Bread baskets with poached eggs

Serves 4 Preparation time 15 minutes Cooking time 10 minutes Serve it with a smoked-salmon rosette and soy-flavoured mushrooms.

You need

• 1 tablespoon (15ml) butter • 4 slices of bread • 1 litre water • 1 tablespoon (15ml)

white-wine vinegar • 4 eggs (use the freshest eggs for poaching) • 2 extra slices of bread, for draining the poached eggs

FOR THE SALMON AND SOY MUSHROOMS • 120g mushrooms • 2 tablespoons (30ml) butter • 1 teaspoon (5ml) soy sauce • 30g smoked-salmon rosettes

This is how

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Butter the bread, heat in the microwave for a few seconds and press carefully into the hollows of a large muffin tray to form baskets. Bake for about 5 minutes or until toasted. Remove from the oven and set aside on a cooling rack.

Bring water to the boil, then reduce to a simmer (the perfect temperature is between 71°C and 82°C). Add vinegar. Cook the eggs one at a time: break it into a ramekin, stir the water and pour the egg into the swirling water. The circular movement will bring the egg white together. Remove with a slotted spoon after 4-6 minutes, depending on how you like your egg. Drain on a slice of bread.

Fry the mushrooms in butter. Drizzle soy sauce over and spoon into the bread baskets. Top each with a poached egg and a salmon rosette.

• Recipe from Jackie Cameron Cooks at Home (Penguin) penguinbooks.co.za