START THE DAY RIGHT breakfast recipes

START THE DAY RIGHT

Global inspiration and fresh ingredients pair beautifully in these breakfast recipes.

A BEAUTIFUL SPRING

MORNING is the perfect time to enjoy a leisurely breakfast or brunch. To create our very own feast, we take inspiration from the aptly named tashas inspired: A Celebration of Food & Art, Natasha Sideris’ new cookbook. As the founder of the muchloved tashas restaurants, Natasha knows just what it takes to rustle up a meal that combines delicious and wholesome ingredients for the best start to the day. With a spread of citrus delights, waffles and a mouth-watering frittata, you simply can’t go wrong with these recipes.

CITRUS SUNRISE Serves 4

This is a sunny, vibrant breakfast that could just as easily make an appearance after lunch as a light, fresh dessert. Serve the dish in long-stemmed cocktail glasses and add an extra element of glamour by garnishing with flecks of edible gold leaf.

Ingredients

OAT CRUMBLE

100g rolled oats 100 g cake flour 150g sugar 150g butter, melted

FRUIT SALAD

2 oranges 2 naartjies or clementines 2 mandarin oranges 2 ruby grapefruit 2 limes 1 banana

HONEY CREAM YOGHURT

60ml honey 400g plain Greek yoghurt 120ml cream, whipped to stiff peaks

TOPPINGS

60ml Turkish delight syrup or rose syrup 40g pistachios, shelled and toasted crushed edible gold leaf Method Oat crumble Preheat the oven to 200°C and grease a baking tray. Mix all the ingredients together, then spread evenly in the prepared baking tray. Bake for about 15 minutes or until the crumble is golden brown and bubbly. Leave to cool and break into bite-size pieces. Keep in an airtight container. Honey cream yoghurt Gently fold the honey and whipped cream into the yoghurt. Fruit salad Peel and segment the citrus fruits, and peel and slice the banana diagonally. Here’s how to segment citrus fruit: use a sharp, straight-edged knife. Slice off both ends of the fruit and place it cut side down on a chopping board. Following the curve of the fruit, cut down into wide strips to remove the skin and pith. Now hold the fruit in the palm of your hand over a bowl to catch the juice and segments, and cut each segment away from the membranes on either side. And, voilà, perfectly segmented fruit.

To serve Layer honey cream yoghurt, fruit and oat crumble in four long-stemmed cocktail glasses. Drizzle with syrup and sprinkle with crushed pistachios. Repeat the layers until the glasses are full, finishing with crumble. Drizzle with more syrup and garnish with flecks of edible gold leaf.

PEA, COURGETTE & GOAT’S CHEESE FRITTATA

Serves 4

When we opened our first tashas, we had a few frittatas on the menu, not realising how ambitious that was for a restaurant kitchen. A properly made frittata is not a pan-fried omelette. It should be baked after frying because it’s only in the oven that it becomes light and fluffy, like a soufflé. The prepping and cooking time from start to finish can be up to 40 minutes, but you can easily make it ahead and serve it at room temperature (though it will subside a bit). It’s ideal picnic food. Make a large one for lots of guests and cut it into wedges.

Ingredients 1 tbsp butter 1 tbsp olive oil 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced 4 medium courgettes, sliced into 1/2 cm rings 200 g fresh or frozen peas 10–12 eggs 20g mint, chopped 20g flat-leaf parsley, chopped 20g chives, chopped salt and black pepper 100g soft goat’s milk cheese drizzle of olive oil chopped chives for garnish 10g pea shoots for garnish Method In an ovenproof frying pan, heat the butter and olive oil and sauté the onion and courgettes until tender. Blanch the peas. If you’re using fresh peas, it will take a bit longer to blanch them until they’re tender. Add the peas to the pan and sauté until they are heated through. In a mixing bowl, lightly beat the eggs together with the herbs, salt and pepper. Pour into the pan. Reduce the heat to medium and cook for about five minutes. With a spatula, continuously scrape through the mixture, from the outside to the middle, all around the pan. This will help to lift the cooked parts and allow the raw egg to run in underneath to cook. In the meantime, preheat the oven grill. When the egg mixture is halfway cooked, make sure all the ingredients are evenly distributed. Break half the cheese into small pieces and sprinkle on top of the egg mixture. Place the pan in the oven and cook under the grill for 8–10 minutes or until golden brown. Do not overcook the frittata. Remove the frittata from the oven, and top with the remaining cheese, also broken into smaller pieces, and chopped chives. Drizzle with olive oil and garnish with pea shoots. Season with salt and pepper.

TWO WAFFLES Serves 4

Two wa es are always better than one. These toppings are just as sticky and syrupy-sweet as they should be. If you’re going to make wa es, you have to go all out. Tuck in and enjoy!

Ingredients

WAFFLES

70g butter 440g cake fl our 12,5g baking powder pinch of salt 3 eggs, separated 3 tsp castor sugar 750 ml milk 1 tsp vanilla extract

CRÈME ANGLAISE, PISTACHIO & BERRY SAUCE

4 egg yolks 160ml milk 40g castor sugar 160ml cream 1 vanilla pod, split lengthwise, seeds scraped out 200g mixed frozen berries, sprinkled with 1 tbsp castor sugar and left to thaw 60g unsalted pistachios, shelled and toasted 1l pistachio ice cream

DATE & CARAMEL SAUCE

230g castor sugar 125ml pouring cream 90g butter pinch of Maldon salt fl akes 12 dates, halved and pitted 1l vanilla ice cream Method Waffl es Heat the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat until it begins to foam. Scoop o the foam and allow the clarifi ed butter to cool but not solidify. Sift the fl our, baking powder and salt together. Whisk the egg whites with one teaspoon of castor sugar until soft peaks form. Whisk the milk, vanilla extract, egg yolks and remaining sugar until the sugar has dissolved. Now whisk it into the fl our mixture. Slowly incorporate the cooled clarifi ed butter. Fold the whipped egg white into the mixture. Heat the wa e pan to 190°C. Coat the hot pan lightly with non-stick spray and pour in one cup of batter. Close and cook for about seven minutes or until set and golden.

Crème anglaise, pistachio & berry sauce

Beat the egg yolks, half the milk and half the sugar together in a mixing bowl. In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, bring the cream, vanilla pod and seeds, and the remaining milk and sugar to a boil. When the cream starts to boil, remove from the heat and slowly pour the cream into the egg mixture to temper it. Whisk vigorously. Pour the mixture back into the pot through a sieve, heat to 75°C, whisking all the while. The crème anglaise is cooked when it covers the back of a spoon, and a line remains on the spoon when you drag your fi nger through it. Pour the mixture into a clean mixing bowl or jug and cover with cling wrap directly on the surface to prevent a skin from forming.

Date & caramel sauce Melt the sugar in a non-stick heavy-based saucepan until it starts to turn amber. Do not stir with a utensil; rather, swivel the pot to prevent the sugar from burning on the sides. Remove from the heat and, while whisking, slowly pour in the cream. Return to the heat, continue whisking and bring to a boil. When the caramel starts to boil, remove it from the stove again and whisk in the butter and salt. Let the sauce cool for at least 15 minutes before transferring it to a jug.

To serve

Crème anglaise, pistachio & berry sauce

Drench the wa es in crème anglaise. Garnish with berries, pistachio nuts and scoops of pistachio ice cream. Serve extra toppings and sauce on the side.

Date & caramel sauce Top the wa es with caramel sauce, dates and a large scoop or two of vanilla ice cream.

Meet Natasha

Natasha Sideris is the founder and CEO of Tashas Group, which has taken South Africa and, more recently, the United Arab Emirates by storm. Natasha grew up at her father’s side, he was a restaurateur, so she learnt the business from a very young age. She founded tashas in 2005 and, in doing so, filled a gap in the market for a casual dining concept where the interiors were beautiful, the food fresh and delicious, and the service second to none. There are now 15 tashas in South Africa and five in the UAE. Natasha is also the brains behind Flamingo Room by tashas, Avli by tashas, and Galaxy Bar, all of which are in Dubai, and Le Parc by tashas in Johannesburg. Natasha’s new cookbook, tashas inspired: A Celebration of Food & Art, is more than a collection of recipes. The book includes seven themed chapters, each of which is inspired by Natasha’s travels and her love of different cuisines and cultures round the world. It’s packed with recipes and art that evoke the bistros of France, the tapas bars of Spain, the delis of New York, the tavernas of Greece, and the souks of the Middle East. As an added bonus, there are Spotify playlists to go with each chapter that are the perfect way to set the mood as you cook and entertain.