Breakfast musings

It's Sunday, let's talk about breakfast! Breakfast is one of my favourite moments of the day, as long as I don't have to rush. I get to eat in my PJ's, have a great coffee and browse the internet. I've turned it into a little ritual and I love it!

I bought a milk foamer and the quality of my life has improved by at least 40% since I've been having aromatic coffee with a soft, creamy cloud at home every morning :)

As for the actual food... you get to choose between savoury or sweet -what other meal lets you do that?- and either option is so balanced and refined... I.e., the sweet options are not overpoweringly sweet like dessert can be, and the savoury options are meant to leave you feeling satisfied, not about to slip into a digestive coma. This way, the focus is not so much on quantity but on the flavour of the food itself. After all, you just woke up, so you want to delicately coax your tastebuds into waking up. Think beautiful, gentle notes that don't drown each other out.

As a clear breakfast-worshipper, it's only natural that I approach the food itself with such sacrality. The only problem in this polytheistic complex, if you'll bear with my religious analogy, is that I'm always so torn on which option to choose. These are the ones I currently struggle the most choosing between and here's why:


Green bowl. Not only is it truly virtuous thanks to all the super-power granting ingredients it contains, it also feels like the purest, most refreshing option for your palate. Slipping effortlessly past your tongue, it feels like it's cleansing your entire body and recharging you with energy and good vibes. At the same time, the zing in the ginger tickles your tastebuds and wakes them up, while the dried fruit lends it a very gentle sweetness. You can feel your body thanking you, and don't worry, all the high-energy foods it contains will keep you full until lunchtime.

(I loosely follow this recipe)

 Oatmeal. Again, never mind the fact that oats are very good for you to begin with, what's really great about porridge is how comforting it is: like a good hug, warm. silky-soft oats can fix anything. Eating them almost tricks you into believing you never left the softness of your bed on those days it's way too early to be up, and then they slip into your belly and there, from your core, radiate warmth and happiness. What I like about oatmeal is that it's literally a blank canvas. You can make them in so many different ways and give them different flavours every day. It's your choice what kind of milk you want to use (I love almond), whether you want to cook fruit such as banana, apple or pear in it or add some fruit on top at the end, what spices to add -cinnamon, ginger, cloves, cardamom, some nutmeg maybe...-, how you want to sweeten it (brown sugar, honey, agave, maple syrup...), which toppings to add -here the options are endless, but let me give you some ideas anyways. Stirring some nut butter in your oatmeal gives it a toasty, nutty flavour. Some grated black chocolate is always awesome, and dried fruit, nuts and seeds are classics. And you can even make your oats taste like your favourite dessert (check out A Beautiful Mess's ideas) if you feel like being extra nice to yourself :)

Oatmeal with forest fruit, pear, banana, raisins, almond milk and cinnamon

Tartines. Not the same thing as toast at all: tartines are made exclusively with good-quality bread with a proper crust. Slice, toast, smear with butter and top with good jam or honey and maybe some cinnamon. Enjoy with the obligatory café au lait to dunk them in and, ideally, a book in bed. Not the healthiest of breakfasts, but it's perfect for those lazy Sundays, The honey's sweetness always takes me back to those amber-coloured childhood memories of family weekend breakfasts.

toasted spelt baguette is delicious :)

Avocado + eggs on toast. Like with all simple things, what really makes this dish is quality: nice toasted bread (though last time I used rye crisp bread and I loved how it was even more avocado-ey!), ripe avocado, right seasoning, perfectly cooked egg. I've become such an egg snob that I don't want to have eggs unless they're absolutely perfect -in my defence, dry scrambled eggs are not the most enticing thing in this world. I have, however, discovered that poached eggs are really easy and they come out perfect every time if you just follow these instructions: heat water in a pot until it just starts to simmer (NOT boil!), turn the heat off, crack an egg in a cup and drop it in the hot water, then cover the pot and wait exactly 4 minutes. Place your egg on top of the toast that you've covered in mashed avocado, some lemon juice, a drizzle of olive oil, salt and pepper, and enjoy. An oozy yolk, a soft white, the freshness of the citrus to undercut the fattiness of the creamy avocado, the discreet spiciness of pepper, the aromatic quality of the olive oil, the warm and delicious bread, all melding in every bite. Need I say more? Oh yeah, pretty much everyone will agree avocado is great for you, so that's another box ticked.