NETTLE OMELET WITH SPRING ONION

I know.... it's weird that we cultivate weeds in our backyard, especially when you consider how unfriendly nettles appear to be. One touch and you know why they're called "stinging" nettles. But this luscious weed is worth the hassle. Not only are stinging nettles absolutely delicious, they're super good for you...packed with fiber, protein, vitamins A, C, D, and K. Nettles are a miraculous anti-inflammatory, treatment of seasonal allergies, and a known blood purifier. We brew nettles as a simple tea, saute them as we could spinach or other tender greens, and puree them into pesto. Once nettles are cooked, the infamous sting disappears.

Nettles seem to be cropping up at more and more farmers' markets these days. I've even seen them at Monterey Market. Or if you're of the adventurous foraging ilk, you might find nettles growing wild nearby. Please, harvest the nettles with care. Using gloves is always a safe bet, though I find a good set of tongs and scissors to work for me as long as I'm careful not to casually brush my arm against the bush while harvesting.

Nettles and eggs make delicious companions. The tender greens are so good sauteed with a little spring onion and Parmesan and tucked into a tender omelet. Of course you can eat this dish for breakfast, but remember omelets make a nice lunch or easy supper.

If you're curious about nettles, read more here and here.

INGREDIENTS makes 1 omelet, though you can easily double, triple... the recipe to feed as many as you choose

• 3 packed cups trimmed and washed nettle leaves (see my notes above about the necessary precautions for handling fresh nettles)
• 2 tablespoons chopped spring onion or scallion
• 2 tablespoons olive oil 
• sea salt
• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan 
• 2-3 eggs
• splash of water
• freshly ground black pepper
• unsalted butter
• optional for garnish: chopped onion greens and/or onion blossoms

Heat olive oil in a medium saute pan over medium heat. Add nettle leaves. Use tongs to toss nettles and coat them in the warm oil. Add a sprinkling of sea salt to the greens. Cover the pan, turn then flame to low and continue to cook nettles for a few minutes until the leaves are wilted and tender.

Place cooked nettles on a cutting board, and coarsely chop. Set chopped nettles next to your stove so that you can easily add them to your omelet in just a few minutes. Place your grated Parm next to the stove top as well.

Set a small, well-seasoned cast iron (or non-stick) pan over medium heat so that it can thoroughly preheat before you cook your omelet. In the meantime, whisk eggs vigorously in a mixing bowl with a pinch of salt, a few grinds of black pepper, and a tiny splash of tap water.

If you're new to cooking omelets and would like some visual help, you might want to check out this post from my archives. 

Place 1/2 tablespoon butter in the hot pan. Swirl it around to coat all sides. (If the pan is too hot and the butter browns, use a paper towel to wipe out the pan, adjust the flame and start with a fresh pat of butter.) Once the melted butter has coated the sides of the pan, immediately add the whisked eggs. Grab the handle of the pan and tilt it so the eggs evenly coat the bottom, and slightly up the sides of the pan. Once the eggs start to form large bubbles, use a spatula to pull the eggs from the edge towards the middle of the pan, letting the runny eggs fill the void. Repeat this action in 3-4 places until there's no longer any excess runny egg.

Once your eggs have a nice rumpled surface, sprinkle the grated Parm onto the omelet. Next add the chopped, cooked nettles. (If the omelet still looks a little underdone to your taste, turn the flame to low and cover the pan for just a minute or so. I personally like my omelets with a slightly gooey middle.) Slide the omelet from the pan onto a plate, letting it fold onto itself.

Serve omelet right away and garnish with onion greens (and blossoms, if you've got them.) Enjoy!
 

GRATITUDE + BAKED EGGS ON A BED OF ROASTED CHERRY TOMATOES

What a week! Paul and the kids are heading back to school - and my boy Otis is starting high school today. Summer vacation has come abruptly to an end, and my book was released into the world last Tuesday! I've been excited and nervous, scared and giddy all at the same time. 

You, yes you, have helped welcome this book by greeting it with open kitchens and hungry bellies. I have gotten some of the sweetest notes from friends and even strangers, saying that you are already busy cooking my recipes, sharing them with your families. I'm moved beyond words. 

Some of you have shared the book on your own blogs and websites and I'm grateful for the amazing outpouring of support and generosity! 

***If you are also cooking from the book already, I'd love to hear about any recipe you've tried!***

Jamie Oliver
Food 52: Books We Love + Buckwheat Zucchini Muffins
Vanilla Bean Blog: Creme Fraiche Caramel Sauce  
5 Second Rule: Hanger Steak with Gremolata
London Bakes: Simple Almond Torte
Turntable Kitchen: Sunshine Soup + Fish Tacos with Pomegranate Salsa
Edible East Bay: Baked Eggs on a Bed of Roasted Cherry Tomatoes 
Bay Area Bites: Candied Tomatoes
Ashley Neese: Inspired Living 
Design Sponge Home Tour + Ruby Red Grapefruit Fizz
Food 52: 10 Best Cookbooks by Food Bloggers
Rodale News
My Darling Lemon Thyme: Simple Almond Torte
Sweet Sugar Bean: French Toast Sandwiches
Poires Au Chocolat: Golden Millet Crepes 
A Cup of Jo: Breakfast Salad 
365 Cookbooks: Ruby Red Grapefruit Fizz 
The First Mess: Bali Garden Stew 
Mom's Kitchen Handbook: Polenta Fries
Food Gal: Brown Butter Almond Tea Cakes 
The Little Green Wheelbarrow: Sunshine Soup 
SF Chronicle
Rue Daily 
The Oregonian
Lonny: Red Rice Risotto + Pluot Parfaits + cucumber gimlets 
Lonny: YS family dinner party
Cookie + Kate: Baked Eggs on a Bed of Roasted Cherry Tomatoes
Brooklyn Supper: Wild Salmon with Dill Butter + Fennel
A Cozy Kitchen: Honeydew Granita
Chow.com
The Kitchn 
Maria Rodale's Farm Country Kitchen
The Style Saloniste
Eat Your Books 
SF Weekly 
Fox in the Kitchen 
London Bakes via Steller Stories: Simple Almond Torte
The Food Network's Healthy Eats Blog: Quinoa Tabbouleh
The Little Loaf 
Berkeleyside 
Huffington Post
Handmade Charlotte: French Toast Sandwiches 
Delightful Crumb: Pistachio Tangerine Sugar Cookies
Handful of Salt: Review and Conversation Organic Gardening
My Little Expat Kitchen: Baked Eggs on a Bed of Roasted Cherry Tomatoes
La Domestique: Cozy Winter Soup + Mushroom Lover's Galette
She Eats: Wild Salmon With Dill Butter
Delicious Shots: Ruby Red Grapfruit Fizz
Mom.me Cooks We Love 
The Little Things: Peach + Rosewater Lassi
Good on Paper: Best Granola Ever
7x7 
Naturally Ella: Parsnip Crisps + book review
Paper/Plates: At the Table With
Red Tricycle: Juicy Burgers with Gruyere, Avocado & Pickled Onions
Lisa is Cooking: Prawns on Lemongrass Skewers + Pip's Yellow Rice
Authentic Suburban Gourmet: Toasty Pecans 
Two Tarts: Peach + Rosewater Lassi 
Celiac Foundation of Northern California 
Cari Borja
Rosa's Yum Yums: Brutti Ma Buoni 
Something Lovely
{510} Families
Fitbie Fresh Picks: Tomatoes
SBS: Kitchen Pharmacy

 ...............................................

To mark this big occasion, I wanted to share an easy summery recipe from the book with you. With tomato season in full, juicy swing, I thought you might enjoy this one. xoxoxo

BAKED EGGS ON A BED OF ROASTED CHERRY TOMATOES

recipe and photo excerpted from Yummy Supper: 100 fresh, luscious & honest recipes from a {gluten-free} omnivore 

Juicy hot cherry tomatoes pop in your mouth. There’s just a hint of basil for sweetness. When both mingle with creamy baked eggs, it’s an amazing combination of texture and flavor that makes for very happy tastebuds. 

 

These baked eggs are a hearty meal—even one egg, with its tomato companions, is surprisingly filling. You can easily increase or decrease the recipe depending on how many people you want to serve: Think 1 egg to 3/4 cup tomatoes, and you’re good to go. 

Of course, you can serve these eggs for breakfast or brunch, but I’d eat them for dinner any day. 

I highly recommend serving the eggs with a side of big buttery Croutons or Polenta Fries (both recipes are in the book) to soak up all the juicy goodness. 

INGREDIENTS

• 3 cups sweet cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon chopped fresh basil leaves
• Flaky sea salt
• Freshly ground black pepper 
• 4 eggs, at room temperature

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Scatter the tomato halves into a medium ceramic baking dish or cast-iron skillet. Bake the tomatoes in the hot oven for 12 minutes, then take the dish out. (If a lot of liquid has cooked out of the tomatoes, carefully pour off a little liquid now.) Top the tomatoes with the Parmesan, drizzle with the olive oil, and sprinkle on the 2 tablespoons basil and the salt and pepper. Then crack the eggs gently onto the bed of hot tomatoes. You want to keep the yolks intact, but don’t worry when the egg whites spill down around the sides of the tomatoes. 
 
Return the baking dish to the oven and bake for 8 to 10 minutes. You’ll know you’re done when the egg whites have set but the yolks are still soft. Sprinkle the cooked eggs with salt, freshly ground black pepper, and the remaining 1 teaspoon basil. 

Serve right away in shallow bowls. 

serves 4 

 

ROASTED ASPARAGUS, TOASTY BREAD, SOFT BOILED EGG + CHERVIL

I cannot believe I have yet to share an asparagus recipe with you this spring! When those gorgeous spears come to market, I start buying them by the bushel, don't you? We've been scarfing down asparagus almost every day for the past few weeks.

Last Thursday, P and I went to a delicious dinner at Camino to celebrate Deborah Madison's brilliant new book, Vegetable Literacy. With Russ cooking up Madison's recipes, it was an unbeatable combination. I immediately went home and knew I needed to try my hand at one of her new recipes, and the first thing I flipped to was the asparagus section. I saw Madison's recipe for a version of the dish I'm sharing today, and I knew I had to make it pronto!



I like that Madison calls for roasting the veg - not a technique I've used for asparagus, though now I will. The roasting was easy, the asparagus tender, and the flavors delish. Instead of hard boiling the egg as per the recipe, I craved the oozy yolk of a soft boiled egg and oh man was that a good move. The mustard vinaigrette mingles with the yolk and all come together to coat the asparagus and toasty bread. I'm a fan.

I ate this asparagus salad for breakfast, but that's just me. I think the salad would make a fantastic lunch, brunch, or light supper.

INGREDIENTS  
inspired by Deborah Madison's Vegetable Literacy, originally from Amelia Saltsman in What We Eat When We Eat Alone
{printable recipe}

• 1 pound fresh asparagus spears
• olive oil
• salt and fresh ground black pepper
• 1-2 soft boiled eggs - see my technique for soft boiled eggs here
• 1-2 slices sourdough bread {GF folks: I used a GF baguette from Mariposa Bakery. In a pinch you could tear up a GF hamburger bun}
• 1 teaspoon Dijon or coarse mustard
• 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
• chervil

Preheat oven to 400.

Trim tough ends from asparagus spears. Lay the spears in a roasting dish, or on a baking sheet. Toss asparagus with 2 teaspoons olive oil, and season with salt and fresh ground black pepper.

Roast asparagus in the hot oven for 10 minutes. Take the pan from the oven, give it a good shake, and roast another 10-20 minutes until spears are tender, and cooked through.

In the meantime, put a small saucepan with water on the stove top to cook your soft boiled eggs. See the rest of the instructions here.

Tear bread into large, rough pieces. Place torn bread onto another baking sheet or roasting pan. Toss with a teaspoon of olive oil and a sprinkling of salt. Place bread in the oven  5-10 minutes, until golden.

Whisk together mustard, vinegar and a pinch of salt. Then whisk in just enough olive oil for a nice emulsified dressing.

Assemble the salad by scattering the roasted asparagus and croutons on a plate. Nestle an egg or two on top. Drizzle on some dressing. Toss on a few sprigs of chervil. Break open those eggs and let all the wonderful flavors mingle.

I love this salad!

There are so many wonderful asparagus recipes floating around these days... Here are a few goodies:

• Asparagus, fennel, piave salad with Meyer lemon caper vinaigrette 
• Buttermilk Asparagus Salad
• Asparagus with Poached Eggs over Grits
• Miner's Lettuce with Soft Boiled Egg and Asparagus
• Asparagus Pesto with Herb Pasta
• Spring Pea and Asparagus Pasta

ASPARAGUS + DUCK EGG FRITTATA

Happy Sunday everyone! If a springy brunch or simple leisurely weekend supper is calling your name, this recipe may be just what you need.

I'm in love with my new butcher shop - they handle animal products with all the TLC it deserves.  "All of the meat... comes from animals who have been 100% pasture raised, no antibiotics, no hormones, just pure, clean, true meat." Plus, everything is sourced from thoughtful farms within 150 miles.

Each time I walk in, there is so much deliciousness to tempt me: quail, house smoked bacon, goat chops, and the eggs... always the eggs. Once you switch to real farm eggs, it is nearly impossible to go back to the bland, mass-produced industrial kind. Farm eggs have so much more flavor, not to mention the health benefits!

Recently I went to the butcher and they were out of chicken eggs, but they had duck. I'd eaten duck eggs before, but had never cooked with them myself, so I asked Monica if they needed any special treatment. She encouraged me to experiment with them in both savory and sweet dishes. We had so much fun making a duck egg scramble for friends. I cooked up some pancakes, and of course this duck egg frittata. The duck eggs didn't disappoint - they were rich, with big fat yokes. I'm going back for more!

 INGREDIENTS
(printable recipe)

• 1/2 cup asparagus, sliced and steamed
• 1 tablespoon (+ 1 teaspoon) olive oil
• 1 tablespoon minced shallot, or spring onion
• 1 tablespoon thinly sliced leeks
• sea salt and fresh ground black pepper
• 2 duck eggs or 4 chicken eggs
• 2 tablespoons salty feta
• 4 teaspoons chopped mixed fresh herbs: tarragon, parsley, and chervil are nice

Slice and steam asparagus. Set aside.

In a small saute pan, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Saute shallot and leeks for 3-5 minutes, but do not brown. Add steamed asparagus to the bubbling mixture. Saute veggies for another minute. Remove from heat, salt generously to taste, and let cool.

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk eggs with 1/4 teaspoon salt and pinch of freshly ground pepper. When veggies have cooled, add them to the eggs and give the whole thing a good stir.

Crumble 2 tablespoons of feta into a little prep bowl and set it near the stove.

Turn on your broiler.

Place a small well-seasoned cast iron, or non-stick frying pan, on the stove top over medium/high heat. (I used a 6 1/2 inch fry pan for cooking - a perfect size for a two person lunch. But you can easily increase the size of the recipe to make a larger frittata.) Add 1 teaspoons of olive oil to the pan. Swirl the hot oil around to thoroughly coat edges of the pan and prevent sticking. Pour out the excess oil. Put oiled pan back on stove for 30 seconds over medium high to make sure it's nice and hot. Then pour egg mixture into the hot pan and turn the heat down to medium/low. Sprinkle feta over the top of the eggs.

Let the frittata cook on the stove top until you see that all of the edges have cooked, and are starting separate from the sides of the pan. Stick the pan under the broiler to finish cooking the top of the frittata. Keep an eye on it  - you want the eggs to be just cooked, but not well done. A nice moist frittata is what you are looking for.

Let the frittata cool to room temp. Sprinkle with herbs and serve with a simple green salad.

For more eggiliciousness, go here...

Serves 2

A BREAKFAST SALAD?

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Like most people, I am trying embark on 2012 with a renewed commitment to health, joy, and calm. Maybe my lofty aspirations will last only a few days before the roller coaster of life, obligations, and not-so-good habits take over.  Day five and I'm going strong.... only 360 to go.

A nourishing breakfast can never be a bad thing and this recipe has become quite popular at our house. I finally have my soft boiled eggs down to an art, and the rest of the dish is so simple that you whip up the whole thing in about 10 minutes. Easy, right?

I was eating my bowl of soft-boiled eggs, toast, and arugula and Abby remarked, "Hey, that's a salad."

Yes. Salad for breakfast.... 2012 here we come!

INGREDIENTS 
(printable recipe)

• one or two farm eggs (room temp)
• one or two slices of your favorite bread for toasting
• unsalted butter
• handful of arugula leaves
• sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper

To bring your eggs to room temp, submerge them in a bowl of really warm (but not boiling hot) tap water.

Fill a small sauce pan with 3-4 inches of water. Cover pan with a lid and heat water on your stove top over a high flame.

Toss your bread in the toaster.

When the water is boiling, gently lower your eggs into the sauce pan, and set your timer to 5 minutes and 15 seconds. Adjust flame to achieve a nice simmer.  While the eggs are cooking, dump out the bowl of water that you used to warm your uncooked eggs. Refill the bowl with cold water and a few ice cubes. When the timer goes off, quickly remove eggs from the pot (using a slotted spoon is easiest) and immediately place cooked eggs in the ice water bath while you finish prepping the rest of your goodies. The eggs can rest here for a minute or so until they are cool enough to handle.

When your toast is ready, butter it and tear it into pieces. Nestle the buttery toast bits into a small bowl. Scatter arugula leaves over the toast.

Using a serrated knife, cut the top off of the egg. Scoop the egg out of the shell and place it on top of your toast and arugula. Sprinkle with good salt and some fresh ground pepper.


Enjoy!

Serves one. You can easily increase the all ingredients to feed as many as you wish.

I LOVE OMELETS

Ever since I started Yummy Supper, I have wanted to do a post on my love of omelets, which may just be my favorite meal for lunch, breakfast, or dinner for that matter.  You can stuff them with greens, mushrooms, asparagus, crab, cheese, or keep it light and simple with just a bit of herbs. My mom has always made incredible omelets and she taught me her ways when I was a teenager. People can be quite opinionated about the "right" way to make an omelet.  I'm not so sure I buy into dogmas, but I do know that this is an omelet I love - the eggs are nice and fluffy, while the inside is tender and filled with goodies.



SPINACH + FETA OMELET (makes two)
(printable recipe)

• large bunch spinach, leaves removed and cleaned
• 1 small hot chili (optional), finely chopped
• 4 small or 2 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 shallot, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 3 tablespoon butter (1 for cooking the spinach + 2 more tablespoons for cooking the eggs)
• 4 tablespoons crumbled feta
• 4 large or 6 small eggs
• salt 
• pepper

First, prep all of your ingredients for filling.  In a large saute pan, heat 1 teaspoon olive oil with 1 tablespoon butter over medium heat until bubbling. Add chili, garlic, and shallots. Cook a minute or two until everything starts to soften. Add the washed spinach leaves (we used beautiful water spinach - an ubiquitous ingredient in Bali - but any spinach would be wonderful.) Stir to coat. Saute until tender. Remove cooked spinach from heat and set aside to cool a bit. When the spinach is cool enough to handle, squeeze out any excess water. (If you don't, you'll end up with a sad, watery omelet.) Rough chop spinach and separate into 2 piles. Set aside.

Crumble feta. Set up two equal sized piles of cheese (2 tablespoons each).

Most people who regularly cook omelets have a pan they use just for this purpose. A little well-seasoned cast iron pan with rounded sides is my favorite at home in California. In Bali, where we made omelets at least once a week for lunch, we used a non-stick pan and it worked just fine.

In a small mixing bowl, thoroughly whisk 2 large, or 3 small, eggs. Add a pinch of salt (you may not need any salt at all if your feta is really salty), a few grinds from the pepper mill, and a splash of water. Whisk to integrate.

Here's the way my mom taught me, and this is the method I will pass on to my kids. I hope you like it too!

All of the cooking happens in a number of minutes so be patient with yourself if you are new to cooking omelets.....

Warm pan over medium heat. Plop in a tablespoon of butter. Tilt pan to coat all sides with the butter. When butter is hot and the bubbling has slowed, pour in eggs. Again, tilt the pan to spread the eggs evenly over the bottom of the pan.

When the eggs begin to cook, and big bubbles form, start the technique I show in the photos below: Use a wooden spoon to pull back the eggs from the side of the pan, then tilt the pan letting the runny egg fill the void....

Do this in three or four places until you have a nice, rumpled surface....

 Then add cheese....

Then spinach....

Then flip that omelet out of the pan and you are ready to eat.

Enjoy!

Makes 2 omelets.  

Travel note: We made it to the Greek Islands - so dreamy, yet completely different from Bali. Will have photos to share soon...

TARTINE'S GOUGERES

San Francisco's Tartine bakery is amazing. More often than not, this Guerrero Street institution has customers lined out the door for the copious and tempting baked goods.

When I had to stop eating wheat two years ago, my pilgrimages to Tartine were forced to end. Recently, my friend Sarah, who is an fantastic cook, loaned me her copy of the Tartine cookbook. I devoured it with my eyes. The photographs by France Ruffenach are stunning and totally capture the Tartine experience. My kids, P,  and I started drooling and bookmarking page after page of recipes to attempt at home. Before long almost every page and every photo had been chosen. Where to start with this irresistible book?

Gougeres..."the perfect combination of a crusty, caramelized outside and a soft eggy inside."


INGREDIENTS
from Elisabeth Prueitt and Chad Robertson's Tartine cookbook

• 1 1/4 cup non-fat milk (non-fat is crucial to the success of this recipe)
• 10 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup all-purpose flour ( GF folks, I used Pamela's Bread and Flour Mix)
• 5 large eggs
• 3/4 cup grated Gruyere
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme, minced

for topping:

• 1 large egg
• 1 pinch salt
• grated Gruyere for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Grate cheese and set aside.
 

David Tanis' Spinach Cake

We have been eating less and less meat around here. I am pretty tired of chicken and there are so many environmental issues with fish and beef that moving away from meat-eating seems natural. I cannot imagine being a vegetarian and don't see that as our future, but we are eating more and more meals that do not revolve around a slab of meat.

Farm eggs are great source of protein and I am always attracted to egg dishes: omelets, custards, stratas, etc. This recipe from David Tanis' Platter of Figs drew me in with its description as a cross between and custard and frittata. The dish is exploding with spinach and its texture is both creamy and fluffy at the same time. Plus, I can imagine using so many other veggies in this recipe: chard, mushrooms, peppers, beets greens....

Tanis suggests serving the vibrant green spinach cake with an herb salad. I decided to use some of the edible blossoms from our garden as a side dish. We have been letting our veggie garden run a bit wild lately. In less than three months we will begin our year of travel and our Berkeley garden will have to find its own rhythm without us. 

INGREDIENTS adapted from David Tanis' Platter of Figs 
(printable recipe)

• 2 pound spinach leaves
• 2 medium leeks, 2 heads green garlic, and/or 2 spring onions
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• freshly ground nutmeg
• salt
• pepper
• 6 large eggs
• 2 cups whole milk
• Parmesan

Thoroughly clean spinach leaves. Coarsely chop and set aside. Dice leeks, green garlic and/or spring onion.

Melt butter in a large saute pan over medium heat.

Add leeks, onion, and/ or garlic.  Season with salt and pepper. Saute for about five minutes until tender. Grate nutmeg over the top.

Turn up the heat. Add spinach in layers (salt each layer as you go) until you can fit it all in the pan. Cover and steam, stirring once or twice, until spinach has just wilted. This should only take a couple of minutes.

Spread cooked spinach onto a platter to cool.

Preheat oven to 400.

When spinach has cooled, get out your blender and puree spinach, eggs, and milk in batches. (Tanis suggests reserving the extra liquid from the cooked spinach and adding it to the puree. I would recommend pouring out the excess spinach water. When I left it in, I had liquid at the bottom of my cake when it was done cooking.) Add extra salt, pepper and a pinch of cayenne. Puree should be heavily seasoned.

Pour soupy batter into a buttered baking dish. Sprinkle a few tablespoons of grated Parmesan over the top.

Bake uncovered in the oven for 35-45 minutes until firm. When the cake is done, you should be able to insert a knife and it will come out clean.

Serve the custardy cake at room temp for brunch and briefly reheat your leftovers in the oven for a tasty breakfast or lunch the next day.

Serves 6-8

Perfect Poached Eggs (Thank You Thomas Keller)

Of course Thomas Keller's eggs are perfect. Why should I be surprised. His dishes at French Laundry are breathtaking: in his hands, in a dream kitchen, with impeccable ingredients, everything is perfection.

I just got my copy of Ad Hoc at Home and was curious about how Keller's magic would translate with home cooking. Deciding to take baby steps, this morning I tried his technique for poached eggs. With simple, yet explicit instructions, I followed diligently. As I cooked my eggs, I thought of Keller describing the importance of cooking the same dish over and over to discover the nuances and eventually master the dish. With this humility in mind, I kept expectations low for my first try at his poached eggs. But the first one was perfect! Beginners luck, I figured. Then I got out my camera to try again. Check it out....

I am swooning over Keller.

INGREDIENTS

• farm raised eggs
• 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• salt
• fresh pepper

Fill a heavy bottomed sauce pan with 6-8 inches of water. Bring to a boil. Add vinegar to water and reduce heat to a simmer. Crack one egg into a ramekin. Using a wooden spoon, stir the water at the edge of the pan two times to create a whirlpool. Drop egg into the middle of the whirlpool. Start your timer. A minute and a half later (or when the white is set and yoke is still runny) gently remove your poached egg with a slotted spoon. Transfer the egg to a bed of paper towels to soak up some of the cooking water. (Keller suggests trimming off uneven edges of the cooked egg with a small pair of scissors. I personally don't mind the imperfect edges of the whites.) Season with salt and fresh ground pepper and enjoy!

Skim off any foam from the simmering water. Repeat - cooking one egg at a time - until you have enough for your brunch, etc...

I must also give huge props to Soul Food Farm, without the richness of their tangerine-colored yokes, a perfectly poached egg would not be perfect at all.

Savory Custard with Wild Nettles

When I first met P twenty years ago in New York City, I never would have guessed he'd be the back-to-nature, off-the-grid, tree-huggin' guy he is now. Yes, we have solar panels.Yes, we have bio-diesel cars. Yes, our backyard is now a veggie garden. Yes, we compost and recycle just about everything.

But the new frontier for my man is the frontier itself... He is foraging in the woods.

A few weeks back I wrote of our Chanterelle hunting and the delicious bounty from that endeavor. This time P returned to the woods in search of wild nettles. Armed with tongs and a bag, off he went. He had done careful research in identifying nettles and was giddy to find his first patch. Unwilling to fully trust his discovery, he tried the fool-proof touch test; P brushed his hand over the nettle and the sting was undeniable.

If you don't have nettles growing in your yard and are not inclined to wander the woods nearby, nettles sometimes pop up at the spring farmer's market. If they aren't available, you can use spinach as a lovely substitute; even sauteed mushroom would be delicious here. A savory custard is simply a crust-less quiche where an infinite number of variations would work and I encourage you to have fun experimenting with different herb, cheese, and vegetable combinations. (Also, if you are a devoted quiche person, you can use this recipe as a tasty filling.)

If you need further convincing to try nettles, note that they have been used for ages for their medicinal properties and are especially helpful for allergies.

SAVORY CUSTARD WITH WILD NETTLES
custard technique adapted from NY Times article dated October 4, 2006

• 4 4 inch ramekins, buttered
• 3 eggs, plus 2 yokes at room temperature
• 1 3/4 cup cream
• 3/4 cup milk
• a couple of thyme sprigs
• 1 cup grated Parmesan
• 1 leek, thinly chop the tender white end only
• 3-4 cups stinging nettle leaves (spinach or mushrooms would work here as well)
• olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 300.

Put a kettle of water on the stove to heat.

Place milk and cream in a small saucepan along with the thyme sprigs. Gently warm and the thyme will steep in the liquid.

Carefully handle the uncooked nettles. Use gloves and tongs and do not touch the raw plant directly or you will suffer that famous sting. Wash nettles and leave them wet. Saute leeks with olive oil.  After leeks are tender, add washed nettle leaves and garlic and saute until cooked thoroughly. Once the nettles are cooked, there is no more risk of sting and you can handle them as you would spinach or any other green. Set aside. When cooled, squeeze veggies in a cloth to wring out all the liquid. Roughly chop greens. You want about 1 cup cooked veggies in the end.

Butter ramekins. Scoop a little less than 1/4 cup of veggies into the bottom of each ramekin. Place ramekins in a large baking dish (that will hold the custards' water bath) space ramekins at least 1 inch apart. Set aside.

In a large bowl whisk eggs, yokes, and salt until blended. Add grated Parmesan.

Remove thyme branches from cream/milk. Slowly pour cream into the egg mixture, whisking continuously. Pour egg/cream mix into each ramekin to cover the sauteed veggies.

Pour hot (but not boiling water) into the large baking dish holding the custard ramekins. The water should reach up to just one inch below the rims of the ramekins.

Bake in oven for about 35 minutes. To test for doneness, carefully tilt a ramekin to the side. If the center bulges, but no liquid leaks out, then they are done.

You can eat these delectable custards within a few hours of cooking - either warm or at room temp.

We ate our nettle custards for dinner with a roast chicken and simple salad. I also think they would be fun for brunch with friends.