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’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
This Denver omelet was one of the first things I learned how
to make professionally, during my brief, but exciting career as a short order
cook in high school. So, it was a little disconcerting to learn when I arrived
at culinary school that everything I had done was totally wrong.
According to the chefs teaching me how to make a classic
French omelet, my Denver omelet was overcooked, over-browned, and included too
many ingredients.It was made very clear
that if I made that for my exam, I would fail, which was confusing since I
thought they were really good, and the people at the diner where I’d worked
seemed to agree.
Over the years, I’ve come to appreciate both styles of
omelet, and understand they really are two entirely different things. I’m not
sure exactly why, but I seem to prefer the softer French version for breakfast,
and this heartier American-style for lunch, or dinner. Maybe it’s the browning,
or denser texture, but it really does make for a great “can’t figure out what
to have for dinner” idea.
As with all omelets, feel free to toss in anything you want,
but just be sure to cook it long enough before adding the eggs.To me there’s nothing worse than an omelet
with crunchy, undercooked vegetables in it, and that’s really the only way to
screw this up. But, no matter what you use, or when you enjoy this, I really do
hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!
There is no more terrifying experience at culinary school
than the French omelette exam. With your classmates rooting you on, and chef
instructors watching intently, you head to the stove, with little more than three
eggs, and a little butter…okay, a lot of butter…but that’s it.
It’s just you and the ingredients, with no way to fake
perfection. A French omelette, or omelet, as we Americans call it, is 10%
ingredients, and 90% technique. The good news is, the technique is really
simple. The bad news is, it takes a little practice to perfect. But, after
making a few hundred of these, you could probably do this half asleep, which is
how many brunch cooks actually do it. Just be sure to start the folding as soon
as the surface is wet, but not runny.
Feel free to stuff this with your favorite fillings, before
folding up, but if you’ve never had one of these before, I highly recommend
making one as shown. You’ll be amazed at just how delicious these few
ingredients can be, when elevated using this method. Either way, I
really do hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!
Ingredients for one omelette:
3 large farm-fresh eggs
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon cold water
2 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 1/2 for the pan, and 1/2
for when it’s done)
Like most late night, post-saloon culinary experiments, I wasn’t expecting too much as I attempted this crispy, inside-out parmesan omelet,
so I was fairly thrilled with how it turned out. The caramelized cheese had
formed a thin, but protective layer, and since the eggs had never directly
touched the pan, they were moist and tender.It might have been the cocktails talking, but I started to
think I had stumbled on to some sort of omelet hack, which improves both the
texture of the surface, and diminishes the chance of dry, bitter, overcooked
eggs.
I also tried this with cheddar, and it works pretty much the same.There is one catch, in that you need a nonstick pan for this
to work, but other than that, not much can go wrong, and so much can go right.
Like what to stuff in the middle. As long as you heat it first, a reasonable
amount of any classic omelet filling would shine.
This will also work whether you use one or three eggs,
depending on the texture you’re going for. Using a single egg is kind of a cool
trick, since the cheese layer is almost as thick, and you can really appreciate
the crispness even more. I hope you give this great new omelet technique a try
soon. Enjoy!
Ingredients for one Parmelet:
8-inch non-stick pan
1 teaspoon olive oil
25 grams (just shy of 1-ounce) finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
cheese
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 once saw a chef make hollandaise by using chucks
of cold butter to the yolks, 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)
