There is nothing quite so delicious as a lazy Sunday morning sleep in, followed by the unhurried preparation of something extra special for breakfast. This has now become a bit of a tradition for us; we may knock up a good ol’ fashioned fry up, or when we crave something a little sweet, Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes hit the spot. But we have made some fantastic recipes of late, so thought I would share some of them.
I first saw this recipe on the new cooking show by Sophie Dahl, The Delicious Miss Dahl. The series is entirely frustrating in parts (read this article for the dirt), though I must confess I am enthralled by her dreamy voice and perfectly gorgeous kitchen. Anyway, in the episode titled “Romance”, Dahl prepares a few dishes for the three different stages of romance; first date, honeymoon and settled-on-the-sofa. This breakfast dish, for obvious reasons, is best eaten in the honeymoon stage.
Ingredients
For the blinis
85g buckwheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
salt and freshly ground black pepper
145ml milk
1 tsp mustard powder
75g cheddar cheese, grated
small handful chopped fresh chives
2 free-range egg whites, preferably organic
pinch salt
knob of unsalted butter
For the scrambled eggs
3 free range or organic eggs (plus 2 remaining egg yolks)
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
knob of unsalted butter
To serve
1 tbsp chopped fresh chives
125g smoked salmon
1 lemon, cut into wedges
Method
- For the blinis, mix together the buckwheat flour, baking powder, a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper and the milk to make a smooth batter.
- Add the mustard powder, cheddar and chives and mix until well combined.
- In a seperate bowl, whisk the egg whites with a pinch of salt until soft peaks form when the whisk is removed.
- Gradually fold the whisked egg whites into the batter mixture using a metal spoon.
- Melt the butter in a frying pan over a medium high heat, and spoon large tablespoons of the batter into the pan to make medium sized pancakes, about 10cm/4in in diameter.
- Fry the blinis for 2-3 minutes until small bubbles appear on the surface and the underside looks cooked. Turn the blinis over and cook on the other side for a further 1-2 minutes, or until golden-brown. Keep warm.
- Repeat until all of the mixture is used up.
- For the scrambled eggs, whisk the eggs in a bowl, and season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- Melt the butter in a small saucepan over a medium heat, then pour in the eggs, stirring a little to break the eggs up slightly as they set. Cook for 1-2 minutes, then remove the pan from the heat and set the eggs aside to finish cooking for a further 1-2 minutes.
- To serve, place one or two blinis onto each of two serving plates, spoon on the scrambled eggs, and sprinkle over the chopped chives. Arrange the smoked salmon on the side, and finish with the lemon wedges.
Note: I did halve the recipe from the original, as two blinis per person is just not humanly possible to consume.
So what food traditions have you started with your family or significant other?
I love smoked salmon but I don’t usually think to have it for breakfast. The only food tradition that comes to mind is if one of us is sick, the other person goes out to buy crumpets. That’s our special food when we’re sick, we don’t usually eat them any other time. Total comfort food!
Love it. Much healthier than my breakfast today…Hot Jam Doughnuts..I can see the quality in the eggs you’re using here. I love cracking an egg open to find a spectacular orange yolk.
Oh yummy. Love this sunday lazy brunch. There is no particular tradition. But usually anything with EGGS.
Scrambles and smoked salmon was ‘our food tradition’ with my ex; looks like I’ll have to find a new one!
But this…this is fantastic.
Ooooh yum! I don’t think it should be exclusive to breakfast. It’s great for lunch and dinner too. (I admit, I usually skip breakfast *blush*) But whenever we do have breakfast with the family, it’s usually a macaroni soup or pancakes!
Hey Deb – smoked salmon is a regular breakfast item for us. We love it! But I love the crumpets idea
Especially with lots of butter and honey (though EG seems to prefer vegemite!).
Hi Adrian – ahh, hot jam doughnuts sounds like a breakfast of champions! The eggs I used here were from Kangaroo Island – yum!
Hey Penny – EG is an egg fiend too. Perhaps a Singaporean predilection?
Hello Vee – oops! Sorry for bringing that one up *blush*
Hiya Megan – it is actually a dish for any time of the day really. Could well imagine whipping this up for a quick supper.
Yum, yum, and yum. Love Sunday breakfasts.
I would never have thought to do something like that for a breakfast. I love the good ol’ fry up and the odd pancake but I think this would be great when I feel like going all out with the hibby.
Hi Mellie,
I absolutely love your blog!! You write such good reviews on food that often i’d be starving for some of that food! I was just wondering if you could spare some time and recommend some good, classy restaurants. My bf’s 21st is coming up, and I’d like to splurge a little for it as we’re away from family and his country’s traditions dictate that he treats his friends for his birthday! The main criterias for the restaurants would be good food, good-sized portions (he’s a bottomless pit) and that it should be in the city or inner suburbs. I have a budget of $150. I’m considering The Press Club, but recent reviews seem to indicate that it’s more expensive and the portions have gone down since its opening. Any thoughts and recommendations?
Mmmm this looks great. I really like good breakfast food.
My favorite is Saturday morning cafe visits on a non-working weekend. Get to sleep in a little, see (hopefully) the sun, read the A2 news paper AND know that you don’t have to get up to work tomorrow!
Pity I am working 14 hours a day on this weekend.
How good is that picture? Salivating, it always has to be good to start your day.
Hey Anna and Mark – yup, I concur. I LURVE my Special Sunday Breakfasts. I should really get around to posting more of them! What’s your favourite?
Hi Melissa – this is a lovely recipe to impress. And it doesn’t take too much effort really. Go on, your hubby will love it.
Hi Regina – apologies for the tardy response. I hope your BF’s birthday hasn’t been and gone!? Will email you to find out…
Hey there Tzu-yen – oh dear, I really don’t know how you do it
I think one of the things I enjoy most about Special Breakfast Sunday is the unhurried approach to cooking it. It is super relaxing.
Hey Andreas – thanks!
Love the blog, and love salmon, eggs, toast & hollandaise. Although I do like simple eggs Benedict just a little more.
I had a feeling Eggs Benedict, with the Bacon swapped for Salmon was royale, but I can’t find it anywhere, even on wikipedia!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eggs_Benedict#Variations
Either way that looks delicious. PS Sorry about the extremely close blog name, I only just discovered yours.
Loved this post – and the link to the scathing article about Ms Dahl’s show was gold – pure b*^chy gold. My bf and I also indulge in scrambled eggs, with truffle butter, melted cheese, parsley and dijon mustard on toast. All enjoyed on the couch in the morning sun.
HI there Simon – thanks for your comment! I too love a good Eggs Benedict, although I must confess I’m a bit of a snob as I’ll only order it from places I know who make their own hollandaise (…or alternatively, make it myself!). No worries re: the close blog name. Question though – what exactly is a tummy crumble?!?! Why the name?
Hey Forager – yes, a little part of me applauded that article, although I was somewhat torn because I did enjoy parts of the episode (when I wasn’t gritting my teeth). But dang, she had some great recipes. Oooh, I very much like the idea of your special breakfast! I must give that one a go myself! Do you make your own truffle butter, or is there a particular brand you go for?
Hey mellie, yea agree average/not perfect hollandaise is BAD news. Haven’t made it myself though, might give that a go!
Tummy crumble means making your tummy crumble (aka melt) with yummy food. Seemed to make sense when I came up with it, but now the meaning’s a bit weird, but I still like the name.
Oh and since my comment earlier I’ve discovered a couple more tummy & rumble, crumble, grumble combinations out there…
Hi Mellie
Cheers for the post. Love having salmon in the morning for breakfast so good to see a variation.
Do you notice a difference using organic eggs? – I’ve never tried them. Free range eggs are definitely the way to go though.
Hey Simon – you should certainly give the home made hollandaise a go. It can be a little scary the first time you make it, but ooh..the results are fantastic! Yes, there are a few tummy*** iterations out there. I was just unsure of the meaning of your title. I understand now
Good luck with the new blog!
Hi George – thanks for your question…it is an interesting one! I think there is certainly a difference in cage eggs vs. free-range/organic. And then I think there is a difference again in the free-range/organic bought from a supermaket and bought from a farmers market. Personally, I find a difference in one farmers eggs to the other (depends on the feed, conditions etc.), so if you find a farmer/brand that you like, stick to it!
I’ll definitely be giving these blinis a try – yours look lovely! So much more appetising than the Delicious Miss Dahl’s.
I think Jan Moir’s review was a little too picky. Do people really expect that TV cooks are all cooking in their own kitchens? Or do I need to revise my view and recognise that Huey, Poh and even Julie Goodwin are letting camera crews into their homes? I was surprised by the addition of rhubarb in the Eton Mess and beef in the pie of sheep herders, but I get the feeling Ms Moir would have slammed Sophie for being obvious had she made these recipes the traditional way.