Breakfast really should be the most romantic meal of the day.
I count myself fortunate to have lived in tropical Port Douglas, Far North Queensland, for several years. Our house was shaded by an enormous mango tree and so I took it for granted that I could get up in the morning, wander outside and gather some of the fallen fruit for breakfast.
There is something extraordinarily sensual about a ripe mango, especially if eaten in the heavy warmth of the tropics, when you suck the rich flesh from the stone and the juice runs teasingly down your chin. We also grew fragrant soursop, a fruit that makes an excellent sorbet but attracts large colonies of fruit bats (some of which took up residence in our spare room). Alongside that was a tree that produced strawberry papaya, a luscious, pink-fleshed fruit. When served with a squeeze of lime, it tastes like the most exotic treasure ever to grace your palate. In the tropics, a plate of such fruit makes the kind of romantic breakfast that just teases the day along.
With Valentine’s Day coming up, I am reminded of other romantic breakfasts, and although few would consider black pudding a lovers’ delight first thing in the morning, I beg to differ. Good tender pudding, sublimely fragile, when eaten with a slice of apple and dipped into runny egg yolk, is earthily charming and mysterious. Another that springs to mind is mashed avocado spread on a buttery toasted baguette and topped with a poached egg and a thick pillow of grated gruyere cheese. It is surprisingly simple yet beautifully elegant. Although much is made of softly lit and tantalisingly atmospheric dinners, breakfast really should be the most romantic meal of the day.
This is a Port Douglas breakfast that I like to eat on a lazy summer’s morning when the sun is warming the kitchen and the house is still quiet. First, ripen your mango on the kitchen bench, then refrigerate it. It will keep for at least a week. I bring the fruit back to room temperature before serving.
Breakfast Coconut Rice with Mango
½ a cinnamon quill
½ a vanilla bean
3cm piece of fresh ginger, peeled and
chopped
1 litre of milk
1 cup arborio rice
½ cup of sugar
400ml coconut cream
2 mangoes
juice of 1 lime
Tie the spices in a piece of muslin, then place in a saucepan with the milk and rice. Bring to a gentle simmer, then cook for 40 minutes. In a separate saucepan, bring the sugar and coconut cream to the boil. Continue boiling for 2 minutes until the sugar dissolves, then stir it into the rice mix. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.
Meanwhile, cut the mango in half from top to bottom on either side of the centre line down the sides of the elongated stone. Cut diagonal lines across the flesh, creating large diamond shapes, then turn the skin inside out so the mango chunks can be easily removed. Divide the rice between 4 deep bowls and top with mango chunks. Squeeze a little lime juice over the top.
Serves 4.
A good black pudding has a coarse texture and remains meltingly tender yet crumbles slightly when cooked. Cut the pudding into thick slices, as these will hold together better than thin ones, and always cook them in a very hot pan. Allow the pieces to form a crusty exterior, as this helps prevent the fat escaping. They are fragile, so turn them gently. Cook the potatoes and apples in the same pan to keep all the flavours together.
Black Pudding with Apple, Crispy Potatoes and Soft Egg
olive oil for frying
2 large potatoes, boiled
2 black puddings, about 200g
2 firm apples
2 tbsp malt vinegar
8 eggs, at room temperature
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Heat the oil in a frying pan. Cut the potatoes into 1.5cm cubes, then fry them until the edges are crisp and golden. Meanwhile, cut the black puddings into 2cm cubes, then add to the crisp potatoes. Cook for 2-3 minutes until a brown crust has formed on the puddings. Chop the apples into pieces roughly the same size as the potatoes. If necessary, add a little more oil to the pan, then add the apple pieces and cook until they colour slightly – about 3 minutes. Remove the ingredients to a warm plate covered with absorbent paper and keep them warm while you poach the eggs.
Bring a pan of water and the vinegar to the boil. Crack the eggs into the water, then lower the heat and cook for 3 -minutes with the water barely bubbling. Remove the eggs with a slotted spoon, allowing the water to drain away. You may need to cook the eggs in batches, so keep the cooked ones warm on a plate lined with absorbent paper. Divide the potato, pudding and apple mixture between each of 4 plates, then top each plate with 2 poached eggs. Season lightly with salt and pepper.
Serves 4.
I love butter, I really do. A piece of fish cooked in butter tastes sublime, and to toss cooked vegetables in a tablespoon of the stuff seems like the most obvious and glorious gift to give them.
Sadly, though, the pure New Zealand salted butter that I love so much seems to taste consistently rancid. Despite my best efforts to find out why, I seem no closer to an answer. Tragically, I find myself using an imported cultured butter that has a slightly sour taste and gorgeous flavour.
Although I enjoy the quiet butteriness of a good gruyere, parmesan is a good substitute.
Poached Egg on Crushed Avocado with Gruyere Cheese and Buttery Toast
vinegared water for poaching
4 eggs
1 baguette, cut in half
butter
2 just-ripe avocados
juice of a lime
salt and freshly ground black pepper
150g gruyere cheese
Bring the vinegared water to a simmer, then poach the eggs over a gentle heat until just cooked – about 3 minutes. Meanwhile, toast the baguette under a grill, then butter it while still hot. Cut the avocados in half and remove the stones. Using a dessertspoon, scoop out the flesh and drop it into a bowl. Mix in the lime juice, season generously with salt and pepper, then spread thickly over the baguette. Lift the eggs out of the poaching water and drain thoroughly. Place a piece of baguette on each of 2 plates, then place 2 poached eggs in the middle. Before serving, liberally grate the cheese over the top using a fine grater.
Makes enough for 2.