Credit - Stephen Jackson.
Mascarpone-Fried Eggs with Beetroot Trout
(Serves 2)
Stephen recently discovered a novel way of cooking eggs that really piqued our interest, and we felt it would complement our cured smoked trout really beautifully. The original recipe uses cream as the base for cooking the eggs (similar to the classic ‘oeufs en cocotte’ method of baking eggs in cream until set), but this time using a pan or skillet, and allowing the cream to ‘split out’ and start to caramelise a little. It’s a tremendous way of doing eggs.
We then wondered if the same process would work with our house-made mascarpone, and thankfully, after a few (delicious) tests, we can state that it absolutely does! The creamy mascarpone gently splits, and sizzles gently around the eggs, resulting in a lovely tangy finished dish; creamy, slightly nutty, and absolutely perfect as a foil for our beetroot-cure trout. You could use our traditional-cure trout, or almost any topping you could think of. Maybe some grilled courgettes, or roasted peppers with our smoked sea salt? It’s really up to you, once you have the egg recipe locked down. We like the idea of serving the eggs at the table in the cooking pan, so you can dip and scoop immediately, but you can, of course, divide up the eggs and serve on buttered toast on separate plates, if you prefer.
INGREDIENTS
4 fresh free-range eggs
3-4 tablespoons Burnt Hill Mascarpone
Sea salt flakes
A few grinds of white pepper (or black pepper if you don’tmind the looks)
1 x 100g pack Burnt Hill beetroot cure smoked trout, finely chopped
A few chilli flakes (optional)
A few fronds of suitable fresh herbs (chives / tarragon / parsley / fennel, chervil)
Grilled or toasted bread for dipping and scooping (sourdough, baguette, flatbread etc.)
METHOD
Add the mascarpone to a suitably-sized non-stick pan or skillet. Allow it to gently melt and fill the pan. Season well with salt and pepper, and gently tip in the eggs. Turn up the heat to medium-high. The pan will start to steam and eventually sizzle as the fat separates out. This is what we want. When the whites are just set, remove the pan from the heat and set aside for a couple of minutes. To serve, arrange our beetroot trout on top, along with a dusting of chilli flakes and a few herb fronds. Dig in immediately!
