Egg Mayonnaise & Smoked Salmon Crostini

Scent has the power to evoke such strong emotions. The irresistible smell of a fry-up may rouse some, the tempting allure of Chanel for others; yet, for me, it is the purely comforting and reassuring pong of egg sandwiches.

Egg mayonnaise takes me back to my childhood days. I would wake on a Friday morning to an extraordinary stench permeating through my bedroom door. This premature and severe attack on my nostrils would set me onto my feet; brain foggy, eyes glazed, but nose fully alert. Down the stairs I would wander, pong getting stronger and stronger, to Dad whipping us his famous egg mayonnaise sandwiches.

Suffice to say, I was never one of school’s popular kids; whiff-surrounded, egg dribbling down my chin, though content and nibbling away.

Well, of course I had to recreate both smell and memory in the form of the crostini. The combination of eggs & salmon is so very British and admittedly un-Italian, but far too tempting and irresistible to leave untampered.

🐣 Makes 4 crostini (you will have left-overs to make the famous 'Egg Mayonnaise Sandwich' the day after).

• 4 hard-boiled eggs

• a truly generous squirt full-fat mayonnaise

• a (slightly less) generous squirt salad cream

• salt & pepper

• around 50g smoked salmon

1. Hard-boil your 4 eggs in advance for around 8 minutes.

2. Place in a bowl of icy water and put in the fridge.

3. Once cooled down, crack open your eggs and rest in a clean bowl.

4. Cut them up with a knife.

5. Add a VERY generous squirt of mayonnaise, a LESS-SO squirt of salad cream, and carry on slicing up and mixing altogether.

6. Season with salt & pepper.

7. Toast your crostini.

8. Rub with raw garlic, and ladle on your egg mayonnaise.

9. Sustainable stick at the ready, fold a portion of smoked salmon, stab with stick, and pierce into your egg crostini.

10. Finely chop some chives and flutter over.

11. Take a deep breath and embrace that comforting pong.