e g g y c r u m p e t s

 

I have to admit, crumpets are up there with my favourite foods of all time. Since I was a kid, I’ve eaten them with lashings of butter, golden syrup, or even vegemite (don’t knock it ’til you’ve tried it). I couldn’t contain my excitement when I read a Jamie Oliver recipe which made french toast out of the humble crumpet. G E N I U S ! I’ve made these a few times, and you could go in a sweet or savoury direction with them, it’s really up to you. This time I decided to serve them with crispy pancetta and maple syrup (sweet, and savoury on this occasion then!).

 

 

E G G Y C R U M P E T S

4 crumpets (the quality spongy ones!)

3 eggs, lightly beaten

4 strips of lightly smoked pancetta

maple syrup

maldon salt

pepper

vegetable oil

salted butter

 

Prepare the crumpet B A T T E R by seasoning the beaten eggs in a bowl with salt and pepper. Turn on the G R I L L and lay each strip of pancetta out on the grill tray and pop into the oven on a high shelf. Keep an eye on them, they’ll only take 3-5 minutes. Once they look autumnal in colour, and are starting to crisp up, remove and place on kitchen towel.

Heat a skillet or fry pan over a medium-high heat and add a tablespoon or so of oil. Once it’s quite hot, add a small knob of butter. One by one, S O A K each crumpet in the eggy batter flipping them over and making sure every nook and cranny is covered. Place in the pan, porous side up. Repeat with the remaining crumpets. If there’s any batter left over, drizzle it over the crumpets, into their holes. Once G O L D E N on the underside – a couple of minutes – flip over and fry the other side until the same colour is achieved. Remove from heat.

To S E R V E , stack 2 crumpets on each plate and place two pieces of crisp pancetta on top. Drizzle with maple syrup and eat warm, with a big pot of coffee on the table. A perfect lazy sunday brunch. Serves 2.