Food

Mothers Day Ideas: Eggs Royale

Posted on February 27, 2013

We’re talking to experts all week about great Mothers Day ideas, and one that’s bound to impress is treating her to a gourmet breakfast.

Nothing says thank you, or indeed I love you, quite like a hard toiled over breakfast. And even though mum would still beam with gratitude upon receiving burnt toast and rubbery eggs, it only takes a little bit more effort to get to gourmet greatness.

We caught up with Marcus Bennett, Michelin Bib Gourmand winning chef at newly opened Muse in Yarm, North Yorkshire, to get the step-by-step guide to create a morning Mum will remember.

If you were preparing a breakfast treat for your mum on Sunday Morning, what would you make?

Eggs Royale with a Rossini champagne cocktail. A full English is too heavy first thing on a morning; this is more luxurious, feminine, lighter and far more ‘special’ by being unusual. The cocktail is a great Mother’s Day idea – it reminds me of spring and summer; it’s very fresh.

If you’re not a natural cook and feel nervous about coordinating it all, the great thing about this dish is that a lot of it can be prepared beforehand: eggs can be pre-poached and left in cold water and then put back in boiled water. Spinach can be wilted, and salmon can be cut.

As for presentation, a great tip for this dish is to present it symmetrically on the plate.

Your website describes your menus as being made up of ‘classic dishes with a twist’ – where does your inspiration come from for creating something a little bit different?

I’ve been able to work all over Europe and indeed the world, as well as having had the pleasure of eating in some very good restaurants.

Cooking is an art and that’s where the name of the café, Muse, came from. We are very artistic and love art and creating. I’m also very particular about presentation.

What’s your best selling dish?

Fillet of pork wrapped in parma ham with apple compote, black pudding mash, baby onions, pancetta and Madeira jus.

You place emphasis on quality ingredients – do you think that is as important in home cooking? Can you achieve the same results at home as in a professional kitchen?

I do think that’s vitally important and 10 years ago, I would have said no, you couldn’t replicate restaurant standard food with supermarket ingredients, but they’re actually very good now. Obviously there are exceptions that will be hard to come by, like smoked eel, truffles or foie gras, so you would have to visit a restaurant to benefit from a professional touch.

Did your mum teach you any tips that have stuck with you?

How to bake bread.

All this talk of food is making us hungry, so as promised as part of our Mothers Day ideas, here’s the recipe to make your own Eggs Royale (serves 1):

Ingredients

2 eggs
100ml of hollandaise sauce
100g of spinach with the stalks removed and washed
1 English muffin cut in half
100g of smoked salmon, torn into strips about 1″ wide

Recipe

Step 1: Bring a litre of water to the boil in a pan, along with 2 tablespoons of white wine vinegar, and then reduce the heat to a gentle bubble.

Step 2: Crack the eggs into separate cups or ramekins, ready to be poured in.

Step 3: Stir the water in the pan until a whirlpool is created, this will help the eggs to keep their shape.

Step 4: Pour in the eggs slowly so that the white goes in first and the yolk drops into it. The spinning water should shape the egg into a little purse shape. Leave that to simmer for around 4 minutes and then remove from the pan.

Step 5: Place the spinach into a pan with a little butter and cook until it starts to wilt. Season with salt and pepper and remove from the pan, squeezing out any excess juice.

Step 6: Toast the muffins on both sides and place on a plate.