BREAKING THE FAST

Good-looking dishes keep the brunch bunch going all day

Iknow lots of people who are fasting intermittently, essentially eating only in an eight-hour window after having fasted for 16. These two recipes are perfect for those that break their fast and start eating later in the day. They’ve got all you need to keep you going till your last meal of the day. The muffin slice could be served with your favourite relish and avocado; or take it to another level and add bacon, poached eggs and hollandaise sauce and you’ve got the most amazing eggs benedict.

Brunch is my favourite meal of the day, especially when it’s looking like this. Happy Days!

Cauliflower Breakfast Muffin Slice

Prep time: 20 mins Cook time: 30 mins Makes: 1 slice

1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 cup onion finely diced

2 garlic cloves finely diced 200g chorizo finely diced

2 Tbsp Simon Gault Moroccan Seasoning

½ tsp cayenne pepper

4½ cups raw cauliflower

7 whole eggs

1½ cups grated parmesan cheese 100g raw spinach, roughly chopped Salt and pepper

1 Preheat oven to 180C and grease and line a 20x30cm baking pan with baking paper.

2 Saute the onion, garlic and chorizo until soft, 3-5 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the Moroccan seasoning and cayenne. Set aside.

3 Place the cauliflower in a food processor and blitz till it’s coarse like rice. Squeeze excess water from cauliflower.

4 Separately whisk the eggs together then add the cheese.

5 Combine all the ingredients together and season to taste with salt and pepper.

6 Pour into the prepared baking dish and bake for 20-25 minutes until lightly golden.

7 Remove from the oven and allow to cool before turning out on to a flat surface.

8 Cut into circles (squares or triangles) with an appropriate-sized cutter. Reheat prior to serving in a lightly oiled pan.

Eggs Benedict on Cauliflower Muffins with Chipotle Hollandaise

Prep time: 20 mins Cook time: 30 mins Serves: 4

8 cauliflower muffins (see recipe left) 16 rashers of streaky bacon (crispy) 8 eggs (poached)

1 quantity of hollandaise sauce

1 Reheat the muffin in a lightly oiled pan. 2 Take four serving plates and place two muffins on each plate.

3 Place two bacon rashers on each muffin. 4 Place a poached egg on each muffin then top with the hollandaise sauce.

Hollandaise Sauce

1 cup malt vinegar

½ cup white wine

½ tsp black peppercorns

1 bay leaf

2 Tbsp tarragon

4 egg yolks

225g butter

2 Tbsp smoked chipotle ketchup

(optional) 1 Take a saucepan and add the vinegar, white wine, peppercorns, bay leaf and tarragon, reduce to 2 Tbsp.

2 Melt the butter.

3 Place another saucepan over a bainmarie (making sure the base of the saucepan doesn’t touch the boiling water).

4 Add the egg yolks and reduction liquid, whisk together quickly.

5 In a slow, steady stream add the melted butter, continuing to whisk until the sauce comes together and is smooth and creamy.

6 Remove from the heat and add the chipotle ketchup (optional).