Pesto eggs have gone viral on social media, says Bridie Pearson-Jones in the Daily Mail. More than 1.5 million people have liked a TikTok video of dietician Amy Wilichowski frying her eggs in pesto rather than oil. Another 120 million people have watched TikTok videos of pesto eggs and 2,100 Instagram users have shared photos of the dish. Waitrose says it has seen a 108% increase in pesto sales. The pesto has a nutty, herby, cheesy flavour and contains enough oil to stop the eggs sticking to the pan.
To make the dish, put 1-2 tbsp of pesto in a nonstick frying pan, spread with a spatula and heat until warm. Crack in two eggs and cook to your liking. Serve on sourdough toast.
Keep the menu short and sweet
Small menus are best, says Rachel Sugar in Grub Street. A restaurant may have five or 10 best things – but never 45. “I do not want choices. I want the best thing.” After all, the ultimate luxury is not making your own choices, but letting other people make better ones for you.
Few things are more infuriating than the “sensation of acute regret” when you order the wrong dish. Recently I went to a fancy restaurant with great pasta and bad pizzas. “So cut the pizzas!” A restaurant should focus on its strengths. A short menu “exudes confidence”. It says: “Here are the dishes we believe in… we don’t f*** around.”
Ingredient of the week: rum
The G7 leaders were treated to a beach barbecue in Cornwall last week, and ended the evening sitting around fire pits with baked brie, toasted marshmallows and hot buttered rum. If you’ve never had hot buttered rum, it’s sweet, comforting and easy to make at home. Here’s Emma Freud’s recipe from BBC Good Food; serves two.
100ml rum
200ml water
25g butter
1 blood orange, zested and juiced
4 cloves
1 star anise
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 bay leaf
1 tsp maple syrup
Heat all the ingredients in a pan until hot but not boiling, while stirring. Let it sit for a few minutes, then strain into a glass.