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)
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