very low heat, partly covered, for 50-60 minutes, stirring occasionally.

(Add more water if mixture gets too dry.) Serve warm or cold.

3. French wholemeal toast with parmesan and baconTo make old-school French toast even more decadent, fry the bread in the same pan as the bacon. 4 thick rashers bacon

3 large free-range eggs

sea salt and freshly cracked

black pepper

4 slices wholemeal bread

6 tbsp grated parmesan

80ml olive oil

4 sprigs flat-leaf parsley, chopped

1/2 lemon

Serves 2

Heat a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Add bacon and cook for

3 minutes on each side. Remove pan from heat.

Whisk eggs in a shallow bowl and season well. Dip bread in egg, coating both sides, when dip in parmesan on both sides.

Move bacon to the sides of the pan, return to heat and add olive oil. When

oil is hot, cook bread for 2-3 minutes each side or until golden and cooked.

(This may need to be done in batches.)

To serve, place one slice of toast on each plate, top with bacon and parsley, then add a second slice of toast. Serve warm with a squeeze of lemon.

Food for thought

For a vegetarian breakfast pie, omit the bacon from the egg, leek and bacon pies (see previous page) and add mushrooms instead. Slice 300g button or field mushrooms and chop 2 cloves garlic, then saute with the eschalots in a little olive oil over medium heat for 10 minutes or until juices have evaporated. Add

to the pastry shells with the leeks and follow the rest of the recipe.

With a cup/glass of...

1 ENGLISH BREAKFAST TEA

Egg, leek and bacon pies

2 EARL GREY TEA

Dried fruit compote

3 MINERAL WATER

French wholemeal toast with parmesan and bacon

© 2006 Sun Herald

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