What Christmas Day breakfasts are easy yet impressive, and won’t fill everyone up too much?
Hannah, Manchester
Hannah is wise to keep one eye on the prize, because no one wants to peak too early on Christmas Day. As always, eggs have your back. “I find it hard to look beyond shakshuka,” says Tara Wigley, author of How to Butter Toast. And for good reason: you can go red or green (both, conveniently, festive colours) and make the base in advance. “Whether it’s leek, spinach, chard or just a fridge-raid of herbs, sweat them down, then, next morning, make little wells in the mix, add your eggs and let them braise.” After that, it’s all about the “flavour bomb” condiments: “Marinated feta or pesto, be it coriander, pistachio and spring onion, or tarragon, spinach and hazelnuts.” If, however, red shakshuka is more your vibe, you’ll need red peppers, onion, paprika and tinned tomatoes, though Wigley would be inclined to turn that into a scramble. “Rather than breaking in whole eggs, beat them, pour in and scramble the whole lot on a really low heat.” Either way, hot toast would be a welcome accompaniment.
’Twas the night before Christmas, and Guardian columnist Ravinder Bhogal was stirring a cheesy custard for her savoury bread-and-butter pudding: “Layer stale bread – I love brioche here – with vegetables such as mushrooms, wilted spinach, caramelised onions, sun-dried tomatoes and some ham or bacon, if you fancy.” Come morning, pour the custard on top and bake: “It’s so delicious.”
The same goes for crumpets: “Their light, airy texture makes them a delicious yet not overly filling choice,” says Will Murray, chef/co-owner of Fallow in London. To make your own, mix 250g sourdough starter with two teaspoons of honey and a half-teaspoon each of salt and baking powder, then melt a knob of butter in a frying pan and grease four 10cm muffin rings – for extra festive vibes, “use a Christmas cookie cutter to create tree-shaped crumpets”. The rings (or trees) go into the hot pan and are filled with batter to “about 2cm deep”. Cook on a low heat until the tops have small holes, then flip, lift off the rings and cook for three minutes more, until golden. Murray tops his festive crumpets with creme fraiche and smoked trout, and finishes with chopped chives and a squeeze of lemon.
Granola is another make-ahead breakfast that fits right into those Christmas plans. Jooles O’Sullivan, group head chef of The Good Egg in London and Margate, suggests getting your hands on good shop-bought granola or, if you have time, “make your own – I like to add pistachios and date syrup for a sweet kick”. Serve with labneh or thick Greek yoghurt, and crown with poached pears, which O’Sullivan makes “in a simple sugar syrup spiked with cinnamon, star anise and any other festive spices you fancy”. She also adds a couple of tablespoons of pomegranate molasses and, “if you want the pears to be extra pink, a chunk of peeled beetroot”.
In a similar vein, Wigley often creates a “kind of hotel breakfast bar” for her kids, on which granola, pomegranate seeds and yoghurt are laid out separately, then everyone tucks in. “That’s their fancy one,” she says, “but I’d go for green or red eggs.” Cracking.
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