Method

Porcini Cream
Melt butter in a medium saucepan and add onion, thyme and garlic. Sweat over a low heat until soft and avoid colouring the onions.

Add the dried porcini and stir for a minute. Deglaze the pan with the white wine and reduce by half.

Add the cream and simmer over a low heat until slightly thickened – enough to coat your spoon.

Set aside for half an hour to let the mushrooms infuse and then strain through a sieve. Be sure to press the solids with the back of a spoon for maximum flavour.

Discard the solids and rinse the saucepan. Place the porcini cream back into the clean pan and set aside for later.

Slow Cooked Egg

If you’re lucky enough to own a sous vide machine, then turn it on and set it to 61 degrees Celsius. If you don’t, use a large saucepan instead and fill it with water. You will need a thermometer in order to get the right temperature.

Bring the water up to 61 degrees Celsius and adjust the heat to try and keep the temperature constant. It’s not easy so don’t be too hard on yourself. You’ve got about 3 degrees leeway on either side. Try not to go below 58 ºC or above 64 ºC. Ensure that the eggs are at room temperature before cooking.

Set a timer for 30 minutes once the eggs are in. They shouldn’t take much longer.

If you want to err on the side of caution, add a couple of extra eggs in for luck. These wont go to waste because they can be used to make mayonnaise, or be fried later on for eggs on toast.

If you prefer to live on the edge, just drop four eggs. Daredevil.

Chive Oil

You’ll need a stick blender or jug blender for this one.

Add the chopped herbs and oil and blend for one minute on full speed.

Strain the oil through a fine sieve.

You now have a perfectly green oil, which is great. However, if you really want to impress your friends with a ridiculously clear and intense oil, follow the next step.

Pour the oil into a non stick fry pan and turn the heat up high.

Within a minute or two your oil will come to a boil and any excess liquid will evaporate. The solids that made their way through the sieve will solidify and rise to the surface and become scum.

When those solids begin to rise, take the oil of the heat and either strain through muslin cloth or a coffee filter.

You should now end up with a vivid green and aromatic green oil.

Refrigerate until needed.

Garnish

Preheat the oven to 180 ºC.

Toss kale leaves in grape seed oil, just enough to lightly coat.

Roast the kale until crisp. This should take about 10 minutes.

Wipe out the non stick frying pan that you used to make your amazing green oil.

Add kale stalks, butter, thyme, garlic and about 100 ml water.

Bring the frying pan up to heat and simmer until the water is nearly evaporated. You’ll notice that you’ll start making a butter emulsion. This is good.

When the emulsion starts to thicken up, add the peas. The residual liquid will ensure that the emulsion stays consistent and doesn’t split.

Season with salt to taste.

In another frying pan fry the chopped porcini in hot oil over a high heat until brown.

To finish, add thyme, butter and garlic. Remove the pan from the heat right away and toss the mushrooms with the foaming butter.

Season with salt to taste.

To Serve

Make sure all of your ingredients are hot.

Pop your slow cooked egg onto a warm plate and dress with mushrooms, peas and kale stalks.

Add your crispy roasted kale and drizzle with porcini cream and chive oil.

Lastly add a few crispy leaves and a good sprinkling of Parmesan.

This dish goes well with toast, preferably sourdough.