We’ll Pretend It’s 8 AM
Editors Note: One of our fav ES fans, Britannia, offered to cook us an authentic English Breakfast, with even the bacon shipped from England. Here is his account of the night. And, thanks again, Brit, lovely “dinner.”
It was my first outing cooking for the great Gansie, 80 Proof and BS, the pressure, the stress, what to do! I’m not a fancy cook, well, I can be, but if I tried and then messed up I’d never live it down. There was only one thing I could do, something I grew up with all my life, and I had the supplies. An English Breakfast.
The Meal: Eggs; scrambled and fried, bacon, sausage, baked beans, tomato, mushrooms, toast, brown sauce, and apparently vodka (special drink to be detailed in later post.)
Bacon, it’s from a pig. American bacon is cut from the under belly of the pig, this creates a more streaky meat, more fat. English bacon is cut from the back of the pig, this provides more meat, almost like a ham quality. English bacon (and I’m ready to duck, here) is far superior than American bacon — it just is. No further discussion. The only problem is I can’t get it here, this is a problem unless of course you have a kind mother who is willing to FedEx it overnight to you, or you have a friend visiting to bring with.
I cooked the bacon on a broil pan, cooking this way helps maintain its flavour, less greasy than a frying pan but not as healthy as grilling.
Read on for the rest of the breakfast-as-dinner meal.
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The scrambled eggs I cooked with butter, to Gansie’s delight and 30 Minute Ab’s disgust. I used the standard two eggs per person rule, beat and poured into a pot of the melted butter, roughly six tablespoons, cooked for about six-eight minutes, stirring a couple of times and then I added heavy cream, this gave it a fluffy creamy texture.
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The sausages were standard bratwurst, I usually buy ones with a hint of leek or something similar but Whole Foods wasn’t being good to me. These were grilled — along side of the tomatoes — until cooked, then placed in a oven just to stay warm.
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The baked beans were organic, vegetarian. I bring these to a boil then turn off the heat, add some brown sauce, pepper and malt vinegar, after this has cooled I re-heat on a low setting, I’m not sure why I started doing it this way but it does make for better beans, less runny, more yummy.
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Brown sauce, this is the final and essential ingredient to any cooked breakfast dish, its awesomeness should be revered. I use HP, this even has the Queen’s Royal Warrant stamped on the side, yes, and even the Queen eats this stuff.
(Disclaimer: I hate blood pudding so refuse to cook it, but it can be added as part of a typical English breakfast)
Enjoy!
Oh, and the mushrooms were simply fried in butter until soft, seasoned with S&P.
mmm..
Thanks again for the cooking and the introduction to brown sauce.
What does it say about America when our bacon is from the underbelly?
I presume that is a rhetorical question, the truth might hurt. But it just means the English are better cooks 🙂
I had english bacon before but this was some of the best b/c of how thin it was but still had plenty of room for greasy goodness – what did you call the cut again, wafer thin, was it?
Wafer thin, yes. When I send requests home I do ask for a particular kind but for some reason I don’t get it, its a lot nicer, smoky thing goodness, so good. Glad you enjoyed it so much!!
Looks just like a breakfast I had in London a few weeks ago – well done!
I have to give credit to the English for doing breakfast RIGHT – but the complete absence of any kind of herb or seasoning besides salt and pepper is exactly what makes so much of their lunch-and-dinner cuisine so disappointing.
You’re right, English bacon is way superior to american bacon.
I’m a Chilean chef, working for a transnational insurance company in London. Thinking about opening my own place in Chile, and I’m trying to figure out the best way (if possible) to import British bacon and use it in my kitchen.
Is so good!