We are sharing Mary Flahavan’s definitive guide to making the perfect bowl of porridge, as it’s been handed down through the Flahavan’s family for seven generations.#PerfectPorridge#FlahavansPorridge#NationalPorridgeWeek
Ingredients:
120g Flahavan’s Oats
875mls of whole milk
Method:
Makes 3 x 40g servings on the hob.
Stir oats into milk.
Bring to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes stirring continuously.
Pour porridge into serving dish.
Serving suggestion 1
Top with greek yoghurt, mixed berries, coconut flakes, chia seeds
Serving suggestion 2
Top with peanut butter, grated dark chocolate and a chopped banana
Serving suggestion 3
Top diced apple, dried cranberries, honey and cinnamon
These filled croissants are always a winner at breakfast and are an excellent way of using up day-old croissants. However, they also freeze very well and I often keep some tucked away for those unplanned mornings when we’ve been out late and something substantial is in order…
SERVES 4
8 rindless smoked streaky bacon rashers
4 butter croissants
2 tbsp rapeseed oil
4 eggs
FOR THE RED PEPPER RELISH:
2 vine-ripened tomatoes, finely chopped
1 roasted red pepper, finely chopped (from a jar or tin)
2 spring onions, finely chopped
2 fresh basil leaves, finely chopped
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
large pinch of caster sugar
good pinch of dried chilli flakes
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 To make the roasted red pepper relish, place the tomatoes, red pepper, spring onions, basil, vinegar, sugar and chilli flakes in a saucepan and cook for 10–15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes have softened. Season to taste and leave to cool.
2 Preheat the grill to medium. Arrange the bacon on a grill rack and cook for 5–6 minutes, until crisp, turning once. Slice the croissants, then open them out and place the slices of crispy bacon inside.
3 Heat a large frying pan and add the oil, swirling to coat the base evenly. Break in the eggs and cook for 2 minutes (or longer if you prefer your eggs less runny), gently spooning the excess oil over the yolks to help them cook. Using a fish slice, carefully lift the eggs and put into the croissants, then top each one with a spoonful of the roasted red pepper relish to serve.
French omelette with mushrooms and bacon
Omelettes are so quick to make that it’s just not worth cooking a large one for two. Don’t be tempted to over-beat the omelette, as it will spoil the texture. A combination of wild mushrooms, such as shiitake, oyster and chanterelle, which most supermarkets are now stocking, would make this into a very special breakfast.
SERVES 1
2 tsp sunflower or rapeseed oil
1 large flat mushroom, sliced into
small pieces
1 smoked streaky bacon rasher, rind
removed and chopped
2 eggs
1 tbsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
knob of unsalted butter
50g (2oz) Gruyère or Cheddar
cheese, thinly sliced (optional)
sea salt and freshly ground
black pepper
crusty French bread, to serve
1 Preheat the grill to medium and heat a non-stick frying pan with a base that’s about 20cm (8in) in diameter over a medium heat. Add 1 teaspoon of the oil and tip in the mushrooms and bacon. Season to taste, then sauté for 2–3 minutes, until tender. Tip into a bowl and set aside.
2 Wipe out the frying pan and return it to the hob. Break the eggs into a bowl and add the parsley, then season and lightly beat. When the pan is hot, add the remaining teaspoon of oil and the butter, swirling it around so that the base and sides get coated.
3 While the butter is still foaming, pour in the egg mixture, tilting the pan from side to side. Stir gently with a fork or wooden spatula, drawing the mixture from the sides to the centre as it sets. When the eggs have almost set, scatter over the cheese, if using, and place under the grill for 1–2 minutes, until the omelette has set and the cheese has melted.
4 Scatter the reserved mushrooms and bacon over the grilled omelette and tilt the pan away from you slightly. Use a palette knife to fold over a third of the omelette to the centre, then fold over the opposite third. Slide onto a warmed plate, allowing it to flip over so that the folded sides are underneath. Serve at once with some crusty bread.
I normally use frozen berries straight out of the freezer so that you don’t have to use any ice cubes, but it can be hard on the blades of your liquidiser. However, in light of recent health scares, you might want to follow the FSAI’s advice to boil imported frozen berries for 1 minute, or even better, freeze fresh berries when there is a glut of them in the summer or buy Irish berries. Smoothies can be made up to 2 hours in advance and kept in the fridge, then just given a good stir before serving them.
MAKES ABOUT 1.2 LITRES (2 PINTS)
500g (1lb 2 oz) fResh or frozen berries, such as a mixture of strawberries, raspberries, redcurrants and tayberries
2 bananas, peeled
125g (4½oz) natural yogurt
500ml (18fl oz) raspberry and cranberry juice
handful of ice cubes (optional)
1 Place the berries and bananas in a liquidiser with the yogurt and juice. Process for 1 minute, until smooth. Alternatively, you can put everything into a large measuring jug and blitz with a hand-held blender, moving it up and down until smooth.
2 Half-fill tall glasses with ice cubes, if using, and pour in the red berry smoothie to serve.
MACNEAN SPECIAL PORRIDGE WITH HONEY AND CREAM
This is one of our signature breakfast dishes. It’s amazing how many people going to bed at night tell me that they can’t wait to taste the porridge! On cold winter mornings, it gets you off to a good start and takes no more than 10 minutes to prepare.
Serves 4
100g (4oz) porridge oats (organic if possible)
300ml (1/2 pint) milk (plus a little extra if necessary)
4 tbsp clear honey
4 tbsp Irish Mist
150ml (1/4 pint) cream
Place the porridge oats, milk and 150ml (1/4 pint) water in a heavy-based pan. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 8–10 minutes, until the mixture has slightly thickened, stirring all the time. It’s important that the porridge has a nice soft dropping consistency, so add a little more milk if you think it needs it.
To serve, spoon the porridge into warmed bowls. Drizzle each one with some honey and Irish Mist and serve with plenty of cream poured on top.
COOK AHEAD
One of the last things we do at night in the restaurant is steep the porridge oats in the milk and water in the fridge, as leaving them overnight makes them lovely and soft so that they cook much quicker. They can also be made the night before and reheated gently in a pan on the hob.
flahavans Did you know that blackberries, blackcurrants, gooseberries, raspberries, strawberries and apples are all in season in Ireland in June? 🍓🍏 And we all know that nothing tastes better with porridge than fresh in-season fruit, sourced locally whenever possible! So if you’re looking for a healthy and tasty twist to your breakfast this morning, why not top your creamy oats with some of these delicious fruits for added goodness 🍓🍓 #FlahavansOats#JumpIntoJune
Method: 1. Take two tumbler glasses and add 3 Tbsp. yogurt. 2. Add 3 Tbsp. granola and top with Keelings berries. 3. Repeat layers one time. 4. Dollop 1 tsp. yoghurt and sprinkle with granola. 5. Top with Keelings blueberries & strawberries. 6. Add maple syrup or honey if desired. 7. Serve and enjoy!
Saturday Morning View 👌
..First attempt at wholewheat croissants being served with some delicious grape jelly from the Murrays in Indiana! Theresa Murray Blankenship❤️
This is a perfect tea for lots of hungry children, but it would also be a good weekend late breakfast, depending on your mood. It’s the classic way that many crêpe stallholders cook crêpes to order late at night around the major tourist attractions in Paris. They are always very popular, often with long queues, and once you’ve tasted them it’s easy to understand why.
Ingredients
24 asparagus spears
8 eggs
450 g swiss cheese, such as gruyère or emmental (thinly sliced)
8 slices of cooked ham
1 tblsp olive oil
Crêpes:
100 g plain flour
1 egg
300 ml milk
sunflower oil (for frying)
sea salt
black pepper (freshly ground)
Method
Sift the flour and a pinch of salt into a bowl and make a well in the centre. Add the egg and whisk well with a balloon whisk.
Gradually beat in the milk, drawing in the flour from the sides to make a smooth batter. Leave to rest for 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, trim the asparagus spears and blanch in a pan of boiling water for 1–2 minutes, until almost tender but still with a slight bite.
Drain and refresh under cold running water to prevent them from cooking any further and set aside until needed.
Heat a little oil in an 18cm (7in) heavy-based pancake or frying pan. Pour in just enough batter to thinly coat the base of the pan.
Cook over a moderately high heat for about 1 minute, until golden brown. Turn or toss the crêpe and break in an egg, then gently whisk to spread it evenly all over the crêpe.
Start yours and your baby’s day off right with these delicious and super nutritious breakfast muffins. Made using wholesome ingredients like carrots, apples, sunflower seeds, Greek yogurt and wholemeal flour, these muffins are the perfect breakfast finger food for your little one to enjoy in the morning.
To serve to babies – Ensure you are always sitting with your baby when they are eating. Serve a mini muffin with a side of fruit. I like to use sliced pear, mango or strawberries.
For older children serve 2 mini muffins or 1 large muffin in their lunchbox.
These muffins are perfect for school as they contain no sugar whatsoever!
The only sweetness comes from the delicious apple. You can make them even sweeter by adding a mashed banana to the mixture. @babyledfeeding
Pancake Tuesday is only one week away! Watch our brand ambassador @nevenmaguire show you how to prepare these delicious Buttermilk Pancakes with a range of Simply Better toppings using our Handmade Toffee Sauce from @whatsforpudding.ie our Mixed Berry Preserve from @wexford_preserves and our Frozen Irish Strawberries from @clarkesfreshfruit Shop the Simply Better Collection in your local @dunnesstores
Simply Better Pancake Board Ingredients (Serves 4) 2 Simply Better Free Range Corn Fed Large Eggs 2 Cups (250g) Plain Flour 2 Tbsp. Caster Sugar ½ Tsp Baking Powder ½ Tsp Baking Soda 2 Cups (480ml) Buttermilk Pinch of salt 40g Butter, melted plus an extra 10g for frying the pancakes To Serve: For the Blueberry Sauce: 100ml Simply Better Organic Grade A Canadian Maple Syrup 1 Punnet of Fresh Blueberries Juice and zest of half a lime 1 Tsp Cornflour, mixed with cold water (Optional) For the Mixed Berry Compote: 1 Bag of Simply Better Expertly Grown Irish Strawberries 1 Jar of Simply Better Handmade Mixed Berry Preserve 1 Tsp Vanilla Extract For the Caramelised Bananas: Simply Better Handmade Sea Salted Toffee Sauce 3 Bananas 100g Pecan Nuts Method: 1. Place all of the pancake ingredients in a large bowl and whisk to combine. Leave to rest for 10 minutes before using. 2. Add the butter to a pan over medium low heat. Once the butter begins to bubble, add ⅓ cup (80 ml) of batter to the pan. 3. Cook until the top side begins to bubble and the bottom is golden brown. Flip the pancake and cook until the underside is golden brown. Repeat with the remaining batter. 4. To make the blueberry sauce, add the maple syrup, lime juice, zest and blueberries to a saucepan and simmer over a medium heat. For a slightly thicker sauce, add the cornflour to the sauce and cook through for 1-2 minutes. 5. To make the fruit compote, add the frozen mixed berries, berry preserve and vanilla to a saucepan and simmer over a medium heat for 4-5 minutes. 6. To make the caramelised bananas, heat the toffee sauce in a small frying pan over a medium heat. Slice the bananas and add to the sauce pan along with the pecan nuts. Toss to combine.
Foodaware 