My friend Cree’s homemade granola set the bar so high that we’ve never had one on the site. We dubbed hers ‘Crackola’ as it was so utterly addictive, I had to hide it in my own kitchen. Finally a granola exists that rivals Cree’s and I’m over the moon to finally be able to offer it on Many Kitchens.

 

Nuts & Bolts Granola has just the right amount of sweet and salty, crunchy and chewy. It’s the maple syrup, extra virgin olive oil and mixture of roughly chopped nuts that makes me look forward to my new favorite breakfast.

 

I like it with greek yoghurt, a handful of berries and a drizzle of honey but how ever you like your granola, I urge you to give this one a try – you won’t be disappointed.

 

Blueberry Granola Parfait

Serves 1

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Nuts & Bolts Granola

1/2 cup Greek yoghurt

1/2 cup Blueberries

Kosher Wild Flower Honey for drizzling

 

Method:

Mix all the above ingredients and eat immediately to start your day off right!

 

The best thing about doing the Vanderbilt Holiday market this last December was meeting new producers. There was a fair bit of down time, so we all got to know each other and sample lots of incredible foods. I loved hearing everyone sharing their experience proving once again that cooperation, and not competition, is the new way forward. I met Nate Cotanch of Zia Green Chile Company there with his fiery roasted green and red chiles which I’m so excited to be selling on Many Kitchens. I couldn’t wait to try them on some Huevos Rancheros – they added just the right amount of heat and smokiness to a favorite brunch dish.

 

Having just got back from Mexico, I made them again wanting to transport myself back to the beach and town that I have grown to love so much. Every year, I worry that Tulum has been written about so much that it will be overrun with tourists pouring out of tour buses and every year, it’s as heavenly and perfect as a vacation can be. In the past year, the only thing that has exploded is the number of extraordinarily good new restaurants. No more reason to wait in line at Hartwood which has now become so famous it has its own bestselling cookbook. New restaurants like Kitchen Table and Arca are equally impressive with their open kitchens and wood burning fire places delivering mouthwatering dishes from local produce in a relaxed jungle setting. I’m counting the days till next year! Till then I’ll have to transport myself with the flavors that I crave like fire roasted tortillas and roasted chiles.

 

 

Huevos Rancheros

Serves 2

Ingredients:

Olive oil for frying

2 eggs

2 small corn tortillas

4 heaped tablespoons of refried beans

2 teaspoons roasted red chiles

2 teaspoons roasted green chiles (Medium or Hot)

2 tablespoons chopped avocado

Cilantro leaves for sprinkling

Queso fresco for sprinkling

 

Method:

1. Fry the eggs the way you like them. I think they are best crispy around the outside with the yolk still soft which is achieved by frying them in hot oil and spooning the hot oil onto the whites until the egg is cooked.

2. On a medium flame, using tongs, heat the tortillas till the edges just begin to brown and flip. About 30 seconds on each side. You’ll see the tortillas bubbling and slightly smoking before you flip. Don’t go so long that you scorch them.

3. Place a tortilla on each plate, divide the refried beans between the two and then top each with a fried egg.

4. Sprinkle the remaining ingredients, adding more or less to your taste and serve immediately while hot.

 

When I first moved to New York I was obsessed with Eggs Benedict. Ben and I would scour NY every weekend in search of the ultimate version. We had a complicated scoring system that involved heavy weighting on runniness of yolk, crispiness of muffin and had a lighter weighting for side dishes, music, friendliness of waiters etc. Many a Sunday morning was spent pondering how many eggs were being cracked across the 5 boroughs as we filled our score cards. Back then our favorite was Cafe Mogador in the East Village. Ben even went so far as to contact a man he found online who had his own Eggs Benedict blog, convinced that he had found my soul mate. Closer inspection showed that he had several other blogs devoted to devil worshiping and that perhaps a mutual love of poached eggs on a muffin might not be the basis for a lasting relationship. 

 

That was 15 years ago and the breakfast sandwich has evolved a great deal. Nowadays, you’re more likely to see Avocado toast on a NY brunch menu than Eggs Benedict. Back then, the only place you could find it was Cafe Gitane – now it’s ubiquitous in restaurants (as well as on blogs). I was a late adopter but am now a fully fledged, card holding member of the Avocado brigade and have been perfecting my own breakfast version for a while now.

 

 

Breakfast Sandwich

Ingredients:

2 pieces of 7 grain bread, toasted

2 tablespoons of Chili Butter

1/2 avocado

1 slice of prosciutto

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 egg

Large flake sea salt

 

Method:

1. Spread your chili butter on top of both of your slices of toast. Next, smash your avocado with a fork onto one of the slices of toast. Lay your slice of prosciutto on top of the smashed avocado.

2. Next, heat your olive oil in a small frying pan. Once oil is hot, add egg and fry until the sides are nice and crunchy and the yolk is just cooked but still runny. I like to tip the pan and using a spoon, collect some of the hot oil and pour over the egg white so it cooks on top.

3. Place your egg on top of the prosciutto and season with sea salt. Top with your remaining slice of toast and enjoy. It’s messy but incredibly delicious.

 

Sometimes the simplest recipes are the best. I learnt how to make these scrambled eggs from my father who is a firm believer that you never add milk and you have to take your time.

 

 

Creamy Scrambled Eggs and Bacon

Serves 2

Ingredients:

4 organic eggs

2 tablespoons butter

Salt and pepper to taste

Bacon (Schaller & Weber’s Double Smoked Bacon is my favorite) Just pan fry slices until crispy and blot on paper towels before serving

 

Method:

1. Melt the butter in a saucepan and reduce to the lowest heat possible.

2. Meanwhile break the eggs into a bowl, add salt and beat with a fork.

3. Add eggs to the saucepan and keep on the lowest heat possible.

4. With a wooden spoon, gently scrape the bottom of the pan continuously. This part takes the longest but is worth it!

5. The eggs should begin to slowly solidify.

6. Turn the heat off just BEFORE you think they’re done. They will keep cooking once the heat is turned off.

7. Serve with hot buttered toast and bacon.

 

If it weren’t for my Mother, I would never have learned to cook, parallel park or paint a wall. For me, it’s never been an issue of technique but of patience, mainly my utter lack of it.

 

Mom would always catch me when I tried to take shortcuts like the time I wanted to “learn to sew” and instead of using a needle and thread I found a stapler. (Note to my mother: you have to admit, the stapler was far more efficient). Or the time I tried to melt a block of cheese to make a bastardized Mornay sauce. Sometimes you just have to do things the right way.

 

So in tribute to my mother who I can’t join for Mother’s Day, I’d love to share a well planned and executed Mother’s Day Brunch. Proving that yes, I have listened to her all these years.

 

I plan to have this meal with my mother when I see her next in Portland and I’m hoping that she’ll bring her cinnamon rolls. She is famous for never giving the recipe in its correct form. She likes to say she “measures by hand” but the recipe changes every time so no one but her can recreate it. Pretty sneaky, don’t you think?

 

Bellini

Ingredients

2 oz. peach purée

6 oz. prosecco

 

Method

1. Add prosecco to a champagne flute.

2. Top with peach purée

 

Iced Tea with Mint Simple Syrup 

Serves 6
12 teaspoons of favorite tea (I used Scarlet Glow but you can also substitute 1 bag for every 2 teaspoons if you aren’t using loose leaf)
1 lemon

 

Simple Syrup

Ingredients
1/2 cup sugar
1 bunch fresh mint leaves

 

Method
1.To make simple syrup, take a small saucepan and combine 1/2 cup of water with 1/2 cup of sugar.

2. Bring to a boil and add a handful of fresh mint leaves.

3. Stir until sugar has disolved and allow to rest for about 10 minutes.

4. Next brew tea (I like to brew it a little stronger if I’m mixing it for an iced tea). 

5. Remove mint leaves from simple syrup and discard. Add infused simple syrup to the tea to reach desired sweetness. 

6. Refrigerate until cool (this can be done overnight). 

7. Serve over ice with a garnish of a lemon slice and sprig of fresh mint. Very refreshing!

Sautéed Mushroom, Tarragon, Shallot and Goat Cheese Salad 

Serves 2

Ingredients
2 tablespoons butter
1 container of baby portabella mushrooms, rinsed and sliced
1 large shallot, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons fresh chopped tarragon
2 cups rinsed and torn boston lettuce
1/2 cup goat cheese crumbled
Olive Oil
Salt and freshly cracked pepper

 

Method

1. In a medium sized sauté pan add butter and melt on medium-high heat.

2. Add in mushrooms, shallot and tarragon. Cook in batches so as not to overcrowd about 8 minutes per batch- turning several times.

3. Cook until shallot has begun to caramelize and mushrooms are golden brown.

4. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

5. Plate 1 cup of lettuce per serving and drizzle with a good olive oil. 

6. Top with warm mushroom mixture and crumbled goat cheese. 

7. Add a bit of cracked pepper and serve warm.

Basic Hollandaise 

Makes about 1 cup

Ingredients
4 egg yolks
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
1 lemon, juiced
8 tablespoons of butter (1 stick), melted
2 dashes of tabasco sauce (optional)
Salt and freshly cracked pepper

Method

1. Fill a small saucepan with water to measure  2 inches up its sides. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to a simmer.

2. In a heat-proof bowl, whisk the egg yolks.

3. Add bowl to the top of the saucepan (make sure no part of the bowl touches the water– you don’t want to scramble the yolks).

4. Whisk yolks until they double in size and add dijon and lemon juice.

5. Slowly drizzle in melted (but not sizzling hot) butter, whisking as you go.

6. Once sauce is evenly mixed and easily coats the back of a spoon, add in tabasco, if desired, and season with salt and pepper.

*If you break your hollandaise, an easy remedy is to add another egg yolk and 1 tablespoon of cold water and whisk until sauce returns to its correct texture.

 

Perfect Poached Egg

Ingredients
2 teaspoons vinegar (white wine or rice vinegar work great)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 egg

 

Method

1. Fill a saute pan with 2-inch sides halfway up with water and bring to a boil.

2. Reduce to a simmer and add vinegar and salt.

3. Crack your egg into a measuring cup/teacup. Slowly pour your egg into center of the pan and use a slotted spoon to stir the water until the egg whites gather around the yolk.

4. Cover the pan, turn off the heat and allow to rest for 5 minutes covered.

5. Use a slotted spatula (I prefer over a spoon) to collect the poached egg.

6. Blot off excess water with a paper towel and serve warm. The white should be firm and the yolk soft but not too jiggly.

 

Serve with
4 Extra Extra Large Latkes from Linda’s Gourmet Latkes (or if you’re feeling ambitious: make them yourself)
4 hearty slices of Smoked Salmon
1/4 cup finely chopped chives to garnish
Freshly cracked pepper

 

Method

1. Warm latkes according to instructions.

2. Top with smoked salmon, a perfectly poached egg and a generous helping of hollandaise sauce.

3. Serve two per plate since these are sooo delicious!

4. Garnish with chives and freshly cracked pepper. Enjoy!