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Foodie Friday: Brunch Basics – Part 3

Food & Drink >

8248930619_a1e9fe73c4_zWelcome to the third installment of Brunch Basics. To be fair I could easily dedicate the entirety of Foodie Friday to the subject but then I wouldn’t be able to share all of the other great stuff with you from week to week.

This week I wanted to focus on the simple art of egg cookery. This subject can be very delicate for some of us that cherish a perfectly cooked over easy egg or a light, fluffy omelet and there are a few tricks to getting the results you are looking for. If you have ever been to a restaurant and got eggs that were over cooked, rubbery, or just bad, do yourself a favor and stop going there.

You can make the perfect egg in your own kitchen every morning with just a little extra care, a couple of tricks of the trade, and the right equipment. This week I will try to cover what I think to be the two most common ways people like their eggs. Enjoy!

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Common Egg Preparation

* The first thing you want to make sure of is that you have the best eggs you can find. When looking at the many packages try to find ones that are marked: “Organic,” “No Antibiotics or Hormones Used,” “Pastured” and “Humane Certification.” Eggs from these types of farms are usually a much higher quality, have better nutritional value and the hens are treated better.

Special equipment:

1 non-stick egg pan
1 heat proof rubber spatula
1 whisk
1 mixing bowl
* a good non-stick pan is your best friend when it comes to eggs. Always wipe it clean with a paper towel, never heat it past medium, and always use rubber or soft plastic utensils.

Scrambled Eggs

Ingredients:

6 large very fresh eggs
1 tablespoon sweet cream butter
1 tablespoon milk
Kosher salt

Method:

In a mixing bowl, whisk together eggs and milk for no more than 30 seconds or until smooth as it’s best not to over-whisk; they will turn out chewy.

Add eggs and butter into your pan and set on a medium heat. Once the color starts to lighten and you see a layer of cooked egg on the bottom of the pan start to gently pull the tip of your rubber spatula through the egg making several figure eight patterns for about 45 seconds to 1 minute while the eggs firm slightly.

Once the eggs are mostly cooked and still have a little uncooked egg coating them remove them from the heat, season with salt and continue to stir with the spatula. The residual heat (carryover heat) in the pan should cook the eggs the rest of the way through. to desired temperature.

Egg white coagulates between 144 and 149° F, egg yolk coagulates between 149 and 158° F and whole eggs between 144 and 158° F

If you are concerned about bacteria you should cook your eggs to 160°. If you take them off the heat and continue to stir around 155° they will continue to cook from the residual or carryover heat to around 160°.

Poached Eggs

Special equipment:

1 slotted spoon
1 large non-stick skillet, or shallow sauce pan
1 small cup, bowl, or ramekin (for adding the eggs to the water
Paper towels

Ingredients:

Eggs
White vinegar
water

Method:

Bring water to a boil then reduce to a gentle simmer. No more than 1 inch of water along with about 1 teaspoon of vinegar to each cup water should be in your pan.

Crack your eggs into the bowl before gently adding them, one at a time, into your water.

Allow your eggs to cook for 3 1/2-4 minutes for a nice runny yolk or 4 1/2-5 minutes for a medium yolk with some solid. This can vary depending on your eggs so you should never walk away from them. Gently move them with your slotted spoon periodically after about 30 seconds in the water to keep them from sticking.

Remove with slotted spoon when cooked as preferred using a paper towel to remove excess water from the bottom of the spoon. Transfer directly to the plate or what ever it will be served on such as English muffin or toast etc. Season lightly with salt if desired.

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As always, we got some great brunch event coming up this Sunday and next. So, if one of these events is in your part of the country, pick up a ticket and get your egg on!

Sunday, April 14

The Side Yard Farm Kickstarter BrunchPortland, Oregon  The Side Yard has launched a Kickstarter campaign, The Nomadic Chef! Stacey Givens is ready to take her urban seed-to-plate suppers and brunches on location ANYWHERE. Perhaps the forest, a cornfield, a beautiful hazelnut orchard, a city sidewalk the possibilities are endless. Please check out the Kickstarter campaign, The Nomadic Chef for more details. The Side Yard will be hosting a Kickstarter finale brunch. All proceeds will go towards the campaign. Enjoy a selection of all you can eat seed-to-plate brunch items at The Side Yard Farm. Croque Madames, Breaky Burritos, Lil’ Corn Cakes, Seasonal Hash, Farm Bacon, Benedicts, Cinnamon Rolls, Scrambles and more! And, dont forget about the house made bloody marys and farm pickle bar, seasonal mimosas, local coffee and fresh squeezed OJ.

Sierra Nevada Brewing Brunch at the ToronadoSan Diego, California  The Tornodado is closing to the public to offer you an opportunity to try some great beers from pioneering California craft brewery Sierra Nevada along with a special menu prepared by house chef Nate Soroko. It begins at 10:30am with a welcoming glass of Sierra Nevada/ RRBC Brux wild ale with the menu as follows: Oyster “Ceviche” with a cucumber/chili/lime juice and a Brux sorbet shooter with hop-salted rim, paired with Sierra Nevada Kellerweis; Hamachi Tartare/Nicoise w/ Fava bean spread white corn, heirloom tomatoes, confit of purple potato, paired with Sierra Nevada Draft Pale Ale; Spiced Lamb Belly in a yogurt brine served on a bed of Faro with a Poached quail egg, paired with Bigfoot Barleywine on draft and barrel-aged from the bottle; Coconut Seared Duck w/ a beet puree, pea shoots, & heirloom tomato, paired with Ovila quadrupel with plums and Lemon Curd and black pepper sugar “Ears” paired with Torpedo Extra IPA from the cask. Sierra’s Steve Grossman will be on hand to talk about the beers and perhaps a little history of this brewery that helped start the American craft brewing movement; don’t miss it!

Sunday, April 21

Grand BrunchProvidence, Rhode Island  A group of Rhode Island’s best chefs, bartenders and pastry chefs prepare a Festival closing brunch at Gracie’s with a portion of the proceeds going to the Rhode Island Philharmonic Music School.