brunch

Blueberry Crumble Muffins

baking, brunch

So it’s the weekend, finally! It might not be morning, it might not be lunchtime, but it’s definitely time for these muffins. Bursting with fresh blueberries, wrapped with a cinnamon batter and topped with a spiced brown sugar crumble. These are where it’s at. Your loved ones will thank you big time. And your tastebuds!

Ingredients

For the crumble

  • 100g butter
  • 100g plain flour
  • 100g dark brown sugar
  • a pinch of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt

For the muffin mix

  • 350g self raising flour
  • 150g caster sugar
  • 15g baking powder
  • a pinch of salt
  • 2 large eggs
  • 175ml milk
  • 115g melted butter
  • 1tsp ground cinnamon
  • 300g fresh blueberries

First things first, preheat your oven to 180C for a fan oven and 190C for a gas. Get all of your crumble ingredients into a bowl and rub the butter into the dry ingredients with your fingers until it looks like breadcrumbs. When you’re done, tip the lot onto a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper and make sure it’s all spread out evenly. Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes, stirring it with a fork after 10. When the crumble mix is done make a start on your muffins. Whisk all your wet ingredients in a large bowl, just give it a good mix to combine everything. Then sift in all of your dry ingredients, give it all a good stir, making sure you don’t over mix it. Throw in your blueberries, give it another stir for luck and you’re ready to spoon it into a muffin tray. Make sure you’ve lined it with paper cases, spoon in a dessert-spoonful of the muffin mixture, top with a teaspoon of the crumble mixture and bake for about 20 minutes. When they’re ready, get your mug of black coffee, glass of orange juice and your newspaper and your weekend is about to begin.

French toast à la Milla

Breakfast, brunch

French toast can be a very versatile dish; have it savoury with poached eggs and bacon, with a fried egg, smoked paprika and chopped spring onions or like this, sweet with cinnamon and ice-cream! I used a fruit loaf for this but it’ll work just as well with a normal sliced white loaf.

Ingredients

  • 2 slices of sliced bread
  • 2 eggs
  • 50ml milk
  • 1tbsp golden caster sugar
  • ½ tsp ground cinnamon
  • ½ tsp grated nutmeg
  • a knob of butter for the pan
  • vanilla ice-cream

Mix together your eggs, milk, sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg until they’re well incorporated. Place your bread flat in the egg mix, wait a minute of two for the egg mix to soak in, then turn oven and soak the other side. Have a frying pan heating on the hob, on a medium heat, and when it’s hot, chuck the butter in. When the butter has melted, carefully place your eggy bread in the pan and wait til it’s a golden brown. When it’s ready, turn over and cook the other side. Remove your toast from the pan, get it onto a plate and get your ice-cream on top pronto. If you want to be extra fancy, slice some strawberries on top. The perfect breakfast in bed.

The most perfect dippy hard-boiled eggs.

Breakfast

Hard-boiled eggs are my favourite type of egg. They’re quick to do, easy to do and you’re getting the all the flavour from the gorgeously runny yolk and firm white. Totally untouched.

Ingredients

  • 2 large eggs (I used Burford Browns, they have an amazingly orange yolk)
  • 2 slices of crusty bread
  • butter
  • salt and pepper to taste

Get a pan of water on the hob and heat it to a rolling boil. Toast your bread before you put the eggs in the water. Set a timer for 4 and a half minutes and get you plate, cutlery and cup of tea ready. Lower your eggs into the water, set your timer and sort your soldiers out. Butter your bread, i like to twist the salt and pepper onto my soldiers, it’s easier than seasoning your eggs, and cut into 1cm think fingers. When your timer is done, quickly run the cold tap into the pan to prevent the eggs from cooking further. Even if there’s no water in the pan, if the eggs still feel warm they’re still cooking, so the cold water is a must! Pick out of the water, crack open and enjoy!

Breakfast. Oozy scrambled eggs with watercress and spring onions.

Breakfast

When I woke up this morning I fancied eggs. In all honesty I always fancy eggs. They’re one of the most versatile, tasty and (occasionally) healthiest foods on the planet. So here is recipe number one, my oozy scrambled eggs on malty wholegrain toast with fresh watercress and spring onions, just for a bit of a kick.

Ingredients.

  • 3 eggs
  • 50ml double cream
  • a pinch of salt
  • a pinch of pepper
  • a pinch of sweet smoked paprika
  • a splash of olive oil
  • a little butter for the pan
  • a slice of buttered wholegrain toast
  • a handful of watercress
  • and a big pinch of chopped spring onions.

Let’s get cracking, shall we?

First off, make sure your plate, toast, cup of tea and newspaper are ready to go, cause as soon as the eggs go into the searing hot pan, they take a matter of seconds, you guys don’t have time to be messing around after the eggs start their magic.

Next, we need to get the eggs, cream, salt, pepper and paprika into a bowl, but don’t whisk them in any way and be careful not to break the yolks. Have your saucepan heating on the hob with your olive oil and butter, The oil is there to stop the butter burning, the fat content is so high it’ll take a matter of minutes for it to become a bubbling brown mess. Once your butter has dissolved and is starting to bubble, pour in the egg mix carefully. Let the eggs sit for a few seconds to form a skin around the side and bottom of the pan. Next, start to carefully and slowly stir the eggs in a figure of 8, avoiding the yolks and scraping round the sides to make sure the eggs don’t catch. When they are almost done, turn off the heat. They’ll continue to cook, but you don’t want to end up with dry eggs falling off your fork. Carefully scrape the eggs onto your toast, making sure the yolks are intact. I know I say ‘carefully’ a lot, but trust me, the extra care now means beautiful orange yolk all over the plate later. Top your eggs with a twist of salt and freshly ground black pepper, then your watercress and finally your onions. Now take a picture for Instagram if you have to, and enjoy!