Eggs Benedict with Mushroom

Eggs Benedict is one of my favourite brunch things - one of those things that often seems a bit too much hassle to make at home - but very nice when you're out and about!
This Saturday's Times included a few variations on the theme, by Tony Turnbull - and I couldn't resist having a go at the mushroom one - and it was a success - so here we go!
On the poaching of eggs - Tony opts for the stirring water and sliding in the eggs - I use Delia's method - which is as follows (in the recipe use your favourite way of poaching the eggs - it seems a very personal thing!) - Fill a small frying pan with 4cm water - get it to the point where it is barely simmering. Keep the water at that level - just the slightest appearance of bubbles. Break each egg into the water. Size 2 will take about 3 minutes. You can baste the top with water to help them cook. Remove very gently with a slotted spoon and rest the spoon on a wad of kitchen roll to absorb any water.

Mushroom Eggs Benedict
serves 4

4 Portobello Mushroom
4 Large egges plus 2 yolks
Juice of 1/2  lemon
100g butter
2 muffins, sliced and toasted

1 Poach your eggs
2 Remove stalks from mushrooms and fry in butter or oil for 5 mins, turning once
3 Meanwhile place yolks in a blender with lemon juice and a pinch of salt and blend
4 Melt the butter in a pan and slowly add to the yolks, with the motor running. Blend until pale and creamy
5 Place a mushroom on each muffin half, top with the egg, and coat with the hollandaise.

Enjoy - and get someone else to wash up all the pans............

A couple of final summer salads.......

As the leaves are changing colour - the evenings are getting darker - we are heading for the last couple of weekends of BBQ's  - other than our southern hemisphere friends, who will be BBQing and brai-ing in the rain for some time to come...
These two salads were included by Nigel Barden in a recent recipe for a lamb burger - and he credited them to Peter Gordon.
Both take ingredients that we use all the time - but add a twist - and both were great. I think they would be a great addition to any BBQ, or any grilled meats.

Beef Tomato and Mint

Obviously I have to stress the simplicity of this one - it is not reinventing the wheel, but I am not sure I have had these flavours together before, and it really works.

I made this a bit ahead  of time which allowed th flavours to develop.

2 beefsteak tomatoes - thinly sliced

6 -10 mint leaves 

drizzle olive oil

sea salt and black pepper

1 Arrange the thinly sliced tomatoes on a plate 

2 Sprinkle over the mint leaves

3 Drizzle with olive oil

4 Season generously with sea salt and pepper 

Feta and Avocado

1 avocado

1 lime

2 tbsp mayonaise

1 tsp dijon mustard

50g feta cheese (use more if a larger avo) - crumbled

1 Remove the flesh from the avocado - and put in a large bowl

2 Add 1/4 teaspoon of grated lime zest, and 2 tsp lime juice

3 Mash together

4 Mix in the mayonaise, mustard, and lastly the crumbled feta

This really was sensational. The avo I had was quite large  - so I think the recipe could have taken more of the feta.

Both of these are well worth a try - are simple, and can be made ahead of time. Let's just hope we get the weather to enjoy them!

Carnival Del Kerb @ The Paperworks SE1

The Kerb team have been taking some of their street food experts to Elephant and Castle on Friday nights in August and September. The last one is next week - so drop everything and get along!
In a collaboartion with the people from Corsica Studios the Kerb Team have taken over a derelict site on Newington Causeway. From the outside it doesn't promise much....

But once you get inside that all changes.

Kerb have 3 bars and 12 street food traders , and some great DJs. The vibe was brilliant - really relaxed - good music  - and a really great venue, with great facilities.

A really mixed crowd made for a great night. Kerb have some of their tried and tested favourites, and a few of their newer 'signings'. 

We tried wood fired pizza from the back of a specially converted Land Rover 

We managed a couple of others before we were defeated. Bill or Beak (http://billorbeak.co.uk/) - serving shredded pork and duck with vietnamese style dressing in brioche buns - which was great - really zingy dressing and generous filling -but the favourite on the night was an original burger from the people at Tongue 'n Cheek (http://www.tonguencheek.info/). It is probably the best burger I have ever had (sorry Blas)  - just SO meaty.

So if you are free next Friday it really is well worth a visit. Good venue, nice crowd, great music, and some of the best street food around!