Breakfast Blog

[gogoblender 3,083]

This was a mainstay of mine for many years. Brunch with my friends every Sunday was something I'd look forward to seeming days in advance. We were all from different parts of Montreal in those days, with all of us arriving to meet at our little hangout on the Main (St. Laurent street) called Shed Cafe.

 

 

It was and still is a pretty trendy place, filled with the "beautiful" people, all doing their "beautiful" things. Course, we were strange outsiders. most of my group was from the suburbs sporting preppy clothes and often sticking out in stark contrast to all of the urbane beauties bedecked in the latest fashions around us. We still stuck it out, and the routine, tradition was a good one for a few years. My regular fare was the Omelette Florentine. A delicious, puffy, stuffed Omelette that would burst when cut with spinach, cheese, and the most delicious Beschamel sauce imaginable. My tongue would hunger for the taste every Thursday, and by Sunday, once I'd chased away the hangover from the night out before, arriving at the Cafe and seeing all my friends would always seem to be a kind of reward or deserved rest. The conversations were ranged and fiery, our arguments over life and how it was treating us an important part of my growing up at least. And lately over the last few months, it was something I'd begun to keen for again.

 

Me and my old friend Rob have been able to catch up on our lives lately on Sundays. With us both having weekends off, we've now found it possible to re-connect while exploring Montreal's breakfast nookeries. Our past explorations have led us to one or two gems, with us ( as usual) settling for a place in recent visits that shone because of it's service, and amazing sausages.

 

Breakfast isn't really something our family was really into when I was growing up. Eggs, sausage, bacon...all being rarities in my youth. I guess it's why I crave it so much on weekends as well as the company it comes along with. Just yesterday at around 8.00 am in the morning, while in his car, Rob mentioned that his daughter was unable to get the their new cat their food, so we motored down to the grocery store where he asked if perhaps we didn't mind returning to his place where he could put something together.

 

Of course, this step away from normal routine was a little jarring at first, and seeing him pick out strange but colorful products like blackberries and strawberries (Fruits...on a Sunday?!) was a bit disconcerting. My friend Rob, however, is a master with the impromptu , and the wizardry that came out of his kitchen so delighted and pleased me, that when the plates were laid to rest upon his small table on his balcony overlooking wonderfully sunny and tree-lined street, I found myself wanting to post the picture of what was eaten with which the aid of his trusty Blackberry was done.

 

Strawberries with Blackberries, light puffy scrambled eggs with the silky texture of a good soufle with frozen vegetables thrown in out of a bag was the center piece of the plate, with cut-up and spiced chicken breast chunks, brown bread with margarine and glasses of orange juice.

 

 

 

All of this was a surprise, but what a wonderful surprise when it's something you actually enjoyed.

 

If any of you are having wonderful Sunday breakfasts or brunches, don't be shy, whip out the phone cameras, and snap away.

 

Good food lives forever.

 

 

gogo

[Bondbug 32]

Wonderful stuff. An odd mix of seasons in the fruits - no? Our strawberries are long finished and the blackberries are not yet started.

 

Odd my ideas never got beyond the cereal/porridge plus the fried (bacon, eggs, kidneys, black pudding, sausages,potatoes..)...er plus the marmalade etc. and tea - we were not a coffee household.

 

But this gives one to think. Omelette Florentine, yes. The mix on your plate - have to think, very seriously, about that.

 

'Tis a great life you have there laddie

 

P.S. Include fried haggis (in sausage format) in my own list above.

 

P.P.S. Not sure about the word 'blog'. Does this mean that you want us to expose our deepest philosophical thoughts on arriving at the breakfast table

Edited August 11, 2008 by Bondbug

[Silearth 6]

When I was growing up, my mother always had breakfast ready for us. Perhaps some grits and bacon with scrambled eggs. She would make these muffins with wheat germ--orange juice replacing most of the liquid.

 

Now that I have kids of my own.....Well during the week, the wife handles the breakfast(or doesn't) My kids all eat breakfast at school. But on the weekends it's daddy's turn.

 

Pancakes(from scratch) are common, with scrambled eggs and sausage. Every once in awhile I'll buy sausage,eggs,potato,cheese, salsa and tortillas. Breakfast burritos anyone?

 

My kids don't like grits, but I still eat them. If you pour the hot grits into a loaf pan and let them sit in the fridge over night, you can slice them up and dip them into beaten egg. Fry them in a bit of butter until golden and crispy and you have a treat that I remember from my childhood.

[gogoblender 3,083]

Bond, I guess I put in the word Blog because I feel it'll make me keep on adding to the thread, and keep me working on making those Sunday breakfasts ^^ Not playing vgames, and getting to talk to real peeps energizes the batteries, and getting to relate all the week's goods and bads helps with maintaining sanity. And if you guys have any breakfast adventures, I'd love to read about them as well.

 

Sil, don't kill me..heh, never tried grits myself I hear so much about them, but it seems like lately everyone has been on such health kicks, that getting someone to rustle up these classics always seems to fail for me If I can ever convince my aunt, she's an incredible cook and has that same taste for good, home cooking...maybe she'll indulge me.

 

I do want to try my hand at pancakes one day. I keep thinking they're so hard to make, but my friends tell me they're the easiest things imgaginable...specially if they're from a box heh, that'll probably be my first attempt... with real maple syrup of course.

 

The scrambled eggs you were talking about Sil sound so much like the kind of "omelette" that my mom would make with fried onions, green chillies, and maldive fish. Twas the dried fish that was the secret, and to this day I still crave it.

 

Funny you mention the season of the fruits, Bond. You know that's something I never even consider. Us, with our grocery stores that seem to be stocked with "forever-fruit" have made me forget that these things only grow during a specific season.

 

Thought they just "appeared" magically in grocery stores

 

 

Writing this was great, made me think more about my weekends, and how investing time into our friends and the activities we do with them really adds to everything.

 

Looking forward to further installations from you guys.

 

You can count on mine.

 

 

gogo

[Bondbug 32]

Perhaps some grits

I've seen this term used by you folks over there. Explain please to a poor foreigner. To me grit is something you put on the road in icy weather. Can't be too tasty:)

 

Every once in awhile I'll buy sausage,eggs,potato,cheese, salsa and tortillas.

There's that word again - see Bottled sauces thread - you all use it but we still wait clarification in 'Bottled Sauces' of what you mean by it.

 

Breakfast burritos anyone?

Terrible being a foreigner. What's 'burritos' ? Churros I can cope with.

 

 

I do want to try my hand at pancakes one day. I keep thinking they're so hard to make, but my friends tell me they're the easiest things imgaginable...specially if they're from a box heh, that'll probably be my first attempt... with real maple syrup of course.

 

Dead right. They're a doddle. 4oz flour, an egg, beat 'em up, add milk to a reasonably runny consistency. Same mixture as Yorkshire pudding but runnier.

Run it round a frying pan; toss !!

The French make them so thin you can see through them and call them crêpes. I make them 1/8 inch thick.

Try them with a squeeze of lemon juice and a sprinkle of sugar

Maple syrup. Yes, good. Golden syrup..ditto. Jam. Chocolate sauce. But I find these too sweet.

[Borg 0]

Grits check it out picture and all

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grits

grits dipped in eggs mmm will have to try that

( I am at work now so not much time to post)

[fRACTAL 0]

I do want to try my hand at pancakes one day. I keep thinking they're so hard to make, but my friends tell me they're the easiest things imgaginable...specially if they're from a box heh, that'll probably be my first attempt... with real maple syrup of course.

 

Dead right. They're a doddle. 4oz flour, an egg, beat 'em up, add milk to a reasonably runny consistency. Same mixture as Yorkshire pudding but runnier.

Run it round a frying pan; toss !!

The French make them so thin you can see through them and call them crêpes. I make them 1/8 inch thick.

Try them with a squeeze of lemon juice and a sprinkle of sugar

Maple syrup. Yes, good. Golden syrup..ditto. Jam. Chocolate sauce. But I find these too sweet.

I have mine with a squeeze of lemon juice and a squeeze of orange juice

Oh and once in awhile I add cream, for the extremely tasty excess

~Doom

[Bondbug 32]

Grits check it out picture and all

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grits

grits dipped in eggs mmm will have to try that

So it is a maize based porridge - (shown with butter on it? Yuck, to the butter not the grits)

No that can't be right can it? How do you dip porridge in eggs?

Why 'grits' for Pete's sake

Think I'll stick to my medium-ground oatmeal

[gogoblender 3,083]

I'm so surprised. Grits looks like...porridge!

 

hah, I'd thought it was always some sort of potatoe mash fry I wonder if Quaker Oats makes a commercial version...or would this be heresy?

 

 

gogo

 

p.s. oh, okay okay... I'm in for the pancakes this Sunday...just gotta get someone to make 'em

[Lord of the North 10]

I'm so surprised. Grits looks like...porridge!

 

hah, I'd thought it was always some sort of potatoe mash fry I wonder if Quaker Oats makes a commercial version...or would this be heresy?

 

 

gogo

 

p.s. oh, okay okay... I'm in for the pancakes this Sunday...just gotta get someone to make 'em

 

Yes Quaker Does .... Quaker Grits instant too.

[gogoblender 3,083]

Figgers

 

ahh, is nothing sacred

 

 

gogo

 

[Lord of the North 10]

Figgers

 

ahh, is nothing sacred

 

 

gogo

 

 

But Sacred and Sacred 2

[Borg 0]

*lol* had to work so I got beat to the post about "Quaker Grits" I saw that on the shelf along with a couple other "commercial" brands of grits but elected to go with a more traditional brand. At a local restaurant my wife tried this recipe for breakfast awhile back and raved about it

It's not classy like yours Gogo but funky like we like it in Key West

http://blueheavenkw.homestead.com/brmenu.html

here's a recipe I think Gogo would like for me just grits and butter ( sorry Bondbug)

http://www.stiinc.net/shrimp.htm

Edited August 13, 2008 by Borg

[trd 0]

breakfast is always a bit iffy. normally two monster diet energy drinks and some nicotine. if I am lucky, I can fight the kids for some poptarts or an eggo or two. breakfast of champions I know.

[gogoblender 3,083]

Dang, Borg, that's one heck of a sweet looking place! lol, I'd have given up a few of my brunches at Shed for just one afternoon in the sun being kissed by the tropics as in a place liker yours!

 

I'm hoping to keep Sundays going. lol, my friend just read the post I made, and now he's taking it up to even showing how to make panacakes

 

And shrimp in grits...does this make the recipe less sweet and more of a real lunch or dinner item? I love shrimps...but I'm not sure if having them in a kind of gruel is...appetizing for me?

 

 

Heh, TRD, I know where you're coming from. Quick and Ez's were the way for me just the last little while. But I'm finding that this foray into local breakfast nookeries is delightful. Not only for the food, but the company as well.

 

 

gogo

[Borg 0]

I should expound a bit more on the picture. The round building on the top of the building is a cistern it collects rain water. It has been there for quite a few years but not in use as that, well as far as I know, now. Below it is a bar. the open eating area has chickens running around and in the tree's which the tourist seem to love ( some reason the health board looks the other way). If you leave the area from the backside on the right of the picture and went across the street you would run into "Johnson's restaurant" a Bahamian theme restaurant where Cracked Conch" is a specialty. Mmmm? sounds like another post I will have to explain.

Edited August 14, 2008 by Borg

[gogoblender 3,083]

Sounds like an awesome place Borg.

 

Do we get to pick from the chickens running around, which one we want to eat?

 

Now THAT'S fresh

 

 

gogo

[Borg 0]

Sounds like an awesome place Borg.

 

Do we get to pick from the chickens running around, which one we want to eat?

 

Now THAT'S fresh

 

 

gogo

Sorry you only get the eggs *lol*