Grilled brioche with ham, melted taleggio and a fried egg

This is the kind of open brunch sandwich that everyone seems to eat in the vibrant cafés of Sydney. Sometimes the eggs would be briefly scrambled in a frying pan, like fried eggs gone wrong (but delicious though) and thrown on to a handful of rocket leaves on toasted sourdough with slow-baked tomatoes and crisp rashers of bacon or mushrooms.

It gives our scrambled eggs on toast a new purpose in life and the opportunity to become the main part of a meal instead of a quick breakfast fix. This will be more than enough to keep anyone going well past lunch.

Most supermarkets sell loaves of brioche these days, alternatively use thick slices of your favourite loaf.

8 thin slices of good quality ham, smoked or un-smoked
4 x 1/2 cm slices of taleggio cheese, or another soft melting cheese
4 x 11/2 cm thick slices of brioche
4 large hen's eggs
Olive oil or butter for frying
A handful of rocket leaves

Pre-heat your grill to its maximum temperature. Fold your ham slices if they are large and place together on a grill or baking tray and place the cheese on top. Put your slices of brioche separately on the tray and place under the grill. Toast the brioche on both sides, leaving the cheese to melt separately on the ham. Keep warm while you fry the eggs in butter or olive oil.

To serve scatter a few leaves of rocket on the brioche, lift the ham and melted cheese off the tray with a fish slice and place on the rocket then add the fried egg on top.