Poached eggs on toasted
brioche with bacon-wrapped
asparagus
This dish is a lovely way to introduce
older children to stove-top cooking.
With very careful supervision, children
over seven years old can do this simple
and tasty breakfast all by themselves.
Ingredients
• 4-6 asparagus spears per person
• 2-3 bacon slices (½ a slice per
asparagus)
• 2 eggs per person
• 1 tablespoon of white vinegar for
egg poaching
• 1 slice of good quality brioche
• Salt and pepper for seasoning
Method
Everyone can help wrap the
asparagus with the bacon slices, and
older children can be introduced to
using a frying pan. Heat the pan to
low-medium and add a touch of olive
oil to stop the bacon from sticking.
Gently place the asparagus spears
in a wide non-stick pan or skillet. Fry
gently until one side of bacon is brown
and crisp. Using tongs, turn them over
carefully to brown the other side.
While the bacon is frying, crack the
eggs into a small bowl or cup, two at
a time. Poach the eggs by bringing
a pan of water and the vinegar to a
gentle boil before lowering the heat
to barely a simmer. The vinegar helps
to set the whites quickly. Stir the water
very carefully, and then lower the
eggs, two at a time, directly into the
centre of the swirl. Poach eggs for
2.5-3 minutes, before removing them
with a slotted spoon. Toast the brioche
while the eggs cook. Cut off any frilly
bits of egg white and place the eggs
gently on top of the brioche. When the
bacon is cooked, turn off the heat and
remove carefully from the pan with the
tongs and place next to the brioche
and eggs. Season and serve.
Pan-fried egg in toast with
crème fraîche and caviar, and
ponzu avocado mash on toast
This is another lovely brunch dish that
older children will be able to master
quickly. Again, use good quality bread
or brioche as the base. This recipe is for
one person but can be upped easily
for larger appetites and more people.
Ponzu sauce is a fruity vinegar is made
from Japanese yuzu fruit. It gives
a lovely tang and can be found in
Japanese supermarkets, delicatessens
and some of the bigger supermarkets.
Ingredients
• 1 slice of bread
• Butter for frying
• 1 egg
• ½ an avocado
• 1 tbsp of ponzu sauce
• 2-3 small cherry tomatoes
• 1 spring onion
• A dollop of crème fraîche
• 1 tsp of caviar
Carefully cut a heart shape out of the
slice of bread with a table knife and
set aside. Place the bread in a small
non-stick frying pan with a little butter
and fry very gently until the slice is
nicely toasted on one side. Flip over
and crack the egg into the heart-
shaped hole. Cover and fry on a low
heat until the white is just set (around
2 minutes). Meanwhile, spoon the
avocado half into a bowl and mash
with the ponzu sauce. Chop the cherry
tomatoes and spring onion finely and
mix them into the avocado mash.
When the egg is set, carefully place
the egg toast on a plate, and gently
May 2015
83
