Breakfast & Brunch

Cheesy Masala French Toast

May 22, 2017 by aliceineatland Leave a Comment

If eggs and toast are the ideal components of an enjoyable breakfast for you, then Cheesy Masala French Toast will become one of your favourite ways to partake of the most important meal of the day.

Basically Cheesy Masala French Toast is just what it sounds like – a savoury and spicy desi version of the traditional sweet French toast. It is an ingenious take on the enduring breakfast classic and is fairly simple and also quick to make if you do the little prep work required a bit in advance.

If you get your cheese grated and your vegetables chopped beforehand, by the time you are ready to actually prepare breakfast, your Cheesy Masala French Toast will take just a couple of minutes to put together.

After going through some great recipes for Masala French Toast on Pinterest, particularly the one by Archana’s Kitchen, I added my own tiny little twist to it by making it a cheesy one because I believe that eggs and cheese are one of those delicious culinary matches made in food heaven.

Masala French Toast is epic enough as it is. But for a cheese fiend like me, grated cheddar in and on it takes things to the next level.

This is obviously a great breakfast and brunch idea and like many of my breakfast favourites, I also love Cheesy Masala French Toast as an occasional breakfast for dinner option too.

This Cheesy Masala French Toast recipe is more or less a guide and the kind of recipe that you make your own by adjusting the spices and flavourings according to your palette. How many toasts you get out of it depends on the size of the eggs and on how big or small the bread slices you use are. Definitely add black pepper before serving and use the red chilli flakes only if you want an extra fiery kick to your savoury French toast.

Cheesy Masala French Toast

Recipe Type: Breakfast & Brunch Author: Alice In Eatland

Prep Time: 10 Minutes Cook Time: 10 Minutes Total Time: 20 Minutes

Serves: 1 – 2

A savoury and spicy desi take on the classic sweet French Toast, this Cheesy Masala French Toast will become a breakfast favourite once you try it!

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons finely chopped spring onion or regular onion
1 large tomato, seeded and finely chopped
1 – 2 green chillies, seeded and finely chopped
Oil for frying
2 eggs
4 tablespoons milk
Salt
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon red chilli powder
2 – 4 tablespoons grated Cheddar cheese
2 – 4 slices of bread
Finely chopped fresh coriander leaves to garnish
Extra grated Cheddar cheese for topping
Freshly milled black pepper
Red chilli flakes

METHOD
1. Combine the chopped onion, tomato and green chillies together.
2. Heat the oil in a non-stick frying pan.
3. Beat the eggs with the milk, salt, turmeric, red chilli powder and grated cheese.
4. Keep in mind that you want the flavours of this egg and milk mixture to be a bit pronounced. If it is not a little strongly spiced, it might make your finished toast taste a tad bland.
5. Dip the bread slices on both sides with the egg mixture and place into the hot frying pan over medium heat.
6. Spread the top of the bread slices with the chopped mixed vegetable mixture and pour a few teaspoons of egg mixture from the mixing bowl onto the vegetables to coat them as evenly as possible.
7. When the bottoms of the toasts seem golden, flip them carefully and quickly onto the other side and cook until golden.
8. Remove to a serving plate and sprinkle a little extra grated cheese, extra coriander, freshly milled black pepper and chilli flakes, if using.
9. Serve with strong hot tea.
10. Enjoy!

How To Make Hot Cross Buns

April 13, 2017 by aliceineatland Leave a Comment

‍Hot Cross Buns are just what one needs when Easter is around the corner. It would be very hard to imagine Easter time without these delicious dried fruit studded, fragrantly spiced sweet buns! (Post Updated: 25th March ‘23)

I can hardly remember any Easter from my childhood where Hot Cross Buns did not feature. Even when we were living in Daharki, with nary a Hot Cross Bun providing bakery anywhere, my maternal Grandmother would either send or bring us the buns from either Misquita Bakers or sometimes from Lawrence Bakers, both in Karachi, so we could have them for Good Friday.

Dough for the Hot Cross Buns after the first rise

Easter in Lahore meant that my paternal Grandmother would get Hot Cross Buns for the family from Mohkam Din Bakers. I believe Shezan Bakers too used to make Hot Cross Buns around Easter time though I’m not sure.

This year I decided to have a go at making homemade Hot Cross Buns and to make it a yearly Easter tradition, provided they turned out well.

The dough cut into pieces for forming the buns

I’m happy to say that my family and I quite loved my homemade Hot Cross Buns and I shall try to make these every Easter from now on.

I followed respected British food expert Delia Smith’s Hot Cross Bun recipe. Miss Smith’s cookery shows on BBC Good Food are some of my earliest memories of British tv cooking which is why I decided to follow her traditional Hot Cross Bun recipe.

The dough balls placed well apart in a buttered pan, to allow room for expansion

Thoughts And Tips On Making Hot Cross Buns

There are some very deliciously innovative variations of Hot Cross Buns now, including the savoury variety.
I made a Savoury Hot Cross Bun Ring for Easter ‘22, using this same base recipe but by giving it a savoury twist. I will share that version soon hopefully.
This one here is perhaps one of the most traditional Hot Cross Bun recipes out there and it is spicy and fruity in that comfortingly old-fashioned sort of way that is hard to beat.
I like to bake these Hot Cross Buns until they are deep golden brown so that the pale pastry crosses show prominently against the dark bun tops in stark contrast.
The sugar glaze brushed on the buns at the end is essential in my opinion as it provides the final shining touch.
Hot Cross Buns can easily be frozen if you decide to make them in advance, thus leaving you time to do other things during the busy week leading up to Easter.
Simply thaw frozen Hot Cross Buns completely in the fridge and reheat in the oven for a few minutes before slicing.
Hot Cross Buns taste best spread with soft butter and enjoyed with a cup of hot tea.

The dough balls after the second rising; they have almost doubled in size, have the pastry crosses pressed onto them and are finally ready to go into the oven

The recipe has quite a few steps, but I assure you that it is not difficult at all and every point that has been listed down at each stage is just to make it easier for you and to ensure that your Hot Cross Buns turn out wonderful.

Hot Cross Buns

Recipe Type: Breakfast & Brunch Author: Alice In Eatland

Prep Time: 1 – 2 Hours Cook Time: 15 – 20 Minutes

Serves: 8

Fruity, spicy & utterly delicious, nothing says Easter more than these easy to make traditional Hot Cross Buns spread with butter & enjoyed with tea!

INGREDIENTS FOR THE BUNS

2 (around 3″ each) cinnamon sticks
6 – 8 cloves
1 blade mace
250 grams flour
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt OR regular salt
1/2 teaspoon ginger powder
A good grating of nutmeg
55 grams black currants, stemmed if necessary
25 grams candied peel, chopped
25 grams soft butter
2 1/2 tablespoons milk
1 egg
1/3 cup water
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 teaspoons instant yeast *
Extra flour
Extra milk

INGREDIENTS FOR THE CROSSES

20 grams flour
5 grams butter, soft but cool
A few teaspoons cold water

INGREDIENTS FOR THE GLAZE

1/2 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 tablespoon water

METHOD

Put the cinnamon sticks, cloves and mace in a small coffee grinder and grind as finely as possible. Sieve.
Stir flour, salt, ginger powder, nutmeg, currants and chopped candied peel and sieved ground spices until combined.
Heat the butter and milk in a small pan or in a microwaveable bowl until butter melts. Cool 5 minutes and quickly whisk in the egg. Make sure the liquid isn’t too warm or the egg might scramble in it.
Heat the water until warm enough that you can comfortably submerge your finger in it (about 105 degrees F – 110 degrees F).
Stir in the sugar and then sprinkle the yeast on the surface. Let sit without stirring 2 – 5 minutes or until the mixture smells yeasty and begins to form a creamy foam around the edges.
Once that happens give a quick stir and let sit another 2 – 5 minutes or until the yeast begins to gently bubble up in places and the mixture begins to foam up. This stage is crucial and if it doesn’t happen, your buns may not rise.
Stir yeast mixture into the butter, milk and egg mixture until combined.
Make a well in the centre of the combined dry ingredients and pour in the wet mixture. Mix with a large spoon or spatula or with a dough hook if using a stand mixer.
When the ingredients are mixed, the dough should come together, be elasticky and the bowl should be clean. If the dough is too sticky, add some of the extra flour. If it seems too dry, add extra milk, a teaspoon at a time.
Knead 1 – 2 minutes by hand on a floured work surface and then put dough into a large oiled bowl.
Brush oil onto the entire surface of your dough ball to prevent any skin from forming, cover tightly with a tea towel or plastic wrap and let sit in a warm, draft free place (like in a switched off oven or in an off microwave) for 1 – 2 hours or until dough rises to almost double its size.
Turn out the risen dough onto a lightly floured work surface.
Punch out the air from the dough, roll it lightly into a longish oblong between your hands on the work surface and cut into eight roughly equal pieces.
Roll each piece into a smooth round ball and arrange all the dough balls in a buttered baking pan, leaving enough room between the balls for expansion.
Cover the dough balls in the pan loosely with plastic wrap and let sit again in a warm place until they almost double in size.
To make the crosses, rub the butter into the flour until like breadcrumbs. Add a little cold water, a bit at a time, mixing until the dough comes together. Roll out thinly, using a little flour to stop sticking if necessary and cut into 16 strips, each strip about 3″ – 4″ long.
Preheat oven to 220 degrees C / 428 degrees F.
Once the dough balls have risen, brush the pastry strips with water to make them stick and place on top of each dough ball, making crosses and pressing lightly.
Bake the buns until golden brown. This can take anywhere from 15 minutes to more depending on your oven.
While the buns are baking, make the glaze by swirling the sugar and water together in a small pan until the sugar has dissolved and a clear syrup forms. Remove from heat.
When the buns are done, remove from the oven and brush immediately with the prepared glaze.
Cool completely on a wire rack and store airtight. The buns can also be frozen airtight at this point.
Serve warm, lightly toasted if wished, with butter.

* Proofing instant yeast may seem unnecessary but personally I have never had an entirely satisfactory rise using this type of yeast without proofing / blooming it in warm sugared water. Hence the additional proofing step in the recipe.

This step also ensures that you know that the yeast you are using is active and not dead, thus saving you from ruining your buns and wasting your ingredients, time and effort. Trust me – I know from personal experience.

Spicy Sri Lankan Cheese Omelette

September 29, 2016 by aliceineatland 2 Comments

Brighten up breakfast time with this deliciously spicy Sri Lankan cheese omelette, perfect for everyday or when you’re looking for a little extra something to spice up the most important meal of the day on a special occasion.

I vacationed in beautiful Sri Lanka in 2013. It is such a lovely country, with scenic beaches, gorgeous greenery and the most hospitable people. Having had such a wonderful time there, I hope to return again someday soon to explore more of its gorgeousness.

The bright and airy dining room at Mount Lodge Colombo opening onto a small and serene Zen-like garden area complete with small koi type fish swimming in stone ponds and a variety of green fronds

I have not been able to forget any of the delicious Sri Lankan food I had while there. I was lucky enough to stay at Mount Lodge Colombo which is a charming boutique hotel with a pleasing mix of colonial chic and Ceylonese aesthetic, away from the hustle and bustle of central Colombo.

I’m one of those people who will always prefer small, family run hotels over large chain hotels. Add tropical modernism and a seamless blend of indoor comfort incorporated with natural outside elements into the equation and I’m completely sold. Deciding on this organically stylish yet comfortingly homely boutique hotel was a rewarding decision – a restful stay, excellent food and outstanding hospitality.

The congenial caretaker Gamini and his wife Padmini, the fabulous cook

A lovely couple, Gamini and his wife Padmini, occupy one of the rooms on the ground floor of Mount Lodge. Gamini is the resident caretaker of the property while Padmini is the resident cook and prepares all guest meals to order at the hotel.

I fell in love with the scrumptious spicy Sri Lankan cheese omelettes that Padmini would lovingly make. Honestly I think I have had one of the best breakfasts ever at Mount Lodge Colombo; fresh tropical fruit, those amazing omelettes and thick rustic slices of toasted bread served with butter and jam and washed down with strong aromatic Ceylon tea – divine!

After years of coming back from Sri Lanka, I still could not forget Padmini’s cooking and her fabulous spicy cheesy omelettes.

So after trying to replicate her special omelettes without much success, I decided to e-mail Mount Lodge and request Padmini to please share her recipe if possible. I received a reply very promptly from Mr Benjamin Pereira who is the son of the couple that owns the hotel and is also the property’s manager. Within just two days of my e-mailing him he sent the omelette recipe that Padmini had very graciously agreed to share with me.

Breakfast time closeup at Mount Lodge Colombo – just look at that beautiful spread!

I’ve been making this spicy Sri Lankan cheese omelette nearly every other day ever since I got the recipe a month or so back. What’s more, it’s great for people like me who follow the “breakfast for dinner” mantra some days.

I have adapted the recipe very slightly from Padmini’s – you’ll see how the simple ingredient list and straightforward cooking instructions elevate the humble omelette into something fairly spectacular.

The Mount Lodge Colombo terrace, open to the elements yet perfectly private – a lovely spot to read a good book over a nice cup of tea or coffee

A few tips you might wish to consider before making this omelette:

This is a rich omelette so you can reduce the quantity of the butter called for in the recipe but please do not substitute the butter entirely with oil as the result, though still tasty, will just not be the same.
Use a good sharp tasting cheese to make your spicy Sri Lankan cheese omelette – I prefer a spicy cheddar. Just make sure you don’t go overboard with the cheese so that you can taste the delicately rich taste of the omelette itself and not just the overpowering taste of the cheese.
The butter that you use to cook the omelette in should preferably be the butter that you like to spread on your toast; I like Lurpak Butter for this.
Use the correct pan size to cook the omelette so that it does not turn out too thick or too thin. I use a 9″ non-stick pan to make this recipe.
Please do use fresh ground black pepper – it does make a difference.

Spicy Sri Lankan Cheese Omelette

Recipe Type: Breakfast & Brunch Cuisine Type: Sri Lankan Author: Alice In Eatland

Prep Time: 10 Minutes Cook Time: 10 Minutes Total Time: 20 Minutes Serves: 1 – 2

Whip up a deliciously fluffy & incredibly easy Spicy Sri Lankan Cheese Omelette with this very special recipe right from the heart of Sri Lanka!

INGREDIENTS

1 – 2 tbsp butter
1/4 tsp cooking oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 large tomato, seeds removed and cut into small dice
1 – 2 green chillies, seeds removed and chopped finely
Salt
Fresh ground black pepper
2 eggs
Grated cheese of choice
Toasted bread to serve

METHOD

Beat the eggs in a bowl.
Heat butter with oil in a small non-stick pan.
Add onion, tomato and half the green chilli.
Season with salt and black pepper.
Saute on medium heat until onion begins to turn golden and the tomato softens.
Stir in the remaining chopped green chilli and remove sauteed vegetable mixture from heat.
Add half of the vegetable mixture to the beaten eggs. Reserve the other half and put the frying pan back on the heat.
Pour the egg and vegetable mixture into the hot frying pan, tilting to help it spread evenly.
Let cook until the omelette edges begin to firm up, then flip to cook the other side.
Spread half of the top cooked side of the omelette with the vegetable mixture and sprinkle with grated cheese.
Lift the other uncovered half of the omelette with a flat frying spoon or spatula and fold on top of the cheese and vegetable covered side.
Remove omelette to serving plate.
Serve your spicy Sri Lankan cheese omelette at once with crusty bread and butter.

Three Cheese Roasted Chilli Bread Pudding

June 23, 2016 by aliceineatland 2 Comments

This three cheese roasted chilli bread pudding is absolute love! Intensely cheesy and deliciously fluffy, it is the absolute perfect accompaniment to a special breakfast or an elegant brunch.

I was never a breakfast person. As a child I found it very hard eating anything when it came to the most important meal of the day. I remember reluctantly downing, tiny sip by tiny sip, a small mug of warm milk flavoured with either Ovaltine, Milo or Horlicks and considering that breakfast. Most days I would have just half a mug of milk. Some days I would valiantly make myself nibble on a toasted slice of bread but that is by far the most I remember eating in the mornings as a school-going child.

Fast forward decades later, and on the rare days that I do have a proper breakfast, it has to be a special one and a long and leisurely meal into the bargain.

My idea of the perfect breakfast consists of a laid back and unhurried meal, mid to late morning, eating what I consider ‘the works’ for myself – a spiced cheesy fluffy omelette, thick rustic looking slices of brown bread, plenty of Lurpak or Nurpur butter, hash browns, maybe some fresh pineapple and banana on the side (thank you beautiful Sri Lanka for spoiling me rotten while I was holidaying there with your deliciously unforgettable breakfasts and getting me to appreciate eating fresh fruit in the morning) accompanied by strong chai or good French press coffee. Add to this the three cheese roasted chilli bread pudding and my breakfast goes from simply “perfect” to downright “spectacular”!

I love watching Nigella Lawson’s “Nigella’s Christmas Kitchen” show, even when it’s not Christmas. There’s something very cozy and cheery about the show and the recipes are wonderful. On one episode Nigella makes what she calls a Triple Cheese Strata, which is essentially a savory bread pudding, golden and toasty on top and fluffy underneath. Nigella, with typical eloquence says “It’s like a toasted cheese sandwich but a celestial one, eaten by angels.” My three cheese roasted chilli bread pudding that has been adapted from it is no less heavenly, if I do say so myself.

I had been wanting to try Nigella’s recipe for years but you know how it is when you really want to make a particular something but never really get around to it. When I did, finally, make my own version of it, I kept wondering why I had not made it much, much earlier. Yes, it is that good.

Nigella’s recipe hardly needs tweaking but I’ve adapted it to my own taste and preferences. I’ve also played around with the quantities of the cheeses and added more liquid along with fire roasted green chillies. The result is a supremely flavorful souffle-like casserole flecked here and there with tiny bits of spicy smokiness.

I use regular bread to make my three cheese roasted chilli bread pudding because that is what I usually have in the house. I change up the types of cheeses frequently depending on what cheeses I have in the freezer at that time and have made this with a combination of different cheeses like pepper jack, Swiss etc. with great results.

This folks, is quintessential breakfast and brunch comfort food. Nigella serves it as a supper dish and frankly, I can eat it for lunch and dinner as well and have done so. But for me, this three cheese roasted chilli bread pudding really shines served as part of a nice breakfast or a lovely brunch. I’ve made it for family and friends and whoever has had it has loved it.

When this three cheese roasted chilli bread pudding is baking in your oven, the inhabitants of your abode will most certainly start salivating as the aroma that emanates from the baking is truly nothing short of drool-inducing and will make the whole house smell divine! Bliss.

This recipe was featured in the first issue of “My Kisan Kitchen“, a Pakistani food and lifestyle magazine.

Three Cheese Roasted Chilli Bread Pudding

Recipe Type: Breakfast & Brunch Author: Alice In Eatland

Prep Time: 15 Minutes Cook Time: 20 Minutes Total Time: 35 Minutes Serves: 2

Savory three cheese roasted chilli bread pudding. Soufflé-like with a gorgeous puffy golden top, this is guaranteed to take you to comfort food heaven!

INGREDIENTS

2 medium fresh green or red chillies
1 cup grated mozzarella cheese
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup cream
1/4 cup milk
2 eggs
2 spring onions, finely chopped (both green and white parts)
2 cups cubed bread, at least a day old (crusts removed)
Spring onion green parts, extra, chopped, to garnish

METHOD

Puncture the chillies in several places with a small sharp knife and with the help of tongs, roast both chillies directly on stove flame, turning frequently until blistered and charred in places.
Remove chillies from heat and cool. Slit from the sides, remove the seeds and chop finely.
Stir together all three cheeses until combined; remove 1/4 cup of the cheese mixture and reserve.
In the jug of a blender or the bowl of a food processor, put the cream, milk, eggs, spring onions and combined cheeses. Blend or process until combined.
Place the bread cubes in a single layer in a lightly buttered ovenproof dish.
Stir the finely chopped roasted chillies into the cheese mixture and pour this mixture all over the bread cubes, covering evenly.
Cover dish tightly with cling film and let sit in the fridge for at least 6-8 hours, preferably overnight.
When ready to bake, preheat oven to 180 degrees C (350 degrees F) and take bread pudding dish out of the fridge 30 minutes before baking to let it come down to room temperature.
Sprinkle the reserved cheese mix evenly all over the surface the the pudding.
Bake 20-30 minutes or until bread pudding puffs up and is golden brown.
Remove from oven and cool 5 minutes.
Garnish with chopped spring onion greens and serve warm with a crisp green salad, if liked.