Breaking my fast

Well actually that was the food with which my fast was broken last Saturday after I returned from the Farmer's markets about 6amish. I bought the fresh asparagus and herbs there and couldn't resist poaching a free range egg, toasting some turkish and eating bacon after having had smoked trout for my weekend breakfast staple for the last few weeks.

P and I have a great love of the cooked breakfast particularly on the weekend. We rarely feel the need to buy breakfast out on a weekend anymore. To tell you the truth there isn't anyone from whom we can buy it that can prepare it any better than we can. I think awwwwwwwww though maybe The Gunshop in West End comes close and those coconut crumpets at Timmy's in Southbank well they are divine. I think the only reason to continue dining out for breakfast is for inspiration really.

I believe our love of the cooked breakfast and another of the reasons we are loathe to go out for breakfast was because we were spoiled by breakfasting in Vancouver for about a year. While there we would go to Frankies our favourite cafe and P would order a version of Japanese fast food - Katsudon. A deep fried crumbed pork fillet on rice with egg and onion and some soy sauce like sauce. I would have pancakes, maple syrup and bacon. And we would wash this down with bottomless filtered coffee and read the papers to our hearts content. All this for about $12 including a tip.

This type of food probably all sounds a bit odd for the average Australian palate for breakfast. For one Frankies was not your typical Japanese cafe and there were no Japanese waiters for that matter but Japanese food for breakfast seemed right at any time of day when dining at Frankies. The other thing is that most Australians can't imagine ever being used to eating maple syrup with bacon and pancakes for breakfast. It took me a little while to become used to it too, but now that I have I sometimes crave it and it MUST be real maple syrup, imitation maple syrup isn't worthy.

Frankies also had every condiment our little breakfast eating heart's desired. We are partial to a good chillie sauce on our breakfast which these days makes it difficult to share our breakfasts with the little ones. When it comes to chillie sauces I have the best sources in Brisbane for cajun or Louisiana style sauce. Most of the time, when dining out for breakfast I noticed you don't get offered more than the Worcestershire or the ubiquitous tomato sauce if your lucky and your lucky when you ask if it makes it to the table while your breakfast is hot. And you have to pay and pay and pay again if you decide to indulge in more than one coffee. So that means a leisurely breakfast starts looking in the order of $40 or more.

So P and I solved our problems and bought a Gaggia coffee machine and we have our favourite Merlos coffee on hand and we have the papers ( we might even be able to get the Weekend Australian again now that the baby is almost sleeping through) and we can let the wee ones run amok and after breakfast we can sit and relax for as long as we want, taking it in turns to make the perfect flat white.

I learned how to make the so-called perfect omelette from the New York Times and when I worked in the restaurant of a small boutique hotel in London (The Dorset Square Hotel) I learned how to make smoked salmon scrambled eggs. Two of the most valuable foodie lessons I have ever acquired.

I say it is the so-called perfect omelette because the article said that the perfect omelette must be made so that it has a silky-smooth consistency and the omelette must not brown. However, when making a double cheese omelette, which means putting grated Parmesan in with the egg mixture prior to cooking it is impossible for the omelette not to brown. A double cheese omelette tastes fantastic so as far as I am concerned that doesn't mean to me that its not perfect.

Here are some of my favourite breakfast combinations I would love to hear of others from anyone else:

English muffins, smoked salmon, poached eggs and hollandaise sauce
Herbed double cheese omelette filled with cream cheese and chives, pan fried turkish bread with either smoked trout or bacon.
Pan fried, turkish bread, poached eggs, grilled mushroom, and asparagus, bacon.
Smoked salmon scrambled eggs - turkish or muffins.
French toast with maple syrup and bacon.
Blueberry pancakes, with yoghurt and fruit.

I could go on and on about what is so good to me about breakfast but I think that is enough for my first food post on NJD except I have to post one more picture. P saw my picture of Saturday's breakfast and then Gabriella and I had to go shopping so he took (in his words) a picture of a more masculine version of the same breakfast.