Tag Archive: Eggs

Taking Another Crack At Eggs

Written on April 10, 2011 by Wannabe Chef in Miscellaneous

For the past 2 years eggs and I have not been best amigos. Sure, they’re a cheap source of protein, but unless I was counting on baked goods for protein I wasn’t getting any from eggs.

Did I break up with them because I don’t like the way they taste? No. I think eggs have a great neutral flavor, also that anything is good when you smother it with ketchup.

And I do.

Did I break up with them because of the cholesterol thing? No, I’ve had high cholesterol since the day I was born. If you can fix that you should get a Nobel Peace prize.

Did I break up with them because as a food blogger I’m constantly taking pictures of my meals and so everything’s cold by the time I actually eat it? No, but that’s remarkably true.

The reason is much more vain than all of that I assure you.

I stopped eating eggs because I could never cook them right. I can’t tell you how many yolks I broke trying to cook an egg sunny side up or fried. Even today don’t ask me to make you a recipe that involves separating the whites and yolks or—God forbid—whipping the egg whites; I’d just buy something from the store and say I made it.

April 4th 038

But then my friend gave me a duck egg a few weeks ago. “Don’t make brownies with them; they don’t make good brownies” she said. Crap, there went my plans. So instead I took the plunge and fried it with some vegetables in a pan. And it came out perfect so I made it again. And again.

There are so many ways to cook eggs, all of which I will be trying out now(except hardboiled because that’s just nasty). My point? Don’t give up on something because you fail a few times because at the end you just might find your reward, a fried, tasty reward.

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Brussel Sprout and Potato Hash With Fried Eggs

Written on April 7, 2011 by Wannabe Chef in Entree

I can never have a savory breakfast; it just doesn’t appeal to me at all. I need something sweet and as close to a dessert as I can get away with eating when I wake up.

Dinner is another story. I love a big plate of hot, savory food at night. I also love eating all the “traditional” breakfast foods like hash browns then since I’d never eat them otherwise. Sure, you could make this for breakfast. But I think it’s much better for dinner. Just imagine all your cares from that day flowing away like the runny yolk when it breaks and suddenly nothing seems so bad any more. Just remember to leave room for ~~breakfast~~ dessert.

Brussel Sprout and Potato Hash With Fried Eggs

Ingredients(for 2 servings):

1 1/2 brussel sprouts, steamed*
2 medium potatoes, cooked and diced*
1 onion, julienned
4 eggs
1/4 cup of butter, divided
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

*You can do this easily by microwaving them together for 4 minutes before starting.

Heat 2 tablespoons of butter in a large pan over medium heat. Once the pan is heated, add in the brussel sprouts, potatoes, and onion.

Cook for 10 minutes tossing the contents of the pan periodically until all the sides have had a chance to brown. Divide the contents of the pan between two plates or bowls and return the pan over the burner.

Using the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, fry each egg individually in the pan. When each is done, plate it over the hash two to a plate. When all are done, season with salt and pepper.

My favorite part really is the runny yolks. If the yolks aren’t runny, well, I’d still eat it but it wouldn’t be the same. Apparently pregnant women shouldn’t eat runny yolks; I’m glad that’s never in my future.

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Macaron Monday: Trying Is Something

Written on November 8, 2010 by Wannabe Chef in Uncategorized

3 attempts at Macaron Monday later and I have no recipe to report.

But I refuse to say I failed , because I tried, and that was the whole point of Macaron Monday: To try something new. And I definitely tried. Each attempt was a learning experience in why I wasn’t doing something right.

Attempt #1

The lesson here was pretty simple: Coconut flour cannot be used in place of almond flour to make macarons. It’s too fibrous and doesn’t spread during baking. What these did make was something close to donut hole, so I covered them in chocolate and all was well.

Attempt 2

This was probably the closest I got to making macarons(also the picture at the top of this post comes from this try). What I did right was whipping my egg whites by hand, rather than a food processor. As I went to pour the egg whites into the other ingredients, however, I noticed a pool of unwhipped egg whites at the bottom. Also, I used wax paper instead of parchment paper, which the macarons stuck to and so I was only able to scrape two cookies off before throwing the rest out.

Attempt 3

These were the tastiest by far, but they never rose and were clearly not cooked evenly. I was going to make a white chocolate-raspberry ganache for the filling, but it just seemed like a waste of ingredients since these were clearly not the macarons I wanted to make.

I can make ice cream, brownies, even mound bars. So why didn’t these turn out OK? I hate to make excuses, and I hate to say I “can’t” do something. But truthfully I was not working with the right equipment to make these. Every time my egg whites weren’t whipped properly, either after 20 minutes of hand whipping or a minute in a food processor. Ideally I think you should use an automatic mixer but I don’t keep one around because those are so cumbersome and I usually make vegan baked goods. And I have no clue what the oven here is calibrated at but I doubt that’s correct either.

Will I try to make these again some day? Maybe. But not anytime soon and not in a dorm room. I need to learn my limitations and clean the batter off my bedspread in the meantime.

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