Iso restrictions have forced the hospitality industry to think outside the box when it comes to their offerings, and ingredient boxes have been super popular. And with good reason - with many of us spending more and more time at home, the kitchen has now become the new cool place to hang out. Solo. Or so it seems with all the kitchen adventures… is that another sourdough starter or banana bread I spy?

Available for pick up or delivery, Melbourne CBD eatery Hunters’ Roots have recently introduced an iso box range - the breakfast box, protein box and party box. I was gifted the breakfast, which took care of a few breakfasts for myself and the hubby.

THE BREAKFAST BOX

Half dozen free range eggs

Buckwheat chia loaf

150 g housemade macadamia & black sesame granola

200 g housemade almond butter

Bananas

Avocado

Lemon

Honey

Jam

1 L fresh orange juice

250 g single origin STREAT freshly ground coffee

1 L milk or alternative mylk (soy, almond, coconut or oat)

Optional add ons: bacon, smoked salmon or housemade baked beans.

It goes without saying that one of our breakfasts we cooked with the ingredients from the box was a Melbourne breakfast/brunch classic: smashed avo and eggs on toast. Simple but perfect, especially as a speedy breakfast option. It’s a classic for good reason.

Breakfast number two was a bit more hands on but well worth the extra effort and a real treat to eat: buckwheat and chia French toast stack with sticky, caramelised banana slices and topped off with a generous drizzle of Hunters’ Roots housemade almond butter and their insanely addictive macadamia and black sesame granola for added oomph.

That golden perfection.

I’d only really used sugar and butter to create caramels in the past but went with honey in this instance as this came with the box. And it was SUPER easy; this will definitely be my new go-to approach for a quick caramel. I did also source some ground cinnamon from my pantry as this pairs beautifully with banana.

So if you’ve got your hands on a breakfast box from Hunters’ Roots and keen to whip up the French toast for yourself, read on for the recipe :) You’ll also need very few extra ingredients, but these a typically pantry staples in many households.

FRENCH TOAST STACK W/ CARAMELISED BANANAS

INGREDIENTS (SERVES TWO)

• 2 free range eggs, room temperature

• 1/2 cup milk (I used soy)

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 4 slices of buckwheat chia loaf

• 1 large banana (or 2 small bananas), cut into slices

• 1 serving of honey

• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• Hunters’ Roots almond butter and macadamia+black sesame granola to serve

METHODS

1. In a wide bowl or dish, whisk together the eggs, milk and vanilla extract until combined. Set aside.

   • 2 free range eggs + 1/2 cup milk + 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2. Heat a frying pan or skillet over medium heat. Melt some butter or spray with cooking oil.

3. Working quickly, place a slice of bread into the egg and milk mixture and ensure that both sides are soaked before transferring to the heated pan. Cook for 2 minutes or so until cooked on one side before flipping over and repeating to cook the other side. Remove from pan once cooked, loosely cover with foil to keep warm, and repeat step 3 until the remainder of the toast is cooked.

4. Once the french toast is cooked, you can use the same pan to prepare the caramelised bananas. Stir the ground cinnamon through the honey and pour into the pan. Once the honey starts to bubble, carefully add the banana slices and coat in the honey mixture. Remove from heat.

   • 1 serving honey (from the breakfast box) + 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

5. Serve the French toast drizzled with almond butter, and topped with caramelised bananas and the granola.

Enjoy!

Hunters’ Roots

26 Katherine Place

Melbourne VIC 3000

+61 3 9629 9587

https://www.huntersroots.com/

Disclosure: I received the breakfast box courtesy of Hunters’ Roots.