The chef-patron of award-winning restaurant Chapter One whips up a special weekend brunch treat. Words by: Andy McLeish. Picture by: Ming-Tang Evans
The popularity of brunch in the UK has boomed over the past few years and more and more restaurants are offering diverse menus with a wide variety of dishes.
It wasn’t so long ago you could only find scrambled eggs, eggs Benedict or eggs Florentine on a brunch menu. Now there are a whole host of dishes being served. Most restaurant dishes are easy to replicate at home, which is perfect for a lazy weekend. There’s nothing better than starting a Saturday morning with good brunch, reading the papers and a hot cup of coffee.
The point of brunch is not to rush, it’s supposed to be a time to relax, enjoy slowly and savour the flavours. Catch-up with your friends and family, plus enjoy a glass or two of Champagne if you feel inclined.
I enjoy French toast with maple syrup, Shakshuka with crusty bread or poached eggs with smashed avocado and streaky bacon.
I also believe there’s been a huge interest in brunch because it doesn’t alienate vegetarians or those with particular dietary requirements. In fact there are plenty of tasty meat-free options.
This month’s recipe can be made with or without meat and it’s my take on the perfect brunch dish: roast root vegetable salad with chargrilled sweet cured bacon and cep mushroom mayonnaise.
Enjoy!
Recipe
Roast root vegetable salad with mushroom mayonnaise
Serves four
For the roast vegetable salad
2 peeled carrots each (cut into four equal lengths)
200g peeled Jerusalem artichokes (cut into quarters)
200g peeled salsify
2 parsnips peeled (cut into four pieces)
2 beetroots (cut into four pieces)
100g butter
1pt chicken stock
50g diced sour dough croutons
4 thinly sliced cured bacon or pancetta
In separate pans roast the carrot, artichoke, salsify, parsnip and beetroot in a little butter. Roast each vegetable until golden brown in colour. If the colour is becoming too dark before the vegetable is cooked, add a drop of chicken stock and continue cooking until tender. Place on a tray and keep warm.
Toast the croutons until crisp and golden.
Arrange two pieces of each warm vegetable in a bowl and chargrill the cured bacon. Drizzle the mayonnaise over the vegetables, sprinkle over the croutons and top with the bacon. This dish is also very nice with a fried duck egg on top.
For the mayonnaise
10g dried ceps
375ml vegetable oil
3 egg yolks
1tsp English mustard
25ml vinegar
Salt, pepper and paprika
1/2 lemon
Place the dried ceps in the oil into a sealed container and leave in a warm place for a day and then strain.
Place the egg yolk, mustard, vinegar, into a bowl. Whisk together the ingredients, slowly adding the oil until thick. Season with salt, pepper, paprika and lemon. Place into a bottle and refrigerate. This can be made up to two days in advance.
For the pickled cauliflower
100ml vinegar
50g sugar
100g small cauliflower florets
Bring the vinegar and sugar to the boil. Add the small cauliflower florets and remove from the heat. Place in a sealed container and refrigerate. This can be done a week in advance.