When you get to a certain age, you think you’ve seen and
done it all. Whether we’re talking professionally, romantically, or culinarily,
by your mid-fifties, any real surprises are few, and far between, and this is particularly
true when it comes to egg recipes. What can you possibly do with eggs that you
haven’t already done many times over? Well, these Turkish eggs, that’s what.
If you want more information about why the blog format has changed, and why we're now offering complete written recipes, please read all about that here.
I like to think of myself as a fairly adventurous eater, but
when it comes to breakfast, I usually fall into the “if it’s not broken, don’t
fix it,” school of thought, and home fries are a perfect example. I mean, what
improvement can you possibly make to perfectly pan-fried, crispy on the
outside, fluffy in the middle breakfast potatoes?
Maybe this is just semantics, since these Bombay breakfast
potatoes aren’t really supposed to be an improvement, but rather a slightly
more exotic change of pace. In any event, they were absolutely delicious, and
while definitely different than your average diner fare, they managed to
retain an acceptable degree of comforting familiarity. And for that, I will mostly
credit the texture.
Like I said in the video, even if you don’t plan on using
the Indian-inspired spicing, you’ll want to pay attention to the cook-first,
fry-later approach. While it does take a little bit of planning ahead, the pay
off is substantial. By boiling first, and then thoroughly chilling before you
panfry, the starches on the surface “gelatinize,” which makes all that
irresistible crispiness possible.
Above and beyond the textural advantages, by prepping the
potatoes the night before, you’re making things pretty easy for yourself the
next morning. Just toss them into the hot pan, and by the time your eggs are
cracked, beaten, and scrambled, your home fries should be just about done. So,
no matter how you season yours, I really do hope you give these a try soon.
Enjoy!
Ingredients for 2 large or 4 small portions:
Spice mix:
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground coriander
2 teaspoons turmeric
1 teaspoon cayenne
2 large russet potatoes, cut in 16ths, cooked in well-salted water
Certain things just go together, like lemon and poppy seeds,
or gorgeous, freshly baked scones and a fancy brunch, which is why, with
Mother’s Day coming up, the timing for these may be perfect. And yes, I was
kidding about the poppy seeds affecting your Mom’s drug test, although if there
are issues, I believe my joke disclaimer in the intro shields me from any
liability.
The method for making these scones is very simple, but can
be a little scary for a novice baker, since the dough starts off in such rough
shape, but if you’re able to wrestle it all together on the table, verses
mixing into a dough ball in the bowl, you’ll be rewarded with a much more
tender scone. Having said that, even a slightly tough lemon poppy seed scone is
a great thing to eat, so don’t stress either way.
Once again I’m using self-rising flour, and hope you do the
same. It just works better for these recipes, and every serious baker should
have some in their pantry. If you want to make your own, for every cup of
regular all-purpose flour, just sift in a teaspoon and a half of baking powder,
and a half teaspoon of fine salt. But regardless of which flour you use, or how
you glaze these, I really do hope you give them a try soon. Enjoy!
Ingredients for 8 Lemon Poppy Seed Scones
2 3/4 cups self-rising flour (see note in blog post above)
1 stick (4 ounces) very cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
2 tablespoons poppy seeds
1/2 cup white sugar
grated lemon zest from one lemon
1 large beaten egg
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/3 to 1/2 cup whole milk or as needed
- Bake at 375 F. for about 25 minutes
For the Strawberry Glaze:
3 or 4 strawberries, cut in quarters, and then finely mashed
enough powdered sugar to make a thick spreadable glaze
Using this simple “crepe cake” technique, you can turn any of your favorite cake fillings into visually stunning, multilayered masterpieces. By the way, I said this is simple, not fast, as it does take a little bit of time to make and stack all those crepes, but once you get rolling, it goes pretty quick.
I was going for a very light dessert here, in both taste and texture, but this technique really shines if you use a more traditional cake filling like buttercream. Since that gets nice and firm when chilled, you’ll get even more gorgeously defined layers. Chocolate ganache is also a great choice, especially layered alternately with pastry cream, which would create a sort of Boston cream pie.
The ingredient amounts below are just a guide, since it really depends on the size of your crepes, and how much filling you spread on. You’ll probably have a few more crepes than you need, which isn’t really a problem, and you can try to go even higher than I did. I also increased the cream filling ingredients below, since I had to make another half batch during my construction.
Speaking of filling, I probably could’ve just folded the strawberry jam into the whipped cream mixture to save time when assembling. I though it would be nice to have streaks of fruit in the cream, but once sliced, it really wasn’t that noticeable. Of course fresh fruit would also work, just be aware of the extra moisture that might add. Regardless of how you fill yours, or how high you stack, I really do hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!
This spring vegetable tart only looks hard to make, and
would be a perfect centerpiece for any special occasion meal, just as long as
you put it out on the table a little bit early, since we’ll need to allow
enough time for all the Instagramming that follows. And please, no flash
photography.
As long as you use a wide array of colorful vegetables, and
tuck them into a gnarly base of greens, this easy cheese tart/salad can’t help
but look gorgeous. In fact, the hardest things will be deciding which
vegetables to use, and how to prepare them.
As I said in the video, you can go with anything from raw to
roasted, but my favorite way to prep the vegetables, is to simply blanch them
briefly in boiling, salted water. Just cook them for a few minutes to take off
the raw edge, and then plunge them into cold water, before draining, and
dressing.
Above and beyond the veggies, this cheese filling will work
with any soft cheese, but I think the tanginess of the goat cheese is an
important factor, so if you use something milder, you may want to sneak in some
lemon juice. Regardless, of what specific ingredients you use, I really hope
you give this gorgeous vegetable tart technique a try soon. Enjoy!
Ingredients for a 10-inch round Spring Vegetable Tart:
2 sheets frozen puff pastry (round or rectangular)
(This tart can be made with any type of shell, including
piecrust, phyllo, etc.)
1 large egg beaten with 1 teaspoon of water (for brushing,
and then for the filling)
For the filling:
1 1/4 cups goat cheese
salt, freshly ground black pepper, cayenne to taste
1/4 cup freshly chopped herbs, like dill, parsley, thyme,
tarragon, basil, chives, etc.
the rest of the egg wash
1/4 cup heavy cream
For the vegetables:
2 handfuls mixed colorful salad greens (including something
light and frizzy if possible)
2 to 3 cups of bite-sized fresh vegetables, briefly blanched
in salted water
1/2 cup thinly sliced raw radishes, and cherry tomatoes
For the dressing (this is what I used, but your favorite
salad dressing will work):
These easy to make soufflé pancakes use the same basic
technique as their extremely trendy Japanese cousins, but are much easier,
don’t require a mold, and actually taste like pancakes. Of course, these won’t
garner the same love on Instagram, but hey, what we sacrifice in verticality,
we more than make up for in less hot air.
The fully inflated version just isn’t dense enough to
satisfy me as a pancake, and mostly makes me want to bake actual soufflés. By
the way, no matter what pancake recipe you like best, if it has eggs in it, you
can do the same thing with the whites, and it almost always improves the
texture.
I joked about putting hot pancakes on cold plates in the video,
but in the restaurant business, this is no laughing matter. It’s one way you
can tell whether pros or amateurs are running the place. At home, I usually
just turn my oven to the lowest setting, and warm the plates in there, ideally
next to some bacon.
Running them under hot water also works, as does zapping
them in the microwave for 20 seconds. Regardless of the plate’s temperature
beneath them, or what you top these with, I really do hope you give them a try
soon. Enjoy!
Makes 4 large or 6 smaller Soufflé Pancakes:
2 large eggs, separated
1 1/2 tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 tablespoon melted butter
pinch of salt
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon self-rising flour (see note below)
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
2 teaspoons butter for cooking Note: To make your own self-rising flour (2 cups worth): Sift together 2 cups all-purpose flour, with 2 teaspoons baking powder, and 1 teaspoon fine salt.
There’s no way to prove that corporate pizza chain
restaurants got the idea for stuffing their crusts with cheese from Khachapuri,
but that’s definitely the story I’m going with.
Nevertheless, this Georgian
cheese bread is such an amazing treat, it’s probably only a matter of time
before these things are being delivered all over the country, right along side
the usual pizza, garlic knots, and chicken wings.
While they do take a little bit of finesse to pull off at
home, the dough is very simple, and the pay off is well worth the effort. You
can obviously customize the cheese blend, but I strongly suggest that feta be part
of the equation. The stretchy mozzarella, and creamy Jack are nice, but they’re
not the most flavorful cheeses ever, which is why the sharper bite the feta
brings works so well.
Besides working with the wet, sticky dough, the only real
challenge here is not over cooking your eggs. In fact, I have it on good
authority that some folks don’t even place these back in the oven after the
eggs are introduced, but rather just stir the raw egg into the molten hot,
cheesy center, and “cook” it that way. That’s up to you, but the point is, we
want…we need, a runny yolk here. Anyway, since you can’t get this delivered
quite yet, I really do hope you give these gorgeous Khachapuri a try soon.
Enjoy!
Ingredients for 2 Khachapuri:
For the dough:
1/2 cup warm milk
1/3 cup warm water
1 package dry active yeast (2 teaspoons)
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus about 1/4 to 1/2 cup extra for
final kneading
1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (3/4 teaspoon fine salt)
For the cheese blend:
4 ounces mozzarella cheese
4 ounces Monterey Jack cheese
8 ounces feta cheese
For the rest:
1 tablespoon butter, cut in 4 slices
2 large eggs
sea salt for the top
cayenne, optional
- Bake at 475 F. for 15 minutes, fill with egg, and bake
another 3 or 4 minutes, until the egg is almost, but not quite set.
Every year I try to post at least one Irish recipe, and this
time around I decided to do something a little out of the ordinary, and try my
hand at Barmbrack. I love corned beef and cabbage as much as the next guy, but
you can only film it so many different ways. Anyway, the thought of a nice,
moist, dense, fruity tea cake for breakfast, with a cup of hot, black tea,
sounded just about perfect, and so I started researching this ancient loaf…and
researching…and researching, until I had seen and read so many recipes that I
didn’t know which direction to go.
There are a huge variety of styles, from light, yeast-raised versions, to super-dense ones, similar to the often-maligned holiday
fruitcake. So, I decided to just wing it, and use the force, which usually works
out well, but this time, not so much. This is traditionally a Halloween treat,
and my experience was equal parts trick and treat.
I’m hearing from my Irish friends on YouTube that I should
have probably used baking soda, plus more tea to get a little more rise. They
also say that using half wholegrain flour will inhibit the verticality as well.
Notwithstanding my results, at the very least, I’ve hopefully made some of you
aware of barmbrack, and maybe you’ll give it a try soon. Enjoy!
Ingredients for one 9” x 5” loaf pan:
2 cups warm black tea
1⁄2 cup golden raisins
1⁄2 cup dried cherries
1/4 cup dried currants
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole grain flour (I’m told this makes the loaf a lot
heavier, so maybe use all regular flour)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder (I’m told I should’ve probably
added a teaspoon of baking soda)
The fact that Kouign-Amann (Pronounced “Queen-a-mahn”) have
become a popular item in bakeries across America is quite a tribute to just how
incredible they really are, since to stock something that no one can spell or pronounce
is generally considered a retail sales no-no. As you may know, I pride myself
on mispronouncing things, but even I don’t like to be corrected by a
salesperson, and their judgmental, I can’t believe you just said “kooeegan-aman”
look.
Yet, despite the difficult name, they’ve thrived for the
very simple reason that this is one of the world’s great pastries. Maybe the
greatest. I guess that depends on who you talk to, but the irresistible
combination of sweet, salty, sticky, buttery, crispy, flaky, and tender, is
hard to beat.
I guess you could just buy some frozen puff pasty, or
croissant dough, and skip to the last step, but unlike many of those, the base
here is a fairly lean bread dough, which I think is one of the secrets. A
richer milk-based dough, which already contains lots of butter and sugar, won’t
necessarily provide the same contrast.
Speaking of secrets, I think the real magic of these is the
salt. Apparently the authentic ones are fairly salty, and just as savory, as
they are sweet, but you don’t want to over do it. I suggest starting with less
than I call for in your seasoned sugar mix, and then tasting on a wet finger to
see where you’re at. Then, add more until you think it’s right.
Part of me hopes you have a bakery that does these nearby,
so you can easily taste them for yourself, but another part of me hopes you
don’t, so you’ll try to make them. Either way, you’re in for a huge treat.
Enjoy!
Ingredients for 12 Kouign-Amann:
For the dough:
1 cup warm water
1 teaspoon dry active yeast
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon melted unsalted butter
2 1/2 cups bread flour, plus more as needed
1 teaspoon kosher salt
For the seasoned sugar (mix, taste, and adjust):
2/3 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons of sea salt or kosher salt (less if you’re using
a fine table salt)
For the rest:
8 ounces ice cold unsalted butter (2 sticks) for the pastry
Imagine a sausage patty made from chicken that’s just as
tender, juicy, and flavorful as one made from pork. What? A not-dry, not-rubbery feeling chicken-based sausage? Sounds impossible, and
it is, unless you sneak in a little bit of pancetta, and follow a few simple
techniques.
Instead of buying ground chicken at the market, which is
always too finely ground, we’re going to use thighs, and grind our own. This
makes for a significantly more succulent and tender patty, as long as you keep
the meat very cold while working with it. I like to pulse it on and off in the
food processer, but your can also use your grinder attachment, or go low-tech,
and just chop it finely with a big knife or cleaver.
As I mentioned in the video, if you’re not into patties, you
can make links, or simply crumble the raw mixture into a hot pan, and break it
up as it cooks. Once browned, you can add your butter and flour, and continue
with the pan sauce. Besides saving you a little time, this method probably
makes for the most flavorful gravy.
By the way, most chicken apple sausage recipes call for some
kind of sugar to be added, but I really don’t think it’s necessary, thanks to
the natural sugar in the apples. As with all ground meat recipes, you can
always fry up a small piece of your mixture, and test for yourself, but for me,
the little touch of maple syrup in the sauce is all the extra sweetness this
needs. Either way, I really do hope you give these chicken apple sausage
patties a try soon. Enjoy!
Ingredients for 8 Chicken Apple Sausage Patties (about 4
ounces each):
For the sausage:
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
4 ounces pancetta or bacon
2 teaspoons kosher salt, or to taste
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon crushed fennel seeds (toast in dry pan until fragrant)
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
2 teaspoons finely minced fresh sage
2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, grated, and squeezed dry
Even though I only do it once every few years or so, making
salmon gravlax at home is a fun weekend project, and with very little effort,
you can produce some very impressive results. I’ve always done this with the
traditional fresh dill sprigs, but after enjoying a beet-stained version at
Plaj, I decided to try my hand. And, also stain my hand.
If you’re just doing a small tail piece like I did, these
times and measurements should get you close to what you see here, but if you're feeling adventurous, and want to do something larger, then you may have to do
some research for techniques that work better when doing a thicker piece of
fish.
Those slightly more complicated methods involve turning,
draining, and basting, to account for a longer curing time.So what I’m trying to say is, you can avoid
all that by just doing a smaller piece, which, unless you’re hosting a large
party, should be plenty. Speaking of large parties, and the litigious people
that sometime attend them, please be sure to get your salmon from a reliable
source.
I think a brick works great for a press, but anything that
weighs a few pounds would be fine, as long as it’s large, and flat enough to
distribute the weight evenly. A book with a few cans of soup on it would do the
trick. Regardless of how you press yours, once unwrapped, sliced, and served on
a toasted bagel, I think you’ll agree it was worth the wait. So, I really do
hope you give this gravlax technique a try soon. Enjoy!
Ingredients for 6 to 10 ounces of Gravlax:
8 to 12 ounce tail section of fresh salmon with skin on
(scaled)
1/4 cup kosher salt
1/4 cup white sugar
cayenne and/or freshly ground black pepper to taste
enough grated beet and/or fresh dill springs to thickly
cover fish
- Press with something heavy, and let cure in fridge for 1 1/2 days, or until salmon is firm, and translucent when sliced. You can
carefully unwrap, and poke to test, and then rewrap, and let cure longer if
need be.
I’m not sure what your usual breakfast routine entails, but
chances are you occasionally get bored with it, and crave something completely
different, and when that happens, it doesn’t get much more different than this
fast, and easy fried cheese egg toast. Be careful though, since afterwards it’s
not easy going back to that bowl of oatmeal.
While pan-frying cheese may not sound particularly healthy, as
it caramelizes, it gives up a fair amount of butter fat, which stays behind in
the pan. So, you could actually spin this technique as a new, fat-reducing hack
– unless you use that to butter the toast, which isn’t a dumb idea.
By the way, I hope you like your yolks runny, since if you
don’t, this is not going to be nearly as great. Which reminds me, why do people
not like runny yolks? What’s not to like? I hope they don’t think they’re
dangerous, because they’re not. Anyway, if you are a fan of the flow, this
fried cheese egg toast is the way to go, so I really do hope you give this a
try soon. Enjoy!
Ingredients for one Fried Cheese Egg Toast:
1 ounce grated cheddar cheese
pinch red pepper flakes
1 large egg
1 piece of toast
sliced green onions to garnish
pinch of salt
*Note: For best results, rub your non-stick pan with a few
drops of olive oil
I know chocolate granola sort of sounds like candy, but introducing
cocoa into the mix not only makes it delicious, it also actually makes it
better for you! Possibly. No one is really sure. The point is this really
tastes great, and would make a wonderful treat for the chocolate lover, mother
or otherwise, in your life.
I showed amazing restraint not adding anything more that
oatmeal and almonds, since I really think that’s the best plan for the
chocolate base, but I would have no problem with you accessorizing this as you see
fit. Coconut flakes are an obvious choice, as are other usual suspects like
dried fruit, any and all nuts, and assorted seeds.
If you want a stickier granola, that will more easily clump
together, you can up the brown sugar and maple syrup a bit, as I used the bare
minimum in this recipe, but I think it’s plenty sweet enough, especially if
you’re a fan of dark chocolate.
Speaking of chocolate, I used Guittard’s Cocoa Rouge, a
Dutch-process cocoa, which has a lower acidity than regular cocoa, and works
perfectly flavor-wise. However, I’ve heard that type of cocoa doesn’t retain as
much of the nutritional value, due to the way it’s processed. The good news is,
any high-quality cocoa will work here.
By the way, I was only half-kidding about making this for
someone, and then keeping it all for yourself, so best play it safe, and make a
double, or triple batch. No matter how much you make, or what you add in, I
really hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!
Makes about 3 1/2 cups of Chocolate Granola:
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup maple syrup
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt (or 1/2 teaspoon fine salt)
pinch of cayenne
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa (Dutch-processed if possible)
2 cups rolled oats
3/4 cup chopped almonds
- Mix, and bake at 250 F. for about an hour, or until as
crunchy/chewy as you like.
I was attempting to do a little twist on the venerable
Croque Madame, by soaking the toast in a custard batter before frying, instead
of topping it with the usual white sauce, but when I’d finished, I realized
what I really had created was a Monte Cristo with a poached egg on top. These
things will happen.
It was amazingly delicious, but I decided it wasn’t close
enough to call a Croque Madame, which is when I turned to Twitter for help.
This is never a good idea, but this time it totally worked out, as some dude who goes
by the name, Zap Shakur (@zapshakur), suggested I go with “Madame Cristo,” and
the rest is history.
If you’re just making one or two, feel free to poach your
eggs right before the sandwiches are done, but for larger parties, you’ll want
to check out this poached egg video, which shows a great make-ahead method for serving multiple poached eggs at the same time. This is exactly how it’s done in restaurants, where cooking to order would be virtually
impossible.
If you are feeding a larger group, you can make your sandwiches ahead, and then just keep
them in a warm oven, until you're ready to top with the poached eggs. But, whether you’re making this for two or twenty, I really do hope
you give it a try soon. Enjoy!
Ingredients for 2 Madame Cristos:
4 slices white bread, lightly toasted
8 thin slices of Gruyere, Swiss, Cheddar, Havarti, or any
other melting cheese
4 ounces thinly sliced honey baked ham or similar meat
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