Scrambled Eggs on Brioche with Crab Meat

6 free-range eggs

100 ml (3 ½ fl oz) milk

100 ml (3 ½ fl oz) cream

pinch of sea salt

cracked black pepper

1 tb butter

4 slices brioche

120 g (4 oz) fresh crab meat

½ bunch chives, finely chopped

For the scrambled eggs Lightly whisk the eggs, mix in the milk and cream, and season to tae with salt and pepper. Melt the butter in a saucepan and pour in the egg mixture.

Heat slowly, irring continuously.

Meanwhile Toast the brioche and place a slice on each plate.

Serves 4

To serve When the eggs are three-quarters cooked, oon them on to the side of the brioche – they should st ill be creamy. Place a small mound of crab meat next to the eggs, and rinkle the plates with chives.

Fine-herb Omelette

Per person

1 t extra-virgin olive oil

3 free-range eggs

1 ½ tb finely chopped herbs

(e.g. chervil, chives, parsley, tarragon)

25 ml milk (1 fl oz)

25 ml cream (1 fl oz)

sea salt and freshly ground

black pepper

watercress for garnish

For each omelette Heat the oil in a small frying pan. In a small bowl, whisk the eggs, ir in the herbs, milk and cream and season well. Pour the egg mixture into the pan and roll it around to achieve as thin an omelette as possible.

Using a spatula, st art folding in the sides of the omelette and gradually roll it right up – this should take only 2–3 minutes.

To serve Slide each omelette on to a serving plate and garnish with watercress.

Asparagus with Poached Egg, Parmesan & Truffle Oil

32 asparagus spears,

woody ends trimmed

4 free-range eggs

4 tb (80 g/2 ¾ oz) shaved parmesan

drizzle of truffle oil

(or good extra-virgin olive oil)

sea salt and freshly ground

black pepper

Using a potato peeler, scrape away the bottom third of the asparagus ears.

Blanch asparagus in boiling salted water for 2 minutes. Drain. Place 8 spears on each warmed serving plate.

Poach the eggs until ju cooked, ensuring the yolks are still runny.

Slide an egg on top of the asparagus.

Sprinkle with parmesan and drizzle with truffle oil. Season to tae.

Serves 4

Note Another way to remove the woody stem from the asparagus is hold a ear in the middle and snap its end off: the ear should break ju where it begins to get woody.

Poached Eggs with Cucumber & Dill Sour Cream

Cucumber and dill sour cream

½ telegraph cucumber

200 ml (6 ½ fl oz) sour cream

1 bunch dill, finely chopped

2 tb water

Poached eggs

1 tb vinegar

pinch of sea salt

8 free-range eggs

For the cucumber and dill sour cream Using a potato peeler, cut the cucumber into fine ribbons. Set aside.

In a small bowl, mix the sour cream and dill together. Add about 2 tb water and mix well to make a dressing consiency.

For the poached eggs Bring a small pot of water to the boil and then simmer gently. Add vinegar and a pinch of salt and swirl the water around to create a whirlpool effect.

This helps to keep the eggs from breaking up when poaching.

Crack the eggs into the water, 2 at a time, and cook for about 3 minutes (for runny yolks, longer if desired).

Lift out of the water with a slotted oon.

Serves 4

To serve Put 2 eggs on each plate.

Mix a small handful of cucumber with some dressing and place on top of the poached eggs. Drizzle more dressing over the eggs and around the plate.

Ocean Trout with Poached Egg & Spinach

4 fillets of ocean trout

pinch of sea salt

1 bunch English inach

3 medium potatoes, peeled

Poached eggs

splash of vinegar

4 free-range eggs

100 ml (3 ½ fl oz) hollandaise

sauce

sea salt and freshly ground

black pepper

For the ocean trout Heat the oven to 200°C (400°F). Place the trout in a shallow tray and bake until ju heated through (about 10 minutes).

Meanwhile Bring three saucepans of salted water to the boil.

For theinach In one saucepan, blanch the inach, drain and keep warm.

For the potatoes In another saucepan, boil the potatoes until cooked but still firm. Drain and slice the potatoes into matchick shapes, as finely as you can. Keep warm.

For the poached eggs In the third saucepan, add a splash of vinegar to the water. Swirl the water to create a whirlpool and add the eggs, 2 at a time. Poach for about 3 minutes, until cooked but with runny yolks.

Serves 4

To serve Place a pile of potato in the centre of the plates, put some inach on top, then the trout, then a poached egg and dollop with hollandaise sauce. Season well.

Crêpes Filled with Sweet Potato Sou.. lé

Crêpes

250 g (8 oz) plain flour

sea salt

3 eggs

500 ml (2 cups) milk

butter

Soufflé

500 g (1 lb) sweet potato,

peeled, boiled and puréed

100 ml (3 ½ fl oz) cream

4 eggs, separated

100 g (3 ½ oz) grated parmesan

sea salt and freshly ground

black pepper

90 g (3 oz) rocket

50 g (2 oz) parmesan, shaved

25 ml (1 fl oz) white wine vinegar

100 ml (4 fl oz) extra-virgin olive oil

To make the crêpes Sift the flour and salt into a bowl. Make a well in the middle and crack in the eggs. Add the milk and whisk until smooth.

Leave to rest for 5–10 minutes.

In a non-stick frypan, heat a little butter and brush over the base and sides of the pan. Ladle in enough crêpe mixture to ju cover the base of the pan, tipping pan as you add mixture around to make the crêpe as thin as possible. Cook until lightly browned, then turn and cook the other side. Slide out of the pan.

Repeat until all the mixture is used (should make about 6 crêpes). Crêpes can be made in advance and kept, covered, in the fridge until needed.

Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F).

To make the soufflé In a large bowl combine the sweet potato and cream (the mixture should be firm, not wet and gooey). Beat egg yolks and add, mix well. Beat the whites until iff peaks form and fold through the mixture, along with the parmesan. Season to tae.

On heatproof serving plates (or a greased, flat tray) lay a crêpe so that half of it is hanging over the side.

Spoon about 4 heaped tableoons of sweet potato mixture onto the crêpe, fold crêpe over to make a half-moon shape and cook in the oven for about 10 minutes, or until the soufflé puffs up.

Serves 6 as an entrée

To serve Mix rocket and parmesan.

Whisk vinegar and oil to make dressing and toss salad. Divide salad between plates and add crêpe.

Note You can vary the soufflé filling for the crêpes – replace the sweet potato with mashed potato and grated gruyère cheese, or use two parts potato/gruyère to one part puréed beetroot, broccoli, peas or asparagus (all passed through a sieve).

Spinach & Ricotta Parcels

2 bunches (about 300 g/10 ½ oz)

inach, blanched and drained well

300 g (10 ½ oz) ricotta

½ bunch (about 30 g/1 oz) chives,

chopped

½ bunch (about 45 g/1 ½ oz) basil,

chopped

2 tb toasted pine nuts

2 tb currants

½ t freshly grated nutmeg

sea salt and freshly ground

black pepper

½ packet filo pary

20 g (1 tb) butter, melted

black sesame seeds

Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F).

Squeeze inach to ensure it is dry, then mix with ricotta and chopped herbs. Smash pine nuts with back of a heavy knife, chop currants and mix both into inach and ricotta with nutmeg. Season to tae.

Take 3 sheets of filo pary and cut into squares. Put some filling on one half of the square, brush some melted butter around the edge – the outer 0.5 cm ( ¼ in) – and turn unfilled half of pastry over filling to make a triangle. Continue making triangles until filling has been used up. Brush tops of triangles with melted butter and rinkle with sesame seeds.

Cook in oven until golden brown (approximately 5 minutes).

Makes 10–15 (depending on size of parcels)

Notes These can be made in advance, so you can ju throw them in the oven at the last moment.

Make whatever shape you want, but I think triangles are always a winner.

Whole nutmegs should be available at the supermarket. It is worth the effort to grate one’s own freshly as you need it, as fresh nutmeg has a distinctive flavour, very different to the packaged ground ice.

Tuna, Tomato & Herb Frittata

8 free-range eggs

250 ml (8 fl oz) cream

95 g (3 oz) canned tuna, drained

1 tomato, roughly chopped

1 tb finely chopped fresh mixed herbs

sea salt and freshly ground

black pepper

1 t butter

1 t extra-virgin olive oil

Preheat the oven to 150°C (300°F).

Whisk the eggs and cream together.

Add the tuna, chopped tomato and mixed herbs. Season and mix well.

Heat the butter and extra-virgin olive oil in a frying pan. Pour in the egg mixture and cook over a low heat until the bottom has set. Finish off the cooking by placing the pan in the oven for 15–20 minutes, or until ju set.

(If your frying pan will not fit in your oven, or has a non-heatproof handle, finish off the frittata under the griller.)

Serves 2 generously

To serve Remove the pan from the oven, cut the frittata in half and serve on plates immediately.

Gruyère on Sourdough Toast

4 thick slices sourdough bread

160 g (5 oz) gruyère cheese, grated

5 tb chopped parsley

extra-virgin olive oil

Toast one side of the bread under the griller. In a bowl, mix together the cheese and parsley. Pile on to the untoasted sides of the bread and return to the griller until lightly coloured.

Serves 2

To serve Drizzle a little extra-virgin olive oil over the grilled cheese and serve with a glass of good red wine.

Goat’s Cheese Tart with Preserved Lemon & Green Olives

1 quantity (about 300 g/10 oz)

savoury pary ( or

use frozen shortcrust pary)

6 eggs

350 ml (11 fl oz) cream

500 g (1 lb) soft goat’s cheese

100 g (3 ½ oz) preserved

lemon, skin removed and flesh

chopped

100 g (3 ½ oz) pitted green olives

sea salt and freshly ground

black pepper

1 bunch rocket

extra-virgin olive oil

Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F).

Grease a quiche dish measuring about 27 cm (11 in) in diameter.

Line it with pary, trimming around the top with a sharp knife and then prick the pary base well with a fork.

Blind bake the tart case by cutting a piece of baking paper to about the size of the tart. Lay it on the pary and weigh it down with a small handful of dried beans or rice. Place case in the oven for 5 minutes. Remove the beans or rice and paper and discard, and return the pastry to the oven for a further 5–7 minutes, or until cooked through and lightly golden.

To make the filling In a large bowl whisk together the eggs and cream.

Crumble in the goat’s cheese, add preserved lemon and green olives and mix well. Season to tae. Pour into the pary case and bake for 10–15 minutes, or until ju set.

Serves 6

To serve Cut into wedges, top each with rocket and drizzle with olive oil.

Tomato, Basil & Cheddar Tarts

savoury pary for 4 tartlet cases about 10 cm (4 in) diameter ( or use frozen shortcrust pary)

handful of dried beans or rice

100 g (3 ½ oz) butter

6 vine-ripened or roma tomatoes, quartered

1 bunch basil, finely sliced

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

200 g (6 ½ oz) aged cheddar cheese, grated

1 bunch rocket

extra-virgin olive oil

Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F).

For the tartlet cases Lay the pary into moulds and, using your fingers, gently press the pary into shape. Trim the overhanging pary with a sharp knife. Blind bake the tarts by cutting a piece of baking paper to about the size of the tartlet. Weigh down with a few dried beans or rice (to prevent the pary from shrinking too much).

Bake for about 5 minutes in the oven. Remove the beans or rice and baking paper, and return the tartlets to the oven for about another 5–7 minutes, or until cooked through and lightly golden. Remove from oven and let cool.

For the filling Heat the butter in a frying pan or heavy-based saucepan over medium heat. Add the tomatoes and toss until they art to break down (about 5 minutes). Add half the basil, season to tae, transfer to a heatproof dish and place in the oven, uncovered, for 7 minutes.

Place the tomato/basil mix in a mixing bowl and fold through the grated cheese.

Spoon the mixture into the tartlet cases and return to the oven for a further 7 minutes, or until the cheese forms a gratin topping.

Makes 4

To serve Place each tart on a serving plate, garnish with a small pile of rocket and the remaining basil and drizzle with a little extra-virgin olive oil.

Roaed Vegetable Frittata

450 g (15 oz) desirée potatoes, diced

450 g (15 oz) pumpkin, diced

extra-virgin olive oil

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

6 eggs

200 ml (7 fl oz) cream

1 cup (about 60 g/2 oz) parsley leaves, chopped

1 t butter

Preheat oven to 200°C (400°F).

Cut potatoes and pumpkin into similar sized cubes so they cook evenly (potatoes will take longer than the pumpkin). Toss in olive oil, salt and pepper and roast in hot oven until three-quarter cooked (approximately 30 minutes, depending on size of vegetables). Leave to cool. Reduce oven to 150°C (300°F).

Beat eggs and mix with cream and chopped parsley. Melt butter in an ovenproof non-ick pan, add egg mix then arrange cooked vegetables in the pan (make sure you don’t over fill because mix will rise) and cook over low heat until the bottom has set. Cook in oven until ju set in the centre and golden brown – about 15–20 minutes. If you don’t have a suitable ovenproof pan you can finish frittata under the grill.

Serves 4

Notes If there is any leftover egg mixture make another, smaller one.

Using the same egg and cream quantities you can make any flavour of frittata you like. For instance: mixed cheeses and herb; bacon, onion, potato and parmesan; roaed red onion, capsicum and fetta.

Frittata is great served hot or cold, so is ideal for a picnic.

Zucchini Slice

3 large zucchini (about 400 g/14 oz in all)

1 onion

2 rashers bacon (about 100 g/3 ½ oz)

20 g (1 tb) butter

40 g (1 1/3 oz) pecorino

40 g (1 1/3 oz) parmesan

4 free-range eggs

125 g (1 cup) self-raising flour

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F).

Grate zucchini, peel and dice onion and chop the bacon. Melt butter and gently soften onion in it until beginning to become translucent, then add the bacon and cook for a couple of minutes more. Remove from heat and chill.

While the bacon and onion mix chills grate the cheeses. Crack the eggs in a bowl and beat lightly.

Mix together the grated zucchini, bacon mix, cheeses and flour.

Combine this mix with the eggs.

Season if needed.

Pour into a greased, shallow tin and bake for 30 minutes.

Serves 6 as a light meal, 10 as a good snack

Notes This is great hot or cold.

The recipe is exactly the same as my mum’s – except she used tay cheese! I quite often have a few different cheeses in my fridge and like the combo of pecorino and parmesan.

Welsh Rarebit

250 g (8 oz) cheddar cheese, grated

185 ml (6 fl oz) pale ale

1 t English or Dijon muard splash of Worceershire sauce

1 free-range egg yolk

4 thick slices bread

In a saucepan heat the cheese, beer, muard and Worceershire, irring well. Whisk in the yolk and keep irring until the cheese has completely melted and the ingredients are well combined. Don’t worry that it is runny – it will firm up under the griller.

Toa four chunky bread slices and butter them.

Serves 2

To serve Place 2 slices of toa on each plate, or shallow bowl/plate, pour the cheese mixture over the top of the toa , then place the plates under the griller until the top is browned. Serve immediately.