Béchamel sauce

Ingredients

425ml milk

a few parsley stalks

1 bay leaf

1 blade of mace

10 whole black peppercorns

1 onion, sliced (5mm thick)

40g butter

20g plain flour

salt and freshly milled black pepper

Method

Pour milk in a small saucepan

Add parsley stalks, bay leaf, mace, peppercorns and onion

Place over a low heat and bring to a simmer

Remove saucepan from the heat and strain milk

Melt butter on a low heat

Once melted, add flour and reduce to a medium heat

Stir vigorously to make a smooth paste

Add 25ml of the infused milk and continue to stir vigorously

Repeat above step until half of the infused milk is incorporated

Switch to a balloon whisk and add larger amounts of the remaining milk

Whisk briskly until all the milk is incorporated

Turn heat to lowest setting and cook for five minutes, whisking intermediately

Add salt and freshly milled black pepper to taste

Fried hen’s egg

Ingredients

20ml vegetable oil

1 hen’s egg

Method

Heat vegetable oil in frying pan over a medium-heat

Add egg and cook gently until cooked

Croque Madame

Ingredients

50g Scottish smoked salmon,

2 slices of white bread

5g of margarine

10g cheddar cheese

tbsp of butter

1 tsp Avruga caviar

Fried hen’s egg

Béchamel sauce

Method

Pre-set oven to 160C/gas mark 3

Make a sandwich with bread, margarine, smoked salmon and cheese

Heat butter in frying pan

Once butter has foamed, place sandwich into the pan

Fry each side until golden

Place sandwich on a tray and put in the oven

Cook for five minutes

Place sandwich on a serving plate and remove crusts

Top with fried egg and Avruga Caviar

Heat Béchamel sauce until hot

Pour Béchamel sauce on top

Garnish with micro-herbs such as pea shoots (optional)