Book 113: The Silver Palate Good Times Cookbook | Sunny Baked Eggs

by Julee Rosso & Sheila Lukins

We've been pretty stagnant in the breakfast arena; eggs on winter wheat toast or English muffin, with some fruit on the side a few times a week, and oatmeal and fruit on the other days. Mornings I do not get up early to make breakfast, Andy will make himself toast and peanut butter and I'll have cereal. It has been this way for the  l o n g e s t  time.

I'm always on the look out for something new for breakfast, and was excited to come across this recipe.

I gave this a trial run when I was on my own for breakfast. It's super easy to make - you can even make them on your busy weekday mornings if you have the (very little) prep work done the night before - chopping some parsley, mincing a little ham, and cubing a little Brie; and feel free to change up the ingredients to your liking - your favorite herb or cheese, and if you don't eat meat, omit it. This is a very versatile dish.

It only takes about twenty minutes in the oven to bake - actually less in my oven. I meant to check on them at about fifteen minutes in, and I got busy on the computer, and well, you know how that goes... and my eggs were overcooked - they were fine... I just prefer my yolks on the runny side, not firm.

This recipe is similar to the one I made years ago for Mother's Day brunch, a little more work, but very impressive to say the least.

These will have rerun in our house. I think Andy will like them - especially if I replace the ham with mushrooms, and switch out the Brie with maybe some smoked cheddar or Gruyère.. oh the possibilities.

Book 107: Gardeners' Community Cookbook

The Gardeners' Community Cookbook is a compilation of recipes from gardeners from all 50 states, and is written by Victoria Wise, an alumna of the famed Chez Panisse restaurant in Berkeley, CA.

(Recipe submitted by Cecilia Rosacker-McCord of Lemitar, NM)

Apparently enchiladas in New Mexico are very different than your typical enchiladas that you get in a Mexican restaurant. Layering the tortillas, rather ran rolling them is a lot easier and less time consuming (genius in my book!), and is topped with a fried egg. Yum!

I expected the New Mexico chilies to be hot; in fact they have a deep, smoky, almost sweet taste with a soft warmth to them.

For the sauce you start by puréeing the chilies, onion, garlic and tomato with a cup of hot water to make a liquid paste. 

Liquid paste? That is an oxymoron if I ever heard one. Mine was all liquid. Maybe I should have used less than the one cup of water called for; actually the recipe calls for one to two cups water, and you start with just the one cup.

After sautéing your garlic and onion, add the chard and cook only until wilted.

Add the sauce and cook until thickened - about 8-10 minutes - NOT!

Being my "liquid paste" of a sauce, was more liquid than paste, it took about 35 minutes to thicken. I did not mind much - the aroma while simmering was amazing.

The recipe did not state what size [blue] corn tortillas to use. I went with the eight-inch. Only after reading the assembly instructions did I realize I should have went with the smaller six-inch - for you are supposed to place four tortillas side by side on a jelly-roll pan without overlapping. I could only fit two. You layer the tortillas, sauce, and cheese until you have a stack three layers high.

Bake your enchiladas in a 350°F for about 5 minutes, just until the cheese melts. Then top with a fried egg. Yes, an egg. Don't skip it - it really makes the dish; and that is what makes it authentically New Mexican!

So good!

We had these for dinner. Though they would be equally as delicious for breakfast; I see no reason why you can"t make the sauce the day before and reheat it before assembly.

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WW: Stir-Fried Eggs with Tomatoes

Wok Wednesdays wokking thru Stir-Frying to the Sky's Edge
by Grace Young

I have enjoyed every recipe so far from this book, though I must say that this is my least favorite; which makes me feel less guilty for making this just for myself and not when my husband could join me.

The recipe calls for cilantro which is one of those flavors people tend to either love, or hate. Me, I like cilantro. Maybe that's why I like salsas so much - cilantro, lime, jalapeno, mmm... however not so much in this dish. I may have liked it better with less or even substitute parsley for the cilantro. I really enjoyed the tomatoes with the egg, it also added a nice visual appearance to the finished stir-fry.

Reading the comments on the Wok Wednesdays LYL post I seeded the tomatoes on the advice of Matt from Green Eats Blog. He felt that the tomatoes not being seeded added too much moisture and made for a watery mess. Thanks for the tip Matt - no sodden eggs here!

Success meter (1-3): 2

You will not find the recipe here on my blog or within the Wok Wednesdays community. We encourage readers to go and purchase this book at their local independent bookstore or on-line.

Make sure to visit my co-wokkers to see their results on this stir-fry.

Look for the LYL link on the Wok Wednesdays page.

Book Eighty-Six: Joy of Cooking

by Irma S. Rombauer, Marion Rombauer Becker,
and Ethan Becker


                                                           Blintzes


Our recipe for Tuesdays with Dorie due next week is Nectarine Upside-Down Chiffon Cake. I was going to make a plum version for a get-together this weekend, alas, it was cancelled. There was no way I was going to make the cake and have it sitting around the house. With the four day holiday I could not send it into work for the boys to devour.

What to do with a bowl full of plums? Blintzes seemed to be the perfect vehicle for sautéed plums and pluots. I sliced up the fruit and sautéed them in a little butter and a sprinkle of sugar. Fill the blintz with some non-fat Greek yogurt and the fruit, roll it up, add a dollop of yogurt on top with some more fruit and a light dusting of powdered sugar and you have yourself a beautiful and delicious breakfast!

Success meter (1-3): 3

Three tablespoons of batter makes one blintz.

 Make sure to pour the batter into the center of the pan,

 tilting the pan back and forth to distribute the batter evenly.

Don't do as I did, swirled the batter into the pan.

The others turned out perfect.

These were cute - though next time I won't tuck the ends in.

I made one where I just folded the blintz in thirds and left

the ends exposed, which had a pretty, ruffled look.

Unfortunately I do not have a picture to show you.

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Book Fifty-Seven: Vegetable

by Williams-Sonoma


                  Leek and Goat Cheese Tart

I was originally looking for a light and healthy recipe after eating Halloween candy all week long; and light and healthy to me usually ends up being fish or salad and I had fish two nights in a row this week and salad just did not fit the bill with the cold and rainy day we were having.

I pulled out this book and was ready to make the Escalivada and just have a big bowl of veggies with french bread. Then I saw this recipe and could not pass it up; not only for my love of leeks and Gruyere cheese, but I had all the ingredients on hand except for the leeks! I love when I can use up what I have in the fridge; this does not happen often enough for me. With the rainy day we were having, this sounded so much more comforting than a cold salad. Light and healthy will have to wait...

Oh the aroma...

Success meter (1-3): 3+

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Don't waste your time on a fancy border -

 it does not hold.

make sure to trim your paper if you

think it will hit your heating element.

So much for the fancy border.

Not the best looking crust I have made -

 I also forgot to prick the bottom with a fork

after the first part of baking.

 (did it after the fact)