The culinary legend behind Christchurch’s White Tie Catering, Tina Duncan draws on a lifetime’s experience of cooking for a crowd with her cookbook Plated. Here, she shares one of her favourite brunch recipes, Savoury Croissant Bake & Chilli Jam.
Not only delicious, it’s also got that secret ingredient loved by every cook – it can be prepared the day before.
Serves: 8 | Prep time: 20mins | Cook time: 45mins
Ingredients
- 8 croissants
- Dijon mustard
- 8 slices of good quality ham
- 250g Gouda or Gruyère cheese, sliced or grated
- 4 eggs
- 300ml full-cream milk
- 250ml cream
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp pepper
- ½ cup grated parmesan
- small bunch chives, finely chopped
Method
- Preheat oven to 180C. Grease a gratin dish large enough to fit the croissants in a single layer. Slice the croissants open and spread one side with mustard and fill with ham and cheese. Pack into the gratin dish.
- In a bowl, beat together the eggs, milk, cream and seasoning. Pour over the croissants and rest for 15 minutes before baking for approximately 30–40 minutes or until the egg has set.
- Remove from the oven and sprinkle with parmesan and chives.
- Serve with tomato chilli jam.
Tomato Chilli Jam
Ingredients
- 2.5kg tomatoes roughly chopped (I often use the equivalent in chopped tinned tomatoes)
- 2 large onions, finely chopped
- 6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 50g fresh ginger, grated
- 2–3 red chillies
- 800g raw sugar
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 500ml malt or cider vinegar
- juice of 2 lemons
- 1 tblsp salt
Method
- Combine all ingredients in a large saucepan. Bring to the boil and simmer until desired thickness is reached. Bottle in sterilised jars and seal. Store in a dark place and refrigerate once opened. Will keep for several months.
Tips
- Fill croissants the night before. Make the egg custard the night before and refrigerate.
- Ideally, make the chilli jam well in advance to give the flavours time to develop.