Dish: 3 relaxed brunches for the new year

Sweetcorn fritters with smashed avocado, from Dish. Photo / Supplied

Get 2022 off to a good start with these three delicious brunch recipes.

Sweetcorn fritters with smashed avocado

Delicious as a light dinner or a super brunch or lunch, you can also add a green salad and pair them with poached eggs.

Serves 4

Ingredients

½ cup plain flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon each sea salt, smoked paprika and cumin seeds
¼ cup chopped coriander, plus extra to garnish
1 large egg, size 7
2–3 tablespoons milk
1½ cups corn kernels (or kernels from 2 large corn cobs)
olive oil for cooking

To serve

Smashed avocado (see recipe below)
Sour cream dressing (see recipe below)

Smashed avocado (GF) (V)
2 large, ripe avocados
2–3 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons finely
chopped coriander
sea salt and ground pepper

Sour cream dressing (GF) (V)
½ cup each sour cream and thick plain yoghurt
2 cloves garlic, crushed
finely grated zest 1 lime
1 tablespoon lime juice
sea salt and ground pepper

Directions

1. Put all the dry ingredients, along with the coriander, in a large bowl and combine.

2. Whisk the egg and 2 tablespoons of milk together, then stir into the dry ingredients until well mixed. Add the corn and, if the mixture is really thick, stir in the remaining milk.

3. Heat a little oil in a sauté pan and cook spoonfuls of the mixture over a medium heat for about 3 minutes until cooked through. Drain on kitchen towels and keep warm in a low oven.

To serve

Divide the fritters among plates. Top with the smashed avocado, sour cream dressing and extra coriander.

Smash avocado (GF) (V)

Roughly crush the avocado flesh with a fork then stir in the remaining ingredients. Season generously.

Makes about 1½ cups

Sour cream dressing (GF) (V)

Whisk the sour cream until smooth, then stir in the remaining ingredients and season well. Cover and chill until ready to serve.

Makes 1 cup

- Recipe by Clare Aldous

Sweetcorn fritters with smashed avocado, from Dish. Photo / Supplied

Asparagus, egg and prosciutto breakfast tarts

These delicious tarts make the most of new season asparagus and are incredibly easy to make.

Serves 4

Ingredients

250 grams good quality ready rolled puff pastry
1 egg whisked with 2 teaspoons milk or cream
150 grams chevre or soft goat cheese
16 spears asparagus, trimmed, halved lengthways and through the centre
4 eggs, preferably free range organic
80 grams prosciutto
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
finely grated zest of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons finely chopped chives

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 200˚C and line an oven tray with baking paper. Cut the puff pastry into 4 equal pieces and place on the oven tray.

2. Gently mark a 1cm border around the edge of each piece of pastry to cut just half way through. Brush the edges with a little of the egg wash and use the tines of a fork to gently prick the inside base of each pastry square (Make at least 8–9 prick marks).

3. Bake for 10 minutes, then remove from the oven and poke down all of middle pastry bits that have over-puffed. Crumble half of the cheese evenly on each piece of pastry.

4. Top with asparagus, leaving a little gap in the middle then crack an egg into the gaps and reduce oven temperature to 190˚C.

5. Bake a further 10–15 minutes until the egg is cooked through. While the tarts are cooking dry fry the prosciutto in a hot frying pan for a minute each side until crispy. Season the tarts with salt and freshly ground black pepper, sprinkle with lemon zest and serve immediately garnished with remaining crumbled cheese, chopped chives and shards of prosciutto.

Cook's note: If you have thick asparagus halve them lengthways, but if they are thin, fine stalks leave them whole.

- Recipe by Sarah Tuck

Asparagus, egg and prosciutto breakfast tart, from Dish. Photo / Sarah Tuck

Tropical bircher muesli with mango and coconut

This muesli is so summery and delicious – totally addictive – with the tropical flavours of mango, passion fruit, lime and coconut and studded with blueberries. You may want to make a double batch as it keeps for several days in the fridge.

Serves 2-3

Ingredients

3 tablespoons chia seeds (1 tablespoon reserved for garnish)
1½ cups rolled oats
⅔ cup flaked toasted almonds (2 tablespoons reserved for garnish)
¼ cup dessicated coconut, lightly toasted
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
finely grated zest of ½ lime
⅔ cup natural yoghurt
300ml light coconut milk
¼ cup milk (almond if you prefer) or coconut water
1 tablespoon runny honey (optional)
1 cup fresh blueberries (2 tablespoons reserved for garnish)
1 mango, cut into cheeks, 1 cheek sliced, the other chopped
pulp of 2 passionfruit (1 reserved for garnish)
¼ cup toasted coconut shavings

Directions

1. Put chia seeds, oats, almonds, coconut, vanilla bean paste, lime, yoghurt, and coconut milk in a bowl and mix to combine. Leave overnight in the fridge.

2. Before serving, stir through blueberries, chopped mango and pulp from one passionfruit. If you want a looser consistency, thin with a little more milk or coconut water. If you want it a little sweeter, add the honey – although the mango is so luscious you may find you don't need it.

3. Serve topped with sliced mango, the remaining passionfruit pulp, coconut shavings, and reserved chia seeds, almonds and blueberries.

Cook's tip: If making to keep, don't add the mango before storing, add it just before serving. For all-year-round options swap the tropical fruits for banana and dates, stone fruit, grated apple, mixed berries or even rhubarb.

- Recipe by Sarah Tuck

Tropical bircher muesli with mango and coconut, from Dish. Photo / Sarah Tuck

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