Apple & Sweet Potato Cakes with Poached Egg and Sweet Mustard Sauce

The weekend's last hurrah. Sunday. Usually my favourite day of the week. Normally. This day was different than all those other ones, masking a truth I didn't want to face. Instead of the routines I've grown to love and expect, I was faced with change. And sadness. 

Sunday shows all her beauty up front, no pretense whatsoever. It is what it always is. The dark black-blue sky doesn't greet me because I sleep with the night a bit longer on this day. The coffee machine isn't set to auto the night before, because I don't know when I'll rise and greet the day. The one consistent part about Sunday is her attitude. Care-free and unhurried. Vulnerable.

Normally.

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Poached Egg Sandwich with Spinach, Tomatoes, Bacon and Parmesan

The alarm clock shot music through our room at 6 a.m. this morning, as if it was released from a cannon. It was too loud, too forgettable and persistent, fighting back every time I hit that large snooze button. I fought it. The song won.

My wife and I had a shoot to wake up for, hence the early wake-up call on a normally relaxed Saturday morning. She hurried off to start the coffee and pack the cameras as I drifted in and out of sleep for a few more minutes. A little bit longer. It was a losing battle but I was set on knocking out a few more zzz's. The alarm clock played the villain once again. 
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Spring Forward Sunday: Poached Egg on a Sweet Potato Cake

We entertain quite a bit. Saturday night at our house is often filled with good friends and good food. It usually starts off with conversation and drinks in and around the kitchen before we make our way to the dining room. We sit down, sit back and sink in. And the night usually flows.

Each Saturday when we have guests over it takes on the same attire as most others. Conversation, dinner, drinks and more conversation. Times is lost living in the here and now and it seem to shift from early evening to late night in the blink of an eye. And the later the night goes, the later the next morning starts.

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Lemony Eggs Benedict with Arugula

There was this fantastic spot for brunch in Toronto a few blocks from where I grew up.  It landed a couple of blocks from uptown, where money flows like water. We lived nearby, partly due to luck and part circumstance. Either way, we were surrounded by more options than one really needs. And every time a place lay claim to being the "in" spot, a new one appeared and took the title with a flurry. 


Oliver's, if the story is correct, was started by a man who used to deliver quality food to local businesses at lunch and his food was such a hit that he decided to open up a restaurant in the same area. Lucky us. The one downside of growing up in an area where people are seen to be seen, are the lineups that form outside one of these new hot spots. Nobody stood a chance with the aroma drifting from the front windows, which were usually swung open during the spring and summer. Any passerby was stopped dead in his tracks as soon as the scent of fresh baked goods hit them. 

Growing up I used to follow my parents whenever they went out for breakfast, brunch or lunch. This was one of the perks of being a kid. And when my parents said they were heading over to Oliver's for breakfast, I was at the door and ready in a flash. This wasn't the kind of breakfast I had at the local greasy spoon, this was elegance on a plate.


I remember the first time I slid into a booth and followed my mom's order with, "I'll have what she's having." It came out of my mouth fast and hard and for a moment I felt all grown up. The standard bacon and eggs, forever the heavyweight breakfast in my house, was about to be replaced. The "in" breakfast was about to have a new contender for the title. 

Eggs Benedict was delivered to our table and I probably stared at it for a good minute or two. It almost looked too pretty. The eggs sat atop the English muffins like a bird in his nest. Besides, poached eggs were new to me and I had never tasted real hollandaise sauce before.  After another moment or two I cut into the eggs with my knife and as soon as the yolk released all of its charm, I knew things were going to change. Move over standard breakfast fare.


The sauce was hypnotizing. The bacon crisp and salty and the eggs perfectly done. It was just the right combination of flavours all in one beautifully presented package. I probably ate it in record time and I could tell from my parents face that their brunch bill was about to be a bit more expensive each week. Another perk for the kid.


I must have ordered Eggs Benedict every time I followed my parents out for breakfast after that moment. And that has followed me long since that restaurant closed down. Eggs Benedict is sinfully good and one my most cherished ways to spend a weekend morning. I make it slightly different than the one I first tasted, but the feeling that sweeps up over me is the same every time. 


Happiness.


From my kitchen to yours, happy eating!

Lemony Eggs Benedict with Arugula


The Goods:

• 2 large egg yolks
• 1 tbsp. lemon juice
• 1 tbsp. water
• kosher salt and cracked pepper
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
• small handful fresh arugula
• 4 thick slices of bacon, cut in half
• 2 English muffins, split in half
• 4 poached eggs

Prep:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place the bacon on a parchment-lined baking sheet and cook for about 6 minutes a side, until slightly crispy. Transfer to paper towels to drain.
2. Using a blender, make the hollandaise sauce first. Combine the egg yolks, water, lemon juice and a pinch of salt. In a small saucepan or microwave, melted the butter. Start up the blender and while it's running, slowly add the butter through the vent at the top and continue to blend until the sauce is thick. Season to taste. Pour the sauce into a bowl and cover and set aside.
3. Poach the eggs and keep them warm in hot water.
4. Toast your English muffins and then place 2 halves on a plate. Top each with some fresh arugula, 4 bacon halves and a poached egg. Spoon a couple tablespoons of hollandaise sauce on each and serve.
5. Serves 2.

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Lazy Sunday: Baked Dippy Eggs

Yesterday I had a healthy breakfast when I made my Ultimate Granola, so today called for some salty breakfast goodness. I wanted a different take on the classic bacon and eggs so I grabbed all the mouth-watering flavours from my fridge and chopped and layered my way to Baked Eggs. The best lazy Sunday breakfast imaginable.

This is a brilliant option if you have guests dropping by for brunch and want an easy answer to entertaining. This is also the perfect recipe for the weekend morning when everything is moving in slow motion and you want a fuss-free, flavourful breakfast to wake up your senses. This is the best alarm clock I know.
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