Caiplie House Goings On

There are a coule of pizza places we frequent here in Aosta. One of my favourites is The Breakhouse, the staff are friendly and I try to have a wee chat with the pizza chef when I arrive. The other evening I arrived and I was chatting away in my faltering Italian which is based on the Fench language with an Italian accent!!

Anyway I noticed this rather unusual bottle of whisky on their shelf……I had to get a photo which produced much interest and nodding of heads and smiles…..They reckon they have a good one.

Last night they were all smiles, pointing at their prized botle of whisky.

Maybe there is a story to it?

Bonnie Prince Charlies march to Derby?

Or the most interesting branding ever?

Old England, Scotch!!

So here is a classic breakfast dish, healthy, filling and quick.

I call this one The Crailer

Caiplie House smoked haddock and poached egg

I get some strange looks when I offer people haddock at breakfast…some people just don’t get it FISH? and a shake of the head as if I am mad or worse a laugh. Seriously this is amazing!

Not as pungent as kippers the smoked haddock is subtle and smooth.

Get to your fishmongers and see if they stock them, go for the en-dyed variety unless you like that radioactive orange look! You may find the dye is only egg yolk but often its more than that.

The undyed are called white smoked but they should be an off white or cream colour and smell wonderful. I have been using Arthur Nuttall who delivers to the door on a Saturday in Crail or GJ Wilson of St Monans. They both smoke their own, braw!!

So for poaching anything you want a nice big thick pan which will hold the heat for as long as possible.

Get the water up to boiling and turn down to a simmer, get the pan nice and hot and keep it hot for a while before dropping the haddock fillet in. Happy days, a lovely free range egg poaches at the same speed as a fresh fillet. No need for vinegar or vortexes….fresh eggs that is  the trick!

Pop a halved tomato under the grill with a spot of olive oil and a spot of sea salt. They should all be ready together.

Shake the pan gently, the egg should wobble but not flop, think toned not flabby! but not solid.

Quick sprinkle of parsley on the fish and it looks, smells and tastes amazing.

If I am treating myself I would grill a tattie scone at the same time!

Great breakfasts at Caiplie House, Crail

OK so here it is after a little prompting!!

Caiplie House scrambled eggs and smoked salmon

On my breakfast menu at Caiplie House I call this Fit For a King and ramble on about monarchs and rivers a bit! Quite simply this is scrambled eggs and smoked salmon.

To make a nice portion for one person:

Take two medium sized free range eggs, a knob of butter and a splash of cream. Beat the mixture in a microwave proof jug or bowl. Blast for one minute and check and stir. Depending on the size of eggs and the knob of butter and splash of cream you may need another 15 secs.

You want to catch the eggs so there is still a little bit of liquid on the surface of the mixture. It should look like a teaspoonful of runny egg.

Start to fork the mixture out onto a warmed fish plate. For perfection the eggs should sit up on their own, not flop down (undercooked) nor crumble (overcooked). You want a shine to the eggs, you will be amazed how that last drop of moisture disappears.

I have been getting my smoked salmon from GJ Wilson in St Monans, awesome! They have their own kiln and smoke it to perfection. It is just smokey and oily enough without being overpowering. Shop around for a good supplier near you.

Place a rose of cold smoked salmon on top of your shiny scrambled eggs, you can be as artistic as you like but don’t let the eggs go cold !!

Sprinkle a little freshly cut parsley or a few chopped chives on top to finish it off.

Serve with a couple of slices of nice granary bread.

Fit for a king…or queen

Try a great breakfast at Caiplie House, Crail

Seeing as I do actually run a B&B I should really write about my real area of expertise no?

People ask me if I get bored cooking breakfast for people every morning. The simple answer is no because  I love trying to get the perfect dishes out every time. Simply put you don’t always manage it but there is always the next day….

So here is the first of my breakfast recipes:

Caiplie House Porridge

As with all my cooking I strive to start with top class ingredients. For porridge I use SPOFF Oats….they even sound good eh? All the way from Invergordon, Ross-shire  www.spoff.co.uk

I actually get mine from the butchers but you can order on-line. I get a bag of the standard oats and a bag of the jumbo oats and mix them 50/50 in a big tupperware container.

Sorry I am not terrible precise when it comes to measuring and so on but play about with it and see what you like. (Jamie Oliver gets away with it so why can’t I??)

I use a cupped handful of oats per portion (Finlay size portion which is a double portion) I operate on the principle that hands and bellies are proportionately large or small here!!

Place your oats in a pan and cover with water then add the same amount of water again, small pinch of salt per portion. Note even if you prefer sweet porridge add some salt here!

Bring the porridge up to  hot mud pool bubbling, not spitting bubbles but popping. Stir with a wooden spoon or even better a spurtle. Now turn down the heat and be patient. You want to let the porridge simmer for as long as you can wait. With the mixture of oats the smaller oats turn to cream quicker and the jumbo oats maintain a bit more body.

Keep adding water to keep the porridge to the correct consistency, you can keep serving until the last ones get out of bed at 10 o’clock!

Now the big question what do you put in your porridge?

When I am serving up porridge I add a wee dash of double cream and swirl that through before serving. If people have asked for sweet porridge I will sprinkle a nice demerara sugar on trying to get a lovely marbled effect as it melts

My English guests who have porridge always seem embarrassed if they add jam or ask for syrup or honey. I think they feel it is an attack on the Scottish nation and may result in uprisings or even worse surcharges to their bill!

Do what you want to my porridge! I am delighted you are having porridge….enjoy it how you like it. I usually get assurances that people aren’t driving if they go for the whisky addition and probably will talk about surcharges if people start naming their preferred malts to be added!

Personally I prefer the salty side of neutral with a chopped banana on top and a splash of milk. If I am treating myself I will have a dollop of creme fraiche, a sprinkle of cinnamon, the sports pages and the Saturday Sixties Show on the radio!! No uprisings!!

For great porridge and other breakfasts book in at Caiplie House