egg mayo

I think I may have found a little studio to rent in Paris - "little" being the operative word - in the 8th arrondissement, on the same Metro line as Le Cordon Bleu. At the moment it's a toss-up between this apartment or sharing with a French artist and his 10-year old twins. I have this whimsical notion of lolling around an artist's studio in Montmartre wearing flouncy skirts and discussing existentialism whilst sucking on a Gauloises - but the bohemian won't allow me to have guests and since most of my family and quite a few friends are lining up to come and visit, I'm going to have to pass on the boho lifestyle.

Every Sunday we get a dozen eggs from Roquin, usually still warm and flecked with little bits of straw and other detritus. I could quite happily eat an egg, in some form, every day and egg mayo is one of our favourites. I like to add some snipped chives or spring onions or serve it in the shell with a sprig of dill and some lumpfish roe.

Egg mayo

Serves 2

2 fresh eggs

1 heaped dessert spoon of mayonnaise

2 tsp lumpfish roe (or caviar if you want to push the boat out)

Sprigs of dill

Toast to serve

Place the eggs in a pan and cover completely with cold water. Heat over a high heat until boiling then reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Cool in cold water, then slice off the top of the egg, being careful not to break the shell. Scoop out the egg, mash with a fork and mix with the mayonnaise. Fill the empty shell with the egg mixture and top with a tsp of lumpfish roe and a sprig of dill. Cut out rounds of toast using a pastry cutter, making a smaller hole in the centre for the egg to sit in.