A Little Women Breakfast

 

I had in mind over these past few weeks that I was going to make a literary Breakfast for Christmas morning. Of course the first novel/film that came to mind was Little Women.  I always associate the film with Christmas and of course the novel was one of my favorites to read when I was a child.

My favorite version of the film is the one that came out in the 1990's with Winona Ryder in it.  And it of course begins on Christmas morning with the March family giving up their special Christmas morning breakfast to donate it to a family that needs it more than they do.

 

I had all of these plans to do this special breakfast for myself (sized just for two to three people as it were) and watch the film while I enjoyed eating it.  Someone else beat me to the pip however. 

Under a Tin Roof did a Little Women inspired breakfast and she did it much better and presented it beautifully with a video and everything.   Much more beautifully than I have done to be honest.  

I am not the best at presenting these things, however much my heart may be in the right place.  I just like to cook food and have it taste good.  I suppose it looks good as well, but I have never had an artsy fartsy mode of presentation.  I guess I am far too impatient for that!

 

My breakfast includes some lovely pan fried potatoes, accompanied with some hand made pork sausage patties, flaky buttermilk biscuits, and cream poached eggs.  It is also sized for just two to three people maximum.

I am a very small family after all and I know many of you are singletons and empty nesters as well! That doesn't mean we can't all enjoy a tasty breakfast for our Christmas morning however!

 

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE A LITTLE WOMEN INSPIRED BREAKFAST

It looks like a rather long list of ingredients, but it is composed of  four different and delicious from-scratch elements!  You may want to cook them all, or you may only want to cook one or two of them!

For the Breakfast Sausage:

• 1/2 pound (230g) ground pork (25 to 30%fat)
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
• 1 tsp dried rosemary
• 1/2 tsp crumbled sage leaves
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

For the Buttermilk Biscuits:

• 2 1/4 cups (293g) plain all purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 cup (116g) cold butter, cut into chunks
• 1 cup (240ml) cold buttermilk (I needed about 1/4 cup more/60ml)

For the potatoes:

• 1 large baking potato, peeled and cut into large chunks
• kosher salt and coarse black pepper
• 1 TBS oil

For the eggs:

• 1/2 cup (120ml) heavy cream
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp coarse black pepper
• 1/2 tsp dried rosemary, rubbed between your fingers
• 3 to 4 large free range eggs

I have to say that everything tasted really nice.  If you start with the best and freshest ingredients that you can get, this always makes a difference!

I have to say that none of it was especially expensive so this was also very affordable.  You could use ready made sausage patties if you wanted to and they would be good, but making your own sausage meat from scratch is really nice.

If you do, pop all of your seasonings into a spice or coffee grinder, or use a mortar and pestle to break them down finer for mixing them into your meat.  Also try not to handle your meat too much!

 

HOW TO MAKE A LITTLE WOMEN BREAKFAST

It may seem daunting, but if you follow the plan you will find that everything comes together very easily and is timed perfectly.

To make the biscuits:

1. Preheat the oven to 425*F/220*C/ gas mark 7. Line a small baking sheet with some baking parchment. Set aside.
2. Measure the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Drop in the butter pieces.
3. Cut the butter in using a pastry blender, two round bladed knives or a fork, until you have a mixture resembling coarse bread crumbs with some pieces the size of small peas.
4. Make a well in the center and add the buttermilk. Mix together with a fork until you have a soft dough that is not dry or crumbly. If you need to add a bit more buttermilk at this point, do so. Your mixture should not be dry at all.
5. Knead gently a few times to bring together, then tip out onto a floured countertop. Press out and fold over on itself about a half dozen times, finally patting the dough out to a 1/2 inch thickness.
6. Using a sharp round metal cutter, stamp out (straight up and down) 6 to 8 biscuits. Don't twist the cutter and try to get as many cuts as you can from the first cutting.
7. Bring the scraps together and repeat until you have used all the dough.
8. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes until well risen and golden brown. Keep warm while you make the remainder of the breakfast.

To make the potatoes:

1. Heat the oil in a large skillet and add the potato slices, seasoning them lightly with salt and pepper. Cover and cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes.
2. Uncover and flip over. Cover and cook on the other side, repeating until golden brown.

To make the sausage:

1. Ideally I would begin this the night before. If not then start at least an hour before you want to cook the sausage. I put the seasonings in my spice grinder to blitz them a bit finer. Combine all of the ingredients thoroughly by hand. Cover and chill in the refrigerator overnight to allow the flavors to meld.
2. The next morning, divide into 2 to 3 equal sized balls and flatten into patties. Add these to the potatoes in the pan. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes per side until evenly browned and cooked through the center.
3. Keep warm while you cook your eggs.

To cook the eggs:

1. Heat a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the cream and season with the salt, pepper and rosemary. Cook just until it thickens and begins to bubble.
2. Crack in the eggs, lower the heat slightly, and then cover and cook, poaching the eggs in the flavor infused cream for 5 to 6 minutes or until your eggs are as set or as runny as you enjoy them.

 

To serve the breakfast:

1. Divide the sausage, potatoes and eggs between heated plates and pass the warm biscuits.
2. I served with some orange juice, sliced oranges and small pots of butter and Christmas Marmalade for spreading.

I got the Christmas Marmalade a few months back and have been saving it for this occasion. It is MacKay's Christmas Marmalade and contains cranberries and spices. It was so lovely on those beautiful Buttermilk Biscuits.

 

In face those Buttermilk Biscuits were my favorite part of the breakfast!  They are so light and buttery and flaky.   You can almost pull them apart into layers, just like the Pillsbury butter-flake biscuits you can buy at the shop, but better because they are homemade!

In any case this really was a beautiful breakfast. I also served some thickly sliced fresh oranges and ice cold glasses of juice.  You may also enjoy a nice hot cup of coffee with everything. I don't drink coffee or black teas so I was happy with just the juice!

To be honest I would have been more than happy with just the biscuits!  Then I could have scarfed down one or two without feeling guilty.  

In any case, enjoy, and a very Merry Christmas to you all!

Some other lovely breakfast ideas that I have shared in The English Kitchen are:

SCRAMBLED EGGS BENEDICT - All the components of a regular Eggs Benedict except using scrambled eggs instead of poached. This is delicious and actually the way I prefer to make my Eggs Benedict.

SAVOURY SAUSAGE BREAKFAST BAKE - Buttery croissants stuffed with browned sausage,  cheese, mushrooms, spring onions and eggs. It needs to be made the night before so plan ahead. Fabulous!  Its a recipe I have been making for years and is great for when you are having company!  

Yield: 3 servings

Author: Marie Rayner

A Little Women Breakfast

Prep time: 24 HourCook time: 1 HourTotal time: 25 Hour

I can't think of anything better than having breakfast on Christmas morning than with the Little Women. There are several components to this breakfast.

Ingredients

For the Breakfast Sausage:

• 1/2 pound (230g) ground pork (25 to 30%fat)
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
• 1 tsp dried rosemary
• 1/2 tsp crumbled sage leaves
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

For the Buttermilk Biscuits:

• 2 1/4 cups (293g) plain all purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 cup (116g) cold butter, cut into chunks
• 1 cup (240ml) cold buttermilk (I needed about 1/4 cup more/60ml)

For the potatoes:

• 1 large baking potato, peeled and cut into large chunks
• kosher salt and coarse black pepper
• 1 TBS oil

For the eggs:

• 1/2 cup (120ml) heavy cream
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp coarse black pepper
• 1/2 tsp dried rosemary, rubbed between your fingers
• 3 to 4 large free range eggs

Instructions

To make the biscuits:

1. Preheat the oven to 425*F/220*C/ gas mark 7. Line a small baking sheet with some baking parchment. Set aside.
2. Measure the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Drop in the butter pieces.
3. Cut the butter in using a pastry blender, two round bladed knives or a fork, until you have a mixture resembling coarse bread crumbs with some pieces the size of small peas.
4. Make a well in the center and add the buttermilk. Mix together with a fork until you have a soft dough that is not dry or crumbly. If you need to add a bit more buttermilk at this point, do so. Your mixture should not be dry at all.
5. Knead gently a few times to bring together, then tip out onto a floured countertop. Press out and fold over on itself about a half dozen times, finally patting the dough out to a 1/2 inch thickness.
6. Using a sharp round metal cutter, stamp out (straight up and down) 6 to 8 biscuits. Don't twist the cutter and try to get as many cuts as you can from the first cutting.
7. Bring the scraps together and repeat until you have used all the dough.
8. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes until well risen and golden brown. Keep warm while you make the remainder of the breakfast.

To make the potatoes:

1. Heat the oil in a large skillet and add the potato slices, seasoning them lightly with salt and pepper. Cover and cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes.
2. Uncover and flip over. Cover and cook on the other side, repeating until golden brown.

To make the sausage:

1. Ideally I would begin this the night before. If not then start at least an hour before you want to cook the sausage. I put the seasonings in my spice grinder to blitz them a bit finer. Combine all of the ingredients thoroughly by hand. Cover and chill in the refrigerator overnight to allow the flavors to meld.
2. The next morning, divide into 2 to 3 equal sized balls and flatten into patties. Add these to the potatoes in the pan. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes per side until evenly browned and cooked through the center.
3. Keep warm while you cook your eggs.

To cook the eggs:

1. Heat a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the cream and season with the salt, pepper and rosemary. Cook just until it thickens and begins to bubble.
2. Crack in the eggs, lower the heat slightly, and then cover and cook, poaching the eggs in the flavor infused cream for 5 to 6 minutes or until your eggs are as set or as runny as you enjoy them.

To serve the breakfast:

1. Divide the sausage, potatoes and eggs between heated plates and pass the warm biscuits.
2. I served with some orange juice, sliced oranges and small pots of butter and Christmas Marmalade for spreading.

Did you make this recipe?

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