Sunday Breakfast At The Hawthornes.

 I like a leisurely Sunday morning breakfast.

And that's just what I made for Mr. Hawthorne and me this morning.

 I steamed two big handfuls of spinach,

sautéed a few slices of portabello mushrooms,

and poached two eggs for 2 minutes each.

I topped the eggs with a little of my bacon marmalade -

a most excellent condiment to have on hand.

 Then I made a basic Bechamel sauce,

which is simply a roux.

Melt a tablespoon of unsalted butter 

and stir in a tablespoon of flour, whisking for about a minute,

until the flour is cooked.

Slowly whisk in milk (about a cup), letting the roux thicken.

Season with kosher salt, freshly ground pepper, and freshly grated nutmeg.

Next I grated in a little Gruyère cheese,

which turns my Bechamel sauce into a Mornay sauce.

 Spoon the Mornay sauce over the eggs
and give them a quick trip under the broiler.

Oh my.

This is so good.

Ahhhhh.

My favorite part.

Rosie knows how to do breakfast!

 Bacon Marmalade

8 ounces bacon, diced

1 medium onion, minced

1/4 cup brown sugar

`1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1 TB maple syrup (Use the real deal.)

1 tsp coarse grained mustard

freshly ground pepper

Cut the bacon into small dices

and fry over low heat until crisp.

Take your time so the bacon cooks evenly and slowly -

about 20 minutes, pushing the bits around every now and then.

Remove bacon from pan and drain on paper towels.

Reserve about 1 TB bacon grease in the pan.

Add in onions and cook until onions are tender and translucent.

Add in brown sugar and cook about a minute.

Add in vinegar and mustard and cook until vinegar evaporates.

Add in maple syrup and pepper.
Return bacon to pan and stir to coat.