Food Photo of the Day ~ Fruit and Yoghurt Toast

 

This is quick way to put everything on one plate while keeping it nutritious. Toast, lightly buttered or not, smothered in plain Greek yoghurt, a medley of mixed fruit, whether it be fresh or thawed frozen, a dash of cinnamon and a fine sprinkling of shredded coconut. This breakfast certain keeps one going and is absolutely delicious! 

Hope everyone is warm and well. - JD  

Cheesy Herb Toast

Although I helped, this was my son's creation to complement the meal we were having. Extremely crunchy and cheesy.  

Cheesy Herb Toast

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1 large French Bread Loaf

crushed garlic

olive oil

Herbs de Provence

parmesan cheese

4 rounds of Bocconcini cheese, sliced

ground smoked paprika, optional

Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Line a baking tray with parchment paper.

Slice the French bread in half, lengthwise. Place both halves on the prepared baking tray.

In a bowl combined the olive oil and garlic. Stir. Brush the oil mixture over the two halves of the now sliced French bread. Rub and sprinkle the Herbs de Provence over each half of bread. Sprinkle with some parmesan cheese and then place the Bocconcini cheese over  the top of each half. Sprinkle each half with a bit more parmesan cheese then dust, lightly, with the paprika over top. 

Place in the preheated oven until the cheese has melt and the edges are toasted.


I am a bit preoccupied in the kitchen this week so things have been a bit quiet. - JD 

Food Photo of the Day ~ Beans on Toast with a Fried Egg

Sometimes it is hard to decide what to eat for dinner let alone lunch. I try to keep things simple and nourishing at lunch; something that can sustain me throughout the better part of the day. The usual beans on toast is a good stand by however add a fried egg and or some sautéd greens and it all seems more nourishing. With a dash of black pepper and hot sauce for a spicy flavour kick. 

Hope everyone is having a good week. - JD 

Toast: The Cookbook

Toast is simple and the recent surge of mashed avocado on toast has brought toast into the limelight.   

Toast has been gracing breakfast tables for decades. So why not make toast inspired lunches, dinners and desserts all part of our regular culinary repertoire. This cookbook has 50 different ways to inspire one into doing just that. Mouthwatering photography compliment each one page recipe. Broken down into the 4 seasons, Fall, Winter, Spring, and Summer with approximately 13 recipes for each; this cookbook will simply revolutionize your thoughts on toast. Toast is and can be flexible, creating such plates as savoury, sweet, vegetarian, vegan, and meat laden. 

The recipes in this book offer culinary inspiration for the home cook and chef in ways of being simple and sophisticated, comforting and nourishing as well as effortless and chic. 

As the rise in the popularity of avocados, cauliflower has been flourishing as well. So even more reason to share this recipe from the cookbook. 

Cauliflower and Cheese Sauce
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1 small head cauliflower, cut into bite size florets
2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
3 tablespoons (45 g) unsalted butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose (plain) flour
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard or mustard powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 1/2 cups (12 fl oz/355ml) porter or stout beer
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce, plus extra for serving
1 1/2 cups (about 6 oz/170g) grated extra-sharp Cheddar cheese

Toast:
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Four 3/4 inch (2cm) thick slices rye bread
Fresh flat-leaf parsley (optional)


1. Make the cauliflower: Bring a saucepan of water to a boil. Add the cauliflower and 2 teaspoons of salt and cook until the cauliflower is just tender, 4 - 5 minutes. Drain, then turn the cauliflower out onto a tea towel to cool.

2. Make the cheese sauce: In a saucepan used for the cauliflower, melt the butter over medium high heat. Add the flour and whisk constantly for 1 minute. Whisk in the mustard sand cayenne. Drizzle in the beer in a slow stream, whisking constantly to ensure the mixture remains smooth. Add the Worcestershire sauce and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, and stir using a wooden spoon until the mixture thickens a bit, 30 seconds - 1 minute. Add the Cheddar, a little at a time, letting each addition melt before adding the next. Once all of the cheese is added, remove from the heat, taste, and adjust the seasonings if needed. Set aside to cool slightly.

3. Make the toast: While the sauce cools, preheat the broiler (grill) to high. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. Arrange the bread on the sheet and broil until golden brown on both sides, 1 1/2-2 minutes per side.

4. To serve, top each toast with a few cauliflower florets. Ladle a generous amount of the cheese sauce over each toast, splash with a few shakes of Worcestershire, and serve with parsley, if desired. 


Hope everyone has been keeping warm! - JD 

Twin Sun Toast

This is my version of the Twin Sun Toast from the Star Wars cookbook. The original has you cutting out two round circles in the bread, using a small cookie cutter. The smallest cookie cutter I had and the shape of the bread enabled me to make the two twin suns. Instead I made one sun, the egg, in each piece of bread. All was good and one might say that the two cut out pieces of bread could pose as the twin suns.

Essentially you use a small cookie cutter to cut out two or as in my case one, circles in each slice of bread. Place the cut out pieces aside. They may be served buttered or dry on the plate. Add a good amount of butter in the bottom of a pan. Let is melt completely and move the pan around to coat the bottom of the pan evenly. Then place the bread inside the pan. Break the an egg each of the holes that you cut out using the cookie cutter. Let the egg set a bit, become white. Then this is the real tricky part you have to flip the bread with the egg over. Be careful. The egg yolks may break but never mind. I don't think your stomach will complain. You want the egg to set a bit more or to your liking. Then remove from pan and serve. 

Now my eggs stuck a bit and I added sufficient butter. The yolks were a bit runny. So  I toasted the round cut out pieces of bread and served them so you could dunk them in the yolks. This makes for a great weekend breakfast. 

Windsor Preserves

Another Winner's find. This jam was nice with no overindulgent strawberry flavour . Not to sweet and not to fluid either. It was as stiff as they come. You could slice it with a knife. I like to use a spoon when serving up jams. Mornings dipping into this was met with a bit of a struggle. As far as the champagne flavour you could not taste it. So don't shy away from the whiskey and champagne preserve bottles. The gold cord bow is a nice touch however nothing really royal tasting here. - JW

Marmalade

I luv marmalade! Probably just as much as Paddington Bear if not more. It isn't a big surprise that I will try many different flavours and varieties. I found this jar at Winners a few week ago. I was quite taken with the packaging and of coarse the lemon and lime combination. I found the lime flavour prevailed over the lemon which gives this marmalade a very unique taste. A delicious way to wake up in the morning. - JW