Blanche Vaughan’s soft-boiled egg with anchovy toast
This is my favourite way to eat a simple boiled egg: crisp toast soldiers dipped into rich, runny egg yolk. There is something magical about the combination of salty anchovy, buttery toast and warm yolk.
I like to use salted anchovies, rather than those preserved in oil, as they blend more easily into the butter. They come packed in salt and need to be cleaned and filleted, which is easier than it sounds: just rinse them gently in water and remove the backbone with your fingers. Anchovies in oil will also work if you haven’t got salted ones; just make sure you drain them well. It’s worth making a larger batch of anchovy butter as it keeps for up to a week in the fridge and means that breakfast will be quicker to prepare next time.
Serves 1
eggs 1-2 , depending on how hungry you are
white bread or sourdough a slice, toasted
anchovy 1 whole, salted, cleaned and filleted
lemon juice a squeeze
unsalted butter 10g
freshly ground black pepper
Boil the egg(s) to your preferred consistency – I recommend soft-boiled. While the eggs are cooking, toast your bread and prepare the anchovy butter. Chop the anchovy finely and pound it with the lemon juice in a pestle and mortar, which will cause it to dissolve slightly. Add the butter and pepper, pounding until smooth and spreadable. (If you are using an anchovy in oil, you may need to add some salt at this stage.)
If you don’t have a pestle and mortar, you can do this on a chopping board. Chop the anchovy finely and then use the flat side of the knife blade to squash and spread it repeatedly. Transfer to a bowl and use a fork to blend with the lemon juice and then the butter.
Spread the butter on the toast and cut into soldiers. As soon as the eggs are cooked, crack open the top and get dipping.
From Egg – the Very Best Recipes Inspired by the Simple Egg by Blanche Vaughan (Weidenfeld & Nicolson, £22). Click here to buy a copy from Guardian Bookshop for £17.50
Tom Kerridge’s proper baked beans on soda bread toast
This is one of the first dishes that I ever cooked, albeit from a can! Everyone loves baked beans and my homemade version is really worth the effort. These will keep for three or four days in the refrigerator in a sealed container. They are also very good as part of a full English breakfast, or you could add curry powder when frying the onion to make curried beans. This soda bread has been served at The Hand & Flowers throughout both Michelin star awards, so I call it the Michelin-starred bread.
The joy of this soda bread recipe is that it is so easy to make. It’s not proven bread, so it won’t sound hollow on the bottom if you tap, but you’ll know when to take it out of the oven because it will be golden brown and smell fantastic.
Serves 4–6
dried white beans, such as haricot 400g
rapeseed oil 5 tbsp
smoked streaky bacon 200g, in one piece, then diced
onions 200g, chopped
garlic 2 cloves, grated
chopped tomatoes 2 x 400g tins
tomato purée 2 tbsp
soft dark brown sugar 150g
red wine vinegar 200ml
water 500ml
salt and pepper to taste
For the soda bread
plain wholemeal flour 340g
strong white flour 340g , plus extra for dusting
butter 45g, softened, plus extra for spreading
bicarbonate of soda 2 tsp
salt 1½ tsp
cracked black pepper 1 tsp
buttermilk 625ml
To begin with, cover the white beans in cold water and soak overnight. Meanwhile, make the soda bread. Preheat the oven to 200C/gas mark 6. Put both flours, the butter, bicarbonate of soda, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Stir in the buttermilk and use your hands to mix all the ingredients together until a soft dough forms. Transfer the dough to a greased baking sheet, pat into a loaf and dust with a little extra flour. Put the baking sheet in the oven and bake the bread for 45-50 minutes until it is wonderfully golden. Transfer the loaf to a wire rack and leave to cool completely.
After the beans have soaked overnight, drain them and put them in a large saucepan. Cover them with water and bring to the boil. Drain the beans again and return to the pan. Cover with fresh water and return to the boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for about 1 hour until the beans are just tender.
Top up with extra boiling water, if needed. Drain the beans and set aside.
Heat the rapeseed oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add the bacon and fry, stirring, for about 5 minutes until it is crispy and the lovely bacon fat and flavour is in the pan. Add the onion and garlic to the pan and continue stirring for 3-5 minutes until the onion is softened.
Add the tinned tomatoes, tomato purée, sugar, vinegar and water and bring to the boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Add the beans, reduce the heat to very low and simmer, uncovered, for 1½-2 hours until the sauce is thick and the beans are soft. Season.
When ready to serve, preheat the grill to high. Slice the soda bread and toast until crisp and golden brown. Spread the toast with butter and serve with the baked beans.
From Tom Kerridge’s Proper Pub Food by Tom Kerridge (Absolute Press, £20). Click here to order a copy for £16
Jeremy Lee’s Macroom oatmeal porridge
Serves 2
Macroom Oatmeal ½ teacup (you can also use pinhead oatmeal)
water 2½ teacups
salt ½ level tsp, if desired
Place the oatmeal in a saucepan. Add the liquid, stirring to avoid lumps. Bring to the boil, stirring continuously with a wooden spoon until it thickens. Leave to simmer for about 5 minutes. Serve with dark brown cane sugar and milk or cream. Ideally, porridge should be prepared the night before in a double cooker and reheated at breakfast. It may be kept in the fridge for a day or two, reheating as required.
Jeremy Lee is head chef at Quo Vadis, London; quovadissoho.co.uk
Skye Gyngell’s Bircher muesli
I eat this creamy, good-for-you muesli, almost every weekday, all year round. On Sunday evening, I put a large tub of oats to soak that will last us through until Friday and keep it in the fridge. In the morning I add a spoonful or so of plain yogurt, a drizzle of honey and whatever fruit is in season – strawberries, blueberries and raspberries in the summer; or stewed plums, apples or pears in autumn. Sweet tasting, packed full of goodness and sustaining enough to carry you through until lunchtime, it works a treat. The original recipe dates back to the 1890s and was created by Swiss Dr Bircher-Benner.
Serves 4
whole rolled oats 250g
lemon grated zest of 1
oranges grated zest and juice of 2
water 100ml
apples 2 sharp green dessert
plain yogurt 500g
runny honey 100ml
nuts 2 tbsp, toasted and chopped
summer berries large handful or autumn fruits 4-6 tbsp, poached
The night before, mix the oats, lemon and orange zest, orange juice and water together in a bowl. Cover and leave to soak overnight in the fridge. In the morning, grate the apples, leaving the skin on. Add to the soaked oats, together with the yogurt and honey, and mix well. Divide the muesli among 4 bowls. Scatter over the chopped nuts and top with the fruit.
From How I Cook by Skye Gyngell (Quadrille, £25). Click here to order a copy for £20
Trine Hahnemann’s cinnamon buns
There are countless recipes for these famous Scandinavian buns. Everybody claims theirs are the best, but who is to judge? I think they have to be soft, with a crisp shell, and that there has be cardamom in the dough. Also, the mixture has to have the right balance of spice and sweet. These are a home-baked version, very much a family affair. You can make the dough and leave it to rise in the refrigerator for one or two days. I never have time, because there are always some impatient children waiting.
Makes 18-20
For the buns
fresh yeast 50g
whole milk 500ml, lukewarm
egg 1, lightly beaten
00 grade (tipo 00) flour 850g, plus more to dust
caster sugar 100g
ground cardamom 2 tsp
salt ½ tsp
butter 150g, soft
For the filling
butter 200g, soft
caster sugar 150g
ground cinnamon 4 tsp
Crumble the yeast into the milk and stir to dissolve, then add the egg. Now mix in the flour, sugar, cardamom and salt. Mix the butter into the dough, then knead well on a floured work surface. Put the dough into a bowl, cover with a tea towel and let it rise in a warm place for one or two hours, or until doubled in size.
Make the filling by mixing the butter, sugar and cinnamon. Divide the dough in half and roll each piece out on a floured work surface to make a rectangle measuring about 40 × 30cm. Spread the cinnamon filling over each. Roll each piece of dough into a wide cylinder, starting from a long side to get a long, slim log, then cut into 2½cm slices.
Line some baking trays with baking parchment. Place the rolls on the paper, pressing down on each one so they spread slightly. Cover and leave to rise again, in a warm place, for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 180C/gas mark 4. Bake the cinnamon buns for 25-30 minutes. Leave to cool on a wire rack before serving.
From Scandinavian Baking by Trine Hahnemann (Quadrille, £25). Click here to order a copy for £20
