3 slices of white bread, 5mm (¼in) thick
80g (⅓ cup) clarified butter (see below)
40g (2½ tbsp) butter
4 eggs, beaten
1 tbsp cream
salt and freshly ground pepper
1 tbsp strong Dijon mustard
1 tbsp snipped flat parsley leaves, plus extra leaves to garnish
1 tbsp snipped chives
30g (1 oz) Gruyère, grated
Cut off the crusts from the bread, then cut the slices diagonally in half. Heat the clarified butter in a frying pan over a medium heat until hot, then fry the bread triangles until golden on both sides. Keep warm on kitchen paper.
Melt the butter in a heavy-based saucepan, add the beaten eggs and scramble. Add the cream at the end of cooking and season with salt and pepper. Stir in the mustard, snipped herbs and grated Gruyère, and adjust the seasoning.
Put 3 fried bread triangles on each plate, overlapping them slightly. Spoon the scrambled eggs on top, garnish with parsley leaves and serve immediately. An ideal winter breakfast.
Clarified butter
This will withstand a higher frying temperature than butter. It is also used for making emulsified sauces, such as Hollandaise. To make about 80g (⅓ cup) clarified butter, heat 100g (7 tbsp) unsalted butter in a pan over a low heat and slowly bring to the boil. Skim off the froth from the surface, then carefully pour the clarified butter into a bowl, leaving the milky sediment behind. Clarified butter will keep in the fridge for several weeks.