From the archives:
Another cunning plan to keep the blog going over the next few weeks is to showcase some recipes out of the archives... so much love is going into each individual dish that it seems a shame that they should be gathering dust in some monthly archive. I've been sifting through them for you and have selected some that are dear to my heart in one way or another, they're mostly well over a year old, so even if you have seen them before, there's a chance you don't remember them... and for some, I will keep recipe and picture, but indulge in a new introduction if I feel inspired!
First up is what has become one of my favourite breakfast treats...
When you have guests coming for brunch, you probably want something that pushes the boat out a bit, and go way beyond even pancakes or eggs benedict... and here's how!
The idea comes from a birthday cake a childhood friend in Austria was hooked on. Every year, her Mum would make a pile of thin pancakes (crêpes or Palatschinken, as we call them in Austria), with layers of chocolate spread (Nutella) and ground hazelnuts sandwiched in between.
My savoury version works in very much the same way, only using a plain egg & milk mixture for some thinner than thin omelettes, alternating them with layers of whatever is at hand... I've made this in many similar
ways before - for example stacked layers of the thinnest
possible omelette, interlaced with sunblush tomatoes, bresaola or other
dry-cured meat, pine nuts, parmesan and basil leaves.
Depending on the mood, I would
fry an omelette, cut in quarters and then assemble individual portions,
which means that by the time I got to sit down with my plate, my
husband was already wiping his mouth with a serviette and offering to
make an espresso... not an ideal set-up for a leisurely Sunday brunch.
So the alternative is to fry the omelettes one after another, keeping them warm
in the oven and only assembling when they're all done, then cutting them like a cake. Make sure you separate the individual layers of omelette with greaseproof paper and be VERY careful when you assemble: they're so thin that they break easily... I recommend lifting them with the paper that separates them, then flipping them over quickly - they don't have to be neat, even if they break it's not a major problem, just keep a good one for the top!
Salmon & rocket omelette layer cake
(serves 4)
6 large eggs
135 ml milk
250 g super thin salmon (I buy it specially cut for sandwiches at Waitrose)
oil for frying
50 - 70 g rocket salad
Beat the eggs with a fork and incorporate the milk. Heat about 2
tbsp of the oil in a non-stick pan, ladle in some of the egg mixture,
enough to cover the bottom of the pan with a very thin layer of egg.
Cook until just set, then turn over to cook on the other side (all in
all this should not take much more than 1 minute per piece).
Cook
all the omelettes until the egg mix is used up, adding more oil as
needed. The mixture should yield ca. 5 layers in a regular-sized pan.
Keep the omelettes warm, you may want to keep them separate using
pieces of foil or cling film to ease assembly later. Be VERY careful when you assemble: the omelettes are so thin that they break
easily... I recommend lifting them with the paper that separates them,
then flipping them over quickly - they don't have to be neat, even if
they break it's not a major problem, just keep a good one for the top!
Assemble the "cake" using a layer of omelette, a
layer of salmon, a layer of rocket and repeating these steps until you
have used everything up. Finish with a layer of omelette and rocket,
sprinkle with freshly crushed black pepper and serve immediately with
some crusty bread on the side.
Looks wonderful. I may need to stay longer than I intended in April if I want to have all those wonderful breakfast dishes that you're writing about:)
Posted by: Pille | Feb 05, 2007 at 10:04 AM
Hi Johanna ... I hope you are having a lovely time at home with your new baby and your family, enjoying these precious days that fly by so fast.
I've lost your email address in a computer upgrade ... would you like me to write you a piece about restaurants in and around Henley? I know it's not abroad, but there are a lot of good places round here, and they're all pretty close to London for a day out ...
Let me know what you think
Love Joanna
www.joannasfood.blogspot.com
Posted by: Joanna | Feb 05, 2007 at 12:39 PM
OH MY!! This looks incredible! I could see serving this any time of the day, like a summer afternoon late lunch with a glass of wine! Delicious!! :)
Posted by: Michelle | Feb 05, 2007 at 02:32 PM
*wow* that looks and sounds gorgeous, with all those things I love like salmon and rocket.
thank you for this wonderful recipe :)
Posted by: astrid | Feb 05, 2007 at 04:15 PM
Hee! It's definitely pancake month - I've just finished doing a medieval crepe version. That's a fantastic idea BTW!
Posted by: Christina | Feb 06, 2007 at 01:09 PM
I'm currently curing some smoked salmon and this looks like a perfect use for it!
Posted by: Brilynn | Feb 06, 2007 at 04:20 PM
That is just lovely.
Posted by: peabody | Feb 09, 2007 at 02:30 AM
that looks like a lovely stack of crepes hehe, simply lovely :)
Posted by: MeltingWok | Feb 10, 2007 at 11:20 AM
Now that I've enjoyed this for breakfast I can certify that this was absolutely delicious! K. loved this a lot, too!
Posted by: Pille | Apr 24, 2007 at 12:03 PM
Sorry if it feels like I'm bombarding your post:) But we made this for brunch last Sunday, and it was wonderful. Absolutely gorgeous!! A great way to impress our guests (they were impressed, believe me:)
Posted by: Pille | May 23, 2007 at 02:24 PM
I know, Pille, it is an absolutely stunning breakfast - never fails to impress. And it's not difficult to do at all... you just have to think of it!
Posted by: johanna | May 23, 2007 at 02:28 PM
Found you by browsing...love the sound of this brunch..will try it with my friends.
Posted by: Anne | May 26, 2007 at 05:15 PM