Arancini eggs
This is a twist on the Scotch egg, substituting risotto for the sausage meat to make a sort of vegetarian-friendly arancino-cum-Scotch egg. There are several steps, but none are particularly difficult and most of them can be done a day ahead.
Makes 12
12 quail eggs
A knob of butter
1 shallot, peeled and finely chopped
1 garlic clove, peeled and finely chopped
200g arborio risotto rice
150ml dry white wine
750ml vegetable or chicken stock
50g parmesan, grated
Salt and black pepper
2 tbsp flour, seasoned
2 eggs, lightly beaten
50g fine dried breadcrumbs
1 litre vegetable oil
1 Fill a bowl with cold water and ice. Bring a pan of water to a boil and carefully drop in 6 of the quail eggs. Boil for 2 minutes, then transfer to the iced water. Repeat with the remaining eggs and set aside.
2 Melt the butter in a saucepan over a medium-low heat and cook the shallot and garlic for about 10 minutes, until softened. Increase the heat and add the rice. Stir for a minute or two, then add the wine and simmer until almost entirely reduced. Add a ladle of hot stock and continue to simmer, stirring regularly and adding a ladle of stock whenever the rice looks dry. Cook for about 25 minutes, or until the rice is soft. Stir in the parmesan, season with salt and pepper to taste and leave to cool.
3 Carefully peel the quail eggs and roll in a little flour to help the rice cling to the eggs. Take a handful of rice and pat it flat in your palm. Lay an egg in the middle and shape the rice around the outside, gently rolling it between your palms to firm. Repeat with the remaining eggs and chill for 30 minutes.
4 Line up three bowls, the first containing the flour, the second the beaten eggs, and the third the breadcrumbs. One at a time, coat the risotto balls in flour – shaking off any excess – then in egg, and finally in the breadcrumbs. Cover and chill until ready to cook.
5 Ten minutes before serving, in a large pan, heat the oil to about 170C/340F/gas mark 3-4, or until a cube of bread sizzles and turns golden in 30 seconds. Carefully drop in the risotto balls, 6 at a time, and fry for 4–5 minutes, until golden. Transfer to a plate lined with kitchen roll and keep them warm while you cook the rest, then serve.
Do-Ahead Dinners by James Ramsden (Pavilion)
Burmese duck egg curry
Egg curries aren't that common on menus in the UK, but they are very common across Asia. Serve with rice and pickled cabbage, ifyou like.
Serves 4
6 duck eggs
125ml light oil, such as peanut or grapeseed
2 banana shallots (or 4 regular), peeled and sliced into thin rings
2 onions, peeled and chopped
½ tsp turmeric
2–3 bird's-eye chillies, finely sliced
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
½ a thumb of ginger, washed, trimmed and finely chopped
1½ tbsp tomato puree
1 tbsp curry powder
250g okra, trimmed and cut into bite-size pieces
3 medium tomatoes, roughly chopped
½ tsp shrimp paste
A handful of chopped coriander
Salt
1 Bring a pan of water to the boil and carefully lower in the duck eggs.
2 Cook for 4–6 minutes, depending on size, then run under cold water, peel and set aside.
3 Heat the oil in a wide saucepan. When it's hot, add the shallots, breaking them up into rings. Once they are a deep golden brown (5–8 minutes), use a slotted spoon to transfer them on to kitchen roll and sprinkle with salt.
4 Put the duck eggs into the hot oil and lower the heat. Fry them for 3–4 minutes, turning them to brown on all sides, then take them out of the pan and sit them on kitchen roll.
5 Keeping the pan on a medium heat, add the onions, turmeric, chillies, garlic and ginger and fry for a few minutes, until it all starts to soften, then stir in the tomato puree.
6 Cook for a minute or two before adding the curry powder.
7 Add the okra with a big pinch of salt, then the tomatoes, and give it all a good stir.
8 Dissolve the shrimp paste in 500ml of hot water, pour it into the pan and bring to a fast simmer. Let it bubble away busily for about 10 minutes without a lid to reduce, then lower the eggs back into the pan giving them a prod so they are mostly submerged in the liquid. Put the lid on and simmer for another couple of minutes so the eggs warm through, then turn the heat off and let it rest for 3 minutes.
9 Finish by sprinkling a little salt on each egg and scattering on the shallots, with roughly chopped coriander to top off each serving.
Around the World in 120 Recipes by AllegraMcEvedy (Conran Octopus)
Souffled egg and bacon tart
This tart is like a cross between a traditional quiche lorraine, a souffle, and a British egg and bacon pie. It's best served warm, straight from the oven, while it is still light and fluffy.
Serves 6-8
For the pastry
225g plain flour
65g chilled butter, cut into small pieces
65g chilled lard, cut into small pieces
½ tsp salt
For the filling
1 tsp sunflower oil
200g thick-cut smoked streaky bacon, cut into short fat strips
50g butter
25g plain flour
175ml whole milk, warmed
100g hard cheese such as cheddar or Lincolnshire poacher, finely grated
150ml double cream
¼ tsp nutmeg, freshly grated
3 medium eggs, separated
Salt and black pepper
1 For the pastry, put the flour into a food processor with the butter, lard and ½ tsp of salt and briefly whizz until the mix looks like fine breadcrumbs.
2 Tip into a mixing bowl and stir in about 2 tbsp of water until everything comes together in a ball, then turn out on to a lightly floured surface and knead briefly until smooth.
3 Thinly roll out the pastry and use to line a lightly greased 23 x 4cm loose-bottomed tart tin. Prick the base with a fork and chill for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 200C/450F/gas mark 6.
4 Line the pastry case with greaseproof paper and fill with a thin layer of baking beans. Blind bake for 15-20 minutes until the edges of the pastry are biscuit-coloured. Remove the paper and beans and return to the oven for 5-6 minutes until the base is crisp and golden.
5 While the pastry case is cooking, make the filling. Heat the oil in a frying pan over a high heat. Add the bacon and fry briskly until lightly golden. Set aside.
6 Melt the butter in a medium-size pan, add the flour and cook for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and gradually stir in the warm milk. Return to the heat and bring to the boil, stirring continuously, until smooth. Add the grated cheese and cream and stir together, then add the nutmeg, bacon and some salt and pepper to taste and leave to cool slightly.
7 Remove the tart case from the oven and lower the temperature to 180C/350F/gas mark 4. Stir the egg yolks into the sauce. Put the whites in a large, clean mixing bowl and whisk them into soft peaks, then fold into the sauce.
8 Pour the mix into the case and bake for 30 minutes, covering with a sheet of foil after about 20 minutes, until puffed up, set and golden brown. Serve immediately.
The Great British Farmhouse Cookbook (YeoValley) by Sarah Mayor (Quadrille)
Sabich sandwich
If you have pickles or gherkins – preferably ones with some spice – substitute them for the cucumber to make this more authentic. Slices of tomato would be welcome too.
Serves 2
1 small aubergine
Salt
Olive oil
2 eggs
3 tbsp tahini
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp water
2 tsp olive oil
1 tsp coriander, finely chopped
1 tsp parsley, finely chopped
½ tsp jalepeno, deseeded and chopped (optional)
1 small cucumber, peeled and sliced thinly lengthways
4 slices of good bread or 2 pittas
1 Preheat the oven to 200C/450F/gas mark 6. Slice the aubergine and lay the slices on a baking tray lined with kitchen roll. Salt them well, then flip and salt again. Let them rest for about 20 minutes.
2 Press down on the slices with kitchen roll to remove moisture. Toss in a bowl with 2 tbsp oil, then arrange in one layer on a parchment-lined baking tray. Bake for 20-25 minutes until the edges are dark brown. Remove from the oven and cool to room temperature. You can make these up to 2 days in advance.
3 Bring a pan of water to the boil and boil the eggs for 7 minutes, then allow to cool.
4 Whisk together the tahini, lemon juice, water, olive oil, herbs and jalepeno, until creamy. Add a pinch of salt and taste.
5 For each sandwich, spread all the slices of bread (or the pitta) with the tahini sauce. Peel and slice the hardboiled egg and layer it on top. Sprinkle with salt. Layer about 4 slices of roasted aubergine, then cover with the cucumber. Top the sandwich with a second tahini-lined slice of bread.
Recipe supplied by Cara Eisenpress, biggirlssmallkitchen.com
Brunch hash
This is one of the yummiest brunch dishes out there, and so easy and quick to cook, too.
Serves 4
500g potatoes, diced
3 tbsp light oil
2 tbsp butter
2 onions, diced into 2.5cm squares
4 really thick slices of salt beef, weighing about 75g each, roughly broken into large pieces
1–2 tbsp Dijon mustard, to taste
A large handful of flat-leaf parsley, chopped
4 medium cooked beetroot (about 200g), diced
4 spring onions, sliced
4 eggs
A good pinch of chilli flakes
Salt and black pepper
1 Cover the potatoes with cold salted water, put on a high heat and bring to the boil, then simmer until almost tender and drain.
2 While the spuds are cooking, heat half the oil with half the butter in a large, heavy pan and fry the onions over a medium heat until they are softening and starting to brown. Chuck in the drained potatoes, add the rest of the oil, turn the heat up to maximum, and fry for a few more minutes, until the potatoes are just starting to pick up some colour.
3 Season, stir in the beef, mustard and parsley and lastly add the beetroot, turning it in carefully so that you avoid turning everything pink. Once the beetroot is warm – just a minute or two – turn the heat off and stir in the spring onions.
4 In a separate pan, fry the eggs in the rest of the butter, then season and sprinkle with chilli flakes. Divide the hash into 4 portions and put an egg on top of each.
Around the World in 120 Recipes by Allegra McEvedy (Conran Octopus)
Nicoise salad with tuna sauce
A tasty alternative to the traditional recipe.
Serves 4
300g green beans, topped and tailed
12 medium charlotte potatoes
4 eggs
80g shallots, finely chopped
40g pitted black olives, halved
40g pitted green olives, halved
1 tbsp baby capers
20 anchovy fillets
For the oven-dried tomatoes
4 plum vine tomatoes, quartered
250g cherry vine tomatoes, halved
2 garlic cloves, finely sliced
1 tsp fresh thyme, chopped
½ tsp fresh rosemary, chopped
1½ tbsp icing sugar
150ml olive oil
Salt and black pepper
For the tuna sauce
3 egg yolks
1 tsp English mustard
4 anchovy fillets
Juice and zest of 1 lemon
2 garlic cloves
Salt and black pepper
400ml vegetable oil
150g canned tuna
50ml single cream
Worcestershire sauce
Tabasco sauce
1 First of all make the oven-dried tomatoes. Heat the oven to 110C/230F/gas mark ¼, thenput all the tomatoes in a roasting tin lined with baking parchment. Mix the rest ofthe tomato ingredients and sprinkle over the top, then roast for 90 minutes. You'll have more tomatoes than you need, but they keep very well.
2 Meanwhile, bring a pan of salted water to the boil, add the beans and cook for 3 minutes, then plunge them into iced water to cool.
3 Now boil the potatoes in salted water until tender, then drain and leave to cool. Cut them in half lengthways, then in half again.
4 While the potatoes are cooking, hard boil the eggs for 9 minutes, then cool under running water. Peel carefully, then cut in half.
5 To make the tuna sauce, whizz the egg yolks with the mustard, anchovies, lemon juice and zest, garlic, salt and pepper in a blender. Slowly add the oil – add a little water if it's too thick. Add the tuna, cream and Worcestershire and Tabasco sauces, then blend until smooth. Check the seasoning.
6 To serve, mix the tomatoes with the shallots, olives, capers and anchovies and stir well. In another bowl, mix the green beans with the potatoes, then stir in enough tuna sauce to bind them together then add the tomatoes and place the halved eggs on top. Serve with the rest of the tuna sauce.
Tom Aikens, Easy (Ebury Press)
Coffee caramel custards
Or as the French call it, creme caramel au cafe. The added coffee flavour in this recipe is both subtle and sophisticated.
Serves 4
400ml whole milk
4 espresso coffees
A small carton of double cream
80g espresso coffee beans
A pinch of salt
½ tsp vanilla extract
120g caster sugar
3-4 tbsp water
3 eggs
4 egg yolks
75g caster sugar
1 Preheat the oven to 150C/300F/gas mark 2. Pour the milk into a measuring jug and add the four espresso coffees. Now top up this mixture with double cream until it reaches 600ml. Pour into a pan and add the coffee beans, salt and the vanilla extract. Warm together, occasionally stirring, until just below simmering point. Switch off the heat, cover with a lid and leave to infuse for at least 2 hours.
2 Now put the sugar in a heavy-based saucepan and add the water. Bring to a simmer and cook slowly until the sugar has become a richly coloured caramel; take care during the final stages, so as not to burn it. Pour into the base of 4 dariole moulds or small ramekins, dividing the caramel between them. Leave to cool.
3 Put the eggs, yolks and caster sugar into a large bowl. Whisk together lightly then strain over the coffee-infused milk (discarding the beans). Gently whisk together until well blended, then ladle the mixture into the caramel-lined moulds and fill to the brim.
4 Place them in a deep roasting tin and fill with hot water, so that it rises up the outside of the moulds by about three quarters. Carefully slide the tin into the oven and loosely lay a sheet of tin foil over the surface of the moulds. Bake in the oven until the custards are set, about 40–45 minutes. Tocheck when they are ready, lightly press a finger on the surface, or give them a little shake: they should wobble.
5 Remove from the oven, take out of the roasting tin and leave to cool. When quite cold, cover each custard with a small sheet of clingfilm and put in the fridge for at least three hours. To unmould, run a small knife around the edge of the custard and up-end onto individual, shallow dishes.
Simon Hopkinson Cooks (Ebury Press)
Overnight French toast
This French toast is really elegant, and simple enough that a drizzle of maple syrup and a little icing sugar complements it perfectly.
Serves 8-10
170g light brown sugar
4 tbsp butter, melted
1 loaf of brioche or challah, sliced into 3cm-thickslices
240ml milk
8 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tbsp vanilla extract
A pinch of salt
1 tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp ground ginger
50g pecans, chopped
Maple syrup and icing sugar, to finish (optional)
1 In a small bowl combine the brown sugar and melted butter and pour on to the bottom of a large ovenproof dish.
2 Arrange the slices of bread in the dish, overlapping if necessary.
3 Combine the milk, eggs, vanilla, salt, cinnamon and ginger in a bowl and pour evenly over the bread slices. Sprinkle the pecans on top then wrap in clingfilm and chill for 4-12 hours.
4 In the morning, take the dish out of the fridge and preheat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 5.
5 Bake for 30-35 minutes. If the top starts browning too quickly, cover loosely with foil for the last 10 minutes or so. You want it to cook long enough to make sure the bottom part is cooked, but don't dry it out completely.
6 Remove from oven and let it cool slightly before serving. Dust with icing sugar and a drizzle with maple syrup.
Recipe supplied by Christy Denney, thegirlwhoateeverything.com
Texan migas
This dish is designed to use up old stale tortillas, though if you only have fresh ones the end result will not suffer.
Serves 4
8 eggs
120ml milk
80ml peanut oil
4 corn tortillas, cut into strips
½ onion, chopped
4 jalapeno peppers, chopped
125g cheddar cheese, grated
A jar of ready-made salsa
A handful of coriander, chopped
Salt and black pepper
1 Whisk the eggs with the milk and season.
2 In a large frying pan, heat the peanut oil on medium-high, and place the tortilla strips into the pan for about 3 minutes, turning once. Remove the tortilla strips with a slotted spoon and set aside on a plate lined with kitchen roll. Drain all but 2 tbsp of the oil from the pan.
3 Add the onions and jalapenos to the pan and cook for a couple of minutes.
4 Add the egg mixture and tortilla strips to the pan and let the eggs sit for about 1 minute or until set on the bottom, then gently stir.
5 Sprinkle the cheese on top of the eggs and cook until melted. Season to taste and top with salsa and coriander.
Recipe supplied by Lisa Fain, homesicktexan.com
Pastéis de nata – Portuguese custard pies
Portugal has as many different pastéis de nata as it has bakers, each convinced of holding the secret recipe of this crispy soft-centre custard pie. Here's our version …
Makes 12-15
For the pastry
¼ tsp salt
80ml water
80g bread flour
80g plain flour
135g butter (75g softened, the rest cold)
For the custard
125g caster sugar
70ml hot water from the kettle
40g plain four
275ml milk
6 egg yolks
¼ lemon, zest grated
A large pinch of cinnamon, plus extra for dusting
1 To make the pastry, dissolve the salt in the water. Mix the flours, 15g of the softened butter and water into a dough. Knead for 2 minutes. Form into a ball, cut a cross on the top with scissors, wrap in clingfilm and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
2 Heat the sugar and hot water in a saucepan. Simmer for 3 minutes. Leave to cool slightly. Whisk the flour and 150ml of the milk in a saucepan until smooth. Whisk in the rest of the milk, egg yolks, lemon zest, cinnamon and finally the sugar syrup. Place over a low heat and cook for 12 to 15 minutes, stirring regularly until the custard thickens. Give it a good stir, pour into a measuring jug, cover the surface with clingfilm to prevent a skin forming, and leave to cool.
3 Roll the pastry into a 17cm square. Flatten the cold butter and place on top, then wrap the dough over the butter and roll into a 30 x 15cm rectangle. Fold the bottom third over the centre, cover with the top third and give it a quarter turn. Roll a second time and fold again. Sprinkle with flour if some of the butter comes out. Chill for 30 minutes.
4 Roll out into a 30 x 15cm rectangle, fold as before, give it a quarter turn and roll again into a 35 x 15cm rectangle. Spread the rest of the soft butter evenly over the top and roll starting from the shorter edge to obtain a 15cm plump roll. Spread any butter left on your hands on the outside of the roll, wrap in clingfilm and chill for 30 minutes.
5 Preheat the oven and oven tray to 250C/500F/gas mark 10.
6 Holding the roll with both hands, gently squeeze and pull into a thinner 30cm long roll then cut into 12-15 1.5cm pieces. Spread each piece, rolled side upwards, evenly over the bottom and half way up the sides of a buttered muffin tin to form thin tartlet bases.
7 Fill each tartlet with the custard mix, place on the preheated oven tray and bake for 15 to 18 minutes. Cool for at least 30 minutes and serve with a dusting of cinnamon if you like.
Recipe supplied by Vava Berry; valerieberry.com
