LET ’S DO BRUNCH

Go international for your next mid-morning dining experience with these swoon-worthy dishes from around the globe

BRIOCHE FRENCH TOAST SANDWICHES WITH VERJUICE APRICOTS

WHITE BEAN SMASH WITH EGGS, KALE AND BROWN BUTTER

Swedish cardamom morning buns

MAKES 12

INGREDIENTS

1 cup milk 2 tsp dried yeast 2 Tbsp white sugar 2½ cups high-grade flour 1½ Tbsp freshly ground cardamom (see Tip) 65g unsalted butter, softened ¾ tsp fine sea salt 1 egg, beaten lightly

FILLING

200g unsalted butter, slightly softened ¾ cup sugar 1½ Tbsp ground cardamom ¼ tsp fine sea salt

TOPPING

2 Tbsp sugar 1 tsp freshly ground cardamom

1 Combine milk, yeast and 1 teaspoon of the sugar in a medium jug. Cover; stand in a warm place for 10 minutes or until frothy. 2 Place the flour, cardamom, butter, salt, remaining sugar and the yeast mixture in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook. Mix on medium speed for 8 minutes or until very smooth and elastic. (Or knead by hand on a lightly floured surface for 10 minutes.) 3 Turn dough onto a work surface; press out into a rectangle about 2cm thick. Make three slashes, 5mm deep, in top of dough. Cover with greased plastic wrap; refrigerate for 2 hours or until doubled in size. 4 For the Filling, beat ingredients in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment just until well combined; do not overbeat (it should not be fluffy or too soft). 5 Preheat oven to 220°C. Line two large baking trays with baking paper. 6 With a short side in front of you, roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface into a 30cm x 38cm rectangle, about 3mm thick. Dot surface of dough with small spoonfuls of filling; gently spread filling over dough with an offset spatula. With the shorter side in front of you, fold the top third of the dough down over the middle third, then the bottom third up to cover the folded dough. Use a rolling pin to gently pat the dough to seal, then roll into a rectangle about 24cm x 30cm. With the long side in front of you, mark the dough at 2.5cm intervals, then cut into 12 even strips. Split each strip down the middle almost all the way but leaving 2.5cm joined at one end. Holding one strip of dough at the joined end, stretch and twist lightly, wrapping the dough twice around your fingers, overlapping slightly, like a bandage; fold the end over the coil and tuck it underneath. Place on lined trays. Repeat shaping with remaining strips. 7 Stand, uncovered, at room temperature for 1 hour or until puffed and risen. 8 Brush the buns with egg; sprinkle with combined topping ingredients. 9 Bake one tray for 8 minutes; rotate tray and bake for a further 8 minutes or until deep golden and cooked through. Repeat with second tray. Cool on trays.

Tip Buy cardamom seeds from Asian grocery stores and grind the black seeds yourself for best results; Buns are best eaten warm on the day.

Oat crumpets with avocado and sriracha honey bacon

SERVES 4

INGREDIENTS

1 cup wholemeal flour 1 tsp fine salt ½ cup rolled oats 1½ tsp dried yeast ½ tsp chilli flakes ½ tsp baking soda 1½ cups milk, lukewarm Oil cooking spray 8 streaky bacon rashers 1 Tbsp honey 1 Tbsp sriracha 1 cup Greek yoghurt 2 Tbsp wholegrain mustard 1 Tbsp chopped chives 8 eggs 2 Tbsp olive oil 1 large avocado, sliced

1 Place flour, salt, oats, yeast, chilli flakes, baking soda and milk in a medium bowl; whisk until combined. Cover; stand in a warm place for 1 hour or until bubbly and risen. 2 Meanwhile, preheat oven to 200°C. Line an oven tray with foil; spray lightly with cooking spray. Lay bacon on tray; brush both sides with combined honey and sriracha. Bake for 20 minutes or until crisp and caramelised. 3 Combine yoghurt, mustard and chives in a small bowl; season. Refrigerate until required. 4 Bring a medium saucepan of water to the boil. Add the eggs; simmer for 6½ minutes for soft boiled. Drain, then leave in cold water. When cool enough to handle, peel eggs and set aside. 5 Heat the oil in a large, non-stick frying pan over low heat. Spray inside four 7.5cm round, 2cm deep crumpet rings with oil spray, dust with a little extra flour, tap to remove excess; place in a pan. Gently spoon a heaped ¼ cup of crumpet mixture into each ring. Cook for 3 minutes or until bubbles appear and the surface is just set. Slide a large spatula under each crumpet and ring, and turn over. Cook for 2 minutes or until set and cooked. 6 Serve oat crumpets with bacon, halved eggs and sliced avocado with the yoghurt and chive mixture on the side.

Kūmara rosti with mushroom medley

SERVES 4

INGREDIENTS

1 large orange kūmara (see Tips) 2 eggs, beaten lightly 2 cloves garlic, crushed ½ cup panko breadcrumbs 1 cup finely grated parmesan ¼ cup olive oil 100g butter, chopped 2 Tbsp fresh oregano leaves, chopped 6 portobello mushrooms, trimmed 2 x punnets mixed mushrooms (brown, oyster, enoki etc) 150g baby kale leaves 1 Coarsely grate kūmara; squeeze out excess liquid. Place grated kūmara in a large bowl with eggs, half the garlic, breadcrumbs, parmesan and 1 tablespoon of the oil. Season, them mix well. 2 Line a 24cm non-stick frying pan with baking paper (see Tips). Add kūmara mixture, pressing down firmly and evenly to cover the base of the pan. Cook, covered, over a medium heat for 10 minutes or until browned underneath and kūmara is almost tender. Slide rosti onto a flat plate; invert frying pan over rosti, then flip the plate and pan to turn rosti over. Cook a further 8 minutes or until rosti is browned underneath and cooked through. 3 Meanwhile, preheat an oiled grill pan. Place butter, oregano and remaining garlic in a small saucepan over low heat; stir until just melted. Combine mushrooms and butter mixture in a medium bowl; season well. Cook mushrooms in grill pan for 2 minutes each side or until browned and tender. 4 Cut rosti into wedges; top with mushrooms and kale leaves, then drizzle with remaining butter mixture to serve.

Tips Kūmara turns brown when cut so it’s best to peel and grate it just before placing it in the bowl; if you have a scratch-free, non-stick frying pan you won’t need to line it first with baking paper.

Ricotta & basil pancakes with roasted chilli tomatoes

SERVES 4

INGREDIENTS

300g baby truss roma tomatoes 3 long red chillies, halved lengthways 1⁄3 cup extra virgin olive oil 1 cup firm fresh ricotta 2 tsp finely grated lemon rind 1 egg 1¼ cups milk 1¼ cups self-raising flour ½ cup fresh basil, coarsely chopped ¼ cup grated parmesan Green olive tapenade and watercress sprigs, to serve 1 Preheat oven to 200°C. Place tomatoes and chillies on an oven tray lined with baking paper; drizzle with 2 tablespoons of the oil. Season. Roast for 10 minutes or until blistered and just tender. 2 Whisk ricotta, lemon rind and egg in a medium bowl until combined. Whisk in milk, then flour. Stir in basil and parmesan; season. 3 Heat 1 tablespoon of the remaining oil in a large non-stick frying pan over a medium heat. Pour ¼ cups of mixture into pan, allowing room for spreading. Cook pancakes for 2 minutes each side or until golden and cooked through. Transfer to a plate; cover to keep warm. Repeat with a little more of the remaining oil and batter to make 12 pancakes in total. 4 Serve stacks of warm pancakes topped with roasted tomatoes and chillies, a spoonful of tapenade and watercress sprigs. Drizzle with any remaining oil.

Slow cooker braised beans & ham

SERVES 6

INGREDIENTS

4 x 400g cans pinto beans, drained, rinsed 410g can tomato puree 2 Tbsp brown sugar, firmly packed 2 Tbsp treacle 2 Tbsp Dijon mustard 1kg smoked ham hock (see Note) Chargrilled sourdough, to serve

1 Heat a 5-litre slow cooker on low. 2 Place beans, tomato puree, sugar, treacle, mustard, ham hock and ½ cup water in cooker; cook, covered, for 8 hours. 3 Remove ham hock from cooker; discard rind. Coarsely shred ham with two forks or cut into slices; discard the skin and bone. Season to taste. 4 Serve braised beans and shredded ham on buttered chargrilled sourdough. Note: You can cook this recipe in the oven at 150°C for 2½ hours or until the ham is falling from the bone; this recipe can be made up to 3 days ahead; refrigerate in an airtight container. Reheat when ready to serve.

Scandi breakfast platter

SERVES 4

INGREDIENTS

250g cream cheese Rye crispbread, to serve

GIN & JUNIPER GRAVLAX

1 Tbsp coriander seeds 1 Tbsp fennel seeds 1 Tbsp juniper berries 2 tsp finely grated lemon rind 300g sea salt flakes 1⁄3 cup sugar 1⁄3 cup gin 800g salmon, pin-boned, skin on ¼ cup Dijon mustard 1⁄3 cup fresh dill, finely chopped

QUICK PICKLED VEGETABLES

¾ cup white wine vinegar ½ cup caster sugar ½ tsp salt 3 cloves 1 cinnamon stick 2 small beetroot, shaved 1 small red onion, shaved 1 Lebanese cucumber, shaved 1 For the Gin and Juniper

Gravlax, pound coriander seeds, fennel seeds and juniper berries using a mortar and pestle until coarsely ground. Transfer to a medium bowl; add the lemon rind, salt, sugar and gin. Season with pepper. 2 Spread half the mixture on a large deep tray lined with a large sheet of plastic wrap. Top with salmon, skinside down; spread with remaining mixture to cover. Wrap plastic tightly over salmon to cover and reduce any leaks. Refrigerate for 24 hours turning salmon after 12 hours. Rinse salmon lightly under cold running water; pat dry with paper towel. Spread mustard on flesh-side of salmon; top evenly with dill. Refrigerate for 1 hour. 3 For the Quick Pickled Vegetables, place the vinegar, sugar, salt, cloves, cinnamon and 80ml water in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to the boil, stirring to dissolve sugar. Simmer for 3 minutes. Place the

You will Tip need to start beetroot and onion in a medium heatproof bowl. Place cucumber in a small heatproof bowl. Pour making the Gin & Juniper two-thirds of the hot pickling liquid Gravlax at least 1 day ahead over the beetroot and onion; pour of serving to ensure you remaining liquid over cucumber. have enough time to 4 Serve Gin and Juniper Gravlax with cure the salmon. cream cheese and pickled vegetables crispbread with on the side. the

Skillet hotcake with tahini maple pears

SERVES 6

INGREDIENTS

1½ cups self-raising flour ¼ tsp baking soda 2 tsp ground cinnamon 1⁄3 cup tahini 2⁄3 cup maple syrup 2 eggs, beaten lightly 1½ cups buttermilk 50g butter 3 medium firm beurre bosc pears, unpeeled, each cut into 6 wedges 2 Tbsp lemon juice Toasted sesame seeds, to serve

1 Preheat oven to 220°C. Place a 26cm (top measurement) ovenproof skillet in the oven to preheat. 2 Place flour, baking soda and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon in a large bowl. Add 2 tablespoons each of the tahini and maple syrup, then the egg and buttermilk; whisk until combined. 3 Heat 30g of the butter in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add pears; cook, turning occasionally, for eight minutes or until browned and almost tender. Add the remaining cinnamon, tahini and maple syrup, then the lemon juice; stir gently until combined. Cook, over low heat, stirring occasionally, for five minutes or until pears are tender and sauce is thickened. Set aside. 4 Meanwhile, carefully but quickly remove the hot skillet from the oven; add the remaining butter, swirl to coat. Pour in the pancake mixture; smooth the surface. Bake for 15 minutes or until browned and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. 5 To serve, top hotcake with tahini maple pears and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Brioche French toast sandwiches with verjuice apricots

SERVES 4

INGREDIENTS

1 cup dried apricots 1 cup verjuice 1 medium lemon 1 cup caster sugar 2 sprigs lemon thyme 1 vanilla bean, split lengthways, seeds scraped 250g firm fresh ricotta 500g day-old brioche loaf (see Note) 1⁄3 cup apricot jam 6 eggs ½ cup milk 2 Tbsp vegetable oil

1 Place apricots and verjuice in a small saucepan; bring to the boil over medium heat. Remove pan from heat. Stand, covered, for 20 minutes or until apricots are plump. 2 Using a zesting tool, remove rind from lemon in long, thin strips; you need 1 tablespoon zested rind. Juice the lemon. 3 Add zested rind, juice, sugar, lemon thyme, a vanilla bean half and half the seeds to apricots in pan. Bring to the boil, stirring, over medium heat. Reduce heat; simmer for 5 minutes or until thickened and syrupy. 4 Combine ricotta and remaining vanilla seeds in a small bowl. Cut eight 1.5cm thick slices from brioche. Place brioche slices on a clean work surface. Spread four slices with jam. Spread remaining slices with ricotta mixture. Join slices together to make four sandwiches. 5 Whisk eggs and milk in a large bowl. Heat oil in a large non-stick frying pan over medium-low heat. Soak one sandwich in egg mixture for 30-60 seconds on each side (see Note). Place in heated pan, reduce heat to low; cook for 2½ minutes each side or until well browned and heated through. Transfer to a plate; keep warm. Repeat with remaining sandwiches. 6 Serve French toast sandwiches topped with apricots and syrup. Note: The amount of time you need to soak the bread in the egg mixture will depend on how stale (or fresh) the bread is.

White bean smash with eggs, kale and brown butter

SERVES 4

INGREDIENTS

1 large lemon 2 x 400g cans cannellini beans, drained, rinsed 2 spring onions, chopped 1 clove garlic, grated finely 2 tsp paprika 75g butter 1⁄3 cup walnuts, finely chopped ¼ cup seed mix (pumpkin and sunflower seeds) 2 Tbsp white vinegar 8 eggs 60g baby Tuscan kale leaves (see Note) 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil Chargrilled sourdough and butter, to serve

1 Finely grate rind from the lemon; you need 1 teaspoon. Juice the lemon. Place beans, spring onions, garlic, half the lemon juice and 1 teaspoon of the paprika in a food processor. Pulse until roughly smashed; season. 2 Melt butter in a medium frying pan over medium heat. Add walnuts and seed mix; cook, stirring, for 4 minutes or until golden. Add remaining paprika; cook, stirring, for a further 1 minute or until nuts, seeds and butter are browned. Stir in lemon rind and remaining juice. Season. Set aside. 3 To poach eggs, half-fill a wide saucepan or medium frying pan with water. Add vinegar; bring to the boil. Break one egg into a cup. Using a wooden spoon, make a whirlpool in water; slide egg into whirlpool. Repeat with remaining eggs. Allow water to return to a simmer. Cover pan, remove from heat; stand, covered, for 2 minutes or until soft poached. Using a slotted spoon, transfer eggs to a plate lined with paper towel. 4 Toss kale leaves and oil in a small bowl. 5To serve, place buttered sourdough on serving plates. Top with bean mixture, kale eggs, seeds and nuts; drizzle with brown butter mixture. Note: If you can’t find baby kale leaves, use regular kale. Tear the leaves into pieces, then massage the pieces with a little olive oil to soften them.