1649. FRENCH TOAST CRUMPETS with BACON CURLS and CHILI JAM

serves four


3 free range eggs
¼ cup milk
salt and freshly ground pepper
50 grams butter
8 crumpets
1 red chili, minced
1 tablespoon parsley, very finely chopped
8 long rashers bacon, rind removed

Chili Jam
makes about 1 medium jar
2 large red capsicums
2 medium tomatoes
4 fresh red chilies (smaller the chili, the hotter the jam will be)
4 cloves of garlic, crushed
300 grams golden caster sugar, (or Demerara)
100 ml red wine vinegar
2 cm piece of fresh ginger, peeled
1 fresh lime

Heat the oven to 200°C. Starting from the thick end of the bacon, roll up reasonably tightly to form curls (use a toothpick if they don’t want to stay rolled). Stand upright in a baking tray and cook for about 20 minutes or until crispy. Drain any fat into the pan you are using to cook the crumpets and keep the bacon warm until required.

In a medium bowl, beat the eggs with the milk and chili and season with salt and pepper. Add the butter to the frypan and add any excess bacon fat you have collected. Dip the crumpets in the beaten eggs and let soak for a few seconds. Add four of the crumpets to the pan and cook over moderately high heat until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side. Keep warm in the oven with the bacon. Dip and cook the remaining crumpets.

Serve two crumpets and two bacon curls per person with the chilli jam (see recipe below). You could serve with maple syrup instead of the jam if you prefer.

For the chili jam: Roughly chop the capsicums and the tomatoes. Chop the chillies, leaving the seeds in. In a food processor, puree all of the chopped mix and put it into a heavy-based saucepan with the crushed garlic (I find it easier to puree all the ingredients now before they are hot and sticky, but you can do it later if you prefer). Add the ginger and then add the sugar and red wine vinegar. Bring everything to the boil stirring continuously. Skim off any foam you see forming on top.

Simmer gently for 30 or 40 minutes, stirring occasionally. The jam is ready when it becomes sticky and looks shiny. It will thicken more as it cools. Remove the ginger and add the juice of the lime - this will help the jam to set. Pour the jam into a sterilised jar.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Arianne Spratt, 9am with David & Kim on Network Ten, 1 Saunders Street, Pyrmont, NSW 2009, GPO BOX 10, Sydney, NSW 2001, Australia