Recipe | Amelie's soft poached eggs

After December’s excesses, we don’t need to punish ourselves with boring food in January - Cambridge independent article by Alex Crepy

I find that January has two sides. There are those people who wander in still wrapped up in December: tired, blue, using the month as a chance to recharge. Then there are the others who bounce in, fired up and energised, diaries open with their gym memberships activated.

Neither camp is right or wrong. I don’t even pretend to know the answer. I sit comfortably on the fence, borrowing a bit from both sides depending on the day.

What I do know though is food, and good food still matters in January — maybe even more so. What frustrates me most is this strange idea that because we’ve eaten well in December, we somehow need to punish ourselves for it in January.

As if enjoying food should be rationed to a few festive weeks a year. Why sacrifice several months from pleasure when you can eat well all year round?

Yes, the days are short. Yes, the weather is bleak. But coming home knowing there’s something genuinely good waiting for you that can be warming, comforting and mood-boosting changes everything and makes the day highly motivating.

This month, I’m sharing what I’d call a stable cheat meal. Not because it’s unhealthy, but because it’s built from basic, simple ingredients with a complex, rich sauce that has you dipping your fingers straight in.

I think of January sometimes as being the equivalent of Sunday, following that big celebration of December which equates to a Saturday. You either spend it horizontal on the sofa or up early for a jog. Both are valid. I love both.

Soft poached eggs, or some variation of it, got me through my London years: long hours, loud kitchens, busy streets and definitely not enough money for Deliveroo. It hits every corner!

Hollandaise is my absolute weakness. At Amélie, I’ll make multiple visits to the kitchen just to steal a chip and dunk it in the sauce.

It’s perfect with eggs and spinach, but do yourself a favour and make extra and whack some chips in the oven to dip later.

January doesn’t need to be miserable. All you need is a simple dish with a cracking sauce.

Bon appétit!

Recipe

Soft-Poached Eggs, Spinach and Bacon, Glazed with Chive Hollandaise

Serves 4

Ingredients for the Soft Poached Eggs

• 250g baby spinach leaves, washed

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 200g smoked streaky bacon, cut into thin strips

• Dash of distilled white vinegar

• 8 whole eggs

Chive hollandaise sauce:

• 300g butter

• 4 egg yolks

• 4 tbsp water

• Juice of ½ lemon

• Small bunch fresh chives, finely chopped

• Pinch of salt

• Pinch of cayenne pepper

Method

1. Spinach & bacon Pan-fry the spinach leaves quickly with a little of the olive oil in a saucepan. Leave to cool. Add the bacon strips and remaining olive oil to the pan and fry until crisp and golden brown. Keep warm.

   
   

2. Hollandaise sauce Make the hollandaise sauce: melt the butter slowly over a low heat and keep it warm (it will be used as clarified butter).Put the egg yolks and water into a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of gently simmering water. Whisk constantly until warm, foamy and thickened — take care not to overheat or the yolks will split.

   When split, remove from the heat and whisk continuously. Add the clarified butter slowly and gradually, whisking all the time, until thickened. Add the lemon juice, chives, salt and cayenne. Check seasoning and keep the sauce warm in a bain-marie.

   
   

3. Poached eggs Simmer some water in a large saucepan with a dash of vinegar. Carefully break each egg and slide it slowly into the water. Boil for two minutes 40 seconds, then remove and drain well.

   
   

4. To serve Meanwhile, warm the spinach and bacon and arrange a bed of spinach on each plate. Slightly crush the bacon strips and place over the spinach. Top with two poached eggs, spoon over the warm hollandaise sauce and finish with extra chopped chives if desired.