Brunch corn fritters @ Chez Lex

I think brunch could be my favourite meal. I love a long brunch lazing over papers, multiple cups of good coffee and maybe something simple like yoghurt & berries or more impressive like ricotta hotcakes.

Whilst I love all the restaurants of Islington, I do bemoan the dearth of lovely brunch spots (I do have some local favourites: Le Peche Mignon, especially in their courtyard in summer, and Food Lab on Essex Road. More suggestions welcome).

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On Saturday morning I was determined we would go explore a new brunch spot - Kaffeine in Fitzrovia perhaps? The Modern Pantry (we'd been there for an excellent lunch previously)? Test out York & Albany in Camden? All have delicious sounding breakfast menus but suddenly it was 10.30am already and we ended up having corn fritters with avocado, bacon & tomato relish with Monmouth coffee and the paper at our very own kitchen table, this morning known as Chez Lex.

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I went 5 minutes in one direction to collect cobs of corn, bacon, avocados and the Telegraph, whilst Y went 5 minutes in the other direction to Le Peche Mignon to restock our coffee supply for our stove top coffee pot.

The result: a peaceful 2 hour brunch with delicious food, great coffee & not an annoying child nor 4 wheel drive-like pram in sight. The service at Chez Lex is verging on non-existent, but the prices are very reasonable and they never charge service.

Perhaps a secret brunch club in the making ...

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Corn fritters

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I adapted, ever so slightly, Stephanie Alexander's recipe for Sweetcorn Brunch Fritters from her Australian bible "The Cook's Companion".

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3 corn cobs

180g polenta (or thereabouts)

2T plain flour

1t bicarbonate of soda

pinch of salt

1 cup milk

40g unsalted butter, melted

2 eggs

vegetable oil

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(this makes too many for 2, maybe 3 or 4?)

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Preheat oven to 150 degrees. Slice corn off the cobs.

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In a bowl mix polenta, flour, bicarb soda & salt. Make a well & add the milk, one egg and the yolk of the other egg, & melted butter. Stir to combine and add the corn. Season.

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Heat a frying pan on medium heat and using a generous splash of vegetable oil, fry large dollops of the fritter batter, turning when you can see the edges starting to cook/brown. Transfer cooked fritters onto a plate to keep warm in the oven and to continue cooking, whilst cooking the next batch of fritters.

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When all the fritters are in the oven, cook some bacon in the same pan (& put your coffee on and heat up the milk for your macchiato). Slice avocado.

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To assemble, layer a corn fritter - avocado - corn fritter - avocado - bacon. I finished with a spoonful of spicy tomato chutney. Stephanie suggests an alternative of fritter & bacon with maple syrup. I deliberately didn't do this, leaving me an excuse to make these again.

A truly delicious brunch - do try and include the polenta because it gives the fritters a great crunchiness on the outside.

I should add that this dish was inspired by my New Yorker best friend, who served up something very similar to a group of friends about 10 years ago (were only about 7 or 8 at the time obviously) with a fresh tomato salsa.