Baked Eggs with Pullet Eggs

A baked egg.

I received some beautiful little pullet eggs from our CSA (community supported agriculture) and I wanted to do something special with them. It isn't every day that you get pullet eggs. What are they? Well, they are small eggs that are laid by chickens that are less than one year old. They are so small and so cute.

The pullet egg is on the left and the large eggs is on the right.

It took me a couple of days to figure out what to do with them. I decided I wanted baked eggs. I thought baked eggs would appropriately showcase the petite eggs. The last time I made baked eggs I had a terrible time cleaning the ramekins; so, I decided to make a version of toad in the hole. I had some lovely bakery hamburger buns and used them as my edible ramekins. If I was using large eggs, I would need to use large hamburger buns or maybe dinner rolls. As it turns out the hamburger buns were just the right size. I am on a Herbes de Provence kick so that's what I used but I usually use a sprinkling of fresh chopped herbs. For a healthier version, use whole wheat buns, fat-free half and half, and egg whites.

Baked Toad in the Hole

Butter or Margarine
Hamburger Bun (One to two per person)
Eggs (One per bun)
Cream or Half and Half
Herbes de Provence or Fresh Herbs, Chopped
Salt and Pepper, To Taste

Preheat your oven to 350F/176C/Gas Mark 4. Grease a cookie sheet (you don't want the buns to stick to the cookie sheet and they will because some of the cream is likely to escape). Carefully remove the center of the bun without breaking though the bottom. Butter the inside of the bun and place on the cookie tray. Repeat until all of the buns are buttered and on the tray.

Hollowed out buttered buns

One at a time, break the eggs into a bowl and pour into the center of each bun.

Pouring the egg into the center of the bun- it just fits.

Top off with a bit of cream. Sprinkle with the herbs and salt and pepper.

Ready for the oven

Bake for 15-25 minutes (depending on whether you want a hard or runny yolk. For those who want a runny yolk, test to see if the white is set and take the eggs out of the oven. For those of you (like me) who can't stand runny eggs, jiggle the bun and if the yolks don't move you are set. For me, twenty-five minutes of baking resulted in perfectly cooked eggs.

Yummy!

The bottom line: will I make these agan?  Yes, I enjoyed these. I love the fact that I did not need to watch the eggs or worry over them. I was able to sit back, relax, and enjoy my morning coffee. Afterwards I had very few dishes to wash (well, for Katie to wash). Next time I may place some chopped tomato on the bottom or creamed spinach. The possibilities are endless.

Tomato Tart

Tomato Tart

I love tomato pie. It is one of my all time favorites. One day for brunch I had a tomato tart with mustard. It was yummy. I decided to create my own tomato tart. It took a couple of tries and several mistakes but the result was great.  But you have to love mustard. I love mustard- I have all types of mustard.
I have made this tart with homemade pastry, phyllo, and store-bought pastry. I like all three -- in  time pinch I use store-bought dough. The important thing is to use a tart pan- not a pie pan. I tried using a pie pan (I could find my tart pan and was in a time crunch). It wasn't as good. So I recommend using a tart pan. For the herbs, I like basil, chives, oregano, and thyme.

9 or 10 Inch (20 or 25 cm) Pie Crust
1-2 Tbsp of Coarse Mustard
2-3 Tomatoes, Sliced
1-2 Tbsp of Chopped Herbs
2 Tbsp of Olive Oil
6-8 oz (170g - 225g) of Goat Cheese, Sliced
Salt and Pepper

Preheat oven to 425F/218C/Gas Mark 7. Place pastry dough in a 9 or 10 inch (20 to 25 cm) tart pan. Spread mustard on the pastry dough and allow to dry (about 5 minutes).

Mustard yummy mustard

Meanwhile sliced tomatoes, herbs, and goat cheese. Place tomatoes on mustard and sprinkle with chopped herbs.

Adding sliced tomatoes

Drizzle with oil. Top with goat cheese. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Ready for the oven!

Bake for 20-30 minutes (watch closely because you don't want to over bake).

Finished tomato tart

The bottom line: will I make this again? Yes- incredible. I don't know which one I like better the tomato pie or the tomato tart.

Creme Brulee French Toast

Creme brulee french toast

My daughter decided to make me breakfast for mother's day. Of course I was delighted and a bit nervous about what my kitchen would look like when she was done.
We discussed and debated what she wanted to make and decided on one of her favorite breakfast dishes. The winner was creme brulee french toast. It is absolutely incredible and the majority of the work is done the night before.
Since we are trying to be healthier we lightened the recipe by using egg substitute and fat free half and half. It is still amazing. If you want the full-fat version use eggs and cream. If you have a bigger crowd- just double the recipe and make in a 9 x 13 (23 x 33 cm) baking dish. I like to use fairly thick slices of French bread or Italian bread for this. I think it holds up better.

1/4 Cup (55 g) of Butter
1/2 Cup (110 g) of Brown Sugar, Packed
1 Tbsp of Maple Syrup
Slices of Bread to Cover Bottom of 9 x 9 in (23 x 23 cm) Baking Dish
3/4 Cup (180 ml) of Egg Substitute or 3 Eggs, Beaten
3/4 Cup (180 ml) of Fat Free Half and Half
1 Tsp of Vanilla
1 Tsp of Orange Flavored Liqueur

Over low heat, melt butter, brown sugar, and maple syrup in a small saucepan. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Pour into a 8 x 8 in (20 x 20 cm) or 9 x 9 in (23 x 23 cm) baking dish.

Place slices of bread on top of caramel mixture.

In a separate bowl combine eggs, half and half, vanilla, and liqueur. Pour cream mixture over bread.

Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 8 hours or overnight.

When ready to bake, remove from refrigerator and preheat oven to 350F/176C/Gas Mark 4. Bake for 35-45 minutes until puffy and lightly browned.
 

The bottom line: will I make this again? Yes- wonderful and amazing.

Sausage and Hash Brown Breakfast Casserole

A slice of yumminess

I love breakfast for dinner. This is an easy dish that tastes great. I lightened this traditionally fat and calorie laden dish by using egg substitute, fat free half and half, and low fat milk. Turkey sausage will work in this dish as well. Yes- it is still good. It was so good that we ate all of it. There were no leftovers.

1 lb (.45 kg) of Sausage
1 Tbsp of Canola or Vegetable Oil
20 oz (570  g) of Grated Potatoes
1 Cup (240 ml) of Egg Substitute (4 Eggs)
1 Cup (240 ml) of Fat Free Half N Half
1 Cup (240 ml) of Low Fat Milk
2 Cups (240 g) of Grated Cheese (Your choice)
Salt and Pepper, To Taste
Several Dashes of Cayenne or Southwest Seasoning (Optional)

Preheat oven to 350F/176C/Gas Mark 4. Spray a 9x9 inches (3.5x3.5 cm) baking pan with cooking spray. In a large skillet cook the sausage until no longer pink. Dump cooked sausage into the bottom of the baking pan.

I love the smell of frying sausage

Pour about a tablespoon of oil in a skillet and dump in the grated potatoes. Lightly cook the grated potatoes in the skillet and dump over the sausage.

Lightly frying the potatoes

Whisk the eggs, milk, and half and half until combined and pour over the top of the grated potatoes. Sprinkle with cheese. Sprinkle with seasonings.

Ready for the oven.

Place uncovered in the oven and bake for 40 minutes.

Yum!

The bottom line: will I make this again? Yes and I will continue to use my lower in fat and calorie substitutes. 

Boxty Irish Potato Pancakes

Boxties

 A boxty is version of a potato pancake. It is a traditional Northern Ireland dish. Boxty is from the Gaelic word bac-stai,  bac means shelf and stai means fire. They were originally grilled over and open fire.  It is also known as Arán bocht tí’  which means "poor house bread." They were the food of the Irish peasants.
What is interesting about a boxty is it is made from both mashed and grated raw potatoes.  This gives the potato pancake a thicker cake-like texture.
These are rich and I hate to say it but a bit bland for our family's taste. The solution? We served them with a spicy breakfast sausage. The boxty was a perfect compliment to the sausage.

There is a famous Irish rhyme:
Boxty on the griddle, boxty in the pan, If you can't make boxty, you'll never get your man

The boxty on the griddle is a dough version of the boxty (the first recipe) and boxty in the pan is the batter version (the second recipe). The only difference between the two recipes is the amount of milk. The first recipe you have a bread like dough that is shaped. The second you have batter that is dropped into the pan. I preferred the second recipe. I thought it made a lighter boxty.

Boxty
8 oz. (225 g) Mashed Potatoes
8 oz. (225 g) Grated Potatoes
2 Cups (250 g) of Flour
1 Tsp of Baking Powder
1 Tsp of Salt
1/4 Tsp of Freshly Ground Black Pepper
1 Tbsp of Unsalted Butter, Melted
1/2 Cup (120 ml) of Milk

Wring out the liquid from the grated potatoes and combine with the mashed potatoes. Shift the dry ingredients together and add to the potatoes.

Mashed and grated potatoes

Add the melted butter and stir. Slowly add the milk until you have a pliable dough.

It works just like bread

Knead lightly on a floured surface and divide into a flat cake.

Flatten pancake- I forgot to make the cross mark

Make a cross on the cake (like you do for soda bread) and fry the cake in a bit of bacon grease, sausage grease, butter, or oil. Turn the cakes when the edges start to turn golden brown. Repeat with remaining dough.

Fried boxty

Boxty II

8 oz. (225 g) Mashed Potatoes
8 oz. (225 g) Grated Potatoes
2 Cups (250 g) of Flour
1 Tsp of Baking Powder
1 Tsp of Salt
1/4 Tsp of Freshly Ground Black Pepper
1 Tbsp of Unsalted Butter, Melted
1 Cup (240 ml) of Milk

Wring out the liquid from the grated potatoes and combine with the mashed potatoes. Shift the dry ingredients together and add to the potatoes. Add the melted butter and stir. Add the milk until you have a pancake batter like consistency.

Just like pancake batter

Drop the batter into a frying pan and fry the cakes in a bit of bacon grease, sausage grease, butter, or oil. Turn the cakes when they start to turn golden brown on the edges.

Boxties

 The bottom line: will I make this again? Yes, on a cold winter's day when we have a full day of skiing or sledding ahead of us, I will make this.

Homemade Gravlax

Gravlax on a bagel with cream cheese and capers

We love gravlax. I like it best on a piece of rye bread with cream cheese and capers. Steven likes it best on a bagel with all of the fixins. It is really easy to make. All it takes is really fresh salmon, dill, sugar, a little black pepper, Kosher salt, and a little time. I also use a little vodka but you don't have to.
Gravlax was made by fisherman starting in the middle ages by salting the salmon and buying it in the sand above the high tide line. "Gravlaz" comes from the Scandinavian word "grav" which means grave and "lax" which means salmon. So it literally means "buried salmon." I broke with tradition and used a bit of vodka and I did not bury the salmon in the back yard. Instead, I made a "salmon sandwich," wrapped it in plastic wrap, and placed it in the refrigerator.  The result, beautiful cured salmon.

Gravlax

1 Large Piece of Salmon, Cut in Half
A Big Bunch of Dill
1 Cup (215 g) of Coarse Sea Salt or Kosher Salt
2 Cups (450 g) of Sugar
2 Tsp of Black Pepper
1/4 Cup (60 ml) of Vodka

Mix the salt and sugar together in a bowl. Coat each side of the salmon in the salt/sugar mixture,

Salmon covered in salt and sugar mixture

lightly pepper each side, and place most of the dill on one of the pieces of salmon (so that it will be on the inside of the sandwich).

Salmon covered in sugar, salt, and dill

Place the two pieces of salmon together (skin side out). Place the remaining dill on the outside, pour vodka on top,  and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Place in a container to catch any liquid that escapes. Cover with books or weights and refrigerate.

Salmon wrapped in plastic wrap ready for the refrigerator

Once to twice a day open up the dill sandwich and baste the fish with the liquids. The gravalx is done when the fish is opaque. This process usually takes 2 to 4 days. When the fish is done, thinly slice it and serve.

Gravlax on a bagel with cream cheese and capers and onions

The bottom line: will I make this again? Yes, I will. It is an inexpensive way to make great cured salmon.

Breakfast Quiche

It's all in there quiche

I thought it was Father's Day last week so I made bacon, eggs, and hash browns for Steven. It wasn't Father's Day. Opps! Well, at least we had a nice breakfast. I couldn't do the same breakfast twice for Father's Day, so I decided to make a quiche. Real men do eat quiche; they know that it is delicious.

I made it easier on myself by making it the night before and heating it up in the morning. I am not usually an early early morning person. Also I used a premade pie crust. I baked it prior to adding the quiche filling. I used 2% milk but half and half works well soon. To lighten this you can use egg substitute. I have and Steven hasn't noticed the difference. When I use egg substitute, I add a little more black pepper, more herbs, or I spice it up. Also you could delete the bacon and the bacon grease; it will still be good, just not great. This makes a 9 inch (23 cm) quiche.


It's All in There Quiche

1 Pie Shell
1 Cup (191 g) of Onions, Diced
6 Slices of Bacon (Reserve 3 Tbsp of Bacon Grease)
6 Large Eggs, at Room Temperature
2 Cups (480 ml) of Milk or Half and Half, Warmed
1 Cup (105 g) of Grated Mozzarella Cheese
6 Basil Leaves, Chopped
Salt and Pepper, To Taste

Fry bacon until crisp, crumble, and set aside. Saute the onions in 3 tablespoons of bacon grease until the onions are soft and golden brown (this takes about 20 minutes).

Meanwhile, bake pie shell according to recipe or package directions. Once, the pie shell is baked, lower oven heat to 350F/176C/Gas Mark 4. (I put the pie shell on a baking sheet because sometimes it spills over and it is easier to work with).

Baked pie shell

Once the onions are done, beat the eggs with the warmed liquid and add the cheese, bacon, onions, basil, and salt and pepper.

Egg mixture

I usually add a bit of both. Pour into the pie shell.

The quiche is ready for the oven.

Bake in the oven for 30 to 40 minutes. The quiche should be set but it should still jiggle a little in the middle.
The bottom line: will I make this again? Yes I will. I may change the ingredients but they are so good together, I don't know what I would change.

Corned Beef Hash

What do with the leftover corned beef and potato pancakes from your St. Patrick's Day dinner? That's easy- corned beef hash. What's different about this hash is the corned beef is in chunks and not ground. I don't like the texture of ground up corned beef. I also don't like corned beef from a can. I do, however, like this corned beef.

Corned Beef Hash

2 Tbsp of Vegetable or Canola Oil
Cooked Potato Pancakes Cut into Pieces
Cooked Corned Beef Cut into Small Cubes
1/4 Cup (60 ml) of Heavy Cream
One Large Egg per Person

Pour oil into a skillet and heat on medium-high heat. Add potatoes to skillet and fry until browned.

Meanwhile fry one egg per person. I like mine well done.

Once potatoes are browned, add corned beef and fry until heated through. Lower heat and add cream. Cook one minute. Put hash into a bowl and top with egg.

Eggs Benedict

Eggs Benedict

Ever since I was little, my family has always had Eggs Benedict for special occasions. It was also one of the foods I craved when I was pregnant. Ok- it is one of the foods I crave when I am not pregnant. Well-made eggs Benedict qualifies as a "perfect food". At least in my humble opinion.
I love eggs Benedict even though it is a balancing act in timing-- four separate parts of the dish that need to be made in a relatively short period of time.

Lots of tasks to juggle at once

I have alternated between using Bearnaise and Hollandaise sauce and Canadian bacon and ham. I have always used the Knorr sauce packages because making the sauces from scratch terrifies me. I always think that I am going to get the sauce wrong-- it won't come together and I will have eggs Benedict without a thick fattening French sauce which would be a small tragedy.

Today-- I am going to make the sauce and I am thinking positively so I am toasting the English muffins, poaching the eggs, and cooking the ham as if I am going to be successful!

Hollandaise sauce is a tricky sauce to make-- there are several versions-- one is made over a double boiler with care taken not to get the eggs to hot because the will scramble and not be that wonderful thick sauce. The second is made in a blender. The third is a method advocated by Alton Brown where you cook the egg yolks first, add cold butter to the mixture, and add the lemon juice last (he has it marked as easy). Ok there is a fourth- it is from a packet and is foolproof-- I know I could make it in my sleep.

As I write this I am tempted to forget this blog and just go out and buy the sauce packet. Both Hollandaise and Bearnaise sauces scare me there are so many things that can go wrong-- oh well I am repeating myself. I have made homemade mayonnaise before (absolutely amazing stuff I might add) and it is an emulsion just like Bearnaise and Hollandaise so how hard could it be? Except that mayonnaise is never heated so you don't have to worry about your eggs scrambling or your sauce curdling or your emulsion failing to form.

The first question is whether I will make the one of the easy versions or the full-fledged-risky double boiler sauce. When I have a quandary like this, I usually turn to my Joy of Cooking, one of the first cookbooks I owned. Since my early days of cooking, my cookbook collection has grown. I read them like most people read novels, even though I hardly ever follow the recipes- except when I bake (and sometimes not even then). I am nervous enough with this sauce to follow the recipe (at least the first time I make it).

Ok I am not a coward so I am making the full fledged version-- without a safety net. I can do this.

Recipe (Adapted from Joy of Cooking)

Melt 10 tablespoons of butter (skim the foam off of the top and keep warm).

Place in the top of a double boiler or in a large stainless steel bowl:

3 Large Egg Yolks
1 1/2 Tbsp of Cold Water

Off of the stove, beat the yolks with a whisk until light and frothy. Place the top or bowl over (not in) barley simmering water and continue to whisk until the eggs are thickened, 3 to 5 minutes being careful not to let the eggs get too hot. (Note-- it took my mixture a lot longer than 5 minutes. I felt like I whisked forever).



Remove the pan or bowl from the hot water and continue to whisk to allow the mixture to cool slightly. You guessed it-- while whisking the mixture slowly add the melted butter.



Next whisk in:

1/2 to 2 Tbsp of Lemon Juice (I like mine lemony so I added 2 tablespoons)
(Dash of hot pepper sauce-- optional)  I added freshly ground cayenne pepper
Salt and white pepper to taste

Now that the sauce is done-- make your Eggs Benedict!

Toasted English muffin, add ham, and poached egg

The finished product!

So was it worth the work?  My family says yes (but then they weren't the ones whisking!) The sauce is better than the sauce from the magic package but it is a lot of work. Will I make it again? Yes-- for special occasions and with the promise of my family to help with the whisking.