Whether it’s effortlessly chic Turkish eggs with Aleppo chilli oil and turmeric or the classic French toast, we just love it when eggs are the star of the show.
Eggs Benedict with bacon and sage
Use bacon instead of ham for this delectable, indulgent breakfast or brunch dish that is sure to make you love the mornings again.
Ingredients:
- 200 g shoulder bacon
- 5 g fresh sage
- 4 English muffins
- 45 ml butter
- 8 eggs, poached
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
For the hollandaise:
- 125 ml butter
- 5 ml black pepper
- 6 egg yolks
- Juice of 1 lemon
- Pinch of salt
Method:
1. For the hollandaise sauce: Prepare a double-boiler by placing a heatproof bowl over a pot of gently simmering water. The bowl should not touch the water.Melt the butter in a saucepan over a low heat, then stir in 15 ml hot water and black pepper. Remove from heat.In a mixing bowl, vigorously stir the egg yolks and lemon juice together using a whisk. Pour the egg mixture into the heatproof bowl and continuously whisk, adding the butter mixture extremely slowly. Whisk continuously until a thick, creamy sauce forms. Season with salt to taste and remove from the heat.
2. For the Eggs Benedict: Cook the bacon in a frying pan over a moderate heat until crispy. Sprinkle with sage and remove from the heat.
3. Slice the English muffins in half and toast until golden brown.
4. Butter the hot muffins, then top with bacon and sage.
5. Add poached eggs and a generous spoonful of hollandaise sauce.
French toast
French toast is a breakfast that will never let you down.
Ingredients:
- 4 eggs
- 1 ciabatta roll, sliced
- 1 butter knob
- olive oil
Method:
1. Whisk 3-4 extra large eggs in a shallow dish.
2. Slice ciabatta, dunk in whisked eggs and leave to soak for a few minutes on either side.
3. Heat a knob of butter and a dash of olive oil (this increases the butter’s smoking point, preventing it from burning).
4. Fry the ciabatta on both sides until golden.
5. Serve with a spoonful of black cherry and aniseed jam, or try a scoop of vanilla ice cream drizzled with golden syrup.
Eggs poached in spicy tomato relish
Shakshouka – a gorgeous one-pot wonder North African dish suitable for banting.
Ingredients:
- 4 large eggs
- 6 tomatoes, chopped
- 1 pepper, chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, chopped
- 2 onions, coarsely chopped
- 2 dried chillies, chopped
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 2 tsp sweet, smoked paprika
- salt and freshly ground pepper
- butter, for frying
Method:
1. Fry the onions and sweet peppers in butter until the onions turn brown, then add the garlic and chilli and fry for fifteen seconds. Then add the chopped tomatoes. Mix thoroughly and bring to the boil. Simmer until the fluid has reduced a little. Check for and add salt as required, the dish may be quite fresh. The dish needs to be quite dry, definitely not runny.
2. Pat the relish flat, then make a dent for each egg. Break the eggs carefully in each dent. The eggs should poach in this sauce.
3. This is where you may also do lots of creative things. Some recipes break the eggs so you end with something of a frittata. Others keep the eggs whole as per normal poached eggs. Sprinkle the pepper, paprika and cumin over the lot, then put the lid on and reduce the heat. Simmer for at least ten minutes. You can make the dish with the eggs soft and runny or hard, it is up to you. Make sure that the relish is almost done and not too watery before adding the eggs.
Source: Food24
