Monday, March 15, 2010

Breakfast

My cousin Andrea had the clever idea of meeting for breakfast. I decided to cook it, instead of going out. I think breakfast is one of the best parts of the day, but seldom enjoy it as a meal. It's usually coffee and a roll, or toast, for me, and having a proper breakfast is a real treat.

Beautiful figs are in season at the moment: deep purple skins and bright red inside with a slightly tart flavour after the sweetness. They are perfect, I think.

But the main event was a cheese souffle with crispy, herbed bacon on the side (I baked it in a roasting pan with thyme, savoury and parsley). Plus croissants (Woolworths croissants are the best I've had: they import them from France, the pastry frozen), apricot jam and farm butter, coffee and passion fruit juice.

Souffles are not difficult to make, despite their reputation, and frankly, I think its easier to produce one souffle than several perfectly poached or fried eggs. Or maybe I'm delusional. It is entirely likely that I was ratty around the time the souffle was on the table waiting to be eaten. Souffles don't like to wait.

I used Elizabeth David's cheese souffle recipe from French Provincial Cooking, and doubled it so that it was enough for four. She also writes a very good introduction to souffle-making in general.

As we sat under the awning on the patio a fine mist of rain fell, and my mother bolted her breakfast before heading into the garden to work in the cool after the serial heat waves that Cape Town has been melting through. Autum is a-coming.

5 comments:

  1. I agree absolutely about souffles being easy - the difficulty is to get the family to stop messing about and be sitting down at the table as the dish comes out of the oven. Poached eggs, on the other hand, aren't easy at all.....

    I hadn't thought about a cheese souffle as a breakfast dish, but what an excellent idea!

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  2. Really? I can't imagine souffles being easy but I love Elizabeth David so I'll check out her recipe as soon as the new kitchen is done. And how intriguing that Woolworths has the best croissants!

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  3. Rachel, yes, I'd never had one for breakfast either...but eggs, some cheese? Yum.

    Ellen - it's really just a bechamel (with egg yolks) that you can make beforehand, then folding in last-minute-whipped egg whites. Plus hot oven.

    W'worths here is a high end supermarket, and I miss it dearly in NY.

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  4. figs and souffles- love the posting! gorgeous pics too...

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  5. Well, I'm a fan (though not always a good follower ) of David. And I suppose, having poached eggs in an early-morning fug for years, I am not intimidated by them.

    To the decor - I see Streptocarpus and can't be sure of the rose. Is it Dainty Bess?

    What the heck! It sounds an idyllic breakfast.

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