Shuko Oda’s ankake chawanmushi
Chawanmushi was one of my favourite savoury egg dishes when I was a child. Its warm, silky texture and combination of simple ingredients are the perfect way to enjoy the umami flavour of dashi. The simple components of the dish mean that you can play around with seasonal ingredients. This particular recipe is a plain chawanmushi, with a thickened dashi to pour on top at the end.
Makes approx 4
For the dashi (makes 750ml)
bonito flakes 15g
hot water 750ml
For the chawanmushi
dashi 450ml (see above)
usukuchi soy sauce 15ml (Japanese light soy sauce, available online)
salt a pinch
eggs 3
For the topping
dashi 200ml (see above)
chanterelle mushrooms a handful
soy sauce 25ml
mirin 10ml
katakuriko 10g (potato starch, available online)
citrus peel, needle-cut ginger or a twist of black pepper to serve (optional)
To make a quick dashi, place the bonito flakes in a jar, pour in the hot water, put a lid on and leave for 3 minutes or until the bonito sinks to the bottom. Sieve this mixture through a piece of kitchen roll placed in a sieve. Cool and set aside the dashi until ready to use.
In a bowl, mix together 450ml dashi with the usukuchi soy sauce and salt. In a separate bowl, mix the eggs until well combined – so there are no big lumps of egg white.
Mix the contents of the 2 bowls together, and pour it through a fine sieve. Pour the mixture into 4 small ceramic cups, or as needed.
Place this in a steamer with a lid and steam for a couple of minutes. Move the lid slightly to let some steam out, and keep steaming like this with the lid slightly off for a further 25 minutes.
While the egg is steaming, prepare the sauce to go on top by pouring 200ml of dashi into a small pot, along with the chanterelle mushrooms, soy sauce, mirin and katakuriko. Place on a medium heat and keep mixing until it comes to the boil. Turn down the heat and keep mixing for a further 30 seconds.
Check the egg is cooked by inserting a skewer. If the juice that rises when you pierce the chawanmushi is clear, it’s ready. You could give it a little shake to see if it’s firm enough, too.
Place the chawanmushi cups on a small plate and pour over the sauce. To garnish, add either grated citrus peel, needle cut ginger or a twist of black pepper, and serve with a teaspoon.
Shuko Oda is the co-founder and executive chef of Koya, London
The Wolseley’s eggs Benedict
Serves 2
eggs 4, poached
muffins 4, toasted
ham 4 slices
chopped chives a good pinch
cayenne pepper a good pinch
For the hollandaise sauce (makes about 250ml)
white-wine vinegar 4 tbsp
shallots 2, coarsely chopped
peppercorns 10
butter 175g, cut into cubes
egg yolks 3
lemon juice of ½
salt
First make the sauce: put the vinegar, shallots and peppercorns in a saucepan and bring to the boil, then continue to boil until reduced by about two-thirds. Strain this reduction into a glass bowl.
Clarify the butter by melting it in another heavy pan over a gentle heat. Skim the surface until only clear liquid remains. Remove from the heat and allow it to settle and cool until tepid, then carefully tip out the clarified butter into a clean bowl, leaving any solid residue behind.
Place a round heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water. Add the egg yolks and the reduction. Beat the mixture over the heat until it forms a smooth, thick, pale mass.
Remove from the heat and whisk vigorously, adding enough of the clarified butter to make a thick and creamy sauce. It is important to whisk in the same direction all the time. This technique takes muscle and commitment, probably even a few trips to the gym. The reason why is to make a lovely, fluffy hollandaise sauce. It may not happen the first time, but practice will achieve fantastic results.
If the sauce should separate at any point, beat a fresh egg yolk with a spoonful of water in a clean bowl, then whisk the separated sauce into that; it should magically come back to a smooth sauce. Adjust the flavour with a little lemon juice and salt to taste. Keep warm.
While the eggs are poaching, toast the muffins, first removing a thin slice from the top of each. Keep the grill on.
Butter the toasted muffins and then arrange the ham on top of them. Press a good thumb- or spoon-print into the middle of each muffin to give the eggs a neat hollow. Put them back under the grill briefly to warm up.
When the eggs are cooked, drain them well and season with salt. Place them in their prepared hollows and ladle over the hollandaise. Sprinkle with cayenne pepper and chives to garnish.
Variations Eggs Arlington is simply a variation on eggs Benedict, in which the ham is replaced with long slices of smoked salmon formed into rings to receive the poached eggs. Eggs florentine is a vegetarian version of this type of dish, in which the ham or smoked salmon is replaced with some buttered cooked spinach.
From Breakfast at the Wolseley by AA Gill (Quadrille, £12.99)
David Tanis’s crab-stuffed devilled eggs
I really love devilled eggs – especially these. You can quote me.
Serves 4-6 as a snack or starter
organic eggs 12 large
dijon mustard 1 tbsp
sour cream or creme fraiche 60ml
cayenne a generous pinch
chives 1 tsp, snipped
crab meat 225g, picked over for shells and cartilage
lemon juice of ½
salt and pepper
Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil. Carefully put the eggs into the water and cook for 10 minutes. Remove the eggs to a bowl of ice water, and when they’re cool enough, crack them gently and return to the ice water, so they’ll be easier to peel.
Peel the eggs. Cut them in half, scoop out the yolks, and put them in a bowl (reserve the egg white halves). Mash the egg yolks with a fork, and fold in the dijon mustard, sour cream or creme fraiche, cayenne and half the chives. Gently fold in the crab meat and lemon juice, and season lightly with salt and pepper. Taste and adjust the seasoning, and spoon the mixture into the waiting egg-white halves.
Put the eggs on a platter or two, cover, and refrigerate. Just before serving, sprinkle the eggs with the rest of the chopped chives.
From Heart of the Artichoke by David Tanis (Artisan Books, £25)
Claudia Roden’s kukuye sabsi
The Persian eggah-type omelettes called kuku are generally baked in the oven. Kukuye sabsi is particularly Persian in flavour and texture. It is made with fresh green herbs and green vegetables, and sometimes with chopped walnuts and raisins. This is a traditional Iranian New Year’s Day dish. Its greenness is believed to be a symbol of fruitfulness in the coming year, bringing prosperity and happiness. Any favoured herbs may be used in addition to the usual parsley, spring onions, spinach and leeks. (One may use either or both of the last two). Dill, chervil, tarragon, chives and fresh coriander are others. A few chopped walnuts may be included to add to the quality of the texture and flavour.
Serves 6
leeks 2
spinach 120g
spring onions 4-5
eggs 6-8
parsley 2-3 tbsp, chopped
mixed fresh herbs 3 tbsp, chopped
walnuts 2 tbsp, chopped (optional)
raisins 2 tbsp (optional)
salt and black pepper
softened butter 2 tbsp
Wash the vegetables, dry them and chop them very finely. Beat the eggs in a large bowl, add the chopped vegetables, parsley and mixed herbs, and a few chopped walnuts or raisins if liked. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and mix well.
Butter an ovenproof dish and pour in the egg mixture. Bake in a slow oven (160C/gas mark 3) for 45 minutes, covering the dish for the first 30 minutes. The vegetables should be tender and the eggs set, with a golden crust on top. Alternatively, cook the kuku in a large frying pan like an omelette, and when the eggs have almost set, brown the kuku under a hot grill or turn out on a plate and slip back into the pan to colour the underside.
Serve hot or cold as a starter or side dish, accompanied by yogurt.
From A New Book of Middle Eastern Food by Claudia Roden (Penguin Books, £25)
Jeremy Lee’s walnut meringue tumble with rhubarb and curds
Serves 10-12
For the walnut meringues
walnuts 200g
egg whites 6
caster sugar 375g
For the vanilla ice-cream
vanilla pods 2
whole milk 600ml
egg yolks 6
caster sugar 200g
double cream 500ml
For the blood orange sorbet
caster sugar 250g
blood orange juice 500ml
lemon juice of 1 small
For the lemon curd
unwaxed lemons 3 large
unsalted butter 115g
caster sugar 225g
eggs 2 large, beaten
For the clementine curd
clementines 15
unsalted butter 110g
eggs 2, beaten
caster sugar 100g
For the roasted rhubarb
rhubarb 6 slender pink stems, trimmed
orange peel 1 strip
vanilla pod 1
crystallised stem ginger 1 piece
caster sugar 4 tbsp
To serve
double cream whipped lightly
blood oranges peeled, sliced very thinly
oranges peeled, sliced very thinly
walnuts roasted
icing sugar to finish
Begin with the walnut meringues. Heat the oven to 140C/gas mark 1. Line 2 trays with baking parchment. Scrupulously clean the bowl and the whisk. Roughly chop the walnuts, the coarser the better. Beat the egg whites until they form a stiff peak. Gently add half the sugar and then beat till the mixture stiffens. Add in the remaining half of the sugar and the walnuts. Fold deftly and swiftly. Place spoonfuls of the meringue, evenly spaced, on the baking parchment. Place the trays in the oven and turn the heat down to 120C/gas mark ½ until they’re palest gold colour and can detach easily from the parchment. Cool and then store in an airtight container until needed.
For the vanilla ice-cream, split the vanilla pods and scrape the seeds. Add the pods and seeds to a pan with the milk. Place on a moderate heat to come to a gentle simmer. Stir the egg yolks and sugar together. Pour the warmed milk onto the egg yolks and sugar, stirring all the while. Return this mixture to the pan and place once more on a moderate heat and stirring constantly. Cook until thickened, having a care not to curdle should the custard become too hot. Once cooked, pour in the cream and put to one side to cool completely. Strain the custard and then pour into an ice-cream machine and churn to manufacturer’s instructions.
To make the blood orange sorbet, in a pan, dissolve the sugar and sieved blood orange juice and bring to a gentle simmer and remove from the heat. Once the syrup has cooled completely, add the lemon juice. Tip the liquid into an ice-cream machine and churn to manufacturer’s instructions.
For the lemon curd, zest the lemons, avoiding any pith, then squeeze their juice. Add the zest and sieved juice to a heavy-bottomed saucepan with the butter, sugar and beaten eggs. Heat gently until the butter is melted then stir together and continue thus over a gentle heat until the curd is thickened.
Make the clementine curd following the same process.
Transfer the curds into bowls, cool, cover and refrigerate.
For the roasted rhubarb, preheat the oven to 180C/gas mark 4. Cut the rhubarb into very small pieces and strew on a shallow baking sheet. Add a strip of orange peel, a vanilla pod, the sliced crystallised stem ginger, then the caster sugar. Tumble all this together. Cover the tray with foil and place in the oven for 25-30 minutes until tender but not too collapsed. Set aside to cool.
Once all is in readiness for serving, with the elements cooled or, for the ices, frozen, clear the decks. Gather all your elements together and choose your favourite dish of epic proportions to serve.
Liberally trowel a spoonful of whipped cream onto the bottom of the meringues and randomly lay on the dish. Scoop the ices and dot over the meringues, alternating with spoonfuls of cream and curds. Add more meringues, as well as the slices of oranges and the rhubarb.
Bringing it all together in a riot, continue thus until you’ve used all the ingredients up and a great glorious tumble is achieved. Strew with chopped roasted walnuts and a generous dust of icing sugar.
Jeremy Lee is the chef-proprietor of Quo Vadis, London W1
