Asparagus, Parmesan, Tuna Frittata...

Eggs…they’re not just for breakfast anymore! I’m one of those people who can gladly eat eggs at any meal—one of my favorite no-brainer suppers is an omelet with a quick salad or vegetable dish on the side.

A frittata is like an Italian version of an omelet—however, the ingredients are mixed into the egg, rather than folded into the center as a filling. Traditionally, frittatas are cooked first in a pan on the stovetop, then popped under the broiler for a few minutes to brown. At the end of a long work day though, I like to keep things easy—I just bake my frittata in the oven and cook everything in one simple step.

You can pretty much throw anything into a frittata, and they are a great way to use up leftover vegetables or whatever items you have rattling around your refrigerator or pantry. I like using vegetables, since I always seem to have a few stray ones in the fridge. Sometimes I often added sausage, but canned tuna, cooked potatoes, shredded prosciutto and leftover pasta are also tasty filling ingredients.

Basically, it’s all up to you and your imagination or the contents of your refrigerator can be your guide. Here is one of my simple frittata ideas to try. Hope you enjoy!



Asparagus, Parmesan, Tuna Frittata

Ingredients:
6 large eggs
1 cup milk
Pinch of sea salt
1 small (3 oz) can tuna, flaked and drained
~ I use a good quality albacore tuna
8 blanched asparagus, cut into 1-inch pieces
¼ cup shredded parmesan cheese
Olive oil for the baking dish

Preheat oven to 350 degree F. Lightly oil an 8-inch baking dish (round or square, it doesn’t matter) with olive oil. Beat the eggs, milk and salt in a large bowl. Stir in tuna, asparagus pieces, and shredded parmesan. Pour into prepared baking dish and bake for 30-35 minutes or until set.

Allow to cool for 5 minutes, then cut into wedges and serve.

Serves 6

__________


George’s notes:

• Eggs are considered a good source of protein and choline. Because of this, the egg falls in the Meats category under the Food Guide Pyramid.
• Bird eggs have been valuable foodstuff since prehistory, in both hunting societies and more recent cultures where birds were domesticated. The Romans crushed the shell in their plate to prevent evil spirits from hiding there.
• The egg carton was invented by Joseph Coyle in Smithers, British Columbia, to solve a dispute about broken eggs between a farmer in Bulkley Valley and the owner of the Aldermere Hotel. Early egg cartons were made of paper.
• The albacore, Thunnus alalunga, is a type of tuna in the family Scombridae. This species is also called albacore fish, albacore tuna,albicore, longfin, albies, pigfish, tombo ahi, binnaga, Pacific albacore, longfin tuna, longfin tunny, or even just tuna. It is the only tuna species which can be marketed as "white meat tuna" in the United States.

Yippee, it’s pancake day...

I recently posted how in France, crêpes are traditionally served on February 2, known as Candlemas ~ La Chandeleur. Well today is the day before the beginning of Lent and known as Shrove Tuesday. To shrive someone, in old-fashioned English ~ he shrives, he shrove, he has shriven or he shrives, he shrived, he has shrived ~ is to hear his acknowledgement of his sins, to assure him of God's forgiveness, and to give him appropriate spiritual advice. The term survives today in ordinary usage in the expression "short shrift". To give someone short shrift is to pay very little attention to his excuses or problems. The longer expression is, "to give him short shrift and a long rope," which formerly meant to hang a criminal with a minimum of delay.

Shrove Tuesday is also called Fat Tuesday ~ in French, Mardi =Tuesday; gras = fat, as in "pate de foie gras", which is liver paste and very fatty ~ because on that day a thrifty housewife uses up the fats that she has kept around for cooking, but that she will not be using during Lent. Since pancakes are a standard way of using up fat, the day is also called Pancake Tuesday. In England, and perhaps elsewhere, the day is celebrated with pancake races. Where the contestants run a course while holding a griddle and flipping a pancake. Points are awarded for time, for number and height of flips, and number of times the pancake turns over. There are of course penalties for dropping the pancake.

The day or sometimes a longer period immediately preceding Lent, is also called Carnival, which means "farewell to meat." The first part of the word "carni" as in carnivorous, and "vale" as in valediction. I have always said, one last hamburger before the Lenten fast begins.

Now back to those pancakes… it is hard to believe how many different variations of pancakes there really is. It seems most cultures have their own form of pancakes. Most are like a crêpe or very thin pancake; like the Chinese ones used for moo shu dishes. In Australia and New Zealand, small pancakes known as pikelets are traditionally served with jam and/or whipped cream, or solely with butter, at afternoon tea. In India, the Pooda or Cheela is a pancake, that can be made either sweet or salty and are of different thicknesses in different places of India. In the Netherlands, pancakes are called pannenkoeken and eaten at dinnertime. Pannekoeken are slightly thicker than crêpes and usually quite large (12" or more) in diameter. The batter is egg-based and the fillings can include sliced apples, cheese, ham, bacon, candied ginger and many other ingredients.

Well you get the idea ~ I submit to you here, two of my favorite ways to serve & eat pancakes. The first is just your basic pancake batter, which I like to stack about three high and top with lots of butter and warm maple syrup. And the second, which I made this morning, is like the Dutch pannenkoeken, made with apples and puffs up like a soufflé then topped with melted butter.

Basic Pancakes

Ingredients:
1 cup flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 tablespoon sugar
½ teaspoon salt
1 egg, beaten
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons vegetable oil

In a large bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. In a separate bowl, combine eggs, milk, and oil.

Add liquid ingredients to dry ingredients, stirring until just moist. Let mixture rest about 2 minutes. Spoon or pour batter onto greased, hot griddle or nonstick skillet.

Cook pancakes on the first side until bubbles appear on the upper surface. Turn over and cook until the bottom is golden. Slide onto an oven proof platter; and keep warm in a 300 degree oven until ready to serve.

Serves 2




Spiced Apple Pancake
For the puffiest pancake, use a cast-iron skillet. If you don’t have one, choose a heavy 12-inch skillet with a bottom that is at least 10 inches in diameter and has an oven-safe handle.

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
2 tablespoons water
½ cup sugar
2 tablespoons sugar
3 to 4 medium Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored
~ and cut into 8 wedges
3 large eggs
¾ cup milk
¾ cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice*
¼ teaspoon salt

* can substitute ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. In 12-inch cast-iron skillet, heat butter, water, and ½ cup sugar over medium-high heat to boiling. Add apple wedges; cook 12 to 15 minutes or until apples are golden and sugar mixture begins to caramelize, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, in blender or food processor with knife blade attached, place eggs, milk, flour, pumpkin pie spice, salt, and remaining 2 tablespoons sugar, adding liquid ingredients to blender first. Blend until batter is smooth.

When apple mixture in skillet is deep golden, pour batter over apples. Place skillet in oven; bake 15 to 17 minutes or until puffed and lightly browned. Serve immediately.

Serves 4



__________

George’s notes:

• Today is traditionally the day when you feast, in preparation for what you’re about to give up for Lent. It’s also a day when it’s traditional to cleanse your soul - to confess and be absolved. There are records of this over a thousand years old, written by an Anglo-Saxon monks.
• Nowadays it’s pretty much just Pancake Day. Not that this is a bad thing. Pancakes have been part of Shrove Tuesday in England for centuries. Pancake racing still takes place and is thought to have started in 1445, when a woman cooking her pancakes heard the church bells ring, calling to confession. She ran to church wearing her apron and carrying her pancake still in its pan!
• Lent is not something I think too much about in my faith, but I like the idea of cleansing the soul, then cleansing our bodies in preparation for Easter. It is also good for ones health & diet to fast.

Crêpes...

I have a dear friend who has inspired me many times over for her culinary skills and her desire to always prepare a special meal for her guest. She is known by her son-in law, as Queenie, only because she deserves the honor & respect that that title implies. Below I offer two of her recipes that not only impress, but always personify elegant dining.

In my younger and more affluent years I would seek out fine dining venues and savor the visual delights of food preparation and service. Memories of Brennan’s in New Orleans, The Russian Tea Room & Tavern on the Green in New York City, Chateau Frontenac in Quebec City and London's Savoy are filled with flambées! French Service, tableside service, cart service - whatever one wishes to call it - meant seeing your menu orders going through their final preparation right alongside your table. Working from a wheeled special cart fitted with a réchaud flaming lamp (camping store or hot plate), the maître d'hôtel, or head of room would generate tantalizing aromas, sounds of bubbling and sizzling to match, and the sudden flash and flame of a dash of cognac and lastly the presentation of your plate with its culinary treasures. At times, I also would venture out to The Magic Pan in Atlanta for a more casual ‘flash & flame’.

When you have dined like this, you have been pampered and your palette graced!

What does all that have to do with my friend, Queenie ~ you ask? One of her most popular recipes to offer her guest with finesse table side expertize is Crêpes Suzette ~ a dessert created by accident by Henri Carpentier, chef to Edward, Prince of Wales, while making a complicated crêpe sauce. This sauce was a blend of orange and lemon peels, sugar, butter, Grand Marnier, Cointreau and Kirschwasser. By accident, the cordial caught fire and the young chef thought both he and the sauce were ruined. Since it was impossible to start over, Henri tasted the sauce and found it to be delicious. He quickly put the crêpes into the sauce, added more cordials, and let the sauce burn again. Edward was delighted and named it after the lady with whom he was dining.

Here my friend has taken the simple crêpe and made it an easy, yet elegant item to be served at breakfast, lunch, casual dinner or for those special formal dinner parties.



Crêpes Suzette

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1½ cups milk
⅔ cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
3 eggs

Suzette Sauce
⅓ cup orange juice
¼ cup butter
2 tablespoons sugar
¼ teaspoon grated orange peel
Grand Marnier

In medium bowl with wire whisk, beat butter and remaining crêpe ingredients until smooth. Chill 2 hours.

Brush bottom of 7 inch crêpe pan and 10 inch skillet with melted butter.
Over medium heat, heat pans; pour scant ¼ cup patter into crêpe pan to coat bottom; cook 2 minutes until top is set, underside slightly browned.

Loosen crêpe; invert into hot 10 inch skillet; cook other side 30 seconds.
Slip crêpe onto waked paper.

Meanwhile, start cooking another crêpe. Stack crêpes between waxed paper.
Use immediately or wrap in foil and refrigerate. Approx 30 minutes before serving, Prepare Suzette sauce: In 10 inch skillet over low heat combine the orange juice, butter, sugar and orange peel until butter melts.

Serving:

Fold crêpes in quarters; arrange in the warmed Suzette sauce in the skillet; simmer for 10 minutes.

Pour the Grand Marnier evenly over the crêpes and sauce. DO NOT STIR.
Heat the Grand Marnier a minute or two, then remove from stove. Light a long match (such as those used to light kindling in a fireplace). Apply match to the crêpes and sauce in the skillet. Serve crêpes and sauce immediately.

Serves 2

__________



For those who like a fabulous rich cream sauce, look no further. Here a simple sherry reduction is all you need to add a dynamic touch to your sauce.

Sherried Cream Mushroom Crêpes

Ingredients:
2 large eggs
1 cup whole milk
1 cup flour
¼ cup water
1 small bottle vegetable oil
1 tablespoon butter
3 (8 oz.) packages sliced, white button mushrooms
1 cup dry cooking sherry
1 cup heavy cream
Pinch salt and pepper
1 bunch minced parsley

To make crêpes:

Whisk together eggs and milk in a bowl. Add flour and beat until smooth and a little frothy. Stir in water, 1 tablespoon of oil, a pinch of salt and pepper until smooth. Let batter rest for 15 minutes.

Heat a lightly oiled crêpe pan or large skillet over medium-high heat. Pour about ¼ cup batter in pan and tilt the pan with a circular motion so the batter coats the bottom surface in a thin even layer.

Cook the crêpe for about 2 minutes, until the bottom is light brown. Gently flip the crêpe over and cook the other side for about 30 seconds until brown spots appear. Remove from heat and repeat the process with remaining batter. Cover crêpes with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 2 days until ready to use. Warm slightly in the microwave before adding filling and serving to guests.

To make Sherried Cream Mushrooms:
Heat 1 tablespoon oil and butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3-5 minutes. Add sherry and cook until sherry reduces to half, about 3 minutes. Reduce heat to low and stir in cream. Cook for 10 minutes until sauce thickens slightly. Remove from heat and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Plate the crêpes directly on guests' plates for serving. Place a crêpe on the plate and spoon mushrooms and sauce inside. Fold crêpe, spoon a bit of sauce on top, and garnish with minced parsley. Add 2 mores crêpe with filling to the plate so each guests gets 3 crêpes. Serve hot.

Makes about 20 crêpes

__________

George’s notes:

• The Magic Pan was an American chain of full-service restaurants specializing in crêpes, popular in the late 1970s through early 1990s.
• In France, crêpes are traditionally served on Candlemas ~ La Chandeleur, February 2. This day was originally Virgin Mary's Blessing Day but became known as "avec Crêpe Day", referring to the tradition of offering crêpes. The belief was that if you could catch the crêpe with a frying pan after tossing it in the air with your left hand and holding a gold coin in your right hand, you would become rich that year. ~ now that is my kind of trick to get rich!
• In the United Kingdom, crêpes are traditionally eaten on Shrove Tuesday, also known as "Pancake Tuesday". They are generally associated with the day preceding Lent because they were a way to use up rich foodstuffs such as eggs, milk, and sugar, before the fasting season of the 40 days of Lent.

Corned Beef Hash with Poached Eggs...

There was a diner in the neighboring town where I use to live that served an awesome breakfast. Every time I went there I would order their corned beef hash. The corned beef hash was not that minced mush looking stuff you get at some restaurants or out of a can. They used big roasted potatoes, fresh corned beef, and eggs over easy. The first time I had it I was hooked!

Last night the winter weather brought forth my love for corned beef hash, so here is my quick and easy corned beef hash recipe. It is perfect for a lazy weekend breakfast served with a poached egg and toast, or a week night dinner served with vegetable of choice, a crisp green salad and a crunchy loaf of bread.



Corned Beef Hash with Poached Eggs

Ingredients:
3 cups corned beef, chopped *
4 cups diced cooked potatoes
~ or frozen hash-brown potatoes
1 tablespoon butter
½ cup chopped onion
¼ cup bell pepper, chopped
½ cup beef or chicken broth
2 tablespoons minced parsley
Salt and Pepper to taste
Dash of paprika
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

8 farm fresh eggs

In a large cast-iron skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion, bell pepper and sauté until they starts to soften, 5 to 8 minutes. Add potatoes and cook, stirring, until they brown in spots and become crusty, about 8 minutes more. Stir in corned beef and broth and cook, scraping up any browned bits, until liquid is absorbed, 5 to 8 minutes. Add parsley, season with salt & pepper, paprika and Worcestershire sauce. Continue to cook until heated through.

Meanwhile, fill a large skillet with 2 inches salted water and bring to a gentle simmer. Break eggs, one at a time, onto a saucer and slide into the simmering water. Poach eggs until set to desired firmness, 4 to 5 minutes.

Divide hash among 4 plates. Place eggs on top of hash and garnish with chopped green onions.

* Lean corned beef can be purchased at your supermarket deli, if you do not have leftover corn beef brisket in your refrigerator. That is what I have used for this dish.

Serves 4

__________

George’s notes:

• The "corn" in corned beef refers to the corns or grains of coarse salts used to cure the beef.
• To make a "hash" of something is an English term for either messing up a situation, or just throwing something together. Corned beef hash is one of those "throw together" dishes. It has its roots in Colonial America, when corned beef was an important staple because it was preserved.
• People extended dishes and made the most of what they had, so cooking the end pieces of the corned beef with diced potatoes made sense when feeding a large family. The recipe appeared in the Fannie Farmer Cookbook in 1918, although it had been popular along the railroad lines and on chuckwagons for years before.

Mushroom Lasagna...

Lasagna is comfort food at its best, because of the unique combination of ingredients and flavors that go into the dish. We all have a lasagna recipe that we use as our base and tweak and revise as our taste change.

A month or so ago, I was invited to a birthday bash at a friend's house and asked to bring a dish to contribute to the dinner, so I immediately thought of lasagna. At the party, the table groaned with beautiful entrées, creative salads and appetizing desserts, but my simple platter of pasta emptied the fastest. Just last week one of the other guests who had been at that party asked me if I would bring "that mushroom pasta dish" to their potluck dinner. Unfortunately, I'm not going to be in town, so I thought I would share it here.

I love to participate in the process of sharing recipes, because of the creative differences we all add to the food we eat. I like to think that other cooks all over the world, making their interpretations of the same basic recipe, passing them on and making the food we eat endlessly interesting.

Here is my interruption of lasagna:



Mushroom Lasagna

Ingredients:
6 - 8 ounces fresh mushrooms (morels, chanterelles, oyster, etc.)
1 cup heavy cream
1½ cup reduced low-sodium chicken stock, preferably homemade
3 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoon flour
¼ cup white wine
salt and pepper to taste
1 clove garlic, minced
¼ cup parsley, minced
Parmeggiano-Reggiano, shredded
pinch fresh nutmeg
½ pound flat lasagna
white truffle oil (optional)

Add the cream into the stock mixture and warm in a small saucepan.

Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter until it foams. Add flour and make a roux, stirring, for about a minute until it just starts to darken in color. Add stock/cream mixture and stir in the nutmeg. Simmer sauce 1 hour in a double boiler until it coats the spoon nicely. Remove from heat and set aside.

Sauté the mushrooms in the remaining 1 tablespoon butter on medium high heat, stirring constantly. When the mushroom color begins to deepen and they dry out a bit, add additional and the wine. Raise heat and briskly reduce the liquid to a syrupy glaze on the mushrooms, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and most of the parsley and stir a few times over heat and then remove from heat and set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degree F.

Break up the sheets of pasta into irregular pieces and cook the pasta al dente.

Scrape the mushrooms into the cream sauce, give it a stir and correct the seasoning. Drain the pasta well and mix it with the sauce in a buttered casserole dish. Sprinkle with the cheese, drizzle with truffle oil, and bake 15 - 20 min or more until browned and crusty on top. Garnish with remaining parsley and serve immediately, with additional cheese on the side.

I usually serve this with a salad, crusty bread and a glass of Merlot for a simple supper, but for a more elaborate meal it would make a nice pasta course in front of beef tenderloin or other meat entrées.

Serves 6

__________

George’s notes:

• You may assemble this recipe, but not bake ahead of time. Just keep refrigerated. Allow to come to room temperature before baking, or extend the baking time, and give the pasta a good toss with tongs to be sure it's well coated with the sauce before baking.
• Although the lasagna is generally believed to have originated in Italy; but the recipe was featured in the first cookbook ever written in England, leading to an urban legend that the dish originated in the British Isles.

Chicken Frittata...

OK, now that the holiday season is upon us, it's time to start making some meals that are healthy ~ meaning low in calories, filling, high in protein and full of flavor. After all, the holiday parties and get-togethers will be coming soon enough.

As you have noticed from previous post, I like to experiment with many different ingredients and have been thinking about this dish for a few weeks. I had to wait for Thanksgiving to get over ~ for some reason that's a very difficult time to experiment with new recipes. It must have something to do with the traditions of that great well-known meal. Enjoy!

Chicken Frittata

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast cut into bite sized pieces
9 ounces vermicelli pasta
1 cup fresh spinach, chopped
½ cup fresh basil, finely chopped
1 sprig of rosemary, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
½ can of diced canned tomatoes
4 eggs
⅔ cups reduced fat shredded cheese (I used Colby)
2 tablespoons Asiago cheese, grated
1 tablespoons Mascarpone cheese.
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper



Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

In a pot of boiling saltwater, add vermicelli and cook until al dente – about 9½ minutes.

Heat the olive oil in a large, nonstick, ovenproof skillet on the stove. Add the cut up chicken and brown for 6 minutes. Add garlic and Mascarpone cheese to chicken and continue to sauté for 1-2 minutes.

In a large bowl, mix together the pasta, spinach, basil, rosemary, diced tomatoes, salt, pepper, eggs and shredded cheese.

Gradually add the egg and pasta mixture to the skillet and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes. Sprinkle the dish with the Asiago cheese.

Place the oven-proof skillet in the re-heated oven for 13 minutes, or until the frittata is firm like a casserole. Slice and serve with a garden salad.

Serves 4 to 6

__________

George’s notes:

• You can substitute the Asiago cheese with Parmesan or Romano.
• You can use 1 cup traditional spaghetti sauce instead of the diced tomatoes, if you want a heavier Italian flavored frittata.

Be sure to checkout the series Presto Pasta Night on Fridays, which was started by Ruth at Once Upon a Feast - Every Kitchen Tells It's Stories and being hosted this week by Kevin Lynch at Closet Cooking. Give Kevin's site a look; he always has some creative & interesting recipes cooking away in Toronto.

Leek Frittata...

Last evening I wanted something easy, but flavorful. Eggs sounded appealing, so I made a frittata. According to the Wikipedia ~ a frittata is "a kind of Italian omelet that can contain cheese and various vegetables. Frittatas are cooked slowly. Most often, they are cooked on the stovetop on low heat until the eggs are set, and then run under the broiler, but they can also be baked. Except for the cooking fat, all ingredients are fully mixed with the eggs before cooking starts." I experimented with this frittata by using a combination of ingredients I had on-hand – eggs, leeks, garlic, Parmesan, cheddar cheese and some marinated sun-dried tomatoes and it seems the experiment was a success. Along with a mixed green salad, this dinner was just what I wanted.



Leek Frittata

Ingredients:
2 bunch leeks, cleaned, chopped
1 tablespoon butter
1 clove garlic, minced
6 large eggs
2 tablespoon milk
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
Sun-dried tomatoes, about 2 tablespoon chopped
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
½ cup cheddar cheese, grated

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Sauté leeks in butter in an oven-proof, stick-free skillet, until translucent, about 4-5 minutes on medium heat. Add garlic and cook a minute further.

In a mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, and Parmesan cheese. Add in chopped sun-dried tomatoes, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Spread out leeks mixture evenly on bottom of skillet. Pour egg mixture over leeks mixture. Use a spatula to lift up the leeks mixture along the sides of the pan to let egg mixture flow underneath.

Sprinkle cheddar cheese over the top of the frittata mixture. When the mixture is about half set, put the whole pan in the oven. Bake for 13-15 minutes, until frittata is puffy and golden. Remove from oven with oven mitts and let cool for several minutes. Although the pan may be out of the oven for a few minutes, the handle is still very hot. To keep from accidentally picking it up by the handle while hot (speaking from experience, ouch!) take a piece of ice and melt it against the pan's handle to cool it down.

Cut into quarters to serve.

Serves four

Eggs Benedict...

It's a classic brunch dish, so I figured I might as well make it for my weekend guest. The bulk of making Eggs Benedict is simple ~ toasting English muffins, browning Canadian bacon, and making a hollandaise in a blender or a food processor.

The more difficult task ~ or maybe just the nerve wreaking part ~ is poaching eggs.

If you have never poached an egg before, I suggest adding vinegar to the boiling water (the ratio is 2 cups vinegar for 16 cups of water). ~ vinegar helps the eggs "form into perfect spheres." First, you cracked your first egg into a ramekin, and then quickly dropped it into the boiling water. The egg white streaked slightly in the water, but for the most part stayed together. After three minutes, you removed the egg from the water and placed it on a paper towel-lined plate. You can poach several eggs at a time in the same pot; if you feel brave enough and want to move this process along.

The secret to success with this dish is the quality of its parts. Adding a generous amount of vinegar to the poaching liquid—a restaurant trick—helps the eggs form into perfect spheres, and making the hollandaise in a blender whips the sauce into a smooth, emulsified state, so it isn't as likely to separate as the version made by hand with a whisk.

I served my Eggs Benedict with some roasted new potatoes, fresh roasted coffee and spicy Bloody Mary’s; alone with my Pains au Chocolat I posted last week. My recipe for Bloody Mary’s follows the recipe for Eggs Benedict.

Classic Eggs Benedict

Ingredients:
2 cups distilled white vinegar
2½ teaspoons kosher salt, plus more to taste
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
8 slices Canadian bacon
3 egg yolks
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
¼ teaspoon Tabasco® sauce
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
8 eggs, cracked into separate small bowls
4 English muffins, pulled apart by hand and toasted
Paprika or cayenne, for garnish

Bring 16 cups water to a boil in a tall 6-quart saucepan over high heat. Add vinegar and 2 teaspoons salt, lower heat to medium, and bring to a simmer.

Heat oil in a 12" skillet over medium-high heat; add bacon; cook, turning once, until lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Remove skillet from heat.
Combine yolks, lemon juice, 4 teaspoons warm water, Tabasco, and remaining salt in a blender; turn to medium speed and slowly drizzle in butter to make the hollandaise. Transfer to a bowl; set aside, covered.

Swirl simmering water with a spoon to create a whirlpool. Carefully slide each egg into water; poach until just firm, about 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer eggs to a paper towel-lined plate. Divide muffin halves between 4 plates; top each half with 1 slice of bacon and 1 egg. Spoon 2–3 tablespoons sauce over each egg. Sprinkle with paprika or cayenne.


Serves 4


_______________

Bloody Mary

Ingredients:
6 cups tomato juice
3 tablespoons prepared horseradish
1 tablespoon Tabasco® sauce
¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
¾ cup fresh lemon juice
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
⅛ teaspoon celery salt
1½ cups vodka

For garnish, you can use fresh cut Celery, Cucumber Sticks, Lemon or Tomato slice

In a large glass pitcher, combine all ingredients and blend well.
Serve over ice and with a garnish.

8 to 10 servings