The Earlybird Kitchen on Toast...Part One

Toast is a highly versatile and easy choice for breakfast. A base that can host a huge variety of flavours, from sweet to savoury. It is delicious with homemade preserves, tangy marmalade or marmite, these are all very good friends with toast, if it is convenience you are looking for. Some of my recipes here are quick and easy to follow, others slightly more leisurely, some richer in taste and others, simple, but by no means less delicious for breakfast. Try out the homemade baked beans, slowly cooked with blackstrap molasses and smoked bacon, undoubtedly more delicious than anything you could ever have out of a can. 

A gentle word on toast. Toast needs to be made out of the finest bread you can buy. Bread that arrives sealed in a plastic bag, its origin unknown, and pre-cut by some whirring machine is I know a convenience for many. I would encourage you to step away from the supermarket shelves however, and introduce yourself to your local bakery. This may cost you a few pence more but the taste and satisfaction you will gain from a piece of toast that crunches on the outside and is soft in the middle, possibly chewy, made in small batches, will outweigh any extra cost. The choices are bountiful for you out there, from open textured bread with walnuts to different grains and seeds, sourdough and Rye of all kinds, not just simply brown or white. When you tap bread of quality on its underside it makes a pleasing sound, try it. As with everything concerning food it is a personal choice, but, I think grilling the bread always tastes much better than using a toaster. Toasters are uncontrollable and unforgiving, invariably drying the bread within an inch of its life. Grilling is the way to getting a crisp outside and a chewy centre. So always use the grill if you possibly can. In this health conscious era where for many of us we aim to lower our daily carbohydrate intake. I would say this, eat less bread, not everyday, but when you do, use only the finest.

Poached Eggs on Chewy Brown Toast

Serves 1

2 thick slices of chewy brown bread

2 large fresh free range eggs

Butter to spread

Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper

The eggs must be fresh, no more than 3 or 4 days old. This is key to perfectly poached eggs. The reason for failure is always this. Set a skillet on the heat filled with 3 cms of fresh water. Bring this gently to a simmer. Crack your egg onto a saucer and let it slide into the slowly simmering bath. Think champagne bubbles and recreate that effect with your water. Repeat with second egg and time in the water for exactly one minute. When the minute is up remove from the heat. Time the eggs in the water for a further 9 minutes. Spoon a bit of the water over the whites gently to make sure they are cooked completely through. Whilst the eggs are sitting in their warm bath prepare your toast. Put your slices of bread under the grill and carefully watch the bread, making sure it does not burn. Grill both sides until they are evenly toasted to a light golden brown. Remove and spread thinly with some butter. Remove the eggs individually with a slotted spoon, letting the water drain off fully. Place eggs gently onto the toast. Sprinkle with some seasoning and add a few finely snipped chives if you like.

Devilled Mushrooms on Walnut Bread Toast

Serves 2

4 slices of walnut bread

16 small Portobello mushrooms

16 chestnut mushrooms

1 small red mild chilli

1 clove smoked garlic

1 tspn paprika

splash of green Tabasco

4 slices of open grained walnut bread

50 ml double cream

Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper

Knob of unsalted butter and a splash of olive oil

These mushrooms have a gentle kick, if you wish to spice things up further, the mushrooms can take it. Firstly prepare all your ingredients. The chestnut mushrooms need a careful wipe with a piece of kitchen roll and then thinly sliced. Peel the Portobello mushrooms and slice them a little thicker. Wash and remove seeds and membrane from the chilli and chop finely. Set a large skillet on the heat and add your butter and oil, let this melt slowly. Put your mushrooms in. Avoid stirring the mushrooms at this stage otherwise you will bruise them and they may become slimy, just shake the pan occasionally to prevent sticking. Let them cook for about 4 minutes, sprinkle the fresh chilli in, crush the garlic into the pan, add the paprika and gently shake the pan to mix in the flavours. Splash in the Tabasco, I have used green as I love its fresh taste but if you have red then use that, it will be fine. Add a small pinch of salt. Gently combine the ingredients with a small wooden spoon. Cook for a further 2 minutes on a gentle heat. Add in the double cream and combine. Place your bread under the grill and toast until lightly golden on both sides. Put the toast on the plate and spoon over the mushrooms they need to be good and hot. Sprinkle with some ripped parsley and freshly cracked black pepper.

Grilled Streaky Bacon and Tomato with Avocado, Rocket and Thai Sweet Chilli Sauce on Wholemeal Toast

Serves 1

1 slice wholemeal bread

3 slices smoked streaky bacon

1 large ripe tomato

1/2 ripe avocado

Thai sweet chilli sauce

Handful of peppery rocket

Olive oil

garlic clove (optional)

Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper

Grill your bacon under a medium heat along with your washed and halved ripe tomato. It is hard to say how long this will take as all tomatoes vary in size, bacon in thickness. The bacon should be crispy and the tomato slightly caramelised on top. Grill your bread until golden brown. At this stage if you wanted to you could rub a clove of garlic onto the toast and drizzle with olive oil, depends on who you will be meeting in the day. Halve the avocado and  from its peel and slice, arrange this on the toast, add your washed rocket and season. Arrange the tomato halves and bacon onto the toast and drizzle with thai sweet chilli sauce. A simple and really delicious breakfast.

Homemade Blackstrap Molasses Baked Beans on Farmhouse White Toast

Serves 10

500 gms cannelinni beans

200 gms sliced smoked bacon (your choice)

700 ml pasatta

4 Porcini mushrooms

1 medium white onion

2 fat cloves of garlic

1 generous tspn English mustard powder

2 generous tblspns blackstrap molasses

2 generous tblspns golden syrup

2 bay leaves

Sprig of thyme

Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper

Heat your oven gas mark 3/130C/250F. In this recipe I have chosen to use cannellini beans, I believe them to have a creamier taste than the traditional haricot bean, it is up to you this recipe works for both. Soak your beans of choice in cold fresh water for at least 12 hours or overnight. After soaking place them in clean water in a saucepan and bring to the boil, cook for ten minutes. Reduce the heat to a simmer and leave on the stove to cook, lid off cooking for at least an hour and a half or until the beans are soft. As the beans cook you will need to remove the white foam that appears on the top. Make sure the pan does not cook dry and you burn your beans.  When the beans are soft, strain them, retain all the bean juice as this will be used throughout the cooking process to use as the liquor. In a small bowl pour boiling water over the Porcini mushrooms, let them soften. When they are soft, chop finely and add to a large lidded casserole dish, along with the water they have been soaking in. Now add the beans, chopped bacon, pasatta, mustard, herbs, blackstrap mollasses and golden syrup. Grate your onion and add this, crush the garlic with some salt to form a paste and let this join the mixture. Pour in 300 ml from the retained bean juice. Sprinkle in some black pepper and fold all the ingredients together. Place the lid on and put into the middle of the oven for an hour and a half. Checking periodically for a stir and taste. If it is getting dry add in some more bean juice. 

Serve over thickly sliced farmhouse white toast, thinly buttered and covered in your delicious homemade beans. Season if you wish. In terms of economy, taste and nutrition these beans are magic beans. You will find it hard to ever reach for a can again. It also freezes well, so make up a large batch and freeze for another time.