Fried duck eggs with smoked bacon and chanterelles

Serves 4

This is a perfect breakfast treat. You won't need lunch afterwards, either. Chanterelles are plentiful now and their delicate but earthy flavour complements the bacon and eggs perfectly. Either keep it pure and simple, or if you need starch with this, slide the egg on to a slice of toasted brioche or bread.

This is a perfect breakfast treat. You won't need lunch afterwards, either. Chanterelles are plentiful now and their delicate but earthy flavour complements the bacon and eggs perfectly. Either keep it pure and simple, or if you need starch with this, slide the egg on to a slice of toasted brioche or bread.

150g chanterelles or other wild mushrooms
60g butter
4 duck eggs
Olive oil
1tbsp chopped parsley
12 very thin slices of smoked streaky bacon or pancetta

If you're doing this many, it helps to have two pans. If you're using chanterelles, they take less long to cook than the eggs, so first heat a little olive oil in a non-stick frying pan and crack in the duck eggs one at a time. Cook the eggs on a low heat for 2-3 minutes - or longer, if the idea of those overwhelmingly large yolks makes you feel squeamish. If you have ceps, then start cooking them before the eggs. Melt the butter in a heavy, or non-stick, frying pan, add the mushrooms, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and gently sauté them on a medium heat for a couple of minutes for chanterelles, or a bit longer for other, meatier, mushrooms. Add the parsley, remove from the heat and keep warm in the pan.

At the same time cook the bacon under a hot grill until crisp. Remove the eggs with a fish slice, or slide them out straight on to plates and spoon the mushrooms around them, arranging the bacon on top.