Bring on THE BRUNCH

Make your festive mornings extra special with these indulgent recipes from London restaurant Allegra

- PATRICK POWELL

Truffle croque madame

35 MINUTES + COOLING | SERVES 4 | EASY

milk loaf 8 slices

baked ham 8 slices

Ogleshield cheese 8 slices

truffle béchamel 200g (see below)

butter for frying

fried eggs 4, to serve

chives a handful, finely snipped

TRUFFLE BÉCHAMEL

whole milk 600ml

cloves 2

bay leaf 1

thyme 2 sprigs

butter 60g

plain flour 60g

truffle paste 25g

Ogleshield cheese 100g, grated

egg yolk 1

dijon mustard 25g

• To make the truffle béchamel, put the milk, cloves, bay and thyme in a pan and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat, leave to cool, then strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a jug, discarding the cloves and herbs.

• In another pan, melt the butter over a medium heat and cook the flour, stirring frequently, for a few minutes. Gradually add the infused milk, whisking until smooth and starting to thicken. Continue to cook for 15 minutes, stirring continuously, until the mixture is lump-free and thick. Add the truffle paste, cheese, egg yolk and mustard, and season. Leave to cool. This will make more than you need for this recipe but will keep, covered in the fridge, for one week.

• Heat the oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Make four sandwiches by stacking one slice of milk loaf with two slices of ham, two slices of cheese, a good dollop of the béchamel and another slice of milk loaf for each.