Showing posts with label eggs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label eggs. Show all posts

Friday, June 27, 2008

Eggs don't floppify

Eggs. We love 'em. They are so nutritious, cholesterol be damned!, and versatile, and bordering on magical-custard, meringues, brioche, angel food, hollandaise. But they can be temperamental to cook; that's why you hear about "coddled" eggs, and sauces "breaking." Of course they can be temperamental to handle too- just ask my two year old and my tile floor.
Hard boiling an egg seems like an easy task- you just boil water, right? Here's the best way I've found to get them just right every time, without under done yolks or discolored white from over cooking.
Take your cold eggs from the fridge and fill your pot with cold water to cover. Place the pot with eggs, and lid, over low heat until it boils. Set the timer for 10 minutes and turn off the heat. When the timer rings, rinse the eggs in cold water.
Some say the secret to getting the eggs to peel is to do it warm, others say cold. I haven't found that it matters, but the older the egg is the easier it will be to peel. If you do peel them warm you can use these crazy molds to shape them. Otherwise chill them until you need them for an easy snack, breakfast, lunch, addition to salad, topping for a cracker, whatever.

Thursday, March 27, 2008

Clean out the fridge and crack an egg over it

Quiche.
What the heck have I been doing?!
How did I forget about this amazing opportunity to use up veggies and combine them with a cheap easy protein source of eggs and cheese and a crisp delicious whole wheat pie crust.
Tonight we had ham, sweet potato, and broccoli quiche with a last little bit of Emmentaller cheese grated on top. Extra tasty.
Try a cream cheese whole wheat pie crust with it.
1 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
4 oz cream cheese
1/2 cup butter
4 T orange juice
Whisk dry ingredients together. Blend in cream cheese and butter. Sprinkle orange juice on top and press together until it hold together. Refrigerate. Roll out and fit into pie plate. Refrigerate 1/2 hour. Blind bake at 400 F for 25 minutes. Remove weights/beans bake 5-8 min more.
Fill with sautéed filling of your choice from the list below. I suggest limiting it to 3 plus onions so the combinations don't get too weird. But, if you have to use stuff up, toss it in. You'll want about 3-4 cups of filling. Then pour over a "Royale" (uncooked custard) made by whisking together:
3 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup cream
1 t salt
1/2 t pepper
pinch cayenne and nutmeg
1 t Dijon mustard
Sprinkle with cheese of your choice. Bake for 30 minutes until set. Let cool for about 30 minutes for easier slicing.

Filling options:
Ham
Crab
Chicken
Sausage
Bacon
Mushrooms
Potatoes
Sweet potatoes
Zucchini
Broccoli
Asparagus
Spinach
Kale
Mustard greens
Butternut squash
Bell Peppers