Panettone French Toast with Cherry Compote and Brandied Mascarpone

One last post before I sign off for Christmas and New Year!

This is my own recipe for very festive and very decadent french toast. To me, this is Christmas on a plate because it combines so many of the ingredients and flavours associated with this time of year. Italian Christmas bread, cherries, cinnamon, orange, brandy... all my favourite Christmas flavours! It is rich, but if you can't have this at this time of year, when can you have it?! This recipe works a treat with stale panettone, so if you find yourself with panettone leftovers after Christmas, you'll know just how to transform them into something really special :)

For this dish, I believe the key is to getting the compote right. The compote needs acidity to cut through the sweetness of the other components, so make sure you taste it. How much sugar you need will depend on how sweet/tart the cherries are so taste as you go, and add sugar as required.

Panettone French Toast with Cherry Compote and Brandied Mascarpone
an original Diary of a Ladybird recipe
(serves 2)

Ingredients
4 pieces Panettone (I cut a 1.5cm round of my panettone by cutting it horizontally then cut into 4)
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup cream
2 eggs
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1.5 cups pitted cherries
caster sugar, to taste (see method)
lemon juice

125g mascarpone
1 tablespoon icing sugar, plus extra to serve
1/2 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
2 teaspoons brandy
maple syrup (optional)

Method
1. In a wide shallow dish, whisk together the milk, cream, eggs, cinnamon and vanilla extract. Add the panettone to the mixture and let sit for about 10 minutes to absorb the liquid. Turn once midway. Meanwhile, make the compote and mascarpone.

8 pieces pictured as recipe doubled in this instance

2. In a small saucepan over low heat, combine the cherries with 1 tablespoon water, a squeeze of lemon juice and a teaspoon of caster sugar, adding more if desired. Simmer covered and stir occasionally for about 10 minutes.
3. Combine the mascarpone, zest, icing sugar and brandy in a small bowl and set aside.
4. Heat a large fry pan over medium heat with a little olive oil and a nob of butter. Take the panettone pieces from the dish removing any excess liquid, then cook in the pan on both sides, cooking until golden.
5. To serve, place 2 pieces of panettone on each plate, topped with the cherry compote and a dollop of mascarpone, followed by a dusting of icing sugar and maple syrup if desired.

Buon appetito and merry Christmas! See you in 2014! :)

Anna xx

Plum Cafe, Kenmore

I can't believe it's been exactly a year now that the Ladybird family has been back in Brisbane. A lot has happened this year, and Christmas is just around the corner. Things are just so busy these days, it's hard to get quality time with Mr Ladybird. Dinner dates are impossible, but brunch dates are much more feasible and so we schedule them in whenever we can and really look forward to them.

I am delighted to be posting about brunch at Plum in Kenmore, because it's one of my favourites. Located in Brisbane's western suburbs, Plum has built a name for itself since its opening. It is run by the very dedicated and experienced Lance and Christine Zhou, who took Plum over seven years ago.  Plum is always pretty busy, but weekend breakfasts are especially busy, and with good reason too. The food is excellent, as is the coffee and service.

The breakfast menu is diverse, with eight cooked breakfast options, as well as a number of lighter options including house-made muffins (sweet and savoury). It is also worth mentioning that Plum is also a deli with a wide range of gourmet pantry items, which also serve to whet the appetite when you are dining there alongside them!

But back to the breakfast... Mr Ladybird and I headed to Plum on Wednesday morning and started with coffees, which start at $3.60. A good coffee always sets the tone for breakfast, and these hit the mark. While sipping on our coffee I spotted a fellow patron starting on his house-made granola made with strawberries and yoghurt. It looked so good, I instantly felt order envy!

It wasn't long at all though before our own orders arrived. For me, the Mushrooms ($17.90)
oven roasted garlic and herbed mushrooms, sauteed spinach, cherry tomatoes, goat’s cheese with a drizzle of lemon infused olive oil and ciabatta toast. The mushrooms were just delicious, and that goat's cheese.. heaven!

For Mr Ladybird, the Vegetarian Breakfast ($19.90) poached eggs (substituted for scrambled in this instance), haloumi, mushrooms, roasted tomato, avocado, rosti and pesto & fresh spinach. This was one generous and delicious breakfast feast, so much so that Mr Ladybird needed a little help with the haloumi. No twisting of arm required, I was happy to assist! The rosti was excellent - I just love it when you get a proper rosti and not something out of a freezer packet, because there is simply no comparison.

With the most important meal of the day complete, Mr Ladybird and I set about our busy days. And I must say, with such generous portion sizes, this breakfast kept us going for hours! Nothing beats a good coffee and breakfast to set you up for the day. Despite prices being a little on the high side, I would say that Plum offer the best breakfast I have had here in Brisbane, so if you are looking for a place to eat in the western suburbs, Plum is worth checking out.

Ladybird & Mr Ladybird dined courtesy of Plum Cafe.

Plum Cafe
Shop 17, 841 Moggill Rd, Kenmore
Ph: (07) 3378 5422
www.plumcafe.com.au

Cockadoodle Cafe & Espresso Bar, Red Hill

Located at the start of Enoggera Terrace a few doors down from Botanica, you will find a quirky and cheerful looking establishment called Cockadoodle Cafe and Espresso Bar. In the area to collect some takeaway salads and with grumbling stomachs, my friend and I decided to stop in with little A in tow for an impromptu brunch.

Finding a nice shady table was easy enough for what is normally a busy time for such cafes on weekends, and pram access was also good. Although we didn't need one, we were offered a high chair which was nice, so I think this is a child friendly venue.

The feel of this place is quite laid-back and I loved the splashes of red in the tableware and décor.. my favourite colour! :)

With an all-day breakfast menu boasting 15 items, plus breakfast specials, there really is something for everyone here. First up though we ordered coffees. They were nice and strong, but a little on the bitter side unfortunately. Next time I think I'll order something from the extensive list of nice teas on offer.

Onto the food... I opted for the Haloumi & Mushrooms on Sourdough ($15.80), while my dining partner opted for the French Toast with Berry Compote and maple syrup (15.80). The French Toast was lovely, although would have been better had it been left to soak up more of the mixture before being put in the pan. The accompanying compote was delicious and not too sweet.

I really enjoyed my mushrooms and haloumi. The flavour was great and the splash of quality balsamic vinegar to finish the dish was perfect.

All in all a nice spot for a weekend breakfast!
xx

Cockadoodle Cafe & Espresso Bar
5 Enogerra Terrace, Red Hill
Ph: (07) 3369 0610

Coco-nutty Granola

This granola, or 'coconut crack' as it is known in my home, is a pantry staple for me nowadays. Delicious, crunchy, and so very addictive. Although it is called a granola in the 'I Quit Sugar' cookbook, there's really no reason why it can't be eaten at any other time of the day. I like it with yoghurt as a morning snack, or even just a little with some herbal tea is a nice afternoon pick-me-up. 

I am a relative newcomer to this business of granola making. One thing I have noticed about people that make their own is that everyone swears by their own recipe, and they are reluctant to deviate from it. I'm pretty happy with my variation of this recipe and rarely stray from it now either! It is packed with good stuff and is slightly sweetened with rice malt syrup rather than loads of dried fruit and honey. You can pick up rice malt syrup up in the health food section of Coles and it is quite a handy ingredient to have in the cupboard!

Coco-nutty Granola

Adapted recipe from 'I Quit Sugar' by Sarah Wilson

Ingredients

2 cups coconut flakes

1 cup rolled oats

1 cup almonds

1/2 cup cashews

1/2 cup pepitas

2 tablespoons chia seeds

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

80g coconut oil/butter, melted

3 tablespoons rice malt syrup

Method

1. Preheat oven to 150 degrees celcius and line a large baking tray with baking paper.

2. Combine all the ingredients, then spread evenly on the tray.

3. Bake for around 40 minutes or until golden, turning halfway through the cooking time. The darker the granola, the crunchier it will be.

4. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Store in an airtight container to keep the granola crispy.

Before...

And after...

Notes

The original recipe says to bake for 15-20 minutes at 120 degrees celcius but I found this did nothing to the mixture at all, hence the higher temperature and longer cooking time. Keep an eye on yours though, as every oven is a little different.

Also, I make mine using activated nuts. They add wonderful toastiness and crunch - the main reason why I use activated nuts rather than the health benefits if I am to be perfectly honest! To 'activate' nuts, soak overnight in water with a little sea salt. Drain, then spread out on a baking tray and dry in the oven for 12-24 hours at the lowest temperature possible. Keen to read more about why activated nuts are said so good for you? You might like to read this article.

Do you make your own granola? If so, what recipe do you swear by??

xx

Breakfast at The Kenmore

This morning the Ladybird family made a Sunday breakfast outing to a local hotel called 'The Kenmore' that has recently undergone a complete refurbishment. The hotel bistro offers breakfast on Saturdays and Sundays until 10am and so we decided to give it a try.

The refurbishment is modern, classy and restrained. They have done a brilliant job in giving this establishment a facelift. The pictures speak for themselves!

The bistro's alfresco dining area is a real highlight - loads of natural light, and fans for the warm weather as well as outdoor heating for the cooler months (yes, they do exist here in Brisbane!)

The breakfast menu offers the usual fare. Unfortunately, there were no savoury vegetarian meals listed, however, the staff were happy to substitute to cater accordingly. Drink and meal orders are taken at the counter. After ordering, we noticed this cute miniature blackboard listing The Kenmore's coffee menu. I like my coffee, but to be honest, I have never even heard of some of these!

I opted for the Lemon and ricotta pancake stack with stewed strawberries, double cream and mint ($12.95). I'm afraid to say the pancakes were the least impressive pancakes I have paid for... The flavour was not great, and the pancakes were burnt underneath. And frankly, two pancakes doesn't make a 'stack'.

Mr Ladybird had the Light Breakfast with toast, eggs, roast tomato and bacon ($12.95). The staff happily substituted the bacon for a side of mushrooms, and he added two hashbrown add-ons ($2 x 2) to share with our little fella. We were a little disappointed to see that the hashbrowns were readymade and that the toast was regular white supermarket bread. Unfortunately the tomato seemed to have got forgotten as well.

The Emperor was a very happy little boy to receive his babycino, graciously provided on the house by the manager. We gave coffees a miss as we have a machine at home which gets a blurry eyed visit from us every morning nice and early.

I was looking forward to this breakfast... Alas, my search for a good local breakfast venue that is child friendly continues. The Kenmore is certainly a beautiful, child-friendly venue. On the plus side, there is parking close to the hotel, room for prams and there are high chairs available. Unfortunately though, food at The Kenmore was a letdown.. Will we be back? Probably not, but their coffee menu has piqued my curiosity so perhaps that might see me return some day.


The Kenmore
841 Moggill Rd
Kenmore
Ph: (07) 33780777
http://www.ourhotels.com.au/kenmoretavern/

Breakfast at Pieno, Surry Hills

Hello, dear readers! I hope your Easter long weekend is off to a wonderful start. Yesterday in Sydney we enjoyed absolutely glorious weather, and it looks set to continue by the looks of things this morning! Beautiful blue skies and plenty of sunshine. To mark Easter I wanted to share something Easter themed with you all and so set about making Hot Cross Cookies - a Donna Hay recipe featured in last weekend's edition of the Daily Telegraph.. well, I'm sad to say they were an epic fail (sorry Donna, I've got to be honest here) and I saw little point sharing a recipe with you all that I myself will certainly not be repeating. Yes, hot cross cookies is a cute concept, but the aftertaste of the baking powder was very unpleasant. If I get time in the next few days I might attempt tweaking the recipe and will share with you all if I have any success.

Anyway, instead of Hot Cross Cookies here is a quick post on a place we went to breakfast yesterday. It's called Pieno, and is located on Crown Street in Surry Hills. If there's one thing this funky cafe has bucketloads of, it's atmosphere. It's cool, it's modern, and for a cafe in Surry Hills, there's certainly more than your average amount of seating. I love the splashes of red in the decor too with the chairs and the water bottles - a great vibrant touch.

We started off with coffees ($3.50 each) and they are delicioussss -seriously the best coffee I have had in a long time!

For breakfast, Mr L had the Vegie Breakfast ($16.50) with poached eggs, roast tomatoes, rosti, mushrooms and spinach with toast. The eggs were poached to perfection, but unfortunately the rosti were more or less deep-fried balls of mash.

And for me, I ordered the Breakfast bruschetta with mushrooms and garlic oil ($11). I can usually find something positive to say about a dish, even if I'm not that keen on it, but this was a very disappointing dish. The mushrooms were watery and rubbery.. so I end up eating the toast with a little rocket. In such situations, I am always a little embarrassed to complain about my dish... what do you do when faced with culinary disappointment while eating out..?

Such a shame Pieno, such a shame! I so very much wanted to rave about this place .. especially in light of all the positive reviews online on sites like Eatability. Perhaps I just got very unlucky (?) I love the atmosphere, the service is fantastic, and the coffee ***amazeballs***, but the food really fell short of the mark. A bit of a pity, but I would definitely return if I was looking for somewhere for a good coffee in the area.

Pieno
285A Crown St
Surry Hills, NSW
(02) 8354 1303

Café Zoe, Surry Hills

Now that baby Roman is nearing 6 months of age, he is able to stay awake for a few hours rather happily, making outings such as going out for brunch a lot easier. It's no secret that Mr Ladybird and I do love going out for breakfasts on the weekend, and we are absolutely loving being able to do this once again!

It might not be the leisurely sips on coffee and leafing through newspapers and magazines like it used to be.. nowadays it's sips of coffee and intermittent mouthfuls of food between Mr L bouncing Roman on his knee, and me keeping an eye on what he's trying to ram into his mouth next and managing the now constant flow of drool from his little mouth! He is a very good baby though, and having a little cutie like him in tow does have some unexpected benefits. For example, I have visited the same fruit and veg store for years, and never once received a smile from the cashier until I came shopping with Roman in the pram, smiling up at her like a little angel. Suddenly her face lit up - magic! Oh yes, he's very charming with the ladies... quite the lil' Casanova! In cafes, he always manages to charm the ladies at neighbouring tables. When visiting Café Zoe recently, in fact, he was so charming that the lady at the table next to us couldn't resist the force of Roman's cuteness and asked for a little cuddle. I was happy to oblige, and Roman proceeded to chat her up while Mr L and I enjoyed a few minutes to ourselves.

Café Zoe is one of my favourite spots for breakfast. There is ample seating and you don't have to book, service is friendly, and the food and coffee are good. It is open Saturday and Sundays, and there is a separate Sunday brunch menu.. so technically you could go there two days in a row and enjoy two different menus ;) Plus parking in the area isn't too bad (for Surry Hills I mean!) Mr L and I headed there recently for a nice weekend brekky where we started with coffees of course...

I enjoyed the corn fritters with toast, salsa, scrambled eggs and a side of wilted spinach. The eggs were delicious, as was the spinach. The corn fritters were nice, but a little more corn in them would have been good.

Mr L enjoyed eggs on toast with two sides - sautéed mushrooms, as well as some seriously tasty spicy beans - I'd give a limb for that recipe... sooo good!

Now, in all my juggling of baby, nappy bag, camera and goodness knows what else I lost the receipt for our meal at Café Zoe so I can't tell you the exact prices of our meals. However, I can say that you can expect to pay around $15 - $20 for breakfasts here. Sides are $3 each, so any extras can make it a little more expensive. But all in all, pretty good value as the quality of their food and coffee is consistently high.


Til next time! xxx


Café Zoe
688 Bourke St, Surry Hills
(02) 8399 0940

Kazbah, Balmain

If there's one thing I absolutely love about Sydney, it's the absolute variety of brunch spots across the Sydney. No matter what you like for breakfast, you're bound to find a place that takes your fancy. Kazbah in Balmain does just that, but with a Middle Eastern flavour.

Trawling through (and finally cleaning up), my camera's memory card of some 1000 photos, I stumbled across pictures of our breakfast there in September of last year. Just a couple of weeks shy of Roman's arrival, I couldn't resist taking Mr Ladybird out to celebrate his first Father's Day... it seems like so long ago, how time flies!

Kazbah has a number of locations in Sydney, but has been open in Balmain since 1998. I love the atmosphere there - the colours, the flowers, the lanterns.. it all gets you in the Moroccan mood, even early in the morning. They are open for breakfast from 8am and offer their breakfast menu until 3pm! Their breakfast menu is extensive (you can check it for yourself here) with dishes ranging in price from around $15 - $20.

We started off with some drinks, of course. A coffee for Mr Ladybird ($4) and a juice of the day for me, in this case, a watermelon juice (a bit steep, I felt, at a hefty $6.50!)

And for the most important meal of the day, Mr Ladybird happily tucked into his brilliant Breakfast Tagine ($19.50) -  Roast Pumpkin, spinach, roast capsicum, roast tomato, caramelised onion, feta and eggs, all served with turkish toast.

At 8 months pregnant, I was feeling like I was just about as big as humanly possible, so I threw my usual dietary caution to the wind and indulged in the French Toast (usually comes with bacon, I ordered mine sans swine), glazed baby figs, double cream and apple cinnamon syrup ($18). Looking at this photo has me drooling all over again!

All in all a most enjoyable breakfast with prompt, friendly service. So next time you're looking for a place for breakfast and you're a bit tired of the stock standard breakfast menu options, Kazbah is well worth checking out. Be sure to book though, they get very very busy on weekends!

Til next time, dear readers...
Ladybird xxx

Kazbah
379 Darling St, Balmain
(02) 9555 7067