Breakfast canapes

Makes: 12
Oven: 160°C/gas mark 4

Welsh chef and Francophile Kate Probert makes these delicious breakfast canapes frequently in France as she loves to show off this wonderful ingredient known as laverbread.

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Ingredients

For the “fried bread”

• 12 croûtons from a sliced loaf

For the mix

• 75g laverbread mixed with 2 teaspoons oatmeal
• 50g diced Welsh bacon or pancetta
• 12 quail eggs
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon vinegar
• Some cockles (optional)

Directions

1Cut out rounds from a medium sliced loaf with a 3.5/4 cm diameter cutter.

2Put onto a baking tray and brush with oil.

3Cook in the oven until completely dried out and slightly brown (about 20 minutes).

4Store in an airtight container until ready to use.

5Fry off the bacon and add the laverbread, oatmeal, vinegar and cockles if using. Season.

6For the fried eggs: break all the eggs carefully into a bowl together and, in a small non-stick pan, heat up the olive oil. When hot, but not smoking (we don’t want crinkly eggs!), pour in all the eggs and with a non-stick, heatproof spatula, quickly separate the yolks so that they aren’t touching each-other. When the white is firm and the yolks are still runny, slide the whole lot out onto a board and cut around each yolk with the same cutter you used for the croûtons to make a small fried egg. Eat the rest of the white in a sandwich or give it to the dog!

7When ready to serve, cover each croûton with the laverbread mixture and top each one with the egg. I used to warm up the mixture on the croûton, but they are delicious as they are so I don’t bother any more.