25 March, 2010

Changes

I shall be brief, my faithful handful of readers, on the changes whence forth shall be implemented upon the instance of the entry following. So I am changing the blog up; it's going to still feature dishes, recipes, and odd tellings but in a new way, get excited! I'm currently waiting on one of my programmer friends to make this all happen layout-wise, and currently trying to tweak my new idea.
As for the cookbook image to my left, I was recently gifted, by a dear friend, Julia Child's "Mastering the Art of French Cooking".. Now as I join the myriad of college food bloggers in gushing the praises of the cookbook I'll warn you that, yes, there will be recipes from this book featured, but hopefully in a new and possibly unique way.
What is truly amazing about this book is the depth of the instructions, accompanied by pictures even, holding your hand through some of the most intimidating recipes in the french repertoire. I find it particularly wonderful that due to the age of the book there is no recipe which requires a kitchenaid mixer, or other expensive accoutrement, to execute. Each recipe is an in depth true recipe and never requires canned biscuit dough or a packet of italian dressing, unique for it's time, unheard of in the present.
11 March, 2010

Eggs for Dinner

I love eggs; they're cheap, healthy, and really can be prepared for any meal. Dinner again for Alin and I last night and I made this an occasion for my first shot at hollandaise sauce, because poached eggs just aren't enough of a challenge on their own..
The trick, I've found, with poaching eggs is to not let the water boil while the egg is in the water, it should just be almost to a boil, the bubbles tear apart the whites.
As for the hollandaise sauce, I was a little nervous. After stories of the sauce 'breaking' or the egg yolks 'scrambling' in the double boiler, I was hesitant to use more than 2 egg yolks, as I only had 6 eggs (some of which needed to be poached). But all in all, after removing and then returning and removing again the metal bowl from the double boiler (for fear of a scramble due to heat) it all turned out fine, and even kept for 30 minutes in a warm oven! Granted I whisked in a tad more warm water to the sauce after it sat for awhile, but all in all, the reputation is surely more intimidating than the execution itself.





















































With the eggs on toast we also had orzo salad, made with heirloom tomatoes, feta, olive oil, and basil.

Hollandaise Sauce
  • 3tbsp butter
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 tbsp warm water

Whisk eggs and lemon juice together in metal bowl. Melt butter separately. In a double boiler beat egg/lemon mixture, careful not to let the eggs get too hot, while slowly adding in melted butter. If the sauce is thick whisk in warm water. Salt and pepper to taste.