Breakfast of champions

Camembert and strawberry jam on buttered toast.

So many layers of sensation: flavour, texture and pong (let's face it, the word 'fragrance' can NOT be applied to the smell of camembert after a couple of days in the kitchen in summer).

I've just made a slice of toast from the crust of yesterday's home-made (in a machine) light wholemeal loaf. It was still very fresh as this was the first cut and it only finished cooking at about 7:00 pm yesterday evening. It was lighter than I normally make as I'd reversed the recipe's two-thirds wholemeal to one-third white flour ratio as an experiment. I think I prefer the result.

My toaster is very pretty but complete crap at toasting. It irritates me to think that I'm a style-victim again; as with the Brabantia rubbish bins which suck (I mean literally they suck so powerfully when you try to remove the bag that the bag tears where you're gripping it). The toast from my pretty toaster is invariably smokin' around the edges while underdone in the centre regardless of where in the extra long slot the bread is placed.

No matter. I can cut off the edges. Then spread with Spreadable, which does exactly what it says on the pack. Some Traidcraft, organic strawberry jam follows; it takes a minute or so for the jam to soften in the warmth from the toast after which the thinnest slices of Tesco Finest unpasteurised Camembert de Normandie are placed on top and, again, left to bask in the warmth of the toast. It's not easy to slice camembert thinly when it's nicely ripened but my Global Deba does a fair job. It's an ultra thin knife bevelled on one side and completely flat on the other giving an extremely thin profile. I wonder though whether other styles, scalloped maybe, or other materials, like zirconium carbide, may be more suited; a subject for future experiments, me thinks.

But the final, climactic stage has arrived; no experiment this, it's a well known pleasure deepened now by anticipation. There is something quite naughty about the smell of ripe camembert, although perhaps, this shouldn't be probed too deeply on this family oriented blog. So many levels! I don't know but I'd bet camembert is very high in umami tasting glutamates. This aspect is enhanced by the fruitiness of the jam. Your tongue is being smothered by the creamy cheese, seduced by the sweet, sweet, fruity jam and your nose is being gently assaulted by the slightly acrid vapours from the camembert. There's another contrast in the crunch from lightly toasted bread against the soft, melting smoothness of the other ingredients. Yumster! This is a champion breakfast. Fit for kings. And Michelin stars.