Crab baked eggs

These baked eggs can be served with toast instead of cornbread but, if you have time to make some and fancy the indulgence, cornbread makes a classic combination with crab.

SERVES TIME

2 30 minutes butter, for greasing

2 tbsp olive oil

1 small head fennel, finely sliced 1 garlic clove, finely chopped 20g baby spinach

1 tsp fresh dill, finely chopped 300ml double cream

20g parmesan cheese, grated grated zest of ½ lemon

2 eggs

4 slices cornbread (see book) chipotle and maple butter (see Tip) 100g fresh white crabmeat sea salt and black pepper chopped chives, to serve

★ Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Grease two 225ml ramekins with butter.

★ Place a large nonstick frying pan over a medium heat. Add the olive oil and fennel and sauté for 3-4 minutes until lightly coloured.

★ Add the garlic, cook for a further 1-2 minutes. Add the spinach and dill.

★ When the spinach has wilted, add the double cream, parmesan and lemon zest, then bring to the boil. Cook for 1 minute until slightly thickened, then remove from the heat. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper.

★ Distribute the spinach and fennel mixture between the two prepared ramekins. Crack an egg into each one and place them on a baking tray. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until the whites have set and the yolks are soft (cook for longer if you like firm yolks).

★ Just before the eggs have finished cooking, toast the slices of cornbread and spread with the chipotle and maple butter.

★ When the eggs are done to your liking, remove from the oven. Divide the crab meat between the ramekins. Sprinkle with chopped chives.

For the chipotle and maple butter, whip 200g unsalted butter with an electric whisk for 1 minute until pale and fluffy. Fold in 1 tbsp maple syrup, 2 tsp chopped coriander leaves and ½ a finely chopped chipotle chilli. Wrap in baking parchment, roll into a cylinder and refrigerate until needed.

TIp

Salt Beef and Potato PancakeS SERVES TO SERVE TIME

2 50 minutes

FOR THE PANCAKES

2-3 maris piper potatoes (approx 300g total), peeled and halved 2 eggs

250ml buttermilk

150g plain flour

2 tsp baking powder

2 spring onions, finely sliced

2 tsp grated parmesan cheese 60g cheddar cheese, grated 200g salt beef (from an artisan butcher or see book), finely diced 1 tsp wholegrain mustard

1 tsp sea salt

1 tsp black pepper vegetable oil, for frying

FOR THE HERBED CREME FRAICHE

4 tbsp crème fraîche 2 tbsp chopped chives grated zest of 1 lemon 2 poached eggs pickled cucumber

2 tbsp beetroot and dill purée (see Tip) parmesan cheese, shaved olive oil

★ Place the potatoes in a pan of water and bring it to the boil. Cook for 15-20 minutes, or until tender. Drain well and allow to cool slightly before transferring to a bowl and mashing roughly with a fork – don’t worry about a few lumps. You should have around 250g of mashed potato.

★ In a bowl, lightly beat the eggs with the buttermilk. Add this to the mashed potatoes and gently mix together. Sift in the flour and baking powder then mix again (take care not to beat it too furiously).

★ Add all the remaining pancake ingredients, except the vegetable oil, and mix until combined. Cover and leave to rest for 15 minutes.

★ Preheat the oven to 120C/ 100C fan/gas ½.

★ Heat a large nonstick frying pan over a low-medium heat and add enough oil to coat the base. When the oil is hot, add 3 tablespoons of the batter per pancake – fit as many as you can into the pan – and cook for 2 minutes until the underside is golden and small bubbles appear on the surface. Flip the pancakes over and cook until golden. Remove from the pan and keep warm in the oven while you cook the rest. You should be able to make six pancakes.

★ Mix together the crème fraîche, chopped chives, lemon zest and a pinch of salt and pepper in a bowl.

★ To serve, spread a couple of tablespoons of the crème fraîche on two serving plates then put three pancakes on top. Place a poached egg on each pancake stack, then add a small handful of the cucumber and a tablespoon of the beetroot and dill purée to each plate. Serve with the parmesan and finish with a drizzle of olive oil.

For the purée, put 4 medium beetroots in a pan, add a pinch of salt and cover with water. Bring to the boil and cook for 1-1 ¼ hours. Drain and set aside to cool then remove the skins and quarter. Place these in a food processor with 2 garlic cloves, 2 tbsp olive oil and 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar. Season and blend until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and fold in 1 heaped tbsp greek yogurt and ½ small bunch dill, finely chopped. Store in the fridge for up to 5 days.

TIP

Buttermilk Pancakes

In the summer, fresh berries will make a delicious alternative to the compote.

SERVES TIME

4 50 minutes 125g unsalted butter 450g self-raising flour 1 tbsp baking powder 170g caster sugar

3 large eggs

560ml buttermilk rapeseed oil, for greasing

TO SERVE

16 rashers good-quality dry-cured streaky bacon

4 tbsp berry compote

4 slices honeycomb butter (see Tip) good-quality maple syrup, to drizzle

★ Preheat the oven to 190C/170C fan/ gas 5. Place the bacon on a baking tray and cook in the oven until crispy. Place on kitchen paper and set aside.

★ While the bacon is cooking, melt the butter in a small pan over a low heat. Set aside to cool for 10 minutes. Once the bacon is cooked, lower the oven temperature to 120C/100C fan/ gas ½ then line another baking tray with parchment.

★ Sift the flour and baking powder into a bowl, then mix in the sugar and set aside.

★ Crack the eggs into a large mixing bowl and beat together, then whisk in the buttermilk until combined. Now, fold the melted butter into the egg mixture using a spatula. Once the butter is incorporated, add the flour mix and gently fold together until you have a thick pancake batter, being careful not to overmix. Set the batter aside for 10 minutes to rest.

★ Place two large nonstick frying pans over a low heat and brush with oil to coat. Once the pans are hot, spoon four generous tablespoons of the pancake batter into each, so you are cooking 8 pancakes. Fry gently for 5-6 minutes, until set and golden on the bottom. Flip them over to cook for a further 4-5 minutes.

★ When they are almost cooked, transfer them to the baking tray and place in the oven to keep warm while you cook the remaining 8.

★ Stack 4 pancakes on each plate. Put a tablespoon of berry compote on each stack. Crisscross 4 pieces of bacon over the compote, then balance a slice of honeycomb butter on top and drizzle with maple syrup.

For honeycomb butter, line a loaf tin with parchment. Combine 175g caster sugar with 175g golden syrup in a large, deep heavy-based pan. Cook over a low heat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has dissolved. Increase the heat to boil for 5-8 minutes, without stirring. Remove from the heat, add 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda and quickly stir using a wooden spoon. The mixture will bubble and foam. Pour into the loaf tin to set for 1½ hours. Remove from the tin and smash into bitesize pieces. Add 750g unsalted butter, softened, and mix to combine. Roll into a sausage using parchment and refrigerate until needed.

TIp

Chilli AvoCAdo on Sourdough with lemony roCket And Seeded CrACkerS SERVES TIME

2

1 hour 45 minutes 2 ripe avocados, halved, stoned and peeled

1 tsp dried chilli flakes

2 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for drizzling juice of ½ lemon

50g rocket

2 slices sourdough bread sea salt and black pepper

FOR THE SEEDED CRACKERS

30g pumpkin seeds 30g sunflower seeds 35g golden linseeds 1 tbsp poppy seeds

1 tsp sumac

1 tsp mustard seeds 35g white sesame seeds 40g quinoa

35g black sesame seeds 1 tsp sea salt

½ tsp black pepper 175ml warm water

★ Place all the cracker ingredients in a small bowl, add the warm water, mix well and set aside for 45 minutes, mixing every 10 minutes.

★ Preheat the oven to 180C/ 160C fan/gas 4 and line a baking tray measuring approximately 30cm x 25cm with parchment.

★ Spread the seed mix thinly and evenly across the surface of the prepared tray. Bake the crackers for 40-50 minutes until crisp and golden brown on both sides. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the tray before breaking into bite-sized crackers, or the size of your choice. The crackers can be stored in an airtight container for up to ten days.

★ To assemble, slice the avocado halves thinly. Gently apply pressure on top of each of the avocado halves using the palm of your hand – this will spread out the avocado so that you have overlapping slices. Season with salt and pepper and a sprinkle of chilli flakes, then drizzle with olive oil.

★ Combine the lemon juice and olive oil and use it to dress the rocket.

★ Toast the sourdough, then place a slice on each plate. Place half an avocado on to each slice of toast and serve with the rocket and crackers.

ChiCken, BaCon Jam and Cheddar ToasTed sandwiCh SERVES TIME TAKEN

40 minutes 1 tsp peppercorns

2 garlic cloves, crushed a few sprigs each of rosemary, thyme and parsley

2 bay leaves

1 carrot, roughly chopped

4 spring onions, roughly chopped 2 free-range or organic chicken breasts, skin on

4 slices sourdough bread softened butter, for spreading 4 heaped tbsp bacon jam (see book) 150g mature cheddar cheese, grated plus 75g for a cheesy crust (optional)

★ In a small pan that will fit the chicken breasts snugly, add the peppercorns, garlic, herbs, bay leaves, carrot, spring onions and 500ml water. Bring to the boil and simmer for 15 minutes.

★ Gently add the chicken and bring back to the boil. Cover, reduce the heat, then simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and leave the chicken in the pan to continue cooking in the broth as it cools down.

★ Once cool, remove the chicken breasts – they should be cooked through but check by piercing with a knife – the juices should run clear. Refrigerate until needed.

★ Arrange your sourdough slices on a chopping board. Spread the outer side of each slice with butter. Take two slices and spread two tablespoons of bacon jam on the non-buttered side of each.

★ Cut both breasts into thin slices, cutting at an angle. Arrange the slices on top of the bacon jam, and cover with the grated cheddar. Place the other slices of bread on top, buttered side up, so you’ve got two sandwiches ready for toasting.

★ Heat a large nonstick frying pan over a medium heat. Place both sandwiches in the pan (if they fit, otherwise do one at a time), and cover with a lid. Cook for a few minutes until the underside of the sandwich is golden – check by lifting one with a spatula. Carefully turn the sandwiches over with the spatula. Cover again with the lid and cook for a few minutes until almost done.

★ For the cheesy crust (why would you not?), carefully lift each sandwich in turn with the spatula and sprinkle half of the extra Cheddar into the pan underneath. Try to cover the same area as the sandwich so you don’t waste the cheese. Gently lower the sandwiches back down on top of the cheese and cook for 1-2 minutes until you hear the sizzling of the cheese stop. Wait a few more seconds then remove the sandwiches from the pan. Slice in half and serve.

Feta and Olive Cake MAKES TIME TAKEN

1 loaf

1 hour 30 minutes 225ml sunflower oil, plus extra for greasing

3 eggs

250ml milk

3 spring onions, finely sliced 100g kalamata olives, pitted and chopped

200g feta cheese, diced into 2cm cubes

65g sunblush tomatoes, finely sliced

4 tbsp chopped coriander 4 tbsp chopped mint 320g self-raising flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 heaped tsp sunflower seeds 1 heaped tsp black sesame seeds

1 heaped tsp white sesame seeds butter, for spreading, to serve

★ Preheat the oven to 180C/ 160C fan/gas 4. Grease a large loaf tin with oil, then line the base with parchment.

★ Whisk the eggs in a large bowl, then stir in the milk and oil. Add the spring onions, olives, feta cheese, sunblush tomatoes, coriander and mint, and stir again. Sift in the flour and baking powder and mix until combined.

★ Pour the mixture into the prepared loaf tin then sprinkle the sunflower seeds and black and white sesame seeds over the top. Bake for 50-60 minutes, until a skewer inserted at the centre comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 20 minutes before removing from the tin and placing on a cooling rack to cool completely.

★ Cut the cake into slices and serve toasted and buttered.

crumpets

You will need three crumpet rings to make these. The crumpets can be kept in the fridge for two days – they’ll just need to be toasted. Use a cloth or oven glove when removing the rings from the crumpets as the metal handles will become hot.

MAKES TIME TAKEN

proving time

30 minutes, plus

275ml whole milk

225g strong white bread flour 7g dried yeast

½ tsp caster sugar

½ tsp sea salt

1 tbsp butter, melted, for greasing, plus extra butter, to serve jam, to serve (optional)

★ Put the milk in a small pan with 3 ½ tablespoons water and place over a low heat for a few minutes until just hot. Remove from the heat and set aside.

★ Combine the flour, yeast, sugar and salt in a mixing bowl. Make a well in the centre then pour in the milk, stirring with a metal spoon until you have a smooth thick batter; it’s important not to overmix or the crumpets may be tough. Cover with a clean cloth and place in a warm place for 50 minutes to prove. The batter will start to rise and become sticky.

★ Place a large nonstick frying pan over a low heat and brush the base with a little melted butter. Brush the inside of three crumpet rings with butter, too, and place in the pan.

★ Stir the batter, then spoon three tablespoons into each ring. Cook for 10-12 minutes until the tops of the crumpets are just cooked – bubbles should appear and pop on the surface. Remove the rings (with a cloth, as they will be hot), turn the crumpets over, and cook for 1 minute more. Remove the crumpets from the pan using a spatula and repeat to cook the remaining batter.

★ Serve toasted with lots of butter and jam, if you like.