How To Bring The In-room Hotel Breakfast Experience Home: 3 Recipes From Sydney Chef Raphael

There’s no better feeling than waking up in crisp white hotel sheets knowing room service is on the way. After all, breakfast in bed is one of the best parts of staying in a hotel. Executive chef Raphael Szurek of Sydney Harbour Marriott Hotel at Circular Quay has kindly shared his favourite breakfast recipes so you can bring the luxury of a hotel breakfast into your home. From a decadent lobster benedict, to a luxurious Japanese chawanmushi with sea urchin and salmon roe, to confit duck and waffles, these three recipes will lift your breakfast game and bring the I’m-on-holiday feeling to your own home.

Western Australian Lobster Benedict

Western Australian Lobster Benedict

This irresistible twist on breakfast favourite has plenty of wow factor but is very simple to make. If you have time, take the extra step of making your own crumpets and take this lobster eggs benedict to the next level.

~ Ingredients ~ Serves 2

For the crumpets

Batter

• 150g flour

• 200ml warm water

• 3g salt

• 3g sugar

• 6g baking powder

Yeast mixture

• 6g yeast

• 20g warm water

• 30g butter

For the hollandaise

• 20g sherry vinegar

• 150g butter, cubed

• 85g egg yolk

• 60g water

• 20g lemon juice

• 3g salt

For the lobster tail

• 2 pieces WA cooked lobster tail

• 50g butter

For the kale

• 100g tuscan kale

• 20g butter 

For the eggs

• 4 eggs

• 1 pot of water

• 100ml white vinegar

~ Method ~

For the crumpets

Combine flour, water and salt in a bowl and whisk for 2 minutes. Rehydrate the yeast with water in a small bowl. Add the yeast, sugar and baking powder into the flour mixture and whisk for 30 seconds. Cover and let it rest in a very warm place for 15 to 30 minutes until it gets foamy (expect the volume to increase about 15%).

To cook the crumpets, grease non-stick rings and a non-stick frypan with butter. Bring the pan to a medium heat and pour crumpet batter into the rings to a little less than halfway. Cook for 2 minutes until bubbles appear. Lower the heat and cook for another 3 to 4 minutes until no more bubbles pop and the surface sets. Remove the ring before flipping then cook for another 20-30 seconds on the other side.

For the brown butter hollandaise

In a pan, heat half the butter on a low heat until a slightly brown colour and nutty flavour appear. Transfer to a bowl and let cool. 

Fill a saucepan with a few centimetres of water and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to very low and place a heatproof bowl over the pan. Place the egg yolks and water in the bowl and whisk for 3 minutes or until thick. It should double in volume and form a trail when you lift the whisk. Add the butter very slowly, whisking thoroughly between cubes, and lastly the cooled brown butter. The final sauce should have the consistency of lightly whisked cream. Finally add the lemon juice, sherry vinegar and salt. Serve as soon as possible.

For the kale and lobster

Wash the kale and remove leaves from stems. Discard stems. Blanch the kale in boiling salted water for three minutes, then refresh it in iced water. Remove the lobster from its shell. Slice the tail in half and clean the inside.

For the poached eggs

Bring a large pot of water to the boil, then reduce the heat to low. While the water is boiling, prepare the eggs. Some people like to strain the eggs to remove the thinner white that creates those undesirable wispy bits. Add the vinegar to the pot and create a whirlpool. Drop the first egg into the vortex and cook for 3 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. Repeat.

~ To finish ~

In a pan warm-up the butter and very gently heat the lobster. Set it aside and keep warm. In the same pan, reheat the crumpet and set aside. Add the blanched kale and sautee. Season with salt and pepper and set aside on an absorbent paper towel. Finally, stack your eggs benedict together with the crumpet as the base and poached egg and hollandaise to finish.

Confit Duck Leg Waffle with Egg and Maple Syrup

Confit Duck Leg Waffle with Egg and Maple Syrup

Pull out all stops with a hotel-style breakfast that will wow your significant other or friends visiting town. This recipe needs to be started up to two days before in order to marinate and slow-cook the duck. If there are only two of you, use leftover duck legs for dinner.

~ Ingredients ~ Serves 4

For the confit duck

• 4 pieces of duck maryland

• 4 garlic cloves

• 1 bunch thyme

• ½ bunch rosemary

• 500g coarse sea salt

• 500g duck fat

• 1 bay leaf

For the waffle

• 150g plain flour

• 5g baking powder

• 1 egg

• 240 ml milk

• 80g sugar

• 30g melted butter

• 3g salt

For the egg

• 4 eggs

• 50g butter

• 100ml maple syrup

~ Method ~

For the confit duck

Combine the salt with half of the thyme, garlic and rosemary. Reserve the other half for later. Rub the duck legs with the herb salt and cover with the rest of the salt. Leave to marinate overnight in the fridge (8 hours). 

The following day, preheat the oven to 120°C. Discard the salt and rinse the duck under cold water. Pat dry. Use an oven proof pot (cast iron, if possible) to melt the duck fat. Add the duck legs, the remaining thyme, garlic and rosemary, and a bay leaf and cover the pot. Place in the oven for 6 hours.

Remove the legs from the duck fat, but don’t throw the valuable fat away. Keep it in an airtight container in the fridge and reuse it for duck fat roast potatoes later in the week.

For the waffle

Combine the dry ingredients – flour, baking powder, sugar and salt – in a large bowl. In another bowl, mix the milk and egg. Combine it with flour and mix the batter together. Add the melted butter and mix. Leave the batter to rest in the fridge for 1 hour before cooking. While the batter is resting in the fridge, pre-heat and grease your waffle iron.

~ To finish ~

Reheat the duck legs in the oven at 160°C for 10 minutes or until they take on a nice golden brown colour. While the duck is reheating, cook the waffles and eggs. For the eggs, melt butter in a pan and cook the eggs sunny-side-up. Serve the duck, waffle and egg with maple syrup on the side.
 

Sea Urchin & Yarra Valley Salmon Roe Chawanmushi

Sea Urchin & Yarra Valley Salmon Roe Chawanmushi

This luxurious chawanmushi recipe is an unexpected breakfast choice that’s very simple and quick to pull off. If you enjoy smoked salmon and eggs for breakfast, this delicate savoury Japanese egg custard topped with salmon roe and sea urchin will hit the spot.

~ Ingredients ~

For the chawanmushi

• 150g egg

• 375ml dashi

• 20g white soy sauce

• 1 sheet nori

• 100g sea urchin

• 100g salmon roe

• 100g edamame

• 3g sea salt

For the sourdough

• 4 sourdough slices

• 80g soft butter

• 2 bunches of chives, thinly sliced

~ Method ~

Combine eggs, dashi and soy sauce but be careful not to overmix. Strain the mixture (ideally with a sieve) and pour into individual ramekins, teacups or bowls and cover with clingwrap. Place the cups in a steamer. To steam, you could use a large pot and fill it with about 3cm of water, bring it to the boil and then turn the heat to low. Steam the egg custard for 20-30 minutes until firm. Set aside.

In the meantime, thinly slice the nori with a very sharp knife or scissors. Steam the edamame and season with salt, ready to serve on the side. Slice the sourdough bread, toast on both sides, let cool and spread butter on one side. Sprinkle the buttered side generously with chives and slice in half. 

Garnish the steamed egg mixture with sea urchin, salmon roe and seaweed. Serve with toast and edamame on the side.

Western Australian Lobster Benedict

Confit Duck Leg Waffle with Egg and Maple Syrup

Sea Urchin & Yarra Valley Salmon Roe Chawanmushi