Friday, May 18, 2018

A Royal Breakfast

Tomorrow most of us Yanks will wake at the crack of dawn to watch one of our own marry into the British Royal family.How do we celebrate? By having a Brit breakfast - or at least one influenced by the United Kingdom

A British fry up breakfast is a great but heavy way to greet the day. It is an eye opener that does require mostly frying.It starts with meat. Most English like breakfast sausages, one made of pork called a banger. The best we have here is the Jimmy Dean sausages and for vegetarians - Morning Star Farms. Some like bacon - our bacon called streaky Irish with it. The bacon provides the perfect fat for frying up the other components.Every breakfast plate usually has one or two eggs, always cooked sunnyside up.This way the eater can dip either bread or a sausage into the yolk.About the bread. it cannot be toasted. It has to be fried, in the bacon drippings, or if that's all used up, butter.Iit shouldn't be too soggy with oil, A minute or two in the pan should do it.it wouldn't be a fry up without that Brit staple - beans. Heinz is the popular brand. Tomatoes give it some bite and also are a perfect foil for the meat and eggs. Usually the beefsteak kind are used but try the vine ripe for a sweeter , more vibrant flavor.Another must have is the vinegar laced HP sauce..It's kind of like a tart version of Worcester sauce  which can be used.If that's too intense at five in the morning, switch to ketchup.

Some Americans may feel that eating a huge meal that early may be too much. Try a Thomas' English muffin instead. These are based on the English , crumpet, a spongy kind of muffin brought to the US by Samuel Bath Thomas, from Plymouth in 1879. Slather clotted cream, another UK treat, on them, and then your favorite jam or marmalade. Clotted cream came from the Phoenicians who traded tin in Cornwall.It's cooked milk but has a wonderful buttery , nutty flavor. If not , try Kerry's Irish butter on a hot, toasty English muffin. Slather a rich , flavorful jam on top such as Aldi's Specialty Selected blackberry. You could celebrate the Scottish way with oatmeal.Don't go crazy with cooking the old fashioned rolled oats.. A packet of the instant will do.It may be too late to bake up a loaf of oatmeal bread but many stores do sell it. Toast up a few slices , slather on butter and that other English must have - marmalade. Tea is another must have. Coffee just won;t do.. One of the best is Typhoo tea which can be bought in the international section of some supermarkets like Stop& Shop.It's been around for over one hundred years and has a lovely , mellow flavor. If you can't find it, then go for Earl Grey or Lady Grey tea.

Celebrate an Anglo-American wedding with a Brit breakfast. Go wild with a full on fry up or nibble on an English muffin. Either way, it's a great way to enjoy Harry and Meghan's big day.

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