Cooking with Sleepy Eyes

For those of us who aren’t morning people its extremely hard to do something amazing first thing in the morning, let alone make your way through the kitchen. As much as I like to cook, first thing in the morning, the kitchen is probably the last place I want to be in.

However, I do like to eat – day or night that seems to be constant. That’s why here’s my breakfast/brunch idea for the weekend (or any other day really!).

I’ve always rolled my eyes back with disapproval whenever I hear something pair poached egg in the most blandest way possible whereas I think the gooeyness in a poached egg can be a tasteful complement to any dish. Now I don’t know about you but there’s something about waking up and eating something savoury first thing in the morning that really gets me going for the rest of the day. In fact, it has been scientifically proven that eating at least 30gms of protein for breakfast releases dopamine in our brains that provides a sense of reward putting us in a happy mood for the rest of the day. So why wouldn’t you do that?!

For vegeterians/vegans etc. of course there are several other options like eggs or mushrooms (yes, they have an unbelievable amount of protein in them and technically they aren’t really veggies anyway). As much as I am known for waking up and eating a bowl of stir fried chicken, I also eat regular breakfast-type stuff in the mornings.

Happen to accidentally discover this recipe as I was due a grocery trip and there wasn’t much left in the house, chances are on a Saturday morning this is often the case for most people so all the ingredients used are stuff you probably already have in your fridge right now. I cut up some cheese (any cheese you fancy!) and spread some BBQ sauce on some sourdough bread (that is my favourite type of bread but it has been just as tasty with almost every bread I’ve tried) and layer cheese on top of the bread. Put it under the grill while you poach the egg.

I know a lot of people say poaching an egg is very challenging, requires a lot of skill and so on and yes, I had to figure out what actually works and to put it simply; there isn’t a magical formula. It entirely depends on how hot your pan is, what kind of stove you’re using… However you can figure it out as long as you keep three things in mind; break the egg into a cup beforehand, pour in boiling water from the kettle (just so you have more control over the temperature of the water) and whisk in the egg once you’ve created a swirling motion in the pan. It usually takes about a minute or 1.30mins for it to cook on the outside and still remains gooey on the inside. I always know it’s done when there are no longer translucent egg whites visible.

By the time the eggs are done the grill should’ve adequately heated your BBQ toast too, if not make a cup of tea! Its quite nice with the juiciness of the poached egg coupled with hot melting cheese coated with BBQ sauce. If you do try it – I’d love to know!