The Best Way To Wake Up - Issue #51

Happy Thursday!

As the year seems to be slowly getting back into routine, maybe you find yourself still struggling to get into the day? Hopefully our latest video that has just been published will give you some much needed inspiration. It has some delicious breakfast sandwich ideas that look as good as they taste and will be guaranteed to give you a good start to the day ;)!

Do you sometimes feel cooked chicken breasts can be awfully dry? Well in this newsletter I share some tips about why I always brine my chicken to avoid the dry chicken dilemma, and I also share a simple brine recipe that you can customise to your liking. Brining makes chicken so juicy and delicious!

I'm often saying that there are no rules to food presentation, but there are a few tips to keep in mind that can help with your food presentation decisions. I hope you enjoy reading about some decisions I made for the donuts I served for 2 different occasions below.

In this issue:

• Fresh off the press - Breakfast Sandwiches Worth Waking Up For...
• Inspiration from my kitchen - Why I Always Brine My Chicken
• Food presentation - Every Style Has Its Place And Purpose

Fresh off the Press...(+ Recipes)

Our latest video - Breakfast Sandwiches Worth Waking Up For... - has just been published.

In this video we bring the art of dessert plating to your breakfast table! We'll dive into the world of breakfast sandwiches that are not only a delicious start to your day, but also visually appealing. When you add dessert plating principles to breakfast sandwiches you'll have a feast for the eyes and a treat for your palate.

Join us as we transform ordinary breakfast sandwich toasts into culinary masterpieces that are sure to impress. Are you curious to see how a touch of plating magic can turn your breakfast routine into a gourmet affair?

Have a look at the video here...

There aren't recipes for these breakfast toasts - they use simple ingredients you may already have in your kitchen. The idea is that you can apply these principals with your own ingredients. Here are the recipe links for easy hollandaise sauce and blueberry compote.

Ingredients I used:

• Toast made with ciabatta bread and a wholegrain bread
• Bacon, poached eggs, fresh chives
• Hollandaise sauce
• Avocado, fresh tomato slices, cottage cheese, balsamic reduction and snow pea shoots
• Cottage cheese, blueberry compote, fresh mint tips and lemon zest

Inspiration from my kitchen - Why I Always Brine My Chicken

Brining chicken can be a game changer if you're looking to increase moisture, flavour and tenderness in meat. Have you ever had a chicken breast that's so dry and flavourless it almost puts you off buying and cooking them? Brining is definitely the answer, and it's so easy to do. It works especially well for a whole chicken and breasts for kebabs or frying/BBQing.

An aromatic brine is great for most things (including turkey and pork) and you can play around with the flavourings to suit your dish. For Asian style dishes you can add lime, star anise and fresh ginger. For traditional roast chicken you can add tarragon, lemon and bay leaves.

Basic Aromatic Brine

Ingredients:

This makes enough for 2-3 chicken breasts. Double (or even quadruple to make sure the chicken is covered in the brine) the recipe for a whole chicken or larger piece.

• 1/2 cup boiling water
• 3 tablespoons salt
• 1/2 tablespoon sugar
• 2 cloves of garlic, crushed, bruised or sliced
• 3-4 sprigs fresh thyme (or herbs of your choice)
• 2 1/2 cups cold water

Method:

• Place the salt, sugar, garlic and fresh herbs into a container that will comfortably fit the meat you are going to brine. You don't want it too large because you need to completely submerge the meat in the brine.
• Add the boiling water and stir until the sugar and salt are dissolved.
• Add the cold water and mix through so there are no hot spots.
• Add the meat and leave to brine.
• Brine smaller cuts for 1-2 hours and larger cuts for 4 hours or even over night.
• Remove from the brine and cook as you normally would.

Food Presentation - Every Style Has Its Place And Purpose

Some of you might recall an article from a previous newsletter (issue #16) featuring homemade donuts. Making donuts is surprisingly straightforward; you can refer to the older newsletter for the recipe if you're keen to give it a try. This time, I'd like to shift our focus to the art of presentation.

I recently prepared another batch of donuts using the same recipe, yet the presentation was entirely different. That's the beauty of food presentation - there are countless ways to serve the same dish. What are your thoughts on this more rustic presentation?

It may not be as pristine as the 'donut cake,' which served as a centrepiece for a birthday table. In contrast, these donuts were for a 'bring a plate' casual evening.

Every presentation style has its place and purpose.

The key here is to tailor the presentation to suit the occasion. Taking a donut cake to an evening gathering would undoubtedly steal the limelight, which wasn't my intention. The more rustic decoration of these donuts (chocolate drizzled and sprinkled with freeze dried raspberries) was definitely much better suited.

Happy cooking.
Taryn