BRUNCH RECIPES FROM FOOD FOR THOUGHT WITH CLAIRE THOMAS

Saturday morning breakfast is a tradition in the Thomas household, and it is entirely under my dad's supervision.  As I've mentioned before, his culinary purview is limited to french fries, grilling, and breakfast. The crispy hash browns (which are actually my mum's recipe) are derivative of bubble and squeak, and the eggs are my creation, along with Red Velvet Pancakes and Henry's favorite Cornflake Crusted French Toast.  Why not wake up a little early this Saturday and surprise someone with a tray of the good stuff?  Enjoy!


Cornflake Crusted French Toast

Ingredients:
For about 10 slices of French Toast
1 brioche loaf, sliced into one inch slices

3 eggs

2 cups whole milk

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups corn flakes
Maple Syrup (to serve)

Beat together the eggs, milk, and spices. Crush the cornflakes with a rolling pin. Dunk the bread in the egg/milk mixture and place it on top of the cornflakes. Pat the bread down, flip, and pat again. Place the coated bread into a well greased pan heated over medium heat and cook until browned on both sides. Plate with butter and syrup and devour.

Red Velvet Pancakes





Ingredients:
For 8 pancakes

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons white sugar

2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1 large egg, lightly beaten

3/4 buttermilk

1/4 cup creme fraiche or sour cream

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1 tablespoon red food coloring

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Mascarpone Spread:

4 oz softened mascarpone

2 oz creme fraiche

2 tablespoons white sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon lemon zest

In a large bowl whisk together the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl whisk together the egg, buttermilk, and creme fraiche/sour cream,melted butter, red food coloring, and vanilla extract. Add them together and whisk just until combined. A little lumpy is fine. Heat a frying pan or griddle over medium high heat. When hot add butter or oil to grease, followed by a small scoop of the batter. Wait for the pancakes to bubble (2-3 minutes), flip and cook for a minute or two more. Meanwhile, mix all of the ingredients in the mascarpone spread together, and use to garnish the pancakes with some maple syrup. Enjoy!

Thomas Family Breakfast

Pancetta Fried Eggs and Hash Browns:

Ingredients:

 4 large eggs

4 thin slices of pancetta

salt and pepper

olive oil

2 tablespoons parsley, finely chopped

4 russet potatoes

3 cloves of garlic, minced

Directions:

Spear the potatoes with a fork a few times over the skin.  Pop the potatoes in the microwave and cook for 13 to 15 minutes, until the skin is pulling away and the potato is soft (you can also boil or bake the potatoes if you prefer).  Roughly chop up the potatoes and discard any large sheets of the skin.  


Heat a large saucepan with about 1/4 cup olive oil and the garlic over a medium flame.  Add the potatoes and mix to combine, then press everything down, forming a sort of patty.  Salt and pepper them, then let the potatoes cook, untouched, for a few minutes, until just starting to get golden brown on the bottom.  Flip the potatoes (as best as you can, it may fall apart a little), pat down and salt and pepper that side, and cook for a few minutes more until that side is golden brown.  Repeat this process (about 20 minutes) until the potatoes are a deep golden brown and crunchy.  With the back  of your spatula, break the potatoes apart and stir around.  Done!  


For the eggs, cook the pancetta over medium heat until crunchy on one side.  Flip the pancetta and crack an egg over it.  Salt and pepper the egg and cook until the whites are no longer clear.  Sprinkle a little parsely over the egg and enjoy!