John Singer Sargent (Florence 1856 – 1925 London) was an American painter, best known for his portraits. Sargent had American parents, but was born in Italy and lived most of his life in Europe. He became particularly known for his portraits, but at the end of his life he also focused on painting landscapes. He also made this painting of a breakfast scene. Hard to see what the lady is eating. It is often not about what you eat in the morning but about a ritual to start the day. Just think about what you want to do or not do. Read a book with a orange in your hand. Water, some tea, perhaps a Danish cinnamon roll with extra maple syrup, an Italian filled croissant or American Pancakes. Or all of them. This lady has done well. In this lively portrait, Sargent explores the material culture of the Victorian elite. The ostensible subject is his younger sister, Violet, in the midst of her morning reading.  The Breakfast Table captures het character and the look and feel of the well-appointed French apartment that the Sargent family rented in the south of France in the summer of 1883.Someone has prepared the pot of tea for her, some fruit and some sweets. Enough energy and delicious ingredients to wake up peacefully. This beautiful piece of artis in the Harvard Art Museum. 

Danish cinnamon rolls

• 3.5 dl. whole milk • 2 cinnamon sticks or 6 cardamom pods, roughly crushed so that the seeds are visible
• 200 grams of butter, in cubes
• 500 grams of durum flour
• 225 grams of sugar
• 7 grams of instant yeast
• 2 tablespoons cinnamon (or cardamom powder if you want to make the Swedish version)
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons sunflower oil, for greasing
• 1 egg yolk, beaten with 2 tablespoons of milk
• 2-3 tablespoons of sugar

1. Heat the milk, cinnamon sticks and 50 grams of butter and remove the cinnamon sticks.
2. Mix the flour, 75 grams of sugar, the yeast and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon. Add the salt and mix everything well with a food processor fitted with a dough hook. Then add the milk.
3. Knead the dough into a ball and place it in an oiled bowl. Cover the bowl and let the dough rise in a warm place until it has doubled in size.
4. Stir 1 teaspoon of cinnamon into 150 grams of sugar. Keep a little aside for garnish and stir the rest of the cinnamon sugar into the rest of the butter.
5. Knock the air out of the dough and roll it out on a floured work surface to 35 x 45 cm. Place it with the long side facing you and spread with the cinnamon butter.
6. Fold the top third of the dough down and then the bottom third up.
7. Cut the dough into twelve strips of 3.5 x 11 cm and each strip almost in half lengthwise. Twist the two 'legs' three times each, so that you get a twisted knot. Tuck the ends under the bun.
8. Place the rolls on two baking trays lined with baking paper. Cover and let them rise until they double in size. This takes about 2.5 hours.
9. Preheat the oven to 190°C (gas mark 5). Brush the rolls with the egg, sprinkle with the sugar and bake for 25 to 30 minutes until golden brown.
10. Heat the reserved cinnamon sugar with 50 ml of water until the sugar dissolves. Let the syrup boil for 3 minutes and then cool. Brush the rolls with it two to three times while cooling.