Tag Archives: eggs

March 30, 2018 · 7:15 AM

Hard-Cooked Eggs with Chervil Mayonnaise

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I have a dubious record when it comes to making mayonnaise from scratch. I have only tried it twice, and neither could be considered a success. The first time was an utter failure, with the mayo never thickening and coming together. The next time, the mayonnaise came together but I didn’t like the flavor. I think it was the olive oil I chose; the flavor was too strong for mayo.

So I was a little nervous making this week’s Cook the Book Fridays recipe, which features homemade mayonnaise.

Hard-Cooked Eggs with Chervil Mayonnaise is something I knew we would like, as long as the mayonnaise turned out okay. My husband is often requesting or making hard-boiled eggs. The mayonnaise sounded promising as it is made from a neutral-tasting oil (I used grapeseed oil) and flavored with a bit of Dijon mustard, shallot, and fresh chervil.

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First I made the hard-cooked eggs. Rather than follow the recipe in My Paris Kitchen, I used my new favorite method: the Instant Pot. Perfect, easy-to-peel, hard-cooked eggs, every time!

Then I set about making the mayonnaise. Success! Whew!

The hard-cooked eggs and mayonnaise are served on a bed of butter lettuce with a few wedges of tomatoes. We enjoyed the eggs and homemade mayo quite a lot. My husband and I agreed that homemade mayonnaise probably isn’t worth it for most situations, but for this dish it really made a positive difference.

If you are interested in trying chervil mayonnaise, or even plain mayo, you can find recipes for both in David Lebovitz’s My Paris Kitchen.

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September 29, 2017 · 8:35 AM

Buckwheat Rolls with Seaweed Butter + Potato, Basil, and Feta Tortilla

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Happy Friday! At the time this is posted, I will be enjoying a fun weekend catching up with old friends. The fact that I’m saying “old friends”, makes me feel old… But seriously, I only see some these friends every couple of years, so it’s fun to catch up and laugh together.

Today I’m going to tell you about two Cook the Book Fridays recipes: Buckwheat Rolls with Seaweed Butter and Potato, Basil, and Feta Tortilla.

Buckwheat Rolls with Seaweed Butter

I had trouble understanding how this recipe fit into a book called My Paris Kitchen until I read the intro to the recipe. Turns out, it’s a knockoff from a trendy Paris crêperie with Japanese influences.

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We’ve made the buckwheat galettes before, filling them with savory ham and cheese. This time they were filled with butter and toasted, crumbled nori, then rolled up and fried in more butter until crisp.

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Interesting recipe! I can see how these would be quite tasty eaten in a trendy crêperie in Paris. I enjoyed the crisp, buttery exterior and the hint of salty seaweed flavor. I’m not sure I would make these again, but it was fun to give them a try.

Potato, Basil, and Feta Tortilla

A tortilla is the Spanish take on a omelet or frittata. It’s always filled with eggs and potatoes, and this version adds green onions, piment d’Espelette or paprika, and crumbled feta cheese. Like a frittata, a tortilla is easy to throw together. It makes a great weeknight meal with a salad on the side.

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I took a photo before removing the tortilla from the pan in case it didn’t go well…

Potato, Basil, and Feta Tortilla was met with mixed reactions in my house. I thought it was delicious even though I may have overcooked it slightly. I enjoyed it for dinner and had leftovers for lunch the next day. My daughter devoured her serving. My husband thought it was “fine”, but didn’t love it.

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Removal successful!

I hope you all have a great weekend!

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January 6, 2017 · 1:00 AM

Fresh Herb Omelet

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Hawthorne Berries in Snow

It’s rare that a snow day happens on the perfect day. Usually there’s somewhere to go, or something to cancel, or some other inconvenience caused by the snow. Today, as I sit here writing this, the snow is softly falling and everything is white. Happily, we had nowhere to be today: no errands, no appointments, no obligations outside the house. Just a quiet day, snuggled at home, looking out at the winter wonderland. The perfect snow day!

Cook the Book Fridays is starting the new year with a simple recipe that I am sure I will make again and again. Fresh Herb Omelet is nothing more than a simple omelet dressed up with a mix of herbs and a splash of cream.

I make myself omelets all the time, but I decided to follow David Lebovitz’s recipe and instructions exactly, to see if I could learn anything new from the process.

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Fresh Herb Omelet before being cut in half

First of all, I don’t normally put herbs in my eggs. This time I used a mix of fresh thyme, marjoram, and chives. While I do whisk in a bit of milk when I make an omelet, I have never tried heavy cream. I happened to have some, so I used it.

The biggest difference between my normal omelet technique and David’s is that I usually use a 10 inch pan for a 2 egg omelet, and he has us use one that is 12 inches. I liked the thinner omelet I got as a result, partly because it felt more refined, and also because the “top” of the omelet cooked to my liking more quickly.

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Fresh Herb Omelet, Bacon, and a Salad for Dinner

Takeaways? Both my husband and I liked the fresh herbs in the omelet. It gave the eggs a little extra something that we both enjoyed. Next time I would spread the grated cheese (I used Parmesan) over half the omelet rather that just down the center; I like a little more cheese distribution. Finally, I loved the results of the using the bigger pan. Overall, this recipe was a winner, and made for a delicious, easy dinner.

If you are interested in trying your own Fresh Herb Omelet, you can find the recipe on page 133 of David Lebovitz’s book My Paris Kitchen.

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November 4, 2016 · 10:37 AM

Baked Eggs with Kale and Smoked Salmon

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Happy Friday! I am a couple of weeks late with this Cook the Book Fridays recipe, but I have a good excuse: I had a pretty big surgery the day before the post was due. I managed to cook the recipe before my surgery, but I was too busy preparing for surgery to get the post written.

First off, I’m fine! My surgery was not for a life-threatening reason and I am recovering well. I have more and more energy each day, but I do have to take it easy for a few more weeks. I will not be making the November Cook the Book Fridays recipes (but I will definitely make them up at a later date because they look delicious!). Since I need to rest more than usual, I have had extra time for knitting, so maybe you will see some finished projects!

One thing I was busy doing while preparing for my surgery, was making a bunch of meals for the freezer. It has been so nice to have easy, yet tasty, meals already prepared! If there is interest, I might share some of my techniques and recipes with you since I won’t be doing the CTBF posts this month.

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So, let’s talk about the recipe: Baked Eggs with Kale and Smoked Salmon. This was an easy, elegant meal. The eggs were baked on a bed of sauteed kale, along with smoked salmon, goat cheese, a little heavy cream, and the wonderful garlic bread crumbs (which I confess I ate quite a few of before even sprinkling them on anything). Like others, I found the eggs took longer to cook than the recipe suggests, but they did cook more quickly when I brought the eggs to room temperature before baking.

We liked this. My husband ate dinner later than me the night I made this, but it was easy to assemble his in advance and pop it in the oven when he was ready. I am not sure I would buy the ingredients just to make these baked eggs, but it is a good way to use up leftover greens or smoked salmon.

I hope you all have a great weekend, and I look forward to catching up with my fellow Cook the Book Fridays friends!

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July 18, 2014 · 11:50 AM

Coddled Eggs with Foie Gras

Coddled Eggs with Foie Gras

Look at me!  I’m posting the correct French Fridays with Dorie recipe on the correct day!  We made one of the “diciest” recipes in the book:  Coddled Eggs with Foie Gras.

Foie gras pâté is not one of the easiest ingredients to come buy.  I didn’t have the time to drive all over town looking for it, so I ordered mine from D’Artagnan.  Because shipping was so expensive (they have to FedEx it overnight) I ordered a few more goodies to maximize the cost:

French Goodies

I can’t wait to try everything!

To make Coddled Eggs with Foie Gras, a few small chunks of foie gras pâté are placed in the bottom of a ramekin.  Carefully break an egg on top and season with salt and white pepper.  Spoon a little cream over each egg, then sprinkle with fresh tarragon and parsley.  Dorie recommends a few slices of black truffle (if you can find/afford them).  I found a foie gras pâté that contained black truffles, so I got the flavor without the expense.

Coddled Eggs

Finally, the ramekins are placed in a large steamer and cooked until the whites are set but the yolks are still runny.  Actually, I didn’t do this.  I really don’t like runny yolks, so I cooked mine a little longer until the yolks were just set.  The end result is basically a decadent version of shirred eggs.

Coddled Eggs with Foie Gras

The verdict?  Very rich, with delicious flavor.  That was my opinion.  My husband would not try it.  He just didn’t like the idea of eating duck liver (he is not even aware of the controversy surrounding the production of foie gras).  So, this was fun to try, and I liked it, but I will not likely be making it again.

Are you interested in finding out how the other FFWD participants liked Coddled Eggs with Foie Gras?  Check it out here!

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December 16, 2011 · 8:54 AM

Potato Chip Tortilla

While most of the recipes in Dorie Greenspan’s Around My French Table are hits, there are bound to be a few misses.  Unfortunately, this week’s French Fridays with Dorie recipe was a miss with us.

The recipe is called Potato Chip Tortilla.  A traditional Basque tortilla is an egg dish similar to a frittata, usually made with cubed potatoes.  We made Dorie’s take on a traditional tortilla earlier this year.  This week’s recipe replaces the cubed potatoes with crushed potato chips.

This dish didn’t do much for us.  I liked the flavors of the herbs (parsley and thyme) and green onions, but not the texture.  It was a little dry and almost rubbery.  We are used to “eggier” egg dishes.  I could see making this again as a frittata without the potato chips and adding cheese.  Our favorite part of the meal was the bacon served on the side!

I hope the other Doristas liked this better than we did!

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