BRUNCH has to be one of those lazy weekend favourites - not quite a full Irish breakfast and not as filling as a full lunch, but brunch, if you get it right, will fall perfectly between the two.
In getting the right brunch, you don't want to spend too long with food preparation, and you definitely don't want to be left with a kitchen sink full of washing up.
In profiling some of Ireland's top chefs The Irish Post have teamed up with Co Fermanagh's Belleek Pottery and Daniel O'Neill's specialist cookware provider ProCook to test their recipes.
With readily available ingredients, these dishes are easy to recreate – when you are a beginner or a more established home chef, and they offer flexibility, meaning you can alter the ingredients to suit your own pallet.
Along with the ingredients and method, we will be showing you how we got on with the recipe and providing a list of the equipment used.
Paul Flynn's Baked Eggs with Chorizo and Parmesan ticks all the right boxes for a perfect brunch.
This simple dish, with the aroma of some thinly sliced and cooked Spanish chorizo, will leave you longing for a sunny Spanish beach, or reminiscing about your favourite tapas bar.
Flynn started his culinary career with Nico Ladenis, or Chef Nico as he is better known, in London in the late 1980's before moving back to Ireland in 1993.
In 1997 he opened the Tannery Restaurant in his hometown of Dungarvan Co. Waterford.
This was followed in 2005 with the opening of the Tannery Townhouse.
The establishment of the Tannery Cookery School competed the operation in 2008, all of which Flynn runs with his wife Máire.
Known for his love of modern Irish food, the chef very much believes in the quality of the produce he uses and the simplicity of the recipe.
And this dish showcases just that.
A dish rich with flavours, Flynn’s baked egg concoction would make an ideal starter course for that special occasion at home or simply enjoy as a lazy weekend brunch with limited washing up.
In testing the recipe we learnt that Chorizo can, for some, be a bit spicy and an overpowering flavour.
If this is the case for you, simply replace the chorizo with some slices of your favourite herb and pork sausage, such as Cumberland or Lincolnshire, and then chop finely some dill and parsley to place on top of the parmesan before baking.
For more information on Paul Flynn and the Tannery Restaurant you can follow him on Instagram at @paulflynnchef.
Irish Chef Paul FlynnPaul Flynn’s Baked Eggs with Chorizo, Cream and Parmesan
For this recipe you will need four ramekins; here we have used four Belleek Living, Porto Square Ramekin's along with Belleek Living Oven Mit and Apron in Classic Blue.
In preparing the dish we used the following ProCook equipment:
Micro Grater, Stainless Steel Fine
End Grain Chopping Board
Damascus 67, 13cm Utility Knife
Paul Flynn’s Baked Eggs with Chorizo, Cream and Parmesan (PICS: Chris Egan)Ingredients
8 medium free-range eggs
12 thinly sliced rings from a small chorizo sausage
A little melted butter to coat your ramekins
2 tablespoons of cream per ramekin
A little grated parmesan to go on top of each ramekin
Salt and black pepper to season
Method:
Heat the oven to 180 Celsius 160 Fan
Brush the ramekins with a little melted butter
Crack one egg into each ramekin, drop in the chorizo (or cooked sausage of your choice) on top of the egg, then crack the other egg on top
Season each ramekin, then spoon the cream on top.
Sprinkle a little parmesan over the top and bake in the middle of the oven for 12 minutes, you should have a little wobble in the middle
Serve hot with toast.
All of the products used in making and presenting this dish can be found at www.belleek.com and www.procook.co.uk
