'Easter eggs' with pancetta and lobster

This rich combination of poached eggs, asparagus, pancetta and lobster makes for a heady brunch dish. Surprisingly, eggs can be poached ahead of time and reheated in hot water. Another time-saving tip: Get your favourite fish store to cook a lobster for you and remove the meat. Otherwise buy frozen lobster tail and cook it yourself.

Serve with a salad of bitter greens to cut the richness.

Servings: 4

Poached Eggs

Salt

1 tablespoon white vinegar

8 eggs

Hollandaise

3 egg yolks

¼ cup blood orange juice

8 ounces butter

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Salt and freshly ground pepper

Garnish

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 ounces pancetta, cut in long thin strips

½ pound thin asparagus spears, cut in 2-inch pieces

1 cup cooked lobster meat, diced

Method

Fill a skillet with salted water and white vinegar. Bring to boil and reduce heat to low.

Break 4 eggs into individual saucers. Using a spoon, make whirlpools in the skillet and slip an egg into each whirlpool. The water should bubble gently. Poach eggs for 3 minutes, remove from skillet and slip into a bowl of cold water. Repeat with remaining eggs. (When it is time to serve, bring a skillet of water to simmer and slip eggs back in for 3 minutes to reheat.)

Place egg yolks (for hollandaise) in a blender and whirl until combined.

Pour orange juice into a small pot, bring to boil and reduce down to 1 tablespoon. Add butter and lemon juice and bring to boil. Turn on blender or food processor and pour hot blood orange liquid into egg yolks in a slow steady stream. They will thicken. Season with salt and pepper and keep warm in a Thermos until needed.

Add oil to skillet and sauté pancetta until very crispy, about 4 minutes. Reserve.

Bring a skillet of salted water to boil. Add asparagus and boil for 2 minutes or until crisp-tender. Drain and run under cold water until just cool. Reheat eggs.

Split scones (from previous recipe) horizontally. Place 2 scone halves on a plate. Slip 1 egg onto each half scone. Pour hollandaise into a bowl and mix with asparagus and lobster. Spoon over eggs. Garnish with pancetta strips.