Cookbook:Eggs Connaught

| Seafood

This elegant recipe for eggs Connaught was originally published in Cordon Bleu Cookery Course Volume Five (pages 2–3), printed in 1968. Legend has it that the dish was invented at the Connaught Hotel in Mayfair London. It is a light and spring-like dish perfect for any spring festivities such as Easter, where it make a perfect starter for the Easter Sunday lunch.

Ingredients

 * 6 hard-boiled eggs
 * ½ cup milk
 * 1 slice of onion
 * 1 blade of mace
 * 6 peppercorns
 * 3½ oz (100 g) butter
 * 1 Tablespoon flour
 * Salt
 * Pepper
 * 1 packet of demi-sel cheese
 * 1 teaspoon paprika
 * 4 oz (about 115 g) prawns/shrimp, shelled
 * ½ bunch of watercress

Procedure

 * 1) Scald the milk with onion, mace and peppercorns, tip into a jug, cover, and leave to infuse. Rinse the pan with cold water, add ½ oz (about 30 g) butter, heat gently, and blend in the flour. Strain in the milk, and add salt to taste. Stirring continuously, bring milk to the boil, then cook for 1 minute.
 * 2) Turn the sauce onto a plate, cover with buttered paper to prevent a skin forming, and leave until cold.
 * 3) Cream remaining butter until soft.
 * 4) Split the hard boiled eggs in two. Scoop out the yolks and rub through a wire strainer; keep the whites in a bowl of water as they will soon get hard if exposed to the air. Work the yolks with the creamed butter, cheese, paprika and cold sauce. Chop half the prawns finely, add to the mixture and season to taste. Drain the dry egg whites and have ready a round serving dish or use a cake platter.
 * 5) Spoon a drop of filling onto the dish to hold each egg white in position, arrange them in a circle and then fill each with the mixture—you can use a piping bag with a ½-inch (about 1.25 cm) plain nozzle.
 * 6) Scatter over the remaining prawns (split in half if large) and dust with paprika. Place the watercress in the middle and serve brown bread and butter separately.

Notes, tips, and variations

 * For a very special party this recipe can be prepared with smoked salmon in place of prawns. Save a little smoked salmon to cut into fine shreds and scatter over.