Tuesday November 3, 2009
Last week I introduced you to individual smoked salmon quiches. I had been inspired by the fabulous quiches I'd seen while wandering around the Sydney Harbour Bridge which had been laid with green grass and turned into a picnicker's paradise.
I have not yet finished with my quiche phase and this week I made delicious little mushroom and arugula quiches. Arugula, in New Zealand and Australia, is known as "roquette" - which is the French equivalent.
Roquette has a lovely pepperiness which contrasts nicely with the soft mushroom flavors.
Like last week's quiches, they're easy to make, quick to bake and can be eaten for breakfast, lunch, snacks, appetizers or taken on picnics.
Photo: © S. Wongkaew (2009) licensed to About.com, Inc
Wednesday October 28, 2009
At my recent McIntosh & Bowman cheese-making class, one of the cheeses we made was ricotta.
The soft, white cheese is actually made from reheating whey - the liquid that is separated from the curds when cheese is made, thus the name "ricotta", which translates to "twice-cooked".
There are many wonderful things you can do with ricotta -- stuff ravioli, make a cheesecake, bake some cupcakes, or serve it with some poached fruit like I have in this breakfast brioche recipe. I call this dish my "cheat's" French toast. It's simply toasted brioche or challa bread topped with poached strawberries and blueberries and a large dollop of fresh ricotta.
It's divine, easy to prepare and will satisfy that French toast craving.
More Breakfast Recipes
Photo: © S. Wongkaew (2009) licensed to About.com, Inc
Monday October 26, 2009
As you know, I attended the inaugural Breakfast on the Bridge last weekend. The Sydney Harbour Bridge is an icon. You can see it from many parts of the city, but up close, the bridge is most commonly viewed from the seat of a car or train.
On Sunday, 6000 Sydney-siders turned up at 6.30am to see their beloved bridge in a completely different light. As part of the Crave Sydney festival, the bridge had been turned into a park - covered with green grass.
I had the privilege of being there. As I moved amongst the crowd of happy picnickers, I was especially interested in what people had brought to eat. Quiche was one of the crowd favorites.
I love smoked salmon quiches. They are great any time of the day or night, so can be eaten for breakfast, snacked on at picnics or devoured as party food. These individual-sized quiches are elegant as well as being delicious.
Best of all, they're easy to prepare and quick to bake - it took me only 10 minutes of prep and less than 20 minutes of baking.
If I'm lucky enough to be invited to next years' Breakfast on the Bridge, these individual smoked salmon quiches are definitely going to be in my picnic hamper.
More baking recipes
Photo: © S. Wongkaew (2009) licensed to About.com, Inc
Sunday October 25, 2009
Despite the forecast of rain thousands turned up with blankets and baskets in hand for Sydney's inaugural Breakfast on the Bridge event.
The gates opened at 6.30AM and air was electric with a mixture of curiosity and excitement as attendees took their first steps on Sydney's most famous landmark. The bridge deck, usually covered with bumper-to-bumper traffic, was carpeted with over 10,500 square meters of lush, green grass - a surreal sight to behold.
Picnickers enjoyed breakfasts of every kind. There were bagels, bacon & eggs, croissants, champagne, smoothies, granola, fruit salad, curries and quiches. Freshly baked breads, jams, apples and yogurt were also handed out.
At a cost of $1 million, the Breakfast on the Bridge event is part of the month-long Crave Sydney festival showcasing the city's entertainment, food and art scene.
Premier Nathan Rees said it was likely to become an annual event, following the success of Sunday's turnout, which he predicted was worth $10 million in tourism dollars.
"Among the picnickers were a four-week-old baby, a man who proposed to his girlfriend, and a young man celebrating his 19th birthday...people are having a ball" Rees said.
People did have a ball. Crave Sydney has been a real triumph -- especially for lovers of food. The Breakfast on the Bridge was a great event in a month of great events. The Sydney Harbour Bridge is an international icon. Using it in this unusual way was a great opportunity for the people of New South Wales, 6000 of whom were awarded tickets by lottery.
Breakfast on the Bridge Image Gallery
Photo: © S. Wongkaew (2009) licensed to About.com, Inc
