Homey Big Breakfast with Baked Mushrooms

A few months ago, I bought these nifty little 'Poach Pods' from House, which are basically a cheat's way to poaching eggs. The cute non-stick, silicone moulds float in simmering water, cocooning eggs while they 'poach.'

Eager and hungry, I decided to test them out one Sunday morning, in a do-it-yourself big breakfast - I loved that the curvy pods made poaching so much easier and faster, but was disappointed with the resulting, rigid shape of the eggs which weren't as delicate as they can be when properly poached. I think maybe next time I'll test out their heat resistancy of 350°C and bake some yummy goods in the oven!

I served the smoothly poached eggs with store-bought Hollandaise sauce on crispy prosciutto and an English Muffin. In addition, I grilled baby Truss tomatoes with basil, and asparagus with salt and pepper, and pan-fried plump Italian sausages from my local butcher. I also used one of Jamie Oliver's recipes to bake fresh Portobello mushrooms with lots of gutsy flavour and lovely textures. The result? Satisfaction and a table full of happy tummies!

Homey Big Breakfast with Baked Mushrooms

Serves 4:
- 8 large flat mushrooms
- 4 sprigs of spring onions, trimmed and sliced
- 1 clove of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
- A few sprigs of fresh thyme, leaves picked
- 250g Taleggio cheese, thinly sliced (If you don't have Taleggio, any soft, easy-melting cheese is fine)
- 2 thick slices of bread, made into breadcrumbs
- Small bunch of flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Preheat the oven to 200°C. Lay the mushrooms on a large baking tray and sprinkle with the spring onions, garlic and thyme. Top the mushrooms with the slices of Taleggio. Toss together the breadcrumbs and the parsley and sprinkle over the mushrooms. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven until breadcrumbs are brown and the mushrooms are cooked through. The mushrooms can be served a salad of rocket leaves, dressed with fresh lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil, and are delicious on toasted ciabatta!