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Text: Leila Saffarian: Photographs: Bruce Tuck & Graeme Wyllie. Article from the October 2012 issue of Food and Home Entertaining Magazine.

It’s National Egg Day on 12 October, so we’ve whipped up a few delicious egg dishes that will leave everybody feeling satisfied and content

Parma ham and spinach baked eggs

Delicious and indulgent, definitely a winner when a celebratory breakfast is called for

Serves 6, EASY, 15 mins

16 slices Parma ham

200g baby spinach

salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

6 large free-range eggs

60ml (¼ cup) fresh cream .

30ml (2 tbsp) Parmesan, grated

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Lightly grease 6 small ovenproof dishes.
2. Line each dish with 2 slices of Parma ham, add the spinach and season.
3. Crack an egg into each dish and add 10ml (2 tsp) cream to each egg.
4. Cover with foil and bake until the egg white has just set, about 10 minutes. Remove the foil, sprinkle each egg with Parmesan and place under the grill until golden and bubbling, about 1 minute.
5. Serve hot with lots of crusty bread

Egg fact – Eggs age more in one day at room temperature than in one week in the fridge.

Eggy pizza bread

Serves 6 – 8, A LITTLE EFFORT, 50 mins

Dough

1kg white bread flour

1 x 10g sachet instant yeast

5ml (1 tsp) salt

15ml (1 tbsp) sugar

45ml (3 tbsp) olive oil

625ml (2½ cups) lukewarm water

homemade tomato sauce

4 large free-range eggs

2-3 large buffalo mozzarella balls salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

12 green asparagus spears, blanched fresh rocket, to serve

Parmesan, grated, to serve

1. For the dough, combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl and make a well in the centre.
2. Pour the oil and half of the water into the well and start pulling flour in from the sides of the bowl. Add the remaining water to form a fairly sticky dough.
3. Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and knead well until the dough becomes smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl and cover with a tea towel. Set aside to rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 35 minutes.
4. To assemble the pizza bread, roll portions of dough into circular shapes on a floured work surface and transfer to a baking tray dusted with flour. Spoon some tomato sauce onto the base, making 4 wells in the sauce.
5. Crack an egg into each well, add torn pieces of mozzarella and season.
6. Bake in a preheated 220°C oven until the base is crisp, the cheese has melted and the egg white has set, about 15 – 20 minutes.
7. To serve, scatter with fresh rocket and grated Parmesan.

Leila’s tip – love adding a few slices of Parma ham to this dish – a double batch would be wise as these pizza breads won’t stick around for long

Huevos rancheros

A classic Mexican breakfast: fried eggs smothered in a tasty homemade salsa served with warm tortillas

Serves 6, A LITTLE EFFORT, 35 mins

Salsa

60ml (¼ cup) olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

1 garlic clove, chopped

1 x 410g tin chopped tomatoes

5ml (1 tsp) dried chilli flakes

5ml (1 tsp) ground cumin

1 green chilli, chopped

2,5ml (½ tsp) sugar salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

6 fresh tortillas 6 large free-range eggs

2 spring onions, chopped, to serve

fresh coriander, to serve

chopped red chilli, to serve

1. For the salsa, heat 30ml (2 tbsp) olive oil in a large non-stick frying pan. Add the chopped onion and garlic and fry over medium-high heat, about 3 minutes.
2. Add the tomatoes, chilli flakes, cumin, green chilli, sugar and seasoning.
3. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer gently until the salsa has reduced slightly, about 15 – 20 minutes.
4. Heat 15ml (1 tbsp) of olive oil in a separate pan. When hot, add the tortillas and fry lightly until puffed, about 1 minute on each side. Remove from the pan and set aside.
5. Heat the remaining oil in a large non-stick frying pan over high heat and fry the eggs quickly so that they are crisp on the edges and the yolks remain soft.
6.  To serve, spoon salsa onto the tortillas, top with a fried egg and scatter with spring onions, fresh coriander and red chilli.

Soft-poached eggs with hash browns and crispy bacon

Serves 4, EASY, 10 mins

Nothing beats a soft-poached egg with old-fashioned, homemade hash browns and plenty of crispy bacon. Enjoy as a hearty breakfast or yummy brunch topped with fresh rocket

Hash Browns

1 large egg, beaten

4 potatoes, peeled, coarsely grated and squeezed

½  small onion, grated and squeezed

salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

vegetable oil, for frying

6 large soft-poached eggs

crispy streaky bacon, to serve

fresh rocket, to serve

sweet chilli sauce, to serve

1. For the hash browns, combine all of the ingredients, except for the oil, in a large bowl and season well.
2. Heat the vegetable oil in a large non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat.  When the oil is hot, add spoonfuls of the potato mixture to the pan and flatten with the back of a spoon.
3. Fry until golden and crisp, about 2-3 minutes on each side. Remove from the pan and drain on paper towel.
4. To serve, place the hash browns on a serving platter, top with a soft-poached egg, crispy streaky bacon and lots of fresh rocket.
5. Serve with sweet chilli sauce on the side.

Leila’s tip – I enjoy spicy food and the sweet chilli adds just a touch. For those who prefer more of a bite, add some chopped fresh red chilli to the mix for a fresh, spicy flavour burst.

Pasteis De Nata

makes 12, A LITTLE EFFORT, 45 – 50 mins

1 x 400g roll puff pastry

430ml (1¾ cups) milk

60ml (¼ cup) fresh cream

4 large egg yolks

50g (¼ cup) sugar

30ml (2 tbsp) flour

1 cinnamon stick

4 strips of lemon peel

2,5ml (½ tsp) vanilla extract

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease a 12-hole muffin pan.
2. For the pastry cases, roll the puff pastry out on a lightly floured work surface to 3mm thickness.
3. Cut 12 circles out of the pastry and roll the pastry rounds until fairly thin. Press them into the muffin pan, allowing the sides to spill over slightly.
4. For the custard, combine the milk, cream, egg yolks, sugar and flour in a medium saucepan. Mix well and add the cinnamon, lemon peel and vanilla.
5. Whisk the mixture over a low heat, stirring continuously. (Ensure the milk heats slowly, so that the eggs do not curdle.)
6. Continue stirring until the mixture thickens. Once thick, remove from the heat and discard the cinnamon and lemon peel.
7. Fill the pastry cases with custard, sprinkle with cinnamon and bake in the preheated oven until the pastry is cooked and the custard turns golden, about 15-20 minutes.

No kitchen is complete without a few eggs in the pantry. Rich in protein amino acids, calcium, sodium, iodine and vitamin A, B, D and E, it’s easy to see why the humble egg even has a day dedicated to it

Honey and lemon semifreddo

Serves 6-8, EASY, 4 hrs

1 large egg

4 large egg yolks

125ml (½cup) honey

310ml (1 ¼cups) fresh cream

zest of 1 lemon

a squeeze of lemon juice

1. Using a large heatproof bowl, beat the egg and egg yolks with the honey over a saucepan of simmering water until the mixture is thick and pale.
2. Whip the cream until thick and gently fold in the egg and honey mixture.
3. Add the lemon zest and juice and fold in. Pour into a loaf pan and drizzle extra honey over the top. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze for 3 – 4 hours.
4. When ready to serve, turn the semifreddo onto a serving plate and drizzle with extra honey before slicing. 

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