Baked Eggs with Chorizo

The last week or so I've been trying to make a bit more of an effort with breakfast.  Normally I skip this meal all together favouring a cup of tea and a cookie from the freezer (more on that later).  This bad behavior often leads to the even worse behavior of me attacking the fridge come 11am.  Naughty I know!  In a bid to stop my mid morning snack attack I've started to force myself to take a proper breakfast and a way to make myself stick to this regime is to document some of the more tasty morsels on here.  Aren't you a lucky lot!

This morning saw the return of a delicious brunch idea I took from the increasingly twee Rachel Khoo and her Little Paris Kitchen.  Last week she whipped up a yummy looking meal of baked eggs in little tea cups.  Her version saw eggs pared with crème fraîche, nutmeg and dill garnished with lumpfish roe.  Not something my tender little tum could face at 9am so I took the basic premise and added one chopped tomato, sliced chorizo and some double cream.  The resulting dish was painfully delicious, I can see this becoming a staple!

Baked Eggs with Chorizo
(Serves one, easily doubled)

Ingredients:

2 large free range eggs

2tbsp double cream

30g sliced chorizo

1 medium tomato, de-seeded and diced

pinch of salt and black pepper

Method

Preheat the oven to 180C and pop a small oven proof dish into a medium roasting pan.  A tapas style dish is the perfect size for this recipe.

Sprinkle the diced tomato over the bottom of your dish followed by the sliced chorizo.  Break your eggs, one at a time, into the dish being careful not to break the yolks.  Drizzle over your double cream and season to taste.

Place the roasting tray containing your eggy dish onto the middle shelf of your oven and using a kettle or jug fill the roasting tray with water until it comes half way up the side of your dish.

Bake for 15 minutes until the whites of your eggs are only just set.  Serve with hunks of sourdough bread slathered in butter.

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Banana & Chocolate French Toast

Every now and again Kris and I ditch the usual breakfast routine of toast and cereal and really push the boat out. Whether it be eggs florentine (my personal favorite), pancakes or huevos rancheros we're always excited to try new and exciting breakfast treats.  Upon browsing this months edition of BBC Good Food magazine Kris let out an almighty gasp before pointing excitedly at a recipe, that recipe was banana and chocolate french toast.  Much to his excitement, today was the day.

With the sudden appearance of glorious sunshine we decided to whip up this insanely decedent treat and take breakfast in our newly landscaped garden complete with pot of tea and the mornings newspapers.  We may not get weekends to relax but boy do we make up for it on a Tuesday!  

Banana and Chocolate French Toast

Ingredients:

1 large, ripe banana

75g plain chocolate

3 medium eggs

4 thick slices of crusty bread from a round loaf

1tbsp double cream

1tbsp maple syrup

1tsp vanilla extract

3tbsp sunflower oil

Method:

Heat the oil in a large frying pan.  Whisk together the eggs, cream, vanilla and maple syrup and set aside.

Mash the banana in a bowl before adding the chopped chocolate and stirring to combine.  Spread the chocolate banana mixture on two of the slices of bread and top with the other slices.  Dip the sandwiches into the egg mixture pressing down onto the bread to ensure it drinks the sweet liquid, turning over to coat both sides.  Place the eggy sandwiches into the heated frying pan and fry on each sides for around 2 minutes or until the chocolate starts to melt.

Cut each sandwich in half and serve with a dusting of icing sugar and more maple syrup.

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Baking Mad - Key Lime Pie

I'm sure you all ready know I don't have much of a sweet tooth, but I have to admit I have a real weakness for super sweet fruity pies! If you were to ask me my top three favorite desserts I'd have to reply, with no hesitation, banoffee pie, lemon meringue pie and key lime pie.  I see any of these babies on a menu and I just have to have it, maybe even all three if I'm feeling saucy!  A few years ago, a few friends and I were planning a trip to Florida.  In the interest of fairness we created a list allowing each person to choose two things they really want to do while there.  As you can imagine there was a lot of "go to Harry Potter World", "ghost hunting in St Augustine Lighthouse" and "feed the gators", my choice was to eat a key lime pie in an awesome diner as close to the Florida Keys as we could possibly get.  I got my wish, and Miami, you gave me the best key lime pie of my life. Until now...

I was recently asked by the lovely team behind the sauciest baker in the land Eric Lanlards Baking Mad to try out one of the recipes from the show.  When I saw my beloved key lime pie on the list I knew I just had to accept.  A few days later a big box of ingredients arrived at my door, I kindly relieved my friendly postman of the heavy sugar laden package and headed to the kitchen, zester and juicer in sight.  Man alive is this a good key lime pie!  The crust is so delicate without being overly crumbly while the filling was so light it could have floated away in a light breeze.  I was in heaven!

Wanna try this superb pie out for yourself? Well set your Sky + box to stun and get recording the wonderful Baking Mad with Eric Lanlard every weekday from March 5th at 12.05pm.

Please excuse the dark images, the light had gone by the time the pie had finished chilling and the thought of leaving it alone in the fridge, overnight, simply did not register.
*rubs tummy*

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Laura Ashley - Pocket Friendly Afternoon Tea

I'm guest posting over at the wonderful Laura Ashley today. Go have a spy and see why Afternoon Tea doesn't have to break the bank!

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Chipotle Chicken Soft Tacos

Hi, my name is Katie and I'm a Mexican food addict!  I'm not ashamed to admit it, I think Mexican food is the bees knees!  Upon hearing this confession you'd probably expect me to tell you I whip up huge feasts of burritos, enchiladas and crème caramel all washed down with a margarita or two, frequently.  Well, I'm sorry to say it's just not true!  I never really had the time to throw myself into the mouth watering, slow cooked dishes I've come to love.  Often recipes instruct you to pop a shoulder of pork in the oven and leave it there for 8 hours.  Well, I don't know about you but I'm a bit of an ants in the pants Annie!  Tell me I have to stay put and watch pork roast for 8 hours and I'll want nothing more than to run through the fields chasing butterflies.  Screw the pig, I want to frolic!  How did I rectify this conundrum I hear you ask?  Easy, I bought a slow cooker!

Best investment ever!  I really can't recommend these little contraptions enough.  I always thought slow cookers were for mams and stews, I was so wrong.  Plus, if you get a slow cooker, you can make this totally kick ass chipotle chicken.  I'd do it if I were you!

Chipotle Pulled Chicken

4 large chicken breasts

1 large onion, diced finely

2 chipotle chillies in adobo sauce chopped (get these in a can from bigger supermarkets or if you're from Newcastle, Mmmm.. stock a fab range of Mexican ingredients)

1tbsp honey

2tbsp dark brown sugar

1tbsp smoked paprika

1tbsp sweet paprika

1tbsp chilli flakes

50ml white wine vinegar

2tbsp tomato puree

1 tin chopped tomatoes with chillies

2tbsp worcestershire sauce

1tsp salt

Method:

Add all the ingredients, apart from the chicken, into your slow cooker.  Stir until smooth.  Add the chicken and stir again to cover.  Place lid onto your slow cooker, turn to low and cook for 8 hours.  

After 8 hours remove the chicken from the sauce and shred the meat with two forks.  Add shredded meat to the sauce, stir until coated and serve with homemade guacamole, soft tacos and crumbled feta cheese!

This recipe is so versatile, you could use it to make enchiladas, fajitas, burritos, quesadillas or even just slapped in a floury bread bun.  You won't be sorry!

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