There has never been a sadness that can’t be cured by breakfast food. – Ron Swanson
Mondays are always full of promise, a preview of what the week will be like. So today I thought, why not set myself up for success? I may not control what happens at work but I can control what I will eat. Add a little sparkle and stardust to my day.
When I eat well, I feel great, I told myself, and what better way to eat than to have Brunch food? Instead of pancakes, this time I decided to go with bagels. It was only in May this year where I started to pay attention to these bland, chewy and what I thought were the sad cousins of the donut. But now I treat them like a canvas and they make an appearance in my meals at least twice a month (from never).
So today, I decided on not one but three bagel toppings for a little Brunch magic:
CONTEMPORARY CLASSIC – MENTAIKO CRAB MAYO
Japanese meets Korean in this Mentaiko Crab Mayo spread. I decided to add Mentaiko to Korean inspired Crab and Corn salad.
Mentaiko is salted pollack or cod roe often eaten as a side dish to steamed rice, in stews, pasta/ramen topping or as onigiri filling. Instead of Mentaiko packaged in tubes, I actually have the intact skeins Alaska pollock roe or 명란젓 (myeongnan-jeot). I have to slit open the sac and then scrape out the beautiful pink roe. Once that was done I prepped the ingredients for the Crab and Corn mayo.
Inspired by Korean side dishes, I added imitation crab meat, sweet corn, Japanese mayonnaise, salt, pepper and a little bit of lemon juice along with mentaiko in a bowl and set it aside to chill. I really can’t give an exact recipe because I eyeball things most of the time.
FRESH AND FRUITY – FIG AND GINGER JAM
I started slicing my bagels in half and toasting them on the stove top. They were nice and warm enough that the butter melted beautifully and I topped it with refreshing Fig and Ginger jam.
I departed from my first love – Strawberry jam and tried out the Fig and Ginger jam from Cottage Delight. I really like the layered flavours in this jam. The ginger adds a surprising kick to the sweetness of the fig.
Tried and True – CREAM CHEESE
Made popular in the 1950s, bagel with cream cheese is common in the US – predominantly in New York City and Philadelphia. But if I were being honest, this pairing appealed to me because of a specific scene in a Korean drama…
Ladies and Gentlemen, this is the power of PPL (product placement)! After watching this scene I ordered a pack of bagels and Philadelphia cream cheese (which did not originate in Philadelphia btw!). Suffice to say my expressions were almost identical to hers. I don’t just slap the cream cheese on the bagel, I place a slab of cream cheese on it – that’s the only way to get the full flavour and experience. Sometimes, when I feel fancy, I do drizzle a little bit of lemon juice or honey but otherwise I will have it plain.
It might have been the shot of sugar and fat but I felt energized and ready to face the week. But not before I ordered a new pack of bagels online. Let me know what’s your favourite bagel topping so I can try it out!
jujucation.com 