Eggy crumpets
Saturday morning I woke up just before 6am. Why? It was not on purpose, I would have liked a sleep-in. In fact I set my alarm for 9am anticipating an indulgent, sleepy start to my weekend. This precaution was, as it would turn out, very unnecessary, as in a rather romantic way, the sweet chirping of birds became my alarm clock. I am rather pleased that they were feeling cheeky and took liberty with my wake-up call, as it allowed me to enjoy the morning in a unexpectedly peaceful manner. So I climbed out from under my doona, slipped into my dressing gown and spent the first hours of the new day comfortably nestled in a corner of my couch. I browsed recipes online, and caught up on a few of my favourite overseas blogs, such as this one. I also took the time to plan a nice breakfast. I wanted to make something special for Ben, just because. I had the lovely notion of him being woken by the smell of bacon sizzling in the pan. And so my mind excitedly wandered through the bacon possibilities…baked eggs, egg and bacon roll, pancakes with bacon and maple syrup…
Serendipitously, moments after I tweeted about my desire to make Ben and egg and bacon roll, Jamie Oliver tweeted a link to one of his delightful, bacon-centric breakfast recipes. It was a sign, a sign from Jamie, the Food God.
So off to the shops I skipped – yes I actually did skip a little – to fetch ingredients for Breakfast Eggy Crumpets (recipe link). On my way to the shops, the smell and sound of breakfast was in the air - toast was cooking, coffee was brewing and plates were clattering. My senses stimulated, I was filled with warmth and feelings of nostalgia. I adore the morning, and always feel so wonderful when I rise early. It is a special, secret time of day - a feeling which is only shared amongst other early birds. Being a morning person is like being in a special club. I guess in a mildly smug way, I feel like people who sleep-away these blissful hours don’t know what they’re missing.
As it was only just past 7am, I basically had the store to myself. I contemplated grabbing a coffee but then saw some lovely raspberries at our local grocer and instead decided to spend my pennies on a punnet.
Home again I skipped, where I quietly waited for Ben to rise. I prepared breakfast for myself - yoghurt and raspberries with blue mountain tea. Why was I not partaking in the eating of the Breakfast Eggy Crumpets...? I was off to Yum Cha mid-morning, and did not fancy such a hearty breakfast myself. I was rather pleased with my little bowl of berries - just delightful.
Around 9:15am I became aware that my departure for dumplings was looming, and Ben was still happy in his slumber. I worried that my dream to wake him with the aroma of bacon on the stove may not be realised, so I headed into the kitchen (I may or may not have also started playing B.B. King at an enthusiastic volume), and I got to cooking.
It may have been the bacon or it may have been the B.B. Boogie, I am not sure. Either way, Ben rose from the bedroom and came dancing into the kitchen with a big grin on his face, his eyes wide at the anticipation of filling his belly with eggy, bacon breakfast treats.
As per Mr Oliver’s recommendations, I drizzled some maple syrup over the dish. I also agree with his comment that ‘brown sauce’ would go well – whether he is referring to HP or BBQ sauce I am not sure, but I agree that it would indeed work.
What I loved about this recipe was the use of crumpets - they really soaked up the egg mixture with all their cheeky holes. When cooked in the pan they became spongey and golden. Ben really enjoyed his breakfast. It was super easy and fun to make, to boot, so I know we’ll be making Breakfast Eggy Crumpets more often.
So thank you, keenly chirping birds for my gift…I am so grateful for the precious early hours of the morn.