Kimchi and Gochujang skillet eggs

If you're a kimchi addict you'll love this spicy way of serving eggs from Ed Smith's fabulous book Good Eggs. And if you're not it should convert you! 

Ed writes: Taking much inspiration from a Korean kimchi jiggae (stew) these eggs are packed with flavour and extremely convenient. Sliced tteok (thin, pleasingly chewy and bouncy discs made of rice flour) are available online if not near you and provide heft and texture to the dish. You could alternatively (or additionally) serve these eggs with plain rice or scoop it up with any fresh, bouncy or pliable bread.

For 1

Oil for frying

50-60g (1 3/4-2 1/4 oz) bacon lardons (optional)

1 spring onion (scallion) sliced finely on a diagonal, whites and greens kept separate

100g (3 1/2 oz) kimchi, larger bits roughly chopped

2-3 tbsp kimchi brine

1 tbsp gochujang

60g (2 1/4 oz) sliced fresh tteok (Korean rice cakes)

2 medium eggs

1/3 tsp gochugaru pepper flakes or another chilli flake)

1/2 tsp toasted sesame seeds

Pour a hint of oil into a 20-22cm (8-9in) frying pan (skillet) set over a medium high heat. Before the pan is hot, add the lardons, if using and let these render and fry for 5 minutes until beginning to colour and crisp. Add the white parts of the spring onion, cook for one minute more, stirring, then add the kimchi, kimchi brine, gochujang and 100ml (scant 1/2 cup) water. Simmer for 5 minutes until the liquid in the pan is around 1cm (1/2 in) deep.

Scatter in the rice cakes, then make wells in the centre between mounds of kimchi and crack the eggs into them. Reduce the heat a little, cover and gently simmer for 2 1/2 - 3 minutes until the whites are set. Remove from the heat. If the whites aren’t firm by this point keep the pan off the hob but return the lid and check again after 30-60 seconds.

Scatter over the gochugaru flakes, sesame seeds and spring onion greens. I like to eat this with a spoon straight from the pan.

Also consider

• Draping 1-2 slices of burger cheese over the top or grating over some parmesan. Honestly.
• If you have instant dashi powder, make this more brothy (like a jiggae) substituting the water with 400-500ml (1 3/4 - 2 cups) dashi
• Omitting the rice cakes and serving with instant ramyun noodles

What to drink: Depends a bit when you're eating it. If at breakfast maybe a cup of genmaicha. Later in the day, a lager. 

Credit: Good Eggs by Ed Smith (Quadrille, £22), Photography © Sam A. Harris

Classic hot cross buns

The perfect Easter recipe comes from a lovely book called A Good Egg by Bristol-based cookery writer Genevieve Taylor who describes herself as an 'urban henkeeper'.

This isn't the eggiest of them but there are some brilliant ideas for how to use eggs imaginatively, written in diary form to tie in with the seasons.

Genevieve writes: "Why go to the bother of making your own hot cross buns? Well, first, you can add as much spice as you like, and secondly your house will smell divine as they bake.

This recipe, like a lot of breads –particularly the sweet ones, uses an egg to enrich and soften the dough. The flour-paste cross on the top adds nothing in the taste department but is completely necessary all the same."

makes 12 buns

150ml hand-hot water (use half boiling & half cold)

1 tbsp dried yeast

40g caster sugar

500g strong (bread) flour

1 heaped tsp ground mixed spice

1 tsp salt

50g butter, melted

1 beaten egg

75ml warm milk

Vegetable oil for greasing

75g raisins or currants

50g chopped mixed peel

For the topping:

4 tbsp plain flour

4 tbsp cold water

2 tbsp caster sugar

2 tbsp boiling water

"Measure the water into a jug, stir through the yeast and a teaspoon of the caster sugar. Set aside for about 10 minutes until a foamy head forms on the surface. Sift the flour into a large mixing bowl and stir through the spice, salt and the rest of the caster sugar. Make a well in the middle and set aside.

In another mixing jug or small bowl, beat together the melted butter, egg and warm milk. Pour into the well in the flour, along with the foaming yeast. Mix together with a spoon until the dough comes together in a rough ball, then tip on to the work surface. Knead the dough for at least 5 minutes, pushing away with the heel of your hand and rolling back towards you until it becomes stretchy and smooth. If it is sticking to the worktop, add a little flour, but be careful not to add too much or it will become dry. The fluffiest lightest bread comes from dough that is a bit sticky and wet to work with. Place the dough in a bowl which you have lightly oiled, and cover with a clean tea towel or piece of clingfilm.

Set aside in a warm place until the dough has doubled in size. Depending on the temperature of the room, this will take an hour or two, maybe longer. Once the dough has doubled in size, tip on to the worktop and flatten slightly with the palm of your hand. Sprinkle over the dried fruit and mixed peel and gently knead into the dough. Using a knife, cut the dough in half, then cut each half into 6 equal-sized pieces. Gently roll each piece into a ball, tucking any fruit under the surface as much as possible because it can burn in the oven, and place in a deep-sided baking tin lined with baking paper. (You need a deep tin so that when you cover it, the buns have room to rise without sticking to the clingfilm.)

Repeat with the remaining dough until you have 12 buns equally spaced in the baking tin. Cover lightly with a double layer of clingfilm, tucking it under the tray to keep the air out. Leave to prove again for 30–45 minutes until the buns have risen by half. Preheat the oven to 220°C/Gas 7.

Once the buns have proved for the final time, prepare the flour paste for the ‘crosses’ by mixing the flour and cold water until smooth. Spoon into a small sandwich bag and snip off a tiny corner to create a quick piping bag. Pipe crosses on to each bun. Transfer to the hot oven and bake for about 10 minutes until golden brown. While they are cooking, dissolve the caster sugar in the boiling water. As soon as you remove the buns from the oven, glaze them by brushing with the sugar syrup. Put them on a rack to cool."

As you can see the recipes are really clear in this book and the photography charming. A lovely gift to take someone as an Easter present.

What to drink: My original thought was black tea, drunk English-style with milk but I'm rather taken with M & S wine buyer Jeneve Williams' idea of Marsala

For more Easter wine pairing ideas see 15 Easter pairings to learn by heart

From A Good Egg by Genevieve Taylor, published by Eden Project books. Photograph © Jason Ingram

A refreshing punch for a New Year's Day brunch

A fresh, zesty citrus-based punch that’s packed with vitamin C. It obviously tastes best if you squeeze the fruit yourself but bought freshly squeezed juice is fine if you’re short of time.

Serves 4-6

250ml freshly squeezed orange juice (about 4 oranges)
150ml freshly squeezed pink grapefruit juice (1-2 grapefruit)
250ml chilled organic lemon drink (like Duchy Original's Lemon Refresher or Luscombe Sicilian lemon drink) or traditional lemonade
Slices of orange and lemon to decorate

Simply pour the orange and lemon juice into a jug, top up with the lemon refresher and stir well. Add a few slices of orange and lemon to the jug and serve.

* If you have some Grand Marnier add a tablespoon - no more! Of course it no longer makes it non-alcoholic but it does make the punch extra-delicious.

Cauliflower curry, boiled eggs & coconut crumble

Cauliflower and eggs are two of my favourite things, here ingeniously combined by Dan Doherty of the Duck & Waffle in his brilliant book Toast, Hash, Roast, Mash.

Dan writes: "I fell in love with vegetable curries while spending time in India and Bangladesh – cauliflower curry being one of my favourites. The coconut works really well, adding flavour and a rich creaminess, with a crunch in the topping."

Serves 4–6

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 30 minutes

olive oil

1 cauliflower, broken into florets

1 tablespoon cumin seeds

1 tablespoon coriander seeds

1 teaspoon ground turmeric

1 teaspoon onion seeds

1 tablespoon curry powder

1 onion, finely chopped

2.5cm (1 inch) piece of ginger, grated

4 garlic cloves, crushed

1 red chilli, finely chopped

150g (5 ½ oz) cooked yellow lentils

2 x 400ml (14fl oz) cans of coconut milk

sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons desiccated coconut

8 eggs, hard-boiled and shelled

a large sprig of coriander

Heat some olive oil in a frying pan over a medium heat and brown the cauliflower florets on all sides.

Meanwhile put the cumin seeds, coriander seeds, ground turmeric, onion seeds and curry powder in a dry frying pan over a medium heat and toast for a few minutes, shaking the pan, until you can smell the aromas and the spices look toasted.

Add the onion to the cauliflower pan and cook over a medium heat without letting it colour for 5–6 minutes, or until soft . Add the ginger, garlic and red chilli and cook for a further 3 minutes, again without letting them colour. Stir in the toasted spices and cook for 3 minutes, then add the cooked lentils and pour over the coconut milk. Season with salt and pepper, then reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a dry pan, toast the desiccated coconut over a medium heat, shaking the pan, until golden brown.

After the final 10 minutes cooking time, the cauliflower should be cooked but retain a little bite. Add the eggs and cook for 3–5 minutes more. Roughly chop the coriander, stalks included, and stir through.

Transfer to a serving dish and scatter the toasted coconut all over, like a crumble, then serve.

What to drink:

Assuming you manage to resist the temptation of having this for breakfast (I would be sorely tempted, personally) a glass of dry white wine such as a chenin blanc, (not too oaky) chardonnay or viognier would be delicious with it. And if you're having it for brunch, why not a glass of champagne or cava?

See also The Best Wine Pairings for Cauliflower

Extracted from Toast Hash Roast Mash by Dan Doherty, published by Mitchell Beazley, £20 www.octopusbooks.co.uk. Photograph ©Anders Schonnemann