Cancer Research UK is a charity very close to my heart and this year they joined up with Stand Up To Cancer UK to raise money.
As I am rubbish at running and have tapped my friends once too often with fundraising pages, I wanted to do something this year that would bring the people I care about together and do something nice for them (while cheerfully fleecing them for money for the charity of course).
Well, I love breakfast and they love breakfast so I figured I would host a 'Kick Cancer's Ass Brekkers'. The idea is simple:
Long suffering friends show up
I make breakfast
They decide how much they would have been willing to pay for the meal in a restaurant
They give me that amount for charity
For every pound they donate I donate 1 too
Simple isn't really my middle name and so I decided to spice things up with a theme. As we have recently returned from Morocco (see Morocco...one part Marmite and 10 parts Magic) and having lost my heart to Morrocan breakfasts, it seemed perfectly logical to me that we should try to recreate one of those glorious breakfasts for our friends.
You might have noticed that a 'we' has snuck in at this point. The other half of 'we' is the long suffering Mr Beedub. An erstwhile frequent flyer on my breakfast missions for this blog, he is also a far, far better breakfast cook than I am. He might also possibly (and this is just a possibility) be more practical than I am and his reaction to my cunning plan was sceptical to say the least.
Was it really sensible to invite 8 people to our apartment when we only have 5 chairs? How likely were Moroccan pancakes to work when we have never made them before AND we don't own a scale? Why was I insisting on serving so many different things at once?
I on the other hand was completely relaxed (and focused more on the table setting truth be told than the actual food). I also had a genius idea to invite our friend Yankee Abroad who is a wizz in the kitchen and male solidarity all in one, so I knew he would jump in to help and keep things calm.
In case you feel like hosting your own Moroccan breakfast (and I highly recommend it), it's simpler than you think. Here's what we did and served...
Me:
Setting the Table
This is the fun bit and not only adds to the opulent Moroccan theme but also keeps you out the kitchen.
It's really easy - take a beautiful table cloth (white linen is common in Marakech Riads) and add colour with roses and colourful glasses and plates (blues and reds are very Moroccan)
Freshly squeezed orange juice :
An essential part of the experience as freshly squeezed uber sweet orange juice is a signature of the Marrakech markets.
After 10 years of owing the damn thing I finally used my electric squeezer and it rocked - I don't recommend doing it by hand for that many people unless you are a rock climber with wrists of steel
I used about 16 oranges for 8 people
Morrocan Mint Tea:
This is a must and if people haven't tried it before they will love it
1 bag/ large bunch of mint (take the leaves off the stalks)
1 Chinese Gunpowder Green Tea bag (if you are in the UK Sainsburies have actual Moroccan Green tea Bags - easy peasy)
If your guests like sweet tea add some brown sugar to taste
Brew it altogether in a large pot with approximately 700ml of boiling water
Serve in small glass mugs if you can find any or use small tumbler style glasses
Mixed berries:
1 punnet each of blueberries, rasberries, strawberries and blackberries
Top with sprigs of fresh mint
Serve with thick greek (in the absence of Moroccan) yoghurt drizzled with honey on the side
Pastries
I chose almond croissants which were the closest I could find to the ones in Marrakech, but maybe cheat a little and try and find a Moroccan bakery in your area
Mr Beedub
Obviously he did all the technical tricky stove juggling things while I fannied about with berries and roses...
Moroccan Pancakes:
There is no point beating about the bush, ours didn't work, but I firmly believe it was because we don't have a scale and we had poor yeast. I have included 2 recipes to choose from...may the Moroccan pancake fairies be with you...
Makes 30
3.5 cups (875ml/ 29.5 fl oz) lukewarm water
2.5 teaspoons (10g/ 3/8 oz) dry yeast
600g (1 lb 5 oz) fine semolina
3/4 of a cup (110g/ 4 oz) plain flour
1 tablespoon (15g/ 0.5 oz) baking powder
2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon orange-blossom water (20ml/ 3/4 fl oz)
Combine 0.5 cup (80ml/ 3fl oz) water and the yeast in a small bowl.
Sift the semolina, flour, baking powder and salt into a large bowl. Make a well in the dry ingredients and add the yeast mixture, remaining water and orange-blossom water and stir to continue.
Pour the semolina mixture into a food processor and blend for 2 - 3 minutes to create a smooth, cream-like consistency. Transfer to a large bowl, cover with a clean tea towel and set aside in a warm place for 20 - 30 minutes, until bubbly
Preheat a small non-stick frying pan over a medium high heat. Pour a small ladle full of batter into the pan and slightly rotate the pan to create an even disc. Turn to the heat down to medium and cook on one side for 1-2 minutes, until the bubbles have popped and the pancake is cooked through. Remove from the pan using an egg flip and set aside under a clean towel to keep warm. Repeat with the remaining mixture.
Msemen (square pan fried pancakes)
Cheekily taken from this website which has great demo pics
Msemen Recipe from About.com Moroccan Food
Eggs:
see Grazia's Brunch In Bed Recipe
These are soooo delicious and although not strictly Moroccan they use Labneh which is a lebanese yougurt which compliments the other flavours perfectly.
You could do any kind of scrambled egg concoctions as we had several different varieties while we were in Morocco.
The result...
So even though the pancakes ended up being emergency american style rescue ones from our friend Yankee Abroad, the breakfast went down singing hymms AND I raised some lovely money for charity.
A Sunday well spent if you ask me...
PS it would only have been more perfect if we owned a dishwasher and 3 more chairs
In case you's like to donate some money to this fantastic cause too: Donate to Stand Up To Cancer
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