Easter brunch has become a tradition at our house. Gone are the days of the giant turkey dinner and ham feast. We favour getting the eating out of the way first thing, then stuffing ourselves with chocolate treats for the rest of the day. While my family would be disappointed if I took the stuffed French toast off the menu, I was tempted this year to make MY favourite breakfast of Huevos Rancheros. Alas, I’m going to aim to please the crowds this year, but maybe next year I’ll be self indulgent and make it Mexican Easter. Huevos and tequila champagne cocktails, perhaps?

Luckily, just before Cream made her big move to NYC, I got to cook a thing or two for her in Edmonton. We enjoyed our lazy tea sipping, pajama wearing mornings together, and stuffed ourselves silly so that lunch became a thing of obscurity most days. What better way to start a Saturday morning with your bestie than with a filling breakfast of Huevos Rancheros with fresh salsa, avocado, and sour cream…and a squeeze of lime of course. I could eat it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Happy chocolate eating, bunny spotting, egg hiding day, no matter what’s on the menu.

Sugar’s Huevos Rancheros (serves 4)

4 corn tortillas
4 eggs
1 can of refried beans, warmed (I like Amy’s Organic Traditional Style)
1/2 cup of shredded cheese (sharp cheddar, jack, or even feta are great)
2 avocadoes, quartered
sour cream
fresh salsa (recipe below)
lime, quartered

For the fresh salsa combine the following:
1/4 cup finely diced onion
2 diced tomatoes
handful of chopped cilantro
clove of crushed garlic
juice of one lemon
squeeze of Sriracha (or more if you like it hot)
salt to taste

Heat oven on broil. Place 4 corn tortillas on a baking sheet. Top with warmed beans. Gently add a slightly undercooked sunny side up fried egg. Top with cheese and place for just a minute of two under the broiler until the cheese is melted.

Top with avocado, fresh salsa, sour cream, and a squeeze of lime.

Today’s Special: Huevos Rancheros at Culina Muttart

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.

1. perfectly soft poached eggs
2. housemade tortilla
3. tasty refried beans
4. piquant Spanish red sauce
5. soft avocado salsa
6. queso fresco

All enjoyed on a beautiful Sunday with the sun beaming through the bright cafe window, accompanied by the BEST London fog in the city, with my two favourite people in the world. A pretty good start to the week.

Oh wait, you can if that brunch is homemade.  Check.

And you can if that brunch is made by Sugar.  Check.

When your plate looks like the following, there’s nothing left to do but smile, pick up your knife and fork, and dig in.

The bliss that comes from eating such food confirms why breakfast is the most important meal of the day.

A high from sugar, white flour, cheese, pork, butter, pork and butter fat, alcohol, and caffeine is the stuff of legend.

So, what’s that red stuff on the plate?

Overheard:  Fruit at breakfast is like green vegetables at Thanksgiving.

An unnecessary reminder that you’re not being as good as you could be in the health department.

That’s where the Barefoot Contessa comes in.  Like many contemporary chefs, she’s not shy of adding a little richness to her fruit and veg.

For Easter brunch, I made our fruit fat (read: delicious) by making her mascarpone fruit dip.  It was like melted vanilla ice cream.  Rich, but not crazy-rich like whipped cream.  Not too sweet.  Just perfect.

Mascarpone Fruit Dip

1 small tub (around 250 g) of mascarpone cheese

2 tablespoons of honey

Half a teaspoon of vanilla extract

Seeds from one vanilla bean

Mix—you can thin with cream if you like.

Then, serve.

Lastly, enjoy.