Tana Ramsay’s Family Kitchen: Simple and Delicious Recipes for Every Family

butter to grease the dish

6 plums/apricots/nectarines

425ml/15fl oz milk

3 eggs

75g/3oz plain flour

50g/2oz caster sugar

50g/2oz ground almonds

1 tsp good-quality vanilla extract

seeds from vanilla pod (optional)

Serves: 6

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 20–25 minutes

1 Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/GM6

2 Grease the dish and put to one side.

3 Slice the soft fruit in half and remove the stones.

4 Put the milk, eggs, flour, sugar, almonds and vanilla into the liquidizer and blitz for about 2 minutes.

5 Pour the liquid into the prepared dish and then gently arrange the fruit, cut-side down, so that all you see is the softly rounded fruit peeking out from the batter.

6 Place in the oven and cook for about 20 minutes.

7 Serve immediately.

boiled eggs with cheesy fingers (#ulink_3b5140db-1bb7-5b31-b33b-8c617bfea252)

My children think this is the ultimate treat for breakfast – again, it’s more of a weekend breakfast, as it takes too much thinking about for a weekday morning …

4 large organic free range eggs

4 slices wholemeal bread

100g/4oz mature cheddar cheese, grated

Serves: 4

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cooking time: 7 minutes

1 Preheat the grill on high.

2 Bring to the boil a large deep saucepan of water and carefully add the eggs. Remember to set the timer for 5 minutes – I easily get distracted so always work by my timer! Toast the wholemeal bread and cover with the cheddar. Place under the grill until the cheese is bubbling.

3 Remove the eggs from the pan, place in a sieve and run under the cold tap to stop overcooking – eggs that are too hard-boiled are not the same!

4 Crack the top of the egg and remove the shell on the top third. Place into an egg cup and slice off the white to reveal a lovely runny yolk.

5 Cut the cheesy toast into soldiers and dip into the yolk! Serve.

Tip

• If you keep your eggs in the fridge, allow them to reach room temperature before boiling – this helps prevent them cracking as they boil.

It’s only when you taste boiled eggs that you remember how good they are.

field mushrooms on toast (#ulink_56f60c94-7fa5-5c42-822e-f9d54f24c758)

This may sound like a very grown-up breakfast for children, but I find if I am eating it my children are always hanging around for a taste.

1 loaf ciabatta

4 tbsp olive oil

400g/14oz portabellini or other large mushrooms

20g¾oz bunch of basil

25g/1oz parmesan, finely grated

Serves: 4

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 10 minutes

1 Cut the ciabatta in half vertically and again horizontally. Drizzle with a bit of the olive oil and place on a baking sheet.

2 Cut mushrooms into thick slices.

3 Heat the remaining olive oil in a large saucepan until shimmering, then throw in the mushrooms.

4 Cook on a fairly high heat, stirring regularly until the mushrooms start to release their natural liquid.

5 Turn off the heat, add a few torn basil leaves and put the lid on. Leave to infuse while you grill the ciabatta on a fairly high heat for about 5 minutes until it is just browning and going crunchy.