As vaguely promised in the grilled shrimp Louie video, here is my foolproof method for doing hard-boiled eggs, when we want softer, creamier yolks. This style works very nicely for salads, and above and beyond the texture, we get pure egg flavor, without the sulfuric bitterness that over-boiled eggs suffer from.
Of course, there are variables. Large egg sizes can vary, as does the temperature of refrigerators, so your time to hard boiled egg nirvana may vary. For me, 6 to 7 minutes gives me a perfect runny yolk; 9 to 10 minutes gives me what you see in the video, or a “soft hard boiled egg,” if you prefer; and 11-12 gets you closer to the fully-cooked, classic yolk.
My suggestion is to get a dozen eggs, and do some tests. This steaming method is very precise, and repeatable, once you lock it in. By the way, there doesn’t seem to be a big difference whether you cook one egg or six, but I’ve never actually tried this with a whole dozen, so if you do, let me know the results. I hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!
I’ve been seeing savory, non-breakfast versions of Dutch Babies pop up on menus lately, and while I’m not sure that means it’s a hot new trend, I figured I would get in on the ground floor with this amazing bacon and asparagus version, just in case.
Above and beyond the ingredients, the most important thing here is using a cast iron pan similar to, or better yet, exactly like, the 12-inch example seen herein. These relatively cheap and indestructible pans are one of the best kitchen investments of all time, but if you don’t have one, there is a Plan B.
You’ll have to do the bacon and asparagus steps in a frying pan, and then transfer everything to a similarly sized casserole dish. Make sure the sides are coated with your bacon fat, and then pour in your batter, and bake as shown.
It will take a few extra minutes in the oven, but just simply bake it until it’s browned, and properly puffed. It won’t work as well, but you should get similar results.Either way, I really hope you give this wonderful bacon and asparagus Dutch Babya try soon.Enjoy!
Ingredients for 2 large or 4 small portions:
3 large eggs
2/3 cup milk
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (1/4 cup if packed, but don’t pack it)
freshly ground black pepper and cayenne to taste 1 tsp lemon zest
1/2 cup all-purpose flour *packed *push and pack as much flour as you can fit into the 1/2 cup measure)
1 tbsp olive oil
6 strips bacon
1 generous cup sliced fresh asparagus
- Bake at 475 F for about 12-13 minutes, or until browned and puffed
I'm not sure what specifically that would be, but I assume there’s some kind of science behind this amazing, and possibly modern method I happened to stumble upon. I once saw a chef make hollandaise buy adding chucks of cold butter instead of whisking in hot melted butter, and it intrigued me.
Not enough to actually try it, but enough to make me wonder what would happen if we dumped everything in the bowl at once, and just cooked it all together. No one was more shocked than I was when it worked. And worked beautifully. By the way, I’m guessing I’m not the only person to have thought of this, but until I see proof, I will claim to be it’s inventor.
The only way this doesn’t work is if your heat is too high. I don’t have to tell you what will happen if it is. However, over a low flame (or double-boiler if you’re scared) this will come together very gradually, right before your eyes, and you’ll be able to stop anytime you see fit.
Eggs are cheap, so give it a try, and see what happens. Being able to just dump everything into the bowl, and make hollandaise in one step is well worth the investment, especially with Mother’s Day coming up. Hint, hint. I really do hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!
Ingredients for 2 portions (this can be scaled-up to how ever much you need):
1 large egg yolk
4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cubed
2 tablespoons cold water
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (you can always add more to taste)
salt and cayenne or hot sauce to taste NOTE: If sauce gets too thick, just thin with a little hot water.
This Shakshuka, or Shakshouka if you prefer, is why I’m so glad the show/blog/channel is called, “Food Wishes.” This North African one-dish-meal is so fast, easy, and delicious, but it probably wouldn’t have occurred to me to do a video for it, unless someone sent me a request.
I always appreciate these types of reminders, and seeing "Shakshuka" in a subject line does catch your attention, but now I have a little problem. I can’t stop saying it. It has basically replaced using profanity for me. Yes, now when I stub my toe, I yell "shakshuka!"
I know we did an Italian-inspired version of this idea, served in individual ramekins, but this is supposedly the original. The sauce is quite different, and I think more interesting. The peppers and mushrooms add another layer of flavor, and the spicing is much more complex. Not to mention, a large pan of this is much more of a showstopper.
Just be sure to cook your sauce until the veggies are nice and soft and sweet. I don’t think you want crunchy onions and peppers in this, so take a little time building the base. You will also have to monitor the liquid level as it simmers, but that’s very easy to adjust by adding a splash of water or broth.
Once the eggs go in, you can finish covered on the stove, or just pop the pan into a hot oven until they cook to your liking. I go for just barely set, and the advantage of that system is, if you do want them cooked more, you just need to stir the egg into that hot sauce, and it will firm-up instantly.
No matter how you like your yolks cooked, this makes for an impressive breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner. And if you’re serving a large group, you can scale this up to any size pan or baking dish. I really hope you “shakshuka!” very soon. Enjoy!
Ingredients for 6 small portions: (one egg per portion as appetizer - double for a main course)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, diced
large handful of sliced mushrooms
1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
1 cup diced red bell peppers
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and sliced
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
28-oz can (about 3 cups) crushed San Marzano tomatoes, or other high-quality plum tomatoes. Of course you can use fresh tomatoes in season.
1/2 cup water or broth, or as needed
6 large eggs (or as many as you can fit in you pan)
I love British cooking shows and none more than the baking shows which have always been my favorite, probably because I have been baking from a very early age. I have made a few versions of baked custard tarts and pies myself over the years, including my now famous and very easy Sour Cream Flan. I saw this pie being baked on a competition show recently and knew I had to try a version of it myself. To me, it does have a bit of a Christmasy vibe because with all the cream, eggs and nutmeg included it is very reminiscent of eggnog. I'm actually keeping this one in mind for Christmas dinner next year, maybe served with a cranberry and clementine compote.
Pastry
This pastry recipe is sufficient for 2 pie shells but the second half of the pastry is easily formed into a flat round, wrapped tightly in a couple of layers of plastic wrap and frozen for several weeks until you need it.
2 ¼ cups flour
1 tbsp brown sugar
½ tsp salt
1 cup butter (Very cold and cut in small cubes)
4-6 tbsp ice water + 1 tsp white vinegar
Pulse the cold butter into the flour, sugar and salt using a food processor or pastry cutter until the butter is reduced to pea sized pieces. Remove to a large bowl. Sprinkle the water and vinegar over the surface and toss with a fork until the water is just incorporated into the dough. Do not over work the dough; handle it only enough so that the dough stays together.
Separate the dough into 2 balls and wrap in plastic. Place in the fridge to chill well. You can freeze one for another time. Roll out into a 12 inch round and place into a 9 inch deep dish pie plate or tart pan being careful not to stretch the dough or it will shrink during baking. Trim the excess pastry from the edges and chill the pan for 10 minutes.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Lay a sheet of parchment paper or aluminum foil over the pastry in the pan and fill the pan with baking weights. If you don't have baking weights, dry kidney beans or rice will do in a pinch; anything that will weigh down the bottom pastry so that it doesn't puff up. Yo can reuse dry beans many time for blind baking so be sure to save them for that purpose.
Blind bake the pastry using baking weights for about 15 minutes, remove the baking weights and bake for another 10-15 minutes to crisp the bottom of the pie shell. Remove from oven while you prepare the filling. Reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees F.
Filling:
In a small saucepan over low heat add:
2 cups whipping cream
1 cup whole milk
pinch salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
the seed paste scraped from the onside of a small vanilla bean + the remaining vanilla pod
You want to heat this very slowly to almost boiling so the full flavor of the vanilla bean gets infused into the cream and milk. When heated remove the vanilla bean and set aside for a couple of minutes. (NOTE: In a pinch, 4 tsp of pure vanilla extract can be substituted for the vanilla bean.)
Whip together very well:
4 eggs
3/4 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
Slowly whisk in the hot milk a little at a time; too fast and you'll scramble the eggs. Remove from heat and pass the cream and egg mixture through a sieve into a large heat proof measuring cup or jug.
Heat oven to 300 degrees F. Place the blind baked pie shell in its pan on a baking sheet. Pour in the cream and egg mixture until it has almost reached the top of the shell. Finely grate or sprinkle on a dusting of
freshly grated nutmeg
Place the baking sheet in the oven. If you have a little more cream mixture to bring the level to the top of the crust, you can carefully pour that into the pan when it is in the oven to avoid spillage. It's perfectly okay if you have a little of the filling mixture left over, pan sizes do vary.
Bake for 60 -70 minutes. The top should be pale golden brown and the center swill still juggle a little at the center.
Remove from the oven and let cool to almost room temperature before transferring to the fridge to cool and set completely. This will take several hours or overnight. Serve with fresh berries or seasonal fruit salad.
Potato Crusted Canadian Bacon and White Cheddar Frittata
I was asked to create a recipe for Klondike Rose Potatoes which is a very pretty yellow fleshed potato with a pinkish red skin. As regular readers will attest, I love my weekend brunches and this delicious Canadian inspired frittata made this past weekend's brunch very special indeed.
I sliced these beautiful potatoes and blind baked them into an oven safe frying pan to form a potato "crust" for the frittata which included some lightly fried Canadian Bacon and aged white cheddar cheese which gets diced small instead of grating to provide tasty cheese pockets throughout the dish. It was absolutely delicious with some spicy quick tomato compote served on top.
Brush the inside of a non stick, oven safe, frying pan with
3 tbsp melted butter
Slice about
1 1/2 to 2 pounds of Klondike Rose potatoes
in about 1/8 inch slices. Overlap the potato slices to completely cover the bottom and sides of the buttered frying pan. This will form the potato crust of the frittata which must be blind baked before adding the filling.
To blind bake the potato crust, simply place a piece of parchment paper or aluminum foil over the potatoes and cover the bottom of the frying pan with baking weights. (Dry beans, peas, rice or barley work just as well as anything else.) Bake at 350 degrees F for about 20- 25 minutes. Remove baking weights and parchment (or foil). Mix together and sprinkle the following ingredients over the bottom of the potato crust:
6 ounces lightly fried Canadian bacon, chopped in 1/2 inch squares
6 ounces white cheddar cheese diced small, 1/2 inch or less
¼ cup chopped chives
2 cloves finely minced garlic
Quickly whisk together:
8 large eggs
1/3 cup whipping cream
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
Pour the egg mixture into the potato crust.
Bake at 350 degrees F for about 20 to 25 minutes or until the eggs have set at the center. Invertthe frittata onto a serving platter. Serve immediately topped with Spicy Quick Tomato Compote.
I love Eggs Benedict...like really love it. Being such a big brunch person, I can't resist it on restaurant menus and often make variations of it at home, like our now famous Toutons Benedict. One of the things we often serve at our brunches, in place of hash browns are thin, crispy potato latkes. Spouse suggested making some this morning for a final brunch on this long Victoria Day weekend here in Newfoundland. I then thought of using latkes as the base for a new Eggs Benedict version including a slightly spicy quick cooking tomato compote that has become the condiment of choice at our family brunches.
With fresh chives sprouting in the herb garden, I decided to add them to my Hollandaise Sauce along with a dash of Dijon mustard. Finally, I gave some thinly sliced prosciutto a quick flip in the pan to warm it before adding it to the construction along with over-easy eggs.
The result of all this was one of the best brunches I've had in quite some time. It is a fantastic mix of flavors and textures; the crispy latkes were wonderful with the sweet sharpness of the tomato compote, the slight salty edge of the prosciutto and the creaminess of the herbed Hollandaise sauce. It was utterly delicious and I may not be able to wait until next weekend to have it again. I could eat it again for supper!!
Potato Latkes
Makes about 8 latkes. Serves 4.
4 cups grated potato
Salt and pepper to season
1 beaten egg
3 tablespoons flour
Squeeze as much excess water from the grated potato as possible. Add all the remaining ingredients and toss together until well combined.
Heat a half inch of canola oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-low to medium heat. Drop the latke mixture by ½ cup measures into the hot oil, spreading it out to about a half inch thickness. Fry until golden brown on one side, then turn and cook until golden brown on the opposite side, Drain on paper towels.
In a blender combine the egg yolks, mustard and lemon juice for only a few seconds. With the blender on medium speed, slowly pour in the hot butter in a thin stream. The sauce should thicken quite quickly. Pour into a bowl and keep the bowl warm in a warm water bath while preparing the other components of the Eggs Benedict. Fold in the chives before serving.
To construct the dish for serving, you will also need:
Poached or over-easy eggs, 1 or 2 per person
6 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto, warmed in a frying pan for only a few seconds per side.
Stack 2 or 3 potato latkes per serving before topping with prosciutto, eggs and the tomato compote and Hollandaise sauce.
We are planning an awesome Mothers Day Brunch at our house and the center of that delicious meal will be an easy-to-make frittata that's a simple way to feed the crowd without spending all morning in the kitchen, especially if you are using leftover or previously prepared ingredients such as leftover ham, sausage or crisp cooked bacon. Frittatas also make good use of leftover plain pasta or potatoes; we use leftover roasted potato nuggets in this frittata recipe. You can find our Perfect Roast Potato recipe here.
Serves 6
Heat a 12-inch oven safe skillet on the stove. Brush a little olive oil on the bottom and sides of the skillet.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
When the skillet gets hot, remove it from the heat and sprinkle over the entire surface of the skillet, in even layers:
3 cups diced roasted potatoes
½ pound crisp cooked bacon, chopped
½ pound diced aged cheddar cheese
¼ cup chopped chives
Quickly whisk together:
10 large eggs
½ cup whipping cream
½ tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
½ tsp chili flakes (optional)
Bake at 350 degrees F for about 25 minutes or until the eggs have set at the center. Serve immediately.
I have been on a serious omelet kick lately. I love omelets, especially when they are baked to fluffy perfection and stuffed with cheese and sauteed yumminess like peppers, onions, and smoked meat.
I've changed the process a bit, I mix the flour into the milk first and bam! All the flour dissolves and no need to break out the mixer! I love it when I find ways to keep from washing extra dishes.
What I really love about this baked omelet recipe, besides it being downright delicious, is that no matter what you put in there is still comes out looking elegant.
I like to serve these omelets for breakfast or brunch when we have guest over just to see their reaction. You'd think I had presented them with some gourmet dish. Ahhh parsley makes anything look divine doesn't it?
These baked omelets with a bowl of fresh, chopped melons and french vanilla coffee on a weekend morning..... simple bliss I tell ya!
INGREDIENTS 1/2 milk or (1/4 cup heavy whipping cream and 1/4 cup water. This is what I used in the video) 1/4 cup all-purpose flour 4 eggs 1/4 teaspoon pepper 1/2 teaspoon 1/2 green bell pepper 1/3 onion, chopped 1/2 cup smoked turkey sausage, chopped 1 cup cheddar cheese sour cream (optional but so recommended salsa (optional but soooo recommended) parsley, garnish
Watch me make this baked omelet from start to finish
In the south, it seems everybody has their own way of making southern deviled eggs. Some swear by mustard and others say it's a big no-no. Some say definitely use dill pickled relish while others say sweet relish is the only way to go...and I won't even get started on what kind of mayonnaise should be used because I would surely cause a heated debate in my family...all Imma say is... DUKES BABY!!! lol
I love deviled eggs so much and I honestly don't believe a bad basic deviled egg recipe exists! It's all about tweaking the ingredients and proportions. Here is an easy, flavorful basic deviled egg recipe that my family enjoys. It can be easily customized and adjusted to suit your taste.
Try adding in some bacon, celery, ranch, or even some pimento cheese, believe it or not, taste delish in deviled eggs! Honey the possibilities are endless!
Just be sure to TASTE OFTEN AND ADD IN THE INGREDIENTS A LIL BIT AT A TIME UNTIL IT TASTE THE WAY YOU WANT IT TO TASTE!
Watch me make these deviled eggs from start to finish!
Ingredients
12 eggs 2 teaspoons of white distilled vinegar 1 teaspoon of salt 1/2 cup Dukes mayonnaise 1/8 cup sweet relish 1/8 dill relish 1/4 cup onions, finely diced 1/2-1 Tablespoon of mustard (optional) 1 drop of Tabasco 1/4- 1/2 teaspoon of Old Bay or Seasoning salt or regular salt 1/4 teaspoon black pepper 1/8 - 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
This was Sunday Brunch at our house this morning so I thought I'd add this photo to continue with yesterday's touton theme.
This idea stuffs cooked sausage, scrambled eggs and a blend of aged and smoked cheddar cheeses inside a touton which is then very slowly fried in canola oil. A very hearty brunch indeed! I may not eat until lunchtime tomorrow!
I'm a big advocate of breakfast or brunch dishes for supper, especially during a busy work week. This frittata is a great suggestion for a very flavourful, quick and easy weekday supper or weekend brunch idea.
Serves 4-6
Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large skillet. Add and cook until softened:
1 clove minced garlic
In a large bowl whisk together
6 large eggs 1/3 cup whipping cream Salt and pepper to season ½ tsp ground cumin 2 tbsp hot sauce (optional)
To the egg mixture fold in:
8 slices crisp cooked bacon, crumbled 4 ounces cooked chorizo sausage, chopped 1 cup grated cheddar cheese ¼ cup chopped cilantro 1 roasted red pepper, diced ½ cup pitted kalamata olives 1 cup precooked pasta
Pour into a greased 9x9 baking dish or back into an oiled oven proof skillet. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until the center springs back when pressed lightly.
This simple bacon and cheddar quiche is a really quick and easy recipe for Sunday brunch. No need to make pastry, just use store bought frozen puff pastry. No need to roll out the pastry either or even trim it into a circle for a standard pie plate, just use a square baking dish instead and save the fuss.
Serves 4
1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed 6 eggs 6 slices smoked bacon 2 cloves minced garlic ½ cup whipping cream 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese ½ tsp salt ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Place the puff pastry sheet in a 8x8 inch baking pan, covering the bottom and sides.
Cut the bacon in small pieces and fry to crisp in a heavy skillet over medium low heat.
Whisk together the eggs, whipping cream, salt and pepper. Fold in the garlic, cheese and bacon. Pour into the pastry crust and bake for about 30 minutes or until the eggs are fully set. Cut and serve.
