TSM Homemade Recipe : Breakfast

 

You probably already know how much I look forward to my daily breakfasts, as I’ve written about it in my last post here. I give as much importance to my first meal as I do with my lunch and dinner. I actually believe that this is the meal that will spell the difference in my day and in my mood in general! 🙂

I am neither a professional cook nor a trained chef but I do love to try my hand in the kitchen every now and then. And recently, I’ve been playing around with some breakfast dishes…trying my best to copy some of the delicious ones I’ve had from restaurants here and abroad.

Because I’ve received suggestions from some readers to post recipes in the blog, here are a few basic ones that you may find useful. These are really just simple and classic breakfast dishes that we always do at home and I am sure most of you have made these already or have your own homemade versions as well. 🙂

I have made my recipes here very simple and easy to follow (5 steps max!). Most of them just make use of basic ingredients too which you can most probably buy in any supermarket or neighborhood deli. There’s really nothing complicated nor pretentious here  — which is perfect for all amateur cooks like me! 🙂 Besides, breakfast is a meal which we don’t really have a lot of time to prepare for and it should really be just about comfort food.

But before I go into the recipes, let me first tell you that I don’t really measure my ingredients. Actually… that’s the way I cook! 🙂 Yes as much as possible, I avoid the measuring cups and spoons! When I cook, I simply rely on my taste or my timpla.  I cook according to what my tastebuds tell me and I just adjust accordingly. Almost everything here is based on estimation, except for the Buttermilk Pancake recipe at the very end that requires specific amounts of wet and dry ingredients — but only if you wish to do it from scratch. Because as we all know, there’s always the tried and tested packaged mix to save the day! 🙂

Eggs Benedict

Step 1 : Make the hollandaise sauce : Drop egg yolks in blender, add a dash of salt and pepper. Add some melted butter. Pulse and set aside.

Step 2 : Toast your bread. English Muffin is the best bread for Eggs Benedict. (I get mine from Lartizan in Rustan’s Supermarket in Rockwell.)  If not available,  you may use a baguette or an open pandesal.

Step 3 : Fry your ham (or bacon or salami or chorizo) in as little oil as possible. Put on top of your toasted bread.

Step 4: Poach your eggs one by one : Boil water and add a tbsp of vinegar. (This helps in your egg’s coagulation.) Crack the egg in boiling water until it turns white but not completely cooked. Remove with a slotted spoon and place on top of your ham.

Step 5 : Drizzle hollandaise sauce (as much or as little as you want) on top of poached eggs and serve immediately.

*You may replace your  ham / bacon / salami / chorizo with smoked salmon for less oil and fat.

Turmeric Eggs

Step 1 : Hard boil eggs.

Step 2 : Remove shells and cut hard boiled eggs in small cubes.

Step 3 : Combine mayonnaise, salt and pepper and turmeric powder in a bowl.

Step 4 : Mix your turmeric-mayo dressing with your cubed eggs. (Be careful when mixing them all together so that you don’t mash the eggs too much.)

Step 5 : Spoon your hard boiled egg mixture onto your favorite warm and crusty bread. (This one in the photo is toasted whole wheat pandesal.)

*For a healthier alternative, you may substitute your mayonnaise with low fat sour cream or low fat plain Greek yogurt (or a combination of both) and adjust to taste.

Egg Frittata

Step 1 : Whisk eggs in a mixing bowl. Add salt and pepper. Set aside.

Step 2 : Saute your choice filling with olive oil in a hot oven proof pan. You can use bacon, sausages, tomatoes, or whatever you fancy. (You may use one or two or all of them combined!)

Step 3 : Pour whisked eggs into your sauteed filling and let them all set together.

Step 4 : Sprinkle your favorite cheese on top. Any cheese that melts easily is best – such as Gruyere, Mozzarella or Raclette.

Step 5 : Place  your oven proof pan in your preheated oven and broil for 3-4 minutes until cheese is melted and a bit brown.  Remove from oven and slide frittata onto plate. Serve cut in wedges.

*To make it healthier, you may opt to use veggies like asparagus and button mushrooms or add fish like tuna and sardines as your frittata filling.

Grilled Ham and Cheese

Step 1 : Prepare your ham. For this dish, I used Jamon Iberico that I bought from Terry’s Selection in Pasong Tamo (which doesn’t need any cooking or heating.)

Step 2 : Spread a thin coating of butter inside your bread. Place your ham inside.

Step 3 : Add some sliced fresh and ripe tomatoes. (The bigger the tomatoes, the juicier and sweeter it is and the more delicious your sandwich will be!)

Step 4 : Add your favorite slice of hard cheese on top. In this case, I used Manchego cheese which pairs well with Spanish ham like this Jamon Iberico.

Step 5 : Toast in a regular bread toaster or in this case, a Panini maker.

*For a healthier and lower calorie dish, skip the butter and add some lettuce or arugula or alfalfa sprouts inside after toasting the sandwich.

Grilled 4-cheese Sandwich

Step 1 : Prepare your bread.

Step 2 : Spread butter on the outer sides of your bread.

Step 3 : Get a combination of your favorite cheeses – use 3 to 4 different kinds. For this dish, I used 2 soft (Mozzarella and Goat’s cheese) and 2 hard (Gruyere and Manchego).

Step 4 : Place your cheeses inside your bread and fry your bread in a hot pan – the buttered side down – till golden brown. (No is oil needed since you have butter already on the outer side of your bread.)

Step 5 : Serve warm. Best combo pairing with this sandwich? Warm, thick and hearty Tomato Soup!

*You cannot skip butter in this recipe since that is what will make your bread golden brown. Use light butter and whole wheat bread instead for a healthier option.

Open-faced Truffled Ham and Cheese

Step 1 : Prepare your ham. (Again, I used Jamon Iberico here.)

Step 2 : Toast your preferred bread. (I used whole wheat pandesal and I cut it open so it becomes two!)

Step 3 : Spread your favorite soft or Cream Cheese on the bread. (In this case, I used my favorite Goat’s Cheese.)

Step 4 : Top cheese with ham and drizzle it with some Truffle honey and / or Fig jam (I buy these from Bacchus Epicerie in Rockwell).

*The healthier alternative is taking out the ham and just using your soft cheese and honey. But then again, that can’t be called a ham and cheese sandwich anymore 🙂

Classic French Toast

Step 1 : Prepare your sliced bread. Brioche or any thick-cut sliced bread works best here.

Step 2 : Mix 1 egg, 1/2 cup milk, a few drops of vanilla, a dash of nutmeg, some salt and beat lightly.

Step 3 : Dip your sliced bread in the milk mixture and fry in a non-stick, buttered pan.

Step 4 : Fry until golden brown.

Step 5 : Top with your favorite fruits and toasted nuts. I used mixed berries and toasted almond flakes here. Drizzle with maple syrup or honey. French Toast is also perfect with sunny-side eggs!

*Use whole wheat bread instead of white to make you feel less guilty 🙂

Classic Waffles

(This one you can only do if you have a Waffle maker at home.)

Step 1 : Prepare your batter mixture.

If you are short on time – as we all are – you can buy packaged pancake or waffle mixes from any supermarket and just follow the instructions at the back 🙂

Step 2 : Heat waffle maker and brush with a little butter. Place batter mixture inside and cook until golden brown.

Step 3 : Top your waffles with your favorite fruits and nuts, and drizzle with maple syrup or honey.

*For more calories, add whipped cream on top and / or serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side! 🙂

Buttermilk Pancakes

Just like with the Waffle recipe above, you may choose to buy the ready-made Pancake mixes available in supermarkets. But for those who want to do away with packaged mixes and prefer to make the batter from scratch, here’s an easy to follow recipe (which can also be used to make your waffles) :

Step 1 : Combine your dry ingredients in 1st bowl: 1 cup all purpose flour, 1 tbsp sugar, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1/4 tsp baking soda.

Step 2 : Combine your wet ingredients in 2nd bowl : 1 cup buttermilk, 1 beaten egg, 2 tbsp melted butter.

Step 3 : Pour the 2nd bowl into your 1st bowl and whisk them all together.

Step 4 : Place your batter on oiled pan and cook according to desired pancake size and until golden brown.

Step 5 : Top with your favorite fruits and toasted nuts, or like in this one, I topped it with my favorite combo of bananas, toasted almond flakes, a thin spread of Peanut Butter, a dollop of Ricotta cheese (instead of whipped cream) and a just slight drizzle of pure maple syrup.

*For added ooomph and to do the most popular thing nowadays, replace your Peanut Butter with the classic favorite Nutella or that addicting Speculoos Cookie Butter! 🙂

There you go… just a few of my very basic and simple homemade dishes for breakfast!

Share with me your favorite breakfast recipes too!

Bon Appetit!!