Will And Steve: Home Cook, Aspiring Chef

BRUNCH, SOUPS AND SARNIES

Ah, brunch! Everyone’s favourite meal because they woke up late, missed breakfast and now feel the need to make up for it. Our brunch recipes have something for everyone, including some café classics that we have made our own. We have, of course, included a couple of dishes that lean on our heritage, such as white pudding and crumpets. Kickback and enjoy the start to your day with a brunch that reminds you how good it is to be here, living this life.

STEVE Australia has to be the breakfast capital of the world. We Australians – and, yes, we are Aussies now (and proud of it!) – consider eating out for breakfast a hobby that’s equally as important as going out in the evening for a slap up meal.

WILL Yeah, it’s certainly more popular here than it is back in England. I can’t help but feel it has something to do with the weather. You know, it really wouldn’t be the same vibe sitting on Southend Pier in the freezing cold, under grey clouds, watching murky brown waves rolling in.

STEVE Don’t remind me! About the sarnies, just in case you aren’t sure what we are referring to:

sarnie

'sa ni /

BRITISHinformal

noun: sarnie; plural noun: sarnies

a sandwich.

WILL The other word in the chapter title should be familiar enough – comes in a packet or tin, not sure how or when it got in there. You’ve never made one from scratch before and you wouldn’t know where to start … until now!

STEVE We both grew up with sandwiches being the staple school packed lunch during the week and a bowl of soup at midday on the weekends. We were happy back then, life was simple and we didn’t worry about the things we do now, being gluten intolerant or having food sensitivities. We didn’t even concern ourselves too much with wholemeal or healthier grains. As much as I love the food evolution we are continuing to go through, I can’t help but think that all the choice we now have is making people fussier and in some ways less adventurous.

Either way, in this chapter there is something for everyone: recipes for dark gloomy days or to make having man flu more legitimate. Other recipes are for when we absolutely refuse to make friends with salad and instead want to demolish thick slabs of salt beef in a sugary white bagel!

SPINACH, SUN-DRIED TOMATO AND PARMESAN MUFFINS

Some flavour combinations cannot be beaten: cheese and tomato is one of them. It doesn’t get any more classic, and the combination has never evolved much more than using a sweeter tomato and some cheese with a bit more bite to it. It’s a formidable duo, much like us!

PREP AND COOK TIME: 25 MINUTESMAKES: 8 MUFFINS

20g butter, chilled

½ cup milk

2 eggs, lightly beaten

100g butter, melted

1 cup grated parmesan cheese

1 cup plain flour

1 teaspoon sea salt flakes

½ teaspoon baking powder

freshly ground black pepper

½ cup semi-sundried tomatoes, roughly chopped (or for our Slow-roasted Garlic Tomatoes)

60g baby spinach, roughly chopped

1. Preheat your oven to 180°C. Grease eight moulds of a 12-hole standard muffin tin with the chilled butter.

2. Combine the milk, eggs, melted butter and three-quarters of the parmesan in a jug. Mix well.

3. In a bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking powder and a good amount of pepper.

4. Mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until you have a batter.

5. Fold the tomatoes and spinach into the batter.

6. Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin holes, top with the remaining parmesan and a little more black pepper. Place in the oven and bake for 15–18 minutes until puffed and golden and cooked through. Carefully take the muffins out of the tin and place on a wire rack. Serve as they are, warm or cooled.

WILL You're using sundried tomatoes in this recipe, could we roast our own instead?

STEVE You most certainly could. The dish title suggests sundried tomatoes but I would actually steer people towards the semi-sundried variety as they offer a little bit more moisture. However, like you suggested, roasting your own is great as you get to choose what other flavours you can infuse into them – garlic, lemon, basil, chilli – the list is endless.

POACHED EGGS, BASIL PESTO AND CRISP PROSCIUTTO

Nailing a perfect poached egg is something the café culture does very well, but let’s not let the professionals have all the fun. With a little practice and some fresh eggs (so, so important), we reckon you can create something just as special in your own kitchen.

PREP AND COOK TIME: 20 MINUTESSERVES: 4

1 tablespoon white vinegar

8 eggs

16 slices of prosciutto

8 slices of sourdough bread

1 handful of micro herbs

PESTO:

70g basil leaves

30g rocket leaves

¼ cup pine nuts, toasted

½ cup grated parmesan cheese

1 garlic clove, crushed

¾ cup olive oil

juice of ½ lemon

¼ teaspoon sea salt flakes

pinch of freshly ground black

pepper

1. To make the pesto, place the basil, rocket, pine nuts, parmesan, garlic, olive oil and lemon juice in a food processor and pulse a few times to combine. Continue to pulse to your desired consistency. If you want a looser pesto, add more oil and pulse again. When you are happy with the texture, taste and season with salt and pepper.

2. Bring a saucepan of water to the boil and add the vinegar. Lower the heat to a little more than a simmer. Break an egg into a small bowl or mug (this will make it easier to place the egg in the water). Stir the water in the pan to create a vortex, then tip in the egg. Cook for 2 minutes and 15 seconds for a runny yolk or for 30 seconds longer for a firm yolk. Remove the poached egg with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towel. Repeat with the remaining eggs.

3. Place the prosciutto onto a baking tray and grill for 1–2 minutes on each side until crispy.

4. Toast the slices of sourdough.

5. Spread the toasted sourdough with the pesto, top with some crispy prosciutto, two poached eggs and a sprinkle of micro herbs.

WILL When making pesto, you don’t always need to use basil, do you, Steve?

STEVE Not always. Basil works really well and it’s undoubtedly my favourite, but feel free to sub in more rocket and less basil, the peppery taste will complement the creaminess of the pine nuts quite nicely. Other options could be using spinach or coriander, roasted capsicum or sundried tomatoes. So many exciting pesto possibilities.

OATCAKES, SMOKED BACON AND RICOTTA

Forget toast. We bring you oatcakes. To the best of our knowledge oatcakes originated in Scotland long ago, even before Will was born, and they were more of a biscuit. The north of England then made them their own and theirs were more like crêpes. We played around and settled on more of a thick pancake.

PREP AND COOK TIME: 1¼ HOURS, INCLUDING PROVING TIMESERVES: 4

400ml milk

300ml water

1 teaspoon honey

7g sachet of dried yeast

225g oat bran

200g wholemeal plain flour

1 teaspoon sea salt flakes

24 slices of smoked bacon, rind removed

½ a handful of chives, finely chopped

250g fresh ricotta

squeeze of lemon juice

drizzle of olive oil

1 handful of micro

mizuna leaves

1. Combine the milk, water and honey in a saucepan, bring to a lukewarm temperature, remove from the heat, add the yeast and allow to sit for 10 minutes.

2. Mix the oat bran, flour and salt in a bowl, then add the milk mixture and stir to form a rough-textured batter. Cover the bowl with a damp tea towel and leave somewhere warm for 45 minutes until doubled in size

3. Grill the bacon until nice and crisp, then keep warm until required.

4. Mix the chives into the ricotta. Add a squeeze of lemon juice and salt to taste.

5. To cook the oatcakes, heat a little olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Spoon a heaped tablespoon of the batter into the pan and press with the back of a spoon into small round cakes. Cook 4 oatcakes at a time for 2–3 minutes, or until the underside is golden brown. Turn and cook for 2 minutes to finish. Transfer to a plate and keep warm while cooking the remaining oatcakes.

6. Serve two oatcakes per person. Spread each oatcake with a layer of the herb ricotta, top with the crispy bacon and dress with the mizuna.

WILL I thought all bacon was smoked?

STEVE Nope, all bacon is cured and that is very different. Curing involves brining in salt, a different process to smoking. We are using smoked bacon here just to add another level of flavour that will work really nicely with the fresh creamy nature of the ricotta.

WHOLEMEAL CRUMPET, GLAZED BLUEBERRIES AND MASCARPONE

Since we were old enough to remember, we’ve loved crumpets. Toasted until almost burnt and then slathered in salty butter, simplicity that can’t be beaten. We’ve gone down the sweet route here and we see it as a nice alternative to the brunch menu favourite: pancakes with maple syrup.

PREP AND COOK TIME: 1¼ HOURS, INCLUDING PROVING TIMESERVES: 4

350ml milk

150ml warm water

1 tablespoon honey

7g sachet of dried yeast

350g wholemeal plain flour

½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

1 teaspoon sea salt flakes

250g blueberries

1 teaspoon caster sugar

zest of 1 lemon

juice of ½ lemon

1 tablespoon olive oil

4 tablespoons butter

250g mascarpone

1. To make the crumpet batter, combine the milk, water, honey and yeast in a saucepan, bring to a lukewarm temperature and remove from the heat. Mix the flour, bicarb and salt in a bowl, add the milk mixture and stir to an even consistency. Cover the bowl with a damp tea towel and leave somewhere warm for 45 minutes until doubled in size.

2. Place the blueberries, sugar and lemon zest and juice in a saucepan and simmer for 5 minutes. Set aside to cool slightly.

3. Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium to high heat, pour in the crumpet batter and spread it out as much as possible, all the way to the edge of the pan. Cook for 8–10 minutes until holes appear on the surface and the underside is dark and crisp. Flip the crumpet over, drop knobs of butter around the side of the crumpet and cook for a further 2 minutes until golden brown. Remove from the pan and place on a plate.

4. Serve topped with the blueberries, and a dollop of mascarpone.

WILL Which is the best cheese to use to hide a horse? Mask-a-pony! Get it?

STEVE Oh boy, if I hear that gag one more time I’m going to squeeze you into a plastic bag, suck all the air out, heat seal it, cook you to 58°C (medium rare) and then post you back to England. It’s the best use for our sous vide machine that I can think of.

WILL Afternoon tea as a kid. That’s where my first memories of crumpets began.

STEVE When does this ‘afternoon tea’ event go down?

WILL A couple of hours before dinner, a crumpet and a cup of tea.

STEVE As a kid, you say? You sound old even when you were young.

CORN FRITTERS WITH AVOCADO, COFFEE AND MAPLE BACON

A staple of every brunch menu is the reliable corn fritter! We’ve jammed lots of gorgeous flavours into ours that will really set them apart from your local café’s. It was all looking a bit too healthy so we added a glaze to the bacon for a little ‘je ne sais quoi’!

PREP AND COOK TIME: 25 MINUTESSERVES: 2

olive oil, for frying

CORN FRITTER:

2 eggs

1 egg yolk

1 teaspoon sea salt flakes

4 tablespoons plain flour

1 cup corn kernels, cooked

100g feta, crumbled

½ fennel bulb, diced

2 spring onions, finely chopped

1 small handful of dill, finely chopped

zest of 1 lemon

juice of ½ lemon

sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper

SMASHED AVOCADO:

1 avocado

1 small handful of coriander leaves

squeeze of lemon juice

COFFEE AND MAPLE BACON:

1 teaspoon instant coffee

2 tablespoons boiling water

2 tablespoons maple syrup

6 thick slices of middle bacon, rind removed

1. To make the fritter batter, in a large bowl, mix the eggs and egg yolk with the salt and flour until combined and smooth. Fold in the corn, feta, fennel, spring onion, dill, lemon zest and juice and season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

2. To make the smashed avocado, spoon the avocado flesh onto a small plate. Add a pinch of salt and pepper, the coriander and lemon juice and mash roughly with a fork. Set aside.

3. Turn your oven grill to maximum temperature.

4. To make the coffee and maple bacon, combine the instant coffee with the boiling water and leave for a few minutes to allow the coffee to dissolve, then add the maple syrup. Place the bacon on a foil-covered baking tray and brush each side with the coffee and maple glaze. Grill the bacon on both sides until crispy.

5. Heat a little olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium–high heat and spoon in four equal portions of the fritter batter. Shape into small rounds with the back of a spoon and cook for 3 minutes until golden brown on the underside. Flip and cook for 2–3 minutes until golden brown and cooked through.

6. Serve 2–3 corn fritters per person with a large spoonful of the smashed avocado on top and a side of the coffee and maple bacon.

WILL Coffee and bacon? I’ve never heard of that before. Doesn’t it make the bacon bitter?

STEVE Almost, but not quite. The bitterness is nicely counteracted by the sweetness of the maple. Layers of flavour, my friend.

WILL Bitter sweet!

WHITE PUDDING, CHARRED SOURDOUGH AND APPLE CHUTNEY

Steve has Irish blood and white pudding has always been a favourite of his. It’s become a bit of a rarity to find these days, especially in Australia, and even when he does find it he claims it’s not quite what he remembers. So he made it himself, the way he remembers it to be, the way we like it.

PREP AND COOK TIME: 1 HOURSERVES: 6

1 loaf of sourdough bread, sliced

olive oil

micro herbs, to serve

APPLE CHUTNEY:

500g granny smith apples

juice of 1 lemon

2 teaspoons butter

1 French shallot, finely diced

150g brown sugar

100g raisins

1 teaspoon yellow mustard seeds

½ teaspoon ground ginger

½ teaspoon sea salt flakes

1 cup apple cider vinegar

zest of 1 lemon

WHITE PUDDING:

½ cup oat bran

½ cup water

280g pork mince

120g minced pork fat

½ onion, diced

¼ leek, pale part only, diced

20g potato flour

2 tablespoons sea salt flakes

1 teaspoon mace

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon dried sage

1 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper

1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1 teaspoon ground allspice

1. To make the apple chutney, peel and dice the apples and toss them in the lemon juice to stop them from oxidising. Melt the butter in a saucepan over a high heat, add the apple and sauté for 2 minutes, then stir in the remaining ingredients. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 40 minutes until the mixture has thickened to almost a jammy consistency. Allow to cool.

2. To start on the white pudding, in a small bowl, combine the oat bran and water. Stir and leave for 10 minutes. Spoon the oat bran mixture into the middle of a clean tea towel. Bring the edges of the tea towel together and squeeze out as much of the milky water as you can. Open the tea towel and scrape the oat bran mixture into a large bowl. Add the pork mince and fat, the onion, leek, potato flour, salt, mace, ginger, coriander, sage, white pepper, nutmeg and allspice. Mix thoroughly with your hands. Split the mixture into two even quantities.

3. Lay out a large sheet of cling film and spoon one portion of the white pudding mixture along the side of cling film closest to you, making sure to leave a 5cm gap on each side. Roll the cling film and the white pudding mixture away from you to create a large sausage shape. Twist both ends of cling film, making sure you remove all the air pockets. Tie some butchers’ string around each end to make the parcel watertight. Repeat the process with another sheet of