Brunch on Saturday: Steamed asparagus with miso hollandaise and value-friendly menus

In Brunch on Saturday this week, get into Japanese super foods with miso hollandaise sauce and bargain brunching in Oxford

Brunching in...

Steamed Asparagus & Poached Eggs with Miso Hollandaise

Su-miso is a traditional sauce made from rice vinegar and miso paste. It can pep up any cooked green vegetables, and even be drizzled over boiled or poached eggs.

I have adapted the recipe here to make what I call miso hollandaise and serve it with a relaxing weekend brunch. The sauce works equally well with eggs Benedict or Florentine.

Serves 4

For the sauce

150 g/5½ oz/² ⁄ ³ cup sweet white miso
1 tbsp sake 
1 tsp rice vinegar 
1 tbsp caster (superfine) sugar 
2 egg yolks 
50 g/1¾ oz/½ stick unsalted butter, chopped

To serve

1 bunch of asparagus 
4 eggs
drop of white wine vinegar
pinch of smoked paprika
toast, to serve

In a heatproof bowl, thin the miso down with the sake and vinegar until smooth, then pour in 4–6 tbsp of water and stir until smooth once more. Add the sugar and mix again. Add the egg yolks and stir well.

Now place the bowl over a pan of boiling water, set over a low heat and cook slowly, stirring constantly, for 6 minutes until it is thickened. Add the butter slowly, while whisking, to prevent splitting. If you are not using all the sauce at once, place in a bowl of iced water to rapidly cool the mixture before refrigerating.

Steam the asparagus for 4 minutes until tender. Poach the eggs one at a time: breaking them into boiling water mixed with a drop of white wine vinegar to help the whites hold together. Pour the miso hollandaise over the eggs and asparagus and finish with a pinch of smoked paprika. Serve with a generous pile of toasted bread to mop up the tasty sauce.

Miso Tasty by Bonnie Chung published by Pavilion Books. Image credit to Yuki Sugiura.


 The interior of The Jericho Cafe shows off the Barefoot Kitchen cakes (Ruth Dorso)
 (ruth Dorso)

Brunching out...

The Jericho Café, in the heart of the area of the same name, is an unfussy retreat via a 10 minute walk from the centre of Oxford. Its menu balances healthy and hearty dishes, and the award winning brunch is served all day and accommodates all types of “free from” diets.

The Anglo-French family run business prides its self on using local suppliers, including roasted coffee beans from Missing Bean roaster, cakes from Barefoot Kitchen, IPAs from The Cotswold Brewery and hand baked bread from The Natural Bread Company.


 The cafe breakfast with poached eggs and a side of avocado 
 (Ruth Dorso)

The bargain brunch menu doesn’t swap quality for price. The café breakfast is made up of free range eggs, bacon, Cumberland sausage (or a vegetarian option), buttered mushrooms, baked beans, sourdough toast and tea or coffee for under £8. If something doesn't take your fancy, the cafe actually welcomes swapping items. The rest of the menu oozes sophistication and tends the needs of the indecisive eater, who can choose from scrambled, poached or fried eggs on sourdough toast, which comes with a choice of tomatoes, bacon, smoked ham or Scottish oaked smoked salmon.

New additions to the menu include avocado toast topped with pesto, cherry tomatoes and savoury roasted seeds and two American additions, maple berry waffles and bacon and egg waffles, both under £7.

The more health conscious among us can opt for Muesli or porridge, while the kids breakfast – sausage, bacon, egg, beans and toast – for £4.95 makes Jericho a relaxed option for families.

The Jericho Café, 112 Walton Street, Oxford. OX2 6AJ; 01865 310 840