Bacon.
Did that get your attention?
If you’re a pork eater, bacon has to one of the ultimate brunch dishes.
This isn’t any old bacon either: this is Schulz Bacon from the Barossa Valley, officially Australia’s best bacon, as judged at the Sydney Royal Show.
*Gazes dreamily into the distance.*
Father’s Day is only a few days away in Australia — Sunday September 2nd to be exact — so I thought I’d share some recipe ideas in case you’re thinking of cooking your old man brunch.
On our Father’s Day Menu (in order of appearance):
- Schulz Bacon and Free-Range Eggs (sunny side up);
- Strawberries from the Adelaide Hills;
- Truffled mushrooms made with truffle paste by The Mushroom Man;
- Sourdough from Dough – served fresh and toasted;
- Bauernschinken (similar to prosciutto but smoked and lightly seasoned) from Barossa Fine Foods;
- Mini Truss Tomatoes;
- Nuage Blanc (White Cloud), a French-style soft cheese by B.-D. Farm Paris Creek;
- Wastonia Cheddar from Western Australia, a bitey cheddar with a wonderful melty mouth feel;
- Cheese Factory crackers from Say Cheese;
- Spanish Salami (a mildly seasoned salami) from Barossa Fine Foods;
- Tangelos, grapefruits and lemons from a friend’s garden;
- Coffee; and
- Juice.
Now if my dad were in his native Malaysia he’d be tucking into a Nasi Lemak (coconut rice) with extra curry and sambal, some fried noodles and maybe some dim sim that he bought at his local market for breakfast.
But after 40+ years in Australia he’s certainly learned to appreciate a Western-style breakfast and enjoys the lavishness of a spread like this. So the other day, my parents came around for a pre-Father’s Day brunch.
This brunch is all about timing, people. Don’t think you can just nonchalantly put the eggs on and then start casually plating the other bits and pieces. You don’t have to be militant but you do have to do things with some thought and planning to ensure that no one eats cold toast, or worst, cold bacon. (No!!!)
Luckily, most of this brunch should be served at room temperature (the bread, the butter, the cheese, the fruit, and the tomatoes) so these can be easily plated and set aside, leaving you to juggle just the eggs, bacon, mushrooms, toast, coffee and tea.
Do remember to have the oven on low so you can keep the eggs, bacon, toast or mushrooms warm while you’re finishing up.
Brunch is such a wonderful start to the day. It’s one of the easiest and most relaxed ways I know to entertain friends with kids.
The wonderful spread of food and drink on the table always brings a smile to people’s faces, too.
Happy Father’s Day, dad. We love you.
- 1-2 slices of bacon per person
- 1 egg per person
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
- 350 grams button mushrooms, brushed and quartered
- 2 teaspoons truffle paste
- Salt & pepper to taste
- Parsley
- Pre-heat oven to 100 degrees Celsius and place an oven-proof plate in it.
- Place bacon in a cold, non-stick fry pan and then place over medium heat. Cook, turning regularly, until the meat is nicely charring and the fat is crisp and brown.
- Meanwhile, fry the eggs one at a time in a bilini pan. As the eggs are done, slide them onto the warmed plate in the oven to keep warm so you can serve everyone at the same time.
- Heat up a non-stick fry pan over a medium heat and then melt the butter.
- Add the garlic and stir continuously with a wooden spoon for about 30 seconds before adding the mushrooms.
- Continue cooking, stirring regularly until mushrooms are cooked through and the edges are starting to crisp.
- Add two teaspoons truffle paste, and then grate fresh pepper over the mushrooms. Taste and then add salt as desired.
- Garnish with fresh chopped parsley and serve immediately.
KitchenAid Giveaway!!
Thanks to Filtered Media I have two KitchenAid packs to give away for Father’s Day.
Each pack contains one KitchenAid artisan 2-slice toaster (valued at $169) and one KitchenAid artisan coffee maker (valued at $199).
The packs come in black or red. Here is an example of each prize below. Aren’t they stunning? You can imagine what they’d look like in the other colour if you squint.
Give Away Rules:
- This competition is open to Australian residents only.
- Log in to enter using the entry form below and click on each task to view the instructions.
- You will receive one (1) entry for each task you complete below. For example, if you leave a comment below you receive one entry. If you leave a comment and ‘like’ The Hungry Australian on Facebook you will receive two entries. If you leave a comment, ‘like’ The Hungry Australian on Facebook and follow me on Twitter you will receive three entries. You get the drift!
- For three (3) bonus entries, login to Pinterest, follow The Hungry Australian, pin the two KitchenAid prize photos above and then Pin at least two of the photos from this post. Once your Pinterest board is complete return here and click the +1 Do It option for the Pinterest Board Entry Option and then enter the link to your Pinterest board. If you aren’t currently signed up to Pinterest email me at info@hungryaustralian.com with ‘Pinterest please’ as the subject line and I can send you an invitation to join.
- For each of the tasks below click on the +1 Do It button to follow the entry instructions and record your entry. *** Don’t forget to do this for each task you complete otherwise your entry will NOT be counted! ***
- The more times you enter the greater your chances of winning.
- Two lucky winners will be chosen at random.
- Thanks for entering and good luck!
