Toad in the hole
The key to perfect toad in the hole is to have a sufficiently hot oven and to get the tray and oil really hot before putting the batter in.
Serves 6
plain flour 125g
cold milk 150ml
cold carbonated water 150ml
eggs 3, beaten
sea salt 1½ tsp
chipolatas 12 (chipolatas give a better ratio of batter to sausage)
oil 6 tbsp (a mixture of sunflower and olive oil works well)
The quantity of batter given here will also make 12 individual Yorkshire puddings: simply pour a little oil into the holes of a preheated muffin tray and pour the batter in. You will need to reduce the cooking time by about 15 minutes.
First make the batter. Sift the flour into a bowl and put the milk, water, beaten eggs and salt into a jug.
Make a well in the centre of the flour and pour the milk and egg mixture into it, a little at a time, stirring as you go to bring in the flour bit by bit. Keep pouring and continue to stir until you have a smooth batter. Set aside to rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes or overnight if necessary.
Preheat the oven to 200C/gas mark 6. Fry the chipolatas in 2 tablespoons of the oil until they are well browned all over. Pour the remaining oil into a medium-sized roasting tin or baking tray and put into the oven to heat for a few minutes.
Carefully remove the tray filled with the hot oil and lay the sausages into it, scraping the delicious, gooey sediment produced by the sausages from the frying pan into the tray. Pour the batter all over them, so they become partially submerged and put it into the oven.
Bake for 20 minutes, then reduce the heat to 180C/gas mark 4 and bake for a further 20 minutes, by which time the top will be golden and crisp and the batter will have risen dramatically. Resist the temptation to take the pudding out of the oven earlier when the top looks cooked, as the batter at the base won’t be cooked enough.
Kale and chorizo on toast with poached egg
If you don’t fancy using kale, chard or large-leaf spinach are good substitutes. The eggs are poached, but you could just as easily use a soft-boiled instead.
Serves 4
kale 400g, tough stalks removed, roughly chopped
olive oil 2 tbsp
cooking chorizo 200g, sliced
garlic 1 clove, sliced
red chilli 1, seeded and sliced
cumin seeds 2 tsp, dry-roasted and ground
poached eggs 4
toast 4 slices
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and cook the kale for 4 minutes or until tender. Drain and set aside.
Heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium heat and fry the chorizo slices on both sides until brown. Add the garlic, chilli and cumin and fry a little to soften the garlic, without allowing it to brown.
Add the cooked kale and season to taste. Toss the pan a little to coat everything with the chorizo-flavoured oil.
When you have cooked your eggs, pour a little oil over each slice of toast and cover with the kale and chorizo mixture. Place a poached egg on top of each and serve.
Lentil curry with eggs
This meat-free dish provides all the protein you need. Not only is it spicy and filling, it can also be put together in no time.
Serves 4-6
brown lentils 400g
fresh ginger 30g, peeled
garlic 4 cloves, peeled
red chillies 2, stalks removed
onion 1, roughly chopped
sea salt 1 tsp
vegetable oil 2 tbsp
tomatoes 4, skinned, seeded and chopped (you could also use tinned peeled plum tomatoes, drained, seeded and chopped)
hard-boiled eggs 4, peeled
fresh coriander 20g, roughly chopped
natural yoghurt 4 tbsp
For the spice mix
cardamom pods 1 tsp
cloves 6
cumin seeds 3 tsp
turmeric 2 tsp
bay leaves 2
cinnamon stick 1
Put the lentils into a large pan, cover with cold water and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and leave to cook for 15-20 minutes, or until tender, topping up the water if needed.
Meanwhile, make the spice mix. Place a large frying pan, without any oil, over a medium heat and add the cardamom pods, cloves and cumin seeds. After about 30 seconds they should start to give off a toasted, fragrant aroma. Shake the pan gently and cook for another 30 seconds then immediately remove from the heat and grind in a pestle and mortar or spice grinder. Once partially ground, you can remove and discard the papery husks of the cardamom, releasing the black seeds inside. Continue grinding until you have a coarse powder. Add the turmeric, bay leaves and cinnamon stick and set aside.
Put the ginger, garlic, whole chillies, onion and salt into a food processor and blitz to make a paste. Return the frying pan to the heat and add the oil. When it is hot, add the paste and fry over a medium heat for a few minutes. Then add the spice mix and the tomatoes and cook on a low heat for another 5 minutes or so.
When the lentils are tender, strain them to remove any excess liquid (reserving the liquid) and return the lentils to the pan. Add all the aromatic spice mixture and the boiled eggs to the pan and stir well. If the mixture looks too dry add some of the reserved liquid to make a loose sauce.
Cook the lentils for another 5 minutes so they become infused with the spice flavours. (Up to this point, everything can be done in advance and reheated when needed.)
When you’re ready to serve, sprinkle with the chopped coriander and stir in the yoghurt to make a creamy sauce surrounding the lentils and eggs. This is delicious on its own although you could serve with some sauteed spinach and steamed basmati rice.
Herb and potato frittata
You will need an ovenproof frying pan with a fairly small diameter (about 15-20cm). This will produce a lovely deep frittata which can be cut into thick slices. This is a good, quick dish to make if you have leftover cooked potatoes, and the method also works for a variety of alternative fillings. A good frittata is never too crowded with ingredients, just keep the combinations simple.
Serves 4-6
Charlotte, Roosevelt or other slightly waxy potatoes 450g or about 3 medium
butter 15g
shallot 1, sliced
sea salt
mixed herbs, such as parsley, basil or marjoram 60g, roughly chopped
eggs 8, lightly beaten
nutmeg a grating
freshly ground black pepper
olive oil 1 tbsp
Preheat the oven to 200C/gas mark 6. Cut the potatoes into quarters lengthways, then into ½cm slices. Rinse the potato slices then cook in a large pan of boiling water for 6-8 minutes, or until tender. Drain and set aside to cool.
Melt the butter in the frying pan and add the sliced shallot and a little salt. Cook over a gentle heat for 5 minutes or so until soft but not coloured.
Put the chopped herbs and shallots in a bowl with the potatoes. Pour in the eggs and carefully stir to create a loose mixture. Grate over a little nutmeg and season well with salt and pepper. (If you plan to eat this cold, remember to add a bit more salt than you usually would.)
Heat the oil in the same pan that you cooked the shallots. When the oil is almost smoking hot, pour in the frittata mixture. Cook for about 5 minutes, to allow the bottom to get brown and set, then slide the pan into the preheated oven to cook the top. This should take about 15-20 minutes, depending on the thickness, but keep testing it by pressing the middle gently. It should feel just firm.
When it is done, remove from the oven and slide a palette knife around the edge to loosen it, before inverting it onto a plate.
Rhubarb meringue tartlets
You can make this as one large tart, but soft meringue can be tricky to cut into slices, so use a hot knife for a clean cut.
Makes 6 small tarts
For the sweet pastry
unsalted butter 80g
caster sugar 50g
fine sea salt a pinch
egg yolk 1
plain flour 160g, plus extra for dusting
rhubarb 300g, washed and sliced into 5cm lengths
vanilla pod ½
brown sugar 15g
orange juice of 1
sweet pastry 1 quantity (see above)
For the meringue
caster sugar 240g
golden syrup 1 tbsp
eggs whites 4, fresh, at room temperature
fine sea salt a pinch
cream of tartar 1 tsp
Both the pastry and rhubarb can be prepared in advance; the tart can also be served the day after baking if required.
Preheat the oven to 150C/gas mark 2. To make the pastry, mix the butter and sugar with a pinch of salt in an electric mixer or in a large bowl with a handheld blender, until smooth and creamy. Add the yolk and continue to mix so it is well combined.
Add the flour and mix briefly, then scoop the mixture into a clean bowl, add a tablespoon of cold water and, using your hands, bring the pastry together. Add another tablespoon of water if necessary to form a cohesive but firm dough. Wrap in cling film and allow to rest for at least an hour or overnight in the fridge.
Roll the pastry out on a floured surface to 5mm thick and use to line 6 loose-bottomed tartlet tins, approximately 12cm in diameter. Place in the fridge to rest for 20 minutes.
Line each tin with baking parchment and baking beans and bake blind for 15 minutes. Remove the paper and beans and return to the oven for another 15 minutes, or until the pastry is golden brown. Remove and leave to cool.
Put the rhubarb pieces in a single layer in an oven dish. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla pod (put the pod into a jar of caster sugar to make vanilla sugar) and add the seeds to the rhubarb along with the sugar and orange juice. Bake for 30 minutes, or until just tender. Leave to cool.
Pass the rhubarb through a sieve, reserving the liquid to make a sauce later. Mash the rhubarb pulp together to make a spreadable mixture and then spread over the base of each tart shell.
To make the meringue, put the sugar and golden syrup in a small pan and just cover with water. Heat gently, without stirring, until all the sugar has dissolved. Turn up the heat and boil, again without stirring, until the syrup reaches 120C (on a thermometer), this will take a couple of minutes. Meanwhile, whisk the egg whites in an electric mixer on low speed until it starts to foam, then add the salt and cream of tartar. Increase the speed to medium and whisk just until soft peaks start to form.
When the syrup is ready, start whisking the whites on a low speed while pouring the hot syrup down the side of the bowl in a slow, steady stream. Increase the speed to high and beat until the mixture stops steaming or the bowl feels cool to the touch. This can take up to 10 minutes. During this time, the whites are cooking in the heat of the syrup and they will become very thick and smooth.
Spread the meringue over the tops of the tarts and make little peaks on the top with your knife. Alternatively, use a piping bag and nozzle. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes or use a blowtorch to lightly brown the tops. Reduce the reserved rhubarb liquid in a small pan, adding a little more sugar if necessary, to serve alongside the finished tarts.
Baked apple pudding
This is an old-fashioned pudding of pureed, spiced apple with a fluffy, crunchy top. The recipe uses breadcrumbs instead of flour. It’s a good excuse to seek out a better quality white sourdough or pain de campagne and turn the leftovers into crumbs.
Serves 4
unsalted butter 220g
lemons 2
Bramley or cooking apples 4, medium, peeled, cored and cut into quarters
bay leaf 1
cloves 2
caster sugar 180g
eggs 2, separated
plain flour 2 tbsp
ground cinnamon a pinch
fine white breadcrumbs 200g
Preheat the oven to 180C/gas mark 4 and butter a deep 20cm ovenproof dish. Melt 20g of the butter in a pan over a low heat. Pare the zest of one lemon into large strips and add to the pan, along with the squeezed juice. Add the apples, bay leaf and cloves. Cover and cook for 10-15 minutes or until the apples are soft and collapsing.
Push the cooked apple through a large sieve or colander, discarding the bay leaf, cloves and zest, to make a smooth puree. Set aside to cool.
Beat the remaining butter and sugar until light and fluffy, add the egg yolks and mix well. Fold in the flour, cinnamon and breadcrumbs, and grate in the zest of the remaining lemon.
Whisk the egg whites until they form stiff peaks. Stir a large spoonful of them into the cake mixture to loosen it, then carefully fold in the remaining whites.
Put the apple purée into the bottom of the prepared dish and spread the cake mixture on top. Bake for 45 minutes or until golden and slightly risen. Serve hot, straight from the dish, with cream on the side.
Rich chocolate, almond and orange cake
A wonderfully rich and intense chocolate cake, loosely inspired by the dense sachertorte from Vienna.
Serves 6-8
dark chocolate 85g, good-quality, minimum 70% cocoa solids
unsalted butter 120g
caster sugar 120g
ground cinnamon 2 pinches
ground allspice 2 pinches
vanilla extract 1 tsp
orange zest of ½
eggs 3
milk 2 tbsp
ground almonds 150g
plain flour 60g
baking powder ½ tsp
For the glaze
dark chocolate 80g, minimum 70% cocoa solids
sugar 1 tbsp
unsalted butter 20g
orange marmalade 4 tbsp
Preheat the oven to 180C/gas mark 4 and butter and line a 23cm round springform or loose-bottomed cake tin.
Place a heatproof bowl over a pan of gently simmering water, making sure the base of the bowl is just above the water. Add the chocolate to the bowl and heat until it melts completely.
Put the butter, sugar, spices, vanilla extract and orange zest in a separate large bowl and beat until light and fluffy, using an electric whisk if you have one. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, and then the milk and ground almonds, followed by the melted chocolate. Sift in the flour and baking powder and gently fold everything together.
Pour into the prepared tin and bake for 30 minutes. Test to see if the cake is done by inserting a skewer into the middle; it should come out clean. Allow to cool completely before turning out onto a wire rack.
To make the glaze, put the chocolate, sugar, butter and 2 tablespoons of water in a pan and melt very gently over a low heat. It should become smooth with a loose, pouring consistency. If not, add a little more water.
Put the marmalade in a separate pan with a tablespoon of water and bring to the boil. Pour through a sieve to remove the pieces of rind, so you are left with a smooth jelly.
Spread a layer of the marmalade over the top of the cake, then pour or spread the chocolate glaze over the top, letting it dribble down the sides. Use a palette knife to then smooth it over the cake and around the sides.
Chocolate, almond and pear Eton mess
This is a richer version than the usual Eton mess. The dark chocolate, almond meringue and pears make an even more delicious and decadent alternative. For best results, when whisking egg whites don’t use the very freshest eggs. You can also store separated whites for a few days in the fridge, or freeze them and defrost when needed. This recipe can easily be made up to 2 hours in advance and kept in the fridge.
Serves 4-6
For the meringue
egg whites 4, medium (about 140g)
fine sea salt a pinch
caster sugar 280g (or double the weight of the whites)
ground almonds 80g
For the mess
comice pear 1, large, very ripe, peeled and cored
lemon juice 1 tsp
dark chocolate 40g, minimum 70% cocoa solids
double cream 250ml
Preheat the oven to 110C/gas mark ¼. To make the meringue, whisk the egg whites with the salt until they form soft peaks. Continue whisking, adding a few large spoonfuls of sugar at a time, making sure it’s all incorporated before you add the next bit. The mixture should start to become silky and thick. When it’s all incorporated, keep mixing for a few more minutes until glossy, thick and forming stiff peaks. Fold in the ground almonds into the mixture.
Lay a piece of baking parchment on a baking sheet and scoop large spoonfuls of the meringue mixture onto the paper, leaving enough space around the sides so that there is room for them to expand in the oven. Bake for 1½-2 hours, or until they are dry and crisp and easy to lift off the paper. Allow to cool before crumbling into pieces.
Cut the pear into small pieces and sprinkle with the lemon juice to prevent discolouring. Slice the chocolate into thin shards, or grate it through the largest holes of a grater. Whisk the cream until it forms soft peaks, taking care not to over whisk.
Carefully fold the meringue pieces, pear and chocolate into the cream, reserving some chocolate. Serve in individual bowls or glasses with the reserved chocolate sprinkled on top.
Recipes extracted from Egg by Blanche Vaughan (Weidenfeld & Nicolson, £22). Click here to buy a copy for £17.60 from the Guardian Bookshop
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