We're just back from Ireland and fondly remembering the lovely breakfasts that started each day, courtesy of the bed-and-breakfasts where we stayed as we toured the island. Dining tables were filled with pots of French pressed coffee and tea, scones and homemade breads, scrambled eggs, oak smoked salmon, bacon and sausage, marmalade and jams and honey, juices and chopped fruit, black and white pudding (an acquired taste, apparently; we didn't), yogurt, porridge and cold cereal, broiled tomatoes and sauteed mushrooms. We were spoiled indeed by the bounty and the variety of the Irish breakfast.
When returning home, it's always fun to attempt to replicate the memorable culinary treats of our travels. Imagine how delighted I was to find the following Irish breakfast items created by Neven Maguire (an Irish celebrity chef and television personality from Blacklion, County Cavan and head chef and proprietor of the MacNean House and Restaurant). We loved the scrambled eggs with smoked salmon that we were served at several accommodations in Ireland, including the Atlantic Heights B&B with lovely views of Galway Bay, the Brookhaven Guesthouse in Waterville, a town on the Ring of Kerry where Charlie Chaplin spent many of his holidays, and Bay Cottage B&B sitting on the fringe of Lough Leagh in Crumlin.
An Irish breakfast is perfect for a misty morning
in the Knockmealdown Mountains, rich with the blooms of wild rhododendron.
MacNean Restaurant Porridge with Irish Mist and Honey
100 grams (4 ounces) porridge oats
300 mls (1 cup) whole milk, plus extra if necessary
4 dessertspoons (about 8 teaspoons) clear honey
4 dessertspoons (about 8 teaspoons) Irish Mist
150 mls (1/2 cup) cream
- Simmer the oats and milk together in a saucepan for 8-10 minutes, until the mixture is slightly thickened, stirring all the time. It is important that the porridge has a nice soft dropping consistency, so add a little more milk if you think that it needs it.
- To serve, spoon the porridge into warmed bowls. Drizzle each one with some honey and Irish Mist and finally, serve with cream if you wish.
Neven's Scrambled Eggs with Burren Smoked Salmon
4 small clusters of cherry tomatoes on the vine
4 flat field mushrooms (we use baby portobello mushrooms)
1/4 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons rapeseed oil
6 eggs
3 tablespoons milk or cream
1 tablespoon snipped fresh chives, plus extra to garnish
40 grams (1.5 ounces) butter, softened
4 slices wholemeal bread (we use a hearty whole wheat with seeds)
200 grams (7 ounces) smoked salmon slices
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees and preheat the grill.
- Place the tomatoes and the mushrooms in a small roasting pan and sprinkle with the thyme. Season to taste with salt and pepper and drizzle with rapeseed oil. Roast for 15-20 minutes, until the mushrooms are tender and the tomatoes are lightly charred and just beginning to burst.
- Break the eggs into a bowl and add the milk or cream, chives and plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Blitz with a stick blender, as this helps make resulting scrambled eggs even lighter and fluffier.
- Heat a knob of butter in a non-stick frying pan over medium heat, until foaming. Add the egg mixture and whisk continuously for 2-3 minutes, until just set but still soft. Remove from the heat, as they will continue to cook. Check the seasoning and add a pinch of salt if you think it needs it.
- Meanwhile, lightly toast the bread on a grill rack, then spread each piece of toast with the remaining butter and cut into triangles.
- To serve, arrange two of the toasted bread triangles on each warmed plate. Top each one with scrambled eggs and arrange the smoked salmon to the side. Add the roasted cherry tomatoes and mushrooms, then garnish with chives.