Cornbread Breakfast Cups with Bacon, Cheddar and Baked Egg

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200 °C for 10 min. Melt the butter (20–30 seconds in the microwave) and use some of it (about a fifth) to brush 4 cups of a regular muffin tin generously, so the cups release cleanly.

   Add in this stepUnsalted butter, melted 5 g

   oven

2. Lay the bacon in a 24 cm frying pan and cook over medium heat for 6 min, turning, until crisp. Drain on kitchen paper and chop finely. Watch out for spitting fat.

   Add in this stepBacon rashers 2

   medium heat

3. In a bowl, mix the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt, then pour in the milk and the rest of the melted butter and stir just until no dry flour shows. Fold in half the cheddar and half the bacon.

   Add in this stepYellow cornmeal (medium grind) 40 gPlain (all-purpose) flour 30 gGranulated sugar 8 gBaking powder ½ tspSalt 2 pinchMilk 70 mlUnsalted butter, melted 20 gCheddar, grated 20 g

4. Divide the batter evenly between the cups (about a third full) and bake in the oven for 8 min, until the tops are just set and the edges pale golden.

   oven

5. Handle the hot tin with oven gloves. Press the back of a wet teaspoon into the centre of each cup to make a hollow, then crack an egg into each one (if your eggs are large, tip off a little white first). Season with pepper and scatter the remaining cheddar and bacon around the edges.

   Add in this stepEggs (small or medium) 4Black pepper to tasteCheddar, grated 20 g

6. Return to the oven for 12 min, until the whites are completely set and opaque and the yolks still wobble slightly. For firm yolks, bake 3 min more.

   oven

7. Let them sit in the tin for 3 min, run a butter knife around each cup and lift them out. Sprinkle with chives and serve warm.

   Add in this stepChives (or spring onion greens), finely sliced 3 g