EGGED ON
“THESE CODDLED EGGS ON CAULIFLOWER PURÉE WERE INSPIRED BY ALVIN CAILAN’S SIGNATURE DISH AT EGGSLUT IN LOS ANGELES”
CROQUE MADAME GRATIN WITH PARMESAN CORN
“Don’t be afraid of its restaurant-only reputation – the croque madame is a really simple and satisfying brunch, or even dinner, to make at home. Poach the eggs slightly less than you would normally as they do spend a little time in the oven.”
Serves 6
A LITTLE EFFORT
GREAT VALUE
Preparation: 30 minutes
Cooking: 35 minutes
For the white sauce: butter 50 g
flour 80 g
milk 2½ cups
Dijon mustard 1 t
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Parmesan 30 g grated, plus extra for serving
white vinegar 2–3 T
free-range eggs 12
sweetcorn 2–3 cobs, cooked
sourdough or ciabatta 1 loaf, sliced and toasted
streaky bacon 250 g, oven-baked
microgreens, to garnish
To make the white sauce, melt the butter in a saucepan. Stir in the flour until smooth. Pour in Bring a small to medium saucepan of water to the boil and add the vinegar. Reduce the heat until the water is barely bubbling and, using a slotted spoon, make a whirlpool in the centre of the water. Break an egg into a tea cup or bowl and carefully drop it into the swirling centre and simmer for 2–3 minutes, or until set for a soft egg (cook for a further 1–2 minutes for a harder egg). Gently remove using a slotted spoon and place on kitchen paper to drain. Repeat with the remaining eggs. Preheat the grill to 200°C. Slice the kernels from the corn cobs and arrange on the toast on a baking dish or tray. Top with the bacon, poached eggs and generous spoonfuls of white sauce, season and grill for 5 minutes, or until the sauce starts to brown. Serve hot with more grated Parmesan and microgreens.
