Weekly Cooking (and related issues) Thread

[Jamestown1630]

Eggs!

I enjoy a cheese souffle, but I don't always enjoy the work of it. This 'Sturdy Souffle' is adapted from the 1979 edition of the Fanny Farmer Cookbook, and cuts down on the work - no separating or separate beating of eggs. It won't rise as high and light, but doesn't fall as flat as a 'regular' souffle.

Sturdy Souffle

4 T. butter (and some to grease the dish)

1/4 cup flour

1 cup hot milk

Pinch of salt

Pinch of cayenne pepper

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese (plus more to sprinkle the baking dish; or just MORE in general)

4 eggs, beaten well

Preheat the oven to 375. Butter a 3-cup or 1-qt. ovenproof bowl or baking dish. Sprinkle some grated Parmesan cheese around the bowl, as if flouring a cake pan. Place it in the oven in a pan containing 1 inch of hot water (I don't always follow this step, and just bake it without the water bath.)

Melt the butter in a saucepan. Stir in the flour and blend until smooth. Cook over low heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Slowly add the milk and cook, stirring constantly for 3 minutes, until smooth and thick (a wire whisk is good for this).

Add the salt, cayenne, and cheese. Stir until the cheese is melted and blended into the sauce. Remove from the heat.

Beat 3 T. of the sauce into the eggs, then return the egg-sauce mixture to the saucepan, and beat until smooth. Pour into the baking dish and bake for about 20 minutes, until set.

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Next, a "Chile Relleno" style casserole. There are many versions of this, some with whole stuffed chiles and some that include meat. This is a quick, easy one. It serves 12, but I've halved it in the past with no problem. (This is also a great very low-carb egg dish.)

Chile Relleno Casserole

6 4-oz. cans green chiles

1-1/2 lb. Cheddar cheese, grated

1-1/2 lb. Monterey Jack cheese, grated

6 eggs, beaten

1-1/4 cups evaporated milk (I use light whipping cream instead)

1/4 cup flour

pinch salt

Preheat oven to 350. Drain and clean the chiles, and place in the bottom of a large buttered casserole.

Sprinkle the chiles with 1/2 of each cheese, and then top with another layer of chiles, and then the rest of the cheeses.

Mix the eggs with the milk or cream and salt, and pour over the top of the chile-cheese. Bake 30 minutes or until the eggs are set and casserole is slightly browned.

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I've only ever eaten one thing at our local Silver Diner; not because I haven't gone there frequently, but because I tend to find one thing I really like at a place like that, and never order anything else. The 'thing' at Silver Diner is the Crabcake Benedict. It seems to have disappeared from the menu, but when I ask for it, they always make it for me.

I found this recipe that looks very like what the Silver Diner serves. If you have a good crabcake recipe, make your own; but if you want them ready-made, the Phillips frozen crab cakes are pretty good - but as mentioned in the comments, it needs the addition of tomato slices.

(I hope in the future to do a thread on traditional Maryland recipes, but I will have to master the Crab Cake, first - which is embarrassing for a lifelong Marylander to admit ;-) If anyone has a favorite recipe, please post.

From the 'Mr. Breakfast' website, which is pretty neat:

http://www.mrbreakfast.com/superdisplay.asp?recipeid=1235

-JT

[Jamestown1630]

This week: Eggs (our ‘Oeuf Oeuvre’)

By the way: I posted a few weeks ago, about peeling hard-boiled eggs by placing them in a pint-sized, covered mason jar with an inch or so of water, and shaking them back and forth vigorously.

See this thread:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/3293388/posts

This worked very well for me, after cooking the eggs in an electric cooker, and plunging them into ice water. I had far fewer damaged eggs than I usually do, when I just peeled them right out of the ice water.

Some people asked if it would work if the eggs were refrigerated for a while after boiling; so I tried that this week. I boiled some eggs - this time in the usual way, on top of the stove in a saucepan: place eggs in tap water, bring to rolling boil, remove from heat and wait 10 minutes. Then put in cold water to cool down.

I placed one of those eggs, unpeeled, in the fridge, and left it there for two days. Then, I tried peeling it by the mason jar method. It did NOT work this time. I wound up with so much white peeling away, that all I had left was a yolk with a very thin film of white on top of it.

So, I would say that if you are going to peel your eggs immediately, the method is useful - especially if you are making a lot of deviled eggs. If you’re making a bunch of these to keep in their shells in the fridge, it doesn’t work so well.

But, there are so many variables here that I think the whole issue needs further experimentation. I’ll let you know.

(If you would like to be on or off of this weekly cooking thread, please send a private message.)

-JT

[trisham]

Deviled eggs. Yum!

[Jamestown1630]

With Sweet Pickle Relish, or no?

I like mine with just mayo, mustard, S&P, and Paprika sprinkled on top. (I used to put a slice of green stuffed olive on top; but it looked too much as if my food was staring back at me ;-)

-JT

[trisham]

Basic Deviled Eggs

Ingredients

6 large eggs
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 1/2 tablespoons sweet pickle relish
1 teaspoon prepared mustard
1/8 teaspoon salt
Dash of pepper
Garnish: paprika

Preparation

Place eggs in a single layer in a saucepan; add water to depth of 3 inches. Bring to a boil; cover, remove from heat, and let stand 15 minutes.

Drain immediately and fill the saucepan with cold water and ice. Tap each egg firmly on the counter until cracks form all over the shell. Peel under cold running water.

Slice eggs in half lengthwise, and carefully remove yolks. Mash yolks with mayonnaise. Add relish, mustard, salt, and pepper; stir well. Spoon yolk mixture into egg whites. Garnish, if desired.

http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/basic-deviled-eggs

I like having a spoonful of caviar on top.

[trisham]

See my post #5. :)

[Hardens Hollow]

Good to know. I usually make a bunch of hard boiled eggs at a time, and leave some in the frig for various uses through the week. So I won’t be trying that method on them!

[Silentgypsy]

They look good! Thanks!

[Jamestown1630]

I did, and I like the Caviar idea! I’ve never had the good fortune to eat the Really Expensive Caviar; but once my husband came home with a jar of Capelin caviar that came from a gift basket given to his office.

It was a revelation! Capelin is really inexpensive; and I guess the ‘connoisseur’ would consider my taste very low-brow. But that was the first time I’d ventured to eat caviar, and I loved it!

-JT

[dainbramaged]

The fresher the egg, the harder they peel after being boiled. Let them sit in the fridge for a week, then bring to a boil in heavily salted water with a drop of vinegar, remove from heat and cover for 12-13 minutes. Then cool in ice water. Tried and true.

[FlJoePa]

Made another batch of bread and butter habanero pickle chips today. Won’t get to taste them until tomorrow.

This time I cooked the vinegar for a bit with a bunch of chopped peppers and onions in it. Then strained them all out and added the spices and the pickles and brought it back to a boil.

We’ll see how they taste. Last batch was great, but too cloudy (I left the peppers and onions w/ the pickles)

[trisham]

I’ve never had the really good stuff (Beluga caviar), and I don’t care for the red caviar, which I believe is from trout or salmon. I prefer black caviar. It’ so delicious.

[Jamestown1630]

Capelin apparently comes in black or red, but apparently the black is actually dyed (??? I’m not really educated about it.) But the one I’ve eaten was black.

-JT

[Jamestown1630]

Have you posted your recipe? That sounds like something my husband would really like.

-JT

[outofsalt]

I love Scotch eggs but peeling is an art that I have struggled with. I wonder if the eggtastic peeler works as seen on TV?

Take hard boiled eggs and dip them in water then roll them in flour. Cover the eggs with sage sausage so they are completely covered in meat about 1/3 of an inch thick.

Dip the sausage covered eggs in beaten egg wash and roll in seasoned bread crumbs to coat fully. Some folks fry these but I bake at 325 till golden brown. Yum!

These are considered bar food in Britain but they are good for breakfast, lunch or dinner. If you feel whimsical and want an appetizer version use Quail eggs if you can get them without spending too much in your area.

[outofsalt]

I like a smidgen of anchovie hidden under the egg yolk mash which gives a poor man’s version of that caviar goodness to the recipe. My wife won’t eat them though...

[trisham]

In my experience, the red caviar is larger. I prefer the smaller eggs. They have a wonderful “pop” when eaten.

[trisham]

[outofsalt]

Thanks! Now I have to go to the market.

[Jamestown1630]

We have quail eggs in the local ethnic store, and I thought they’d be great used in some way as a novelty for a party.

But I always wonder about peeling those, too, if chicken eggs can be so darn hard ;-)

-JT