Perfectly Poached Eggs on Avo Toast
Poached eggs are a beautiful thing. The whites are just firm enough on the outside to contain an oozy, golden yolk in a round little egg package. Fresh eggs work best for poaching. Their whites hold together better than older eggs. Add a little vinegar in the poaching water—the vinegar helps the proteins in the egg whites coagulate. But the vinegar does affect the taste. Heat the water. Fill a saucepan with several inches of water. Heat the water on high until it reaches a boil and then lower the heat until the water is at a bare simmer. Crack the egg into a small bowl and gently slip it into the water. Working with the eggs one at a time, crack the egg into a small bowl or cup. Place the bowl close to the surface of the hot water and gently slip the egg into the water. If you want, use a spoon to push some of the egg whites closer to their yolks, to help them hold together. Add all of the eggs you are poaching to the pan in the same way, keeping some distance between them. Turn off the heat, cover the pan, and let sit for 4 minutes. Turn off the heat and cover the pan. Set a timer for 4 minutes. At this point the egg whites should be completely cooked, while the egg yolks are still runny. Note that the timing depends on the size of the eggs, the number of eggs in the pot. If you try 4 minutes and the eggs are too cooked, reduce the time. Remove the eggs with slotted spoon. Gently lift the poached eggs out of the pan with a slotted spoon and place on your avo toast.
Pain perdu (aka French toast)
For 4 large pieces of French toast, you will need:
4 large eggs (beaten) to which you will need to add a cup of milk. Continue beating with a fork or wire beater. Add 1 tbs brown sugar and mix well. Once well mixed pour the egg mixture in a flat pyrex and place 2 sliced of thick white bread (day old bread works best). Allow it to absorb some of the egg mixture and turn them on their other side and do the same. In a large pan, melt a tbs salted butter on med high heat. Place the 2 toasts and grill in pan. Flip after 2 to 3 minutes or until the surface of the bread is golden and crispy. Do the same for the other 2 slices. Top with sliced fruit (I used banana and fresh blueberries). Sprinkle with powder sugar and drizzle with good quality maple syrup. Bon appétit!
4 large eggs (beaten) to which you will need to add a cup of milk. Continue beating with a fork or wire beater. Add 1 tbs brown sugar and mix well. Once well mixed pour the egg mixture in a flat pyrex and place 2 sliced of thick white bread (day old bread works best). Allow it to absorb some of the egg mixture and turn them on their other side and do the same. In a large pan, melt a tbs salted butter on med high heat. Place the 2 toasts and grill in pan. Flip after 2 to 3 minutes or until the surface of the bread is golden and crispy. Do the same for the other 2 slices. Top with sliced fruit (I used banana and fresh blueberries). Sprinkle with powder sugar and drizzle with good quality maple syrup. Bon appétit!
Kumquat marmalade with star anise
- 2 cups prepared kumquats (remove white membrane, seeds and cut up into small pieces or strips)
- Zest and juice of 1 lemon
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 cup cold water
- 4 or 5 pieces of star anise
- Pinch of cayenne pepper
Quarter kumquats lengthwise; cut off white center membrane and remove seeds. Slice quarters into small pieces. Place kumquats into a pot. Add lemon zest, lemon juice, pinch of cayenne, star anise, sugar, and water. Mix together. Cover and let sit at room temperature 2 or 3 hours to allow fruit to macerate. You can also refrigerate overnight. Place pot over medium-high heat and bring mixture to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium; cook and stir occasionally for 10 minutes. Continuing cooking and stirring often until mixture is thick enough so that if you scrape a spatula across the bottom of the pan, you can briefly see the bottom of the pan before marmalade spreads back out, 30 to 40 minutes. Mixture should reach a temperature of 215 to 220 degrees F (120 to 125 degrees C). Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly, 5 to 10 minutes.
Spoon warm marmalade into sterilized jars. Cover and let cool to room temperature. Refrigerate until thoroughly chilled.
Sauce piquante s'il vous plaît!
Chili Oil
1/4 cup Chili flakes to which I added 2 tbsp of dried chili too (I used my coffee grinder to crush more flakes). Add 2 tsp sugar as well as 1/2 tsp salt. In a saucepan, heat 1/2 cup of veg oil (careful it gets hot). Add a few flakes to the oil and if it sizzles it is good to go. Add the dry mix to a pyrex cup and pour oil over the mixture. It will sizzle ... Allow the mixture to slightly cool and using a fork, thoroughly stir the mixture to allow sugar and salt to dissolve. Once cooled, pour into a bottle with a spout stopper. You can pour this over pizza, pasta or anything if you'd like a little or a lot of heat. (Ideas: pour it over sweet potatoes, sliced cucumbers, fried eggs...) Take it where no chili oil has ever gone before !