I have mentioned once before on this blog fond memories of waking as a child in the morning to find my Nanna sitting at the kitchen table, usually completing a crossword puzzle or often writing lists (probably where I get it from), waiting to serve me jam and cheese on toast for breakfast.
Stop screwing up your nose! Have you ever tried it? When I first mentioned this favourite breakfast dish of mine to Andrew, he had the same reaction. It was in the early days and a look suggesting he was perhaps constipated spread across his face as he was torn between maintaining that he was Mr Polite and utterly sensitive or expressing what he was really thinking which was along the lines of “What the bleep bleep are you talkin' about Cowan?”. You will be pleased to know we no longer do the polite dance, it is real around here!
When I was a kid I used to like the cheap store bought
raspberry or blackforest jam. It was always white bread back then too and the
cheese, does anyone remember the old plastic kraft cheese? It was the kind that
you could store on the shelf, all rubbery and easy to grate. Rectangular in shape, it came wrapped in
foil and the ends of the foil were always slightly embedded in the cheese.
It dawned on me a few weeks ago that despite bringing this
delicacy to Andrew’s attention I had never made it for him. It has been a long
time since I have enjoyed biting into crunchy toast smothered in sweet jam topped
with a cool creamy cheese to cut through the sweetness.
So I served it! And the verdict … “oh my god Woman, why did you keep
this from me for so long?” eyes rolling back in his head and a look of pure
joy spreading across his face. There are only a few other instances where I usually see that look on Andrew's face, but they aren't fit to talk about in a food blog.
Told you it is awesome.
Jam and
Cheese on Toast
Adapted slightly from my Nanna’s original version, for the
more mature palette!
White bread,
we used “Bujtor’s Baguettes”, but shaped them into round buns. Really there is no point in pretending to
be healthy with this dish and attempting to make it with a brown or grain
bread, don’t bother, get out the good old fashioned white bread, it is worth it!
Lashings of
your favourite jam, we love “Grainge Jams” made in Brisbane, especially the raspberry one.
Cheese! Oh
go nuts, anything works! If you love cheese like I do you will no doubt enjoy
everything from mild mannered to downright offensive! For Andrew’s first foray
into the endless possibilities a breakfast of jam and cheese on toast can offer
we used:
- St Nectaire, made in the Auvergne region in
France. It has a grey-brown rind and is a dense cheese with a silky texture and
a soft acidity.
- King Island Stokes Point smoked cheddar. We are
big fans of anything King Island, their products are amazing. This cheddar is
naturally smoked with Tasmanian hardwood.
- Tasmanian Heritage Camembert, with a smooth,
mild and delicate flavour.
Really, the
process is simple. Toast your bread, slather it in butter if you want to be
particularly bad, top it with generous lashings of your favourite jam and smother the jam with cheese.
Eat immediately!
Yield: Depends
on the size of your loaf of bread!
Lastly, an update on the apartment farming, the heirloom tomato plants have started to flower! We are very proud parents right at the minute ...
Lastly, an update on the apartment farming, the heirloom tomato plants have started to flower! We are very proud parents right at the minute ...
