Recipes: Tomato, blanched garlic and basil stuffed eggs| Ham stuffed eggs | Smoked salmon and dill stuffed eggs

Get out the piping bag and revisit a classic, matching eggs with tomato, ham or smoked salmon

Tomato, blanched garlic and basil stuffed eggs

Egg and tomato is a wonderful taste combination. In this stuffing it is enhanced further by the blanched garlic and the basil.

FOR 12 LARGE EGGS, OR 24 
QUAIL’S EGGS

12 large hen’s eggs

6 ripe tomatoes

3 fat cloves of garlic, in their skins

small bunch of basil, the leaves stripped from the stalks

1 teaspoon salt, about 10 grinds of black pepper

12oz/340g cream cheese, such as reduced fat Philadelphia

4 black olives, preferably Kalamata, the flesh sliced from the stones – optional, for garnishing.

Put the eggs in cold water, bring them to the boil and simmer – not fast boil – for 5 minutes. Drain off the water and run cold water through the eggs in the saucepan. When cold, gently roll each egg to crack the shell around the middle, and peel off the shell. Carefully cut each shelled egg in half widthways, and scoop the yolks into a food processor. With a sharp knife slice a small piece from the base of each white.

Put the garlic cloves into a small saucepan and immerse in cold water. Heat till the water simmers, then drain off this water and immerse the garlic in fresh cold water. Bring to the boil, drain off the water and repeat once more. After draining the water a third time, slice the tops from each garlic clove and the flesh will pop easily from the skins. Put the garlic flesh into the processor with the yolks.

Skin the tomatoes by stabbing each one with the point of a sharp knife in two or three places. Put the tomatoes into a wide bowl and pour boiling water over them, enough to immerse the tomatoes. Count to 25 – the skins should start to peel back from each stab mark. Drain off the water and the skins should slip easily from the tomatoes. Cut each in half, scoop away all the seeds and cut out the core from each tomato half. On a large board, chop the tomatoes using a large knife. Then add the basil leaves to the chopped tomatoes and chop and chop until you have a slightly textured tomato pulp – don’t be tempted to do this in a food processor because you inevitably end up with liquidised tomato flesh, instead of the slightly textured pulp.

Put the cream cheese into the food processor with the yolks and garlic, and add the salt and black pepper. Add a small amount of tomato pulp, whiz, then add a further small amount, whiz, then the remainder. Whiz briefly, to mix.

Fill the piping bag – first remembering to put in the nozzle – with the mixture. Arrange the egg white halves on a serving plate, and fill each to just above the level of each white. Then for an optional extra, put a sliver of black olive on each stuffed egg, to garnish.

Ham stuffed eggs

Buy the best quality ham you can – either boiled or roast.

FILLS 12 LARGE EGGS OR 24 QUAIL’S EGGS

12 large hen’s eggs

1lb/450g boiled or roasted ham, all fat trimmed away and the ham cut into small chunks

1oz/28g butter

2 teaspoons plain flour

1 teaspoon good stock powder, eg Marigold

½ pint/285ml milk

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

about 10 grinds of black pepper – no need for salt as the ham and the stock powder contribute sufficient saltiness

small handful parsley, removed from its stalks

Put the eggs into a wide saucepan and immerse in cold water. Bring to the boil and simmer gently for 5 minutes before draining off the water. Run cold water through the pan and the eggs until the eggs are cold. Carefully roll each egg to crush the shell around the middle, then peel off the shells. Cut each egg in half widthways, and slice a tiny amount from the base of each egg white half. Put the yolks into a 
food processor.

While the eggs are cooking, make the white sauce by melting the butter in a small saucepan. Stir the flour into the butter, cook for a minute then gradually add the milk, stirring all the time, and when it simmers stir in the stock powder, the Dijon mustard and the black pepper. Take the saucepan off the heat, press clingfilm over the surface of the sauce and leave till cool. When cooled, scrape the sauce into the processor with the egg yolks.

Add the small chunks of trimmed ham to the rest of the ingredients in the processor and whiz till smooth, then add the parsley and whiz briefly, until the mixture is 
green-flecked.

Scrape the contents into the nozzled piping bag. Arrange the egg whites on a serving plate, and fill each egg half with the piped mixture. The parsley is 
garnish enough.

Smoked salmon and dill stuffed eggs

FILLS 12 LARGE EGGS OR 24 
QUAIL’S EGGS

12 large hen’s eggs

8oz/225g smoked salmon of your choice – mine is for a dense and peaty smoke

8oz/225g cream cheese such as Philadelphia – I buy the Light version

about 10 grinds of black pepper

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon horseradish relish – my favourite is that made by Moniack, but Colman’s is a good alternative

4 fronds of dill

Put the eggs into a wide saucepan and immerse in cold water. Bring the water to a gentle simmer, and simmer for 5 minutes. Then drain and run cold water through the eggs in the pan until they are cold. Carefully roll each egg to crush the shell around the middle, then peel off the shells. Cut each egg in half widthways, slice a tiny bit from the base of each egg half, and put the yolks into a food processor.

Slice the smoked salmon and add it to the processor. Put the cream cheese into the processor, and add the black pepper, lemon juice and horseradish. Whiz till smooth, then add the dill and whiz briefly, just to fleck the pink mixture with green, and to impart the flavour of dill, so complimentary to the smoked salmon.

Arrange the egg whites on a serving plate. Put the nozzle into the piping bag and fill with the mixture. Pipe the mixture in even amounts into the egg white halves. No need for further garnishing.