Kale and Onion Flip Omelette

September 28, 2012 Bryan

Quiches, fritattas, and omelettes are conveniently versatile. You may have the makings of a tasty egg-based dish already in your fridge. I'm talking about veggies, cheese, and/or meats that need to be used. Here I've selected kale, onions, and, for the cheese, feta. Obviously eggs play a big part in the above recipes, and we're happy to get ours from a small local farm where the chickens roam freely.

This dish is not quite a fritatta because it's thinner, so I'm calling it a flip omelette. Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 6 eggs • 2 tablespoons heavy cream • 150 g of cheese, grated (I used crumbled feta) • 2 medium onions, chopped • about 3 cups sliced kale • 4 tablespoons butter • salt + ground black pepper

In a medium skillet (easier to do if you use a quality non-stick pan), melt 2 tablespoons of butter, and cook the onions on medium heat until they are soft, for about 5-7 minutes. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, the kale and season with salt. Cook the kale for an additional 5 minutes, stirring often. Meanwhile, whisk the eggs with the cream and season them with salt and pepper. Once the kale is done, spread the onion-kale mixture evenly in the bottom of the pan. Add the cheese on top, and pour the eggs over. Cover, lower the heat to low, and let cook for 10-15 minutes, until the eggs are set. Flip over onto a plate, slice, and serve.

Breakfast Salad - Soft-Boiled Egg, Aged Cheddar and Balsamic

July 7, 2012 Bryan

Why not right? Runny egg yolks make great salad dressing. I made this the other day with a suillus mushroom foraged by Earlene from the Inn. She told us that the suillus goes really well with eggs. So I went ahead and put together this salad, topping it with the mushroom sautéed in butter, garlic, and fresh herbs. Yum. Feel free to top your breakfast salad with whatever you have around; toasted nuts, cheese, smoked trout, crispy bacon... Enjoy!

Serves 2

Ingredients

• 2 large eggs • 2 good handfuls of mixed greens • 1 tablespoon sunflower or grapeseed oil • 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar • 2 tablespoons chopped roasted almonds • a small handful of aged cheddar, grated • salt + ground black pepper

Mix the oil and balsamic. Set aside.

Bring a pot of water to a boil, lower the heat to a simmer and carefuly add the eggs. Cook 5 minutes. Put the eggs in cold running water for 30 seconds. Peel the shell off.

Top the greens with the almonds, cheddar, vinaigrette and the egg. Slice the egg open and season to taste with salt and fresh ground pepper.

Butternut Squash Potato Cakes

March 30, 2012 Bryan

This first recipe makes one killer appetizer while the second goes well with any breakfast. They are both really simple; two ingredients apiece, both grated, squeezed of excess water, and fried in a pan. The ratio is half potatoes, half whatever other vegetable. I made some with zucchini and some others with butternut squash. Feel free to experiment with anything you have in your own veg box and to size your cakes according to your own meal plan. Both of these recipes will make around 8 large or 16 small cakes. Cook for 6 minutes on each side for larger cakes and 4 minutes on each side for smaller ones. For an extra punch throw together a lemon-dill yogurt sauce, which, just so you know, also tastes great with fish. Serves 4-6

Butternut Squash Potato Cakes

• 3 medium potatoes (500g) • 1/2 butternut squash (500g) • salt + black pepper

Grate the potatoes and butternut squash. Put in a large bowl and season with salt. Let sit for about 5 minutes to let the moisture out. Put them in a colander and squeeze them with your hand to get the water out. Do this until there's almost no more water dripping.

Heat up 2-3 tablespoons oil in a large pan. Form a patties about 1.5" in diameter and slide them in the hot oil. Put 7-8 at a time. On medium-high heat, cook the cakes about 4-5 minutes on each side. Season with salt and pepper.

Set the cakes on a plate or in a warm oven while you fry the rest. Fry the rest. Eat.

Lemon-Dill Yogurt Sauce

• 1 cup plain yogurt • 1 tablespoon dill, chopped • 1 tablespoon lemon juice • 1 garlic clove, finely chopped

Mix all ingredients together.

Zucchini Cheddar Potato Cakes

• 3 medium potatoes (500g) • 2 medium zucchini (500g) • 100g cheddar (optional) • salt + black pepper

Grate the potatoes and zucchinis. Put in a large bowl and season with salt. Set aside for about 5 minutes to let the moisture seep out. Put them in a colander and squeeze them with your hand to get even more water out. Do this until there's almost no more water dripping.

Heat up 2-3 tablespoons oil in a large pan. Form patties about 3" in diameter and slide them in the hot oil. Put 4-5 at a time. On medium-high heat, cook the cakes about 6 minutes on each side. Season with salt and pepper. As your flip them, add some grated cheddar on top.

Set the cakes on a plate or in a warm oven while you fry the rest. Fry the rest. Eat.

Part 2 - Breakfast: Lobster Eggs Benedict

March 20, 2012 Bryan

You've probably had eggs benedict with ham, smoked salmon, or spinach. Now try it with lobster. Let's add a side of asparagus, which also goes well with hollandaise sauce.Breakfast time! For your lobster cooking need go to: Part 1 - Cooking the Lobster Part 3 - Flatbread Lobster Roll Part 4 - Lobster Stuffed Shells Part 5 - Lobster Bisque

Hollandaise Sauce

• 4 egg yolks • 1 cup unsalted butter • 1 tablespoon lemon juice • 1 tablespoon white wine • pinch of salt • pinch of cayenne

Melt the butter in a small pan and spoon off the white froth that appears on top.

In a medium saucepan, put the egg yolks, lemon juice, white wine, and salt. On very low heat, whisk until the yolks are creamy, for about two minutes, removing the pan from the heat if it gets too hot. You must be careful not to overcook because you'll wind up with scramble eggs. Remove from heat and add the butter in drizzles. Never stop whisking. It's like making a mayonnaise. Alternatively, you can put the yolk mixture in a blender and pour in some of the butter, then blend, pour a little more, blend again - you get it. Keep a little glass of very cold water, and add a teaspoon or so if you see that the mixture is breaking. Once it's thick and all the butter has been absorbed, taste and season to your liking with more lemon juice, cayenne, and/or salt.

Keep in a warm place near the stove.

Poached Eggs

Bring a pot of water with 1-2 teaspoons of vinegar to a boil. Break each egg into a small bowl or cup. Before poaching the eggs, bring down the water to a simmer Carefully drop in the water no more than four eggs at a time. Cook 3 minutes and take the eggs out with a slotted spoon. Put them on a plate and dry them with paper towel. Repeat if you need more than four eggs.

Lobster

In a medium pan, warm up some olive oil with chopped, cooked lobster meat. I used a mix of claw and tail meat.

Assembly

Toast english muffins. On each slice, put some lobster then one poached egg and pour hollandaise sauce over it.

Asparagus

Bring a pot of water to boil. Throw in a good pinch of salt. Blanch the asparagus for two minutes. Put them directly into very cold water. Heat them a little in the oven or in a pan.

Serve and eat.

Blue Cheese, Bacon, and Leek Quiche

March 8, 2012 Bryan

I promised Eggton a recipe with bacon. What I came up with is a really tasty quiche that's packed with flavor. It can be enjoyed hot or cold as a perfect breakfast, or you can serve it up for lunch with a bit of salad. Make it a day or two in advance if you're going to be pressed for time - it keeps well. If you can't stand blue cheese, use any kind that you prefer.

Dough

• 1 cup white flour • 5 tablespoons unsalted butter • 2-3 tablespoons milk • a pinch of salt

Mix together the flour and salt. Rub the flour with the butter until you get a sandy texture. Then add just enough milk to make a smooth dough. Cover and chill for 30 minutes.

Pre-Baking

Preheat oven to 350°F. Roll your pastry and line a 8" or 9", greased and floured pie pan. Put some tin foil or parchment paper on the pastry and then a baking weight. I used dried chickpeas. Blind bake (meaning pre-bake) in the oven for 15 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and remove the weight and foil. Make some little holes on the bottom with a fork. Return to the oven for 10 minutes.

Quiche

• 2 leeks, whites only, finely chopped • 8 slices bacon, sliced • 1/2 cup (about 100g) blue cheese • 3/4 cup milk • 3/4 cup cream • 3 eggs • 1 egg yolk

Fry your bacon in a pan on medium-high heat until crispy. Turn the heat to medium and add the leeks. Stir for about 10 minutes, until the leeks are soft. Remove from heat. In a bowl whisk the milk, cream and eggs together. Season with salt and pepper.

Spread the bacon/leek mixture in the pre-cooked dough. Top with chunks of blue cheese and then pour the eggs/milk mixture over.

Bake for 30-35 minutes at 350°F.

Open-Faced Egg and Cheese with Maple Mustard

February 19, 2012 Bryan

This is the perfect combination; you have sharp cheddar, salty eggs, sweet maple syrup, spicy mustard and crispy toast. You'll wish you could have this for breakfast every morning for the rest of your life. Well maybe not, but I do. I almost ate two of them this morning but was reminded that four eggs a day might be too much. I guess you could add slices of bacon if you're a fan, but my advice is to save your bucks because it's already damn good as it is.

For each serving, you'll need:

• 2 eggs • 1 slice of bread • slices of old cheddar • salt+ black pepper

Toast your bread. In a pan, cook your eggs over easy. Add salt and pepper. When you flip them, add the cheese on top so it melts. Put enough of it so the eggs are covered. Don't overcook, the yolks must be runny. Put the eggs on top of the toast and pour the maple mustard on it and around.