Food for Friends - Festive Eggs Bendict



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With Ruby and Ben. December 2012.

Ingredients: Per person: 2 eggs (poached), 4 thin slices of triple smoked gammon ham, 2 crumpets (toasted).
For the sauce: 600ml whole milk, 50 grams unsalted butter, 40g plain flour, teaspoon English mustard. (This quantity should make about 750ml which will do for about 4 servings).

1. Gently melt the butter in a pan, sprinkle in the flour, stirring with a wooden spoon to make a roux. Remove the pan off the heat and add a small amount of milk. Return to the heat and beat the milk into the roux until it is completely smooth.  Do this in three or four stages, each time removing from the heat to add the milk.

2. Once the roux has dissolved into a smooth milky paste, add the remainder of the milk, bring the mixture back up to a simmer, stirring all the time to stop any lumps forming. Once the mixture looks as if it won't thicken any more, simmer gently 5 minutes, stirring regularly, until it looks really glossy.  Add the mustard and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

3. While the sauce is being made, toast the crumpets and poach the eggs. When the sauce is ready, put the 2 slices of ham onto each of the crumpets. Pop one of the eggs on top of ham and then pour sauce over each. 

Strangely enough this also always seems to taste better when served with Champagne.