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Such a quick and simple breakfast! The other weekend, I went to Spitalfields Market in London and found one of the Leon restaurants for the first time. Although I'd already had breakfast, I felt like something light (and cheap!). For under £3.50, I had a 'Poached Egg with Ham Hock and Truffle Gruyère Pot' (164 calories) http://www.leonrestaurants.co.uk/nutrition/dish_detail.php?=5 and a cup of coffee. It was amazing! And it got me thinking about making my own 'egg pots' in the microwave - not quite as authentic as Leon's, but incredibly easy to make.
For these egg pots, I used a couple of tablespoons of a ready-prepared cheese sauce, some creme fraiche, or a little, thick, parsley sauce (made up from granules), broke in a large egg, sprinkled over some grated cheese, and topped with either crumbled ham or smoked salmon and avocado. I then microwaved for a minute, checked the consistency and then microwaved for sets of 10-20 seconds, checking each time. My microwave is 800w and I used medium setting. Timing will depend on the wattage and the quantity of other ingredients, as well as how you like your egg! Having a sauce, as well as being tasty, prevents the egg from exploding in the microwave...I'll definitely go back to a Leon restaurant. Healthy, tasty food and reasonably priced, great combination! http://www.leonrestaurants.co.uk/menu/
(I bought one of the books, but actually haven't been inspired by it - as always, not too keen on having to follow a recipe that has lots of ingredients...)
Note:
In fact, writing this note in December, I've started to make this egg pot in a similar way to Leon's - poaching the egg in a saucepan instead of the microwave has the benefit of ensuring a runny yolk, and gives more consistent results. In this case, microwave the sauce and ham for about 20 seconds. Put a cooking ring in a saucepan of water, bring to the boil, remove from the heat and pour a broken egg from a jug into the centre of the ring, then leave with the saucepan lid on until the egg white is cooked. Put the egg on top of the hot soft cheese and ham, top with the grated cheese, and zap in the microwave for 10-15 seconds.
