(Serves 4)
Credit: Stephen Jackson
1 litre carton of beetroot juice
8 large free-range hen’s eggs
60g Yorkshire Rapeseed Oil mayonnaise
2 tsp Dijon Mustard
1 small banana shallot, peeled and very finely minced
1 tsp white wine vinegar
1 tbsp finely chopped chives
1 tbsp finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
Maldon salt & freshly ground black pepper
½ tsp sweet paprika, for garnish
1 x 100g pack Beetroot Cure Cold-Smoked Trout
Method:
First, prepare the eggs. Bring a large pan of well-salted water to a rolling boil. Carefully lower the eggs into the water and boil gently for 10 minutes. Plunge the eggs immediately into a bowl of ice-cold water and allow to cool completely. Remove from the water and pat each egg dry. Using the flat blade of a table knife (or by hand-rolling on a hard surface), gently crack the eggshells all over, being careful not to remove any of the shell. Place in a suitable container, and cover completely with the beetroot juice. Refrigerate for 8-10 hours to allow the beetroot juice to work its magic. After soaking, remove each egg from the juice, rinse under the tap and peel carefully. They should be beautifully marbled with a pinky-purple pattern.
To make the mimosa eggs, carefully cut around the eggs lengthways, keeping the yolks whole, which will give you 16 perfect halved egg whites. Set these aside. Pass the yolks through a fine sieve to obtain a fine egg ‘snow’. In a separate bowl, mix together the mayonnaise, mustard, shallot, vinegar, chives, parsley, pepper and salt. Gently mix in the yolk snow and stir together until smooth and uniform. Taste for seasoning. Pipe or spoon the yolk mixture equally into the egg whites. Dust each egg with a little sweet paprika and refrigerate until required. They taste best at an ambient temperature, so remove from the fridge about 30 minutes before eating.
Serve with a few crunchy salad leaves (Romaine, Watercress, etc.) and slices of sourdough or rye bread, spread thickly with quality salted butter. Here’s where a nice Provence or Douro rosé would come in handy!
