Roasted Pepper & Baked Egg Galette aka Simply Sensational Lunch for One

The beginning of September is just days away now, and in my part of the world that means the start of spring (yay! happy dance).  I always feel so much better about life in general once we cross that threshold from winter into spring ... days get longer and warmer, and all my favourite leafy greens and vegetables (asparagus and broad beans) are on the horizon.

It's a great time of year to recharge one's batteries.  It's a time when I find some renewed vigor for my yoga practice, and don't mind dragging myself out of bed at 5.30am to do a practice before heading off to work.  It's also a great time for a bit of an internal spring clean too - reboot the digestive system, liver function, etc, which can all get a bit sluggish after all the comfort eating of winter.

So, starting next week, I'm going to do a bit of a cleanse/detox for the next month.  For the first week, at least, that's going to mean no coffee, no alchohol, no meat, no shellfish, no wheat, no dairy (with the exception of natural yoghurt), no sugar, no salt, no soy (except for miso).  On the plus side, it's also going to mean loads of fresh fruit and vegetables, legumes, nuts, oily fish, juices and salads.  After the first week, I'll be slowly reintroducing small quantities of unrefined sweeteners (such as honey), seasonings and soy products, shellfish and eggs, but I'm planning to stay completely caffeine, alchohol, meat, wheat and dairy free for the whole month - you have no idea what a challenge that is going to be for me!!

Until then, I'm spending the next few days making the most of what will shortly become forbidden foods, and using up a few ingredients that might be too tempting to have hanging around.  Pies and Tarts (our theme this week at I Heart Cooking Clubs) will definitely be on the forbidden list, but until then this Roasted Pepper and Baked Egg Galette seemed like a good way to use up the last sheet of ready-rolled puff pastry kicking about in the freezer, along with some sour cream which might prove to be too much of a temptation for me next week.

I adapted this recipe from one by Yotam Ottolenghi from his stunning book "Jerusalem: A Cookbook", adjusting quantities to make a stunning (but incredibly simple) lunch for one, and to suit ingredients I had on hand.

The original recipe called for roasting fresh red peppers, together with onions and herbs, for the topping for the tarts.  This of course adds considerable time and effort to the final dish (not ideal for a quick lunchtime fix).  Couple this with the fact that fresh peppers are out of season and astronomically expensive in the southern hemisphere right now, and the whole freshly roasted pepper thing was just not going to fly.  As luck would have it though, back when they were in season, I had roasted several batches of red peppers and preserved them in olive oil with garlic and bay leaves.  These then made the perfect, fuss-free topping for my galette.

I don't know about you, but lunch is frequently a meal that I consume on my own, and I sometimes feel a bit stuck for interesting lunch ideas.  Sure, soup or cheese on toast, or even a simple salad are great fall-backs, but sometimes I want something a little more interesting.  This galette was the perfect answer, and very simple to make.  It was utterly delicious, and the combination of flaky pastry, sour cream, garlic infused peppers and creamy egg actually tasted and felt quite decadent.  It definitely tasted like something that had required a whole heap of effort, not just the five minutes it took to put together.  It was wonderful on its own, but you could certainly make a more substantial meal out of this by adding a salad on the side.  This would be great for a picnic too if you feel moved to take lunch outdoors, and of course you could easily make this for a crowd just by multiplying the ingredients to suit.  I'm certainly making this again - I hope you'll give it a try too.

I've kept things pretty loose in this recipe - use your discretion.  For example, how many roasted peppers you use will depend, firstly on their size to begin with, and also whether you are roasting them fresh or using bottled ones.  You could also swap out the dried oregano for some other herb that takes your fancy - maybe some fresh thyme or flat-leaf parsley.  You could use creme fraiche or even ricotta instead of the sour cream or mascarpone.  You could add some toasted nuts for a little extra texture if you felt like it.  Really this recipe is just a suggestion - interpret it anyway you like.

Roasted Pepper & Baked Egg Galette

Adapted from a recipe by Yotam Ottolenghi & Sami Tamimi

from Jerusalem: A Cookbook

Makes one sensational serving

Click here for a printable copy of this recipe

1x sheet of ready-rolled puff pastry

1x free-range egg, lightly beaten

sour cream or mascarpone

roasted red peppers

1x free-range egg, whole

flaky sea salt & freshly ground black pepper

dried oregano

Preheat oven to 220 degrees C (425 degrees F).

Trim pastry to a 15cm x 15cm (6" x 6") square.

Set pastry square on a parchment lined baking sheet, and prick all over with a fork.  Brush pastry square all over with the lightly beaten egg.

Spread sour cream or mascarpone over the pastry, leaving a 1cm (1/2") border free around the edges.  Arrange roasted peppers over the sour cream (pile on as many as you like), leaving a shallow well in the centre for the egg to be added later.

Put pastry into the preheated oven for 12-15 minutes, until the pastry is puffed and golden.  Remove from oven, and break the whole egg into the well in the middle of the peppers.  Sprinkle over sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, and a sprinkling of oregano.

Return to the oven for approximately 5 to 8 minutes, until the egg is set to your liking - set white with runny yolk is ideal.

Remove from the oven and devour immediately, relishing every solitary moment - do not share!!

If you would like to get to know Yotam Ottolenghi a little better, then do go and visit my friends at I Heart Cooking Clubs and see what they've all cooked up ...

... or check out Jerusalem and Ottolenghi's other great titles available from Amazon USA, Amazon UK or Fishpond NZ.

           

I'll also be sharing this post at See Ya In the Gumbo hosted by the lovely, and very amusing, Michelle at Ms. enPlace, at Weekend Cooking hosted by Beth Fish Reads, at Foodie Friday hosted by Designs by Gollam, and at My Meatless Mondays hosted by Chaya at My Sweet and Savory.

              

Orange Mango French Toast with Honey Roasted Strawberry Compote

"Strawberry Fields" serveware courtesy of Stevens Homewares (details below)

For several weeks now, as each day gets longer and warmer than the last, I've had my eye on the strawberries at my local market and store.  That said, long for them though I might, I haven't been prepared to mortgage the house in order to come by a handful of these early season beauties.  However, supply at last is sufficiently plentiful that, although still not cheap, they're at least affordable for those of us trying to make ends meet on a modest income.

Although it may seem like sacrilege to eat one's first strawberries of the season in any other way than completely natural, I was in the mood for something a little different for a luxurious Saturday morning brunch.

Inspiration came from casting my mind back to summer yoga retreats spent in the Greek islands, where a regular late breakfast by the pool was as simple as big bowls of fresh strawberries, topped with Greek yoghurt, and drizzled lavishly with gorgeous, fragrant thyme honey, and topped off with chopped pistachios.

Although thyme honey is not available here, I thought that I could achieve something reminiscent of that flavour by roasting the strawberries with a combination of good local honey and a bunch of fresh thyme.

Further inspiration came from one of my favourite restaurants in Bali, which offers a brunch dish of french toast filled with cream cheese and peaches and topped with an orange sauce.

In my interpretation day-old bread is sandwiched with a generous filling of mascarpone mixed with freeze dried mango powder (fresh or tinned mango would work too if you have it available), soaked in a wash of egg and orange juice, pan-fried in butter until golden, and then smothered in a warm, juicy compote of strawberries roasted with thyme and honey.  You may find that some of the ingredients in this strawberry compote might sound a little weird, but trust me when I tell you it works.

This felt like a very indulgent brunch, and I will quite unashamedly admit that my gluttony led me to devour the whole lot on my own.  If, however, you are inclined to a little more restraint, then this would probably feed two.

Orange Mango French Toast with

Honey Roasted Strawberry Compote Recipe

Serves 1 greedy person or 2 normal people

Vegetarian

Click here for a printable copy of this recipe

For the compote:

1x punnet strawberries

2-3 tablespoons runny honey

small bunch fresh thyme leaves

balsamic vinegar

freshly ground black pepper

For the french toast:

4x slices day old bread, 1.5cm (1/2 inch) thick

(brioche would be perfect if you can get it)

2-3 tablespoons mascarpone

approx 1 tablespoon Fresh-As freeze dried mango powder

(or substitute finely diced fresh mango)

2x large, free-range eggs

1x orange, juice & zest

1-2 tablespoons butter for frying

Begin by preparing the compote.  Preheat your oven to 180 degrees C (350 degrees F).  Meanwhile, clean and hull strawberries.  Cut in half, or into quarters if very large, and put all the strawberries in a single layer in a close-fitting oven dish.  Drizzle liberally with 2-3 tablespoons of runny honey.  Quantities are not too critical here, so feel free to use more if you so desire.  Sprinkle over thyme leaves - thyme flowers would be fine too if you happen to have them.  Drizzle with just a little balsamic vinegar (about 1 tablespoon), and top with a generous grind of black pepper.

Put into the preheated oven and bake until the strawberries have softened but are still holding their shape, and juices have started to run and become syrupy.  Remove from oven.

While strawberries are baking, prepare the french toast.  In a small bowl, mix together mascarpone and freeze dried mango powder - use more or less to get the level of mango flavour that suits you.  Spread two slices of the bread liberally with the mascarpone/mango mixture, and top with the other two slices.  In a wide shallow dish, lightly beat the eggs with the zest and juice of the orange.  Place sandwiches into the egg mixture, and allow to soak for a couple of minutes before turning over to soak on the other side.  Heat butter in a skillet over medium heat until melted and starting to sizzle, then add egg-soaked sandwiches to the pan.  Cooked until richly golden brown on one side, then flip over and cook the other side.

Once golden brown on both sides, remove to a serving platter and liberally spoon over the warm strawberry compote.  Serve with some Greek style yoghurt and some extra runny honey for drizzling over the top if desired.  You could also top with a few chopped pistachios if you like.

Sit down and indulge.

Props courtesy of Stevens Homewares Ltd 

Strawberry Plate, 30cm 

Strawberry milk jug & sugar bowl

This will be a submission to Sweet New Zealand, inspired by Alessandra Zecchini and hosted this month by Lucy at The Kitchen Maid.

This and That & Thoughts on a Thursday

It's a sign!

In our garden right now there are these ...

and these ...

and there are also these ...

Ask any normal person what this means, and they will probably tell you it's a sign that spring is on the way.  Ask any foodie, on the other hand, and almost to a person they will probably tell you it's a sign that asparagus season is just around the corner.  In my mind, and quite possibly in yours too, daffodils and asparagus are inextricably linked.

Yesterday I baked bread.  Now I may possibly be the last blogger alive to have discovered Jim Lahey's no-knead bread, but just in case I'm not, let me tell you that this is the bread that is going to change your life.  As long as you have the foresight to start your bread roughly 20 to 24 hours before you want to eat it, it is hands down the simplest bread ever to make and the results are sublime.  I cannot find adjectives enough to describe this bread.

Still, with spring just around the corner, which will soon become this ...

I probably need to start eating a lot more of this ...

and a bit less of this ...

Well, maybe just one more slice!!

Hope you're having a great week everyone xo