Category — Eggs

Saturday, I wanted an omelette.

Thing is, I am scared of omelettes. But when I am scared of something, kitchen-wise, it’s usually a good idea to see what Julia Child has to say, and so it was that I turned to Mastering the Art of French Cooking, where detailed, illustrated instructions explain how to master this task, if by nothing else than practicing for days at a time.

Among the helpful guidelines were these:

1. Use high heat: This is really important for getting the eggs to cook properly and quickly.
2. Use a non-stick pan: You’ll be shaking the pan around a lot, and a non-stick pan keeps the omelette from sticking.
3. Work quickly: Julia says you shouldn’t even have your cookbook nearby to double-check with. If you’re checking the instructions, you’re taking too long.

After studying the recipe for a bit, I went to work and in minutes, I’d achieved the very thing I hoped for: a lightly golden fold of eggs, mozzarella and chopped asparagus, firm out the outside and tender at the center, thoroughly cooked throughout. Reminiscent of those fancy brunches from childhood—the kind where cooks in chefs’ whites stand behind skillets at the table and custom-make your order while you stand nearby, dressed up, your plate piled high with pastries and fruit and French toast you pulled from a stainless steel platter.

Next time, I might let the mixture brown less, but overall, this was a good first step. And anyway, I am quite sure now that made-in-minutes omelettes are the things good weekend mornings are made of, especially when followed by hours reading in the sunshine, your dog at your side, and a long nap in the afternoon, and a hot fudge sundae, before you watch a silly movie and go to bed too late.

Asparagus & Mozzarella Omelette
Adapted from Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking

Ingredients:
Two eggs
Some chopped asparagus (cooked ahead of time)
Some shredded mozzarella
Salt and pepper
2 Tablespoons butter

Directions:
In a small bowl, whisk together two eggs, just until the yolks and whites have combined.

Heat a nonstick skillet (I used half of a frittata pan) over high heat and melt 2 Tablespoons of butter, moving the pan around to distribute the butter evenly. When the butter becomes liquid and slightly froths, pour egg mixture inside.

Give the eggs 2 to 3 seconds to form a slight surface on the bottom. Then, begin shaking the pan towards you, holding it at a slight angle. Add asparagus and mozzarella. As the mixture solidifies, continue moving the pan back and forth. Then increase the angle slightly to encourage the omelette to fold over onto itself. If it doesn’t naturally, you can use a fork to help it along.

Let the omelette cook a bit longer and slide it onto your plate.

In case anyone’s keeping track, I have not given up on pie. No, sir. In fact, since the Great Pumpkin Pie Disaster, I’ve tried again not once, but twice. (And I’ll be darned if I’m not going to find a way to screw up a few more well-meaning crusts, too. My dear friend Kelley sent me her go-to, and my old roommate Sonja teases me with promises that her grandma’s is the best. We shall see.)

Observing these things, my mom, kind woman that she is, went so far as to assure me she’s got Thanksgiving’s pumpkin pie covered this year. This was after my brother begged her to promise not to let me mess it up. This family of mine, they’re cheerleaders, you can tell.

All these things withstanding, no matter how many signs the universe sends that pie crust is just not my thing, along with skiing, swimming or, let’s face it, any sport requiring a level of coordination, I have not given up. Won’t give up. Am determined to get the hang of this stuff if it’s the last thing I do.

(Pie, are you listening? It’s you and me, and it’s war. And I’m winning this one, OK?)

I might need a minute.

Well, in honor of fellow underdogs across the world, I am happy to tell you, I had a small victory this weekend: a battle won, you could say. After reading Pioneer Woman’s promise about a pie crust being fantastic and wonderful and you-can’t-mess-it-up good, after looking through her step-by-step photos and assuring myself I could do what she did, I tried her recipe. And, are you ready? She was right.

The recipe makes three crusts, which you can freeze or use right away. That’s right. Could it be better?

The first, I made a variation on Emeril’s pumpkin custard pie—key word being variation. Not. Good. The lesson from that disaster was that molasses is rip-your-tongue-out disgusting in pumpkin pies. But also, that the crust wasn’t half-bad. With a decent filling, we might be on to something.

Sunday, I used the other two, one becoming a spinach quiche and the other housing yet another pumpkin pie (if you’re counting, that’s pumpkin-pie try #3). These turned out perfect: flaky, not-too-thick, ideal with both the savory tart/quiche and the sweet pie.

You can’t see me right now, but I’m practically punching the air with my fists in sheer joy. It’s Rocky Balboa meets Michael Phelps at the Olympics. Success at last! The recipe for the pumpkin filling comes right off the pumpkin can, so I’ll leave you to find that for yourselves. My only exception was using milk and corn starch instead of evaporated milk, which just made the custard need more time in the oven. Otherwise, it’s a classic. It’s tasty. It’s the one to try.





Now, the quiche? That was my real masterpiece. I didn’t even know I liked quiche. It’s not at all eggy—much more savory and filled with bursts of chopped spinach, cheddar and parmesan cheeses and chopped green onions. It’d make a happy breakfast, a satisfying lunch, maybe even a dinner—or, as I like it, slices for snacks all day long.

In my opinion, the mark of a good pie crust, beyond my being able to create it, is versatility. I’d like it to be simple, yes. Tasty, of course. But what’s really fantastic is a pie crust you can use when you want to—freeze it today and make it Thanksgiving or next week or whatever—and fill with what you want—be it pumpkin pie or spinach quiche.

I made these Sunday afternoon, around 4:30 PM. By 9:00, they were already more than half gone. In my book, that’s a victory. Hear that, pie? One point for me.

Spinach Quiche
Adapted from Bon Appetit, October 1991

Ingredients:
Crust recipe from Pioneer Woman Cooks
3 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1/3 cup heavy cream
3 eggs
10 ounces fresh baby spinach, washed, drained and chopped
1/2 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 green onions, sliced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425°F. After defrosting the pie crust (15 minutes if it’s been frozen), roll it out on a flour surface to about 11 inches in diameter. Transfer to 9-inch tart pan. Push and trim edges to fit pan neatly.

In the bowl of a stand mixer (or a medium bowl), beat cream cheese until smooth. Gradually beat in cream and eggs. Mix in remaining ingredients. Pour mixture into prepared crust. Bake until crust is golden brown and filling is set, about 25 minutes. Cool 10 minutes before serving.

*Becky & Pumpkin Pie: For those of you who are curious, very ironically, no-pumpkins Becky tried her first Sunday, the same day I made this pie. And this is worth saying: she liked it.

Seattle or London would be nice places to live, I’ve thought many rainy days, what with the foggy, wet weather most of the year, the green, green grass and trees. When we have rainy weather here in Chicago, and this year we have had it a lot, I am the type to tell you, over and over again, how much I love rain and dark skies and the way everything looks like it’s getting cleaned off. I’ll draw in deep breaths of the air, sighing about how fresh everything smells, how just like spring, or fall, depending on the time of year. And when we stand near a window, watching a mighty thunderstorm, the continual dripping of water like music on the roof, I’ll clap my hands together like a child, as happy as I ever was.

This last weekend, Chicago received a record-setting rainfall. And the byproducts of this downpour, beyond my eager face against the window, were closed-off streets, cancelled plans, all kinds of flooding. I spent Saturday morning mopping up damage in the dining room, a bedroom, the den, just before my friend came over for brunch. Afterwards, I went in to work because I still could, covering for someone flooded into her town.

The other effect, and the reason I’m at the library right now, was that our Internet went out. That, and the phones, but who uses home phones anymore? And then tonight, the television. I’ve been a little beside myself, to be honest with you. No e-mailing? No Facebook? No blogging? I have small windows of time at work, but it’s not enough. {Incidentally, I have, once again, been reminded that I am a full-blown computer addict, and this week away is probably just what the doctor ordered.}

So, I’m not happy about doing this to you (to me!), but Comcast says the service man can’t come until Friday, and I’m just going to have to wait. Because I hate to be away from you for so long and because I want to give you something in the meantime, I’m going to leave you with something fantastic, the egg bake I made for brunch Saturday. It’s an overnight bake, which is ideal for having friends over: do the work the night before, and the morning of, just pop it in the oven and take it out to enjoy! And even if you don’t like eggs (like I have been known to say, it’s true) you might want to still give this a try. To me, it tastes a lot like pizza, and, really, who doesn’t like that?

I first had this when my best friend and her family (they of the new baby Beautiful Audrey) spent the weekend visiting, and my mom made this, among other things, for breakfast. It’s delicious. So good that I don’t know what else to say but YOU WILL LOVE IT! Really. If I were the betting type, I’d put money on it. In fact, even not the betting type, I might be willing to lay down a twenty.

Overnight Egg Bake*

Ingredients:
6 cups shredded cheese (I combined colby-Monterey Jack blend with shredded mozzarella)
2 tablespoons margarine or butter
1/3 cup sliced green onions
1/2 medium red bell pepper, chopped
8 ounces cooked smoked turkey, cut into thin slices
2 cups Egg Beaters, equivalent of 8 eggs
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 1/4 cup whole milk
1/2 cup soy milk (*You can certainly use all regular milk, if you’d like; this choice was of necessity, based on what we had available in the fridge, but it didn’t hurt the flavor, so I’d recommend it)

Directions:
Spray a 13-by-9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Sprinkle half of cheese evenly into sprayed baking dish.

Melt butter or margarine in medium skillet over medium heat. Add onions, 1/2 medium bell pepper and mushrooms; cook until onions and bell pepper are tender. Arrange vegetables over cheese in baking dish. Top with smoked turkey strips. Sprinkle remaining cheese over meat.

Pour egg beaters into a large bowl. Lightly spoon flour into measuring cup; level off. Add this flour, chopped parsley and milk/soy milk to egg beaters, and blend well. Pour over mixture in baking dish. Cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate 8 hours or overnight.

To serve, heat oven to 350°F. Uncover baking dish, and put it into heated oven. Bake for 55 to 65 minutes or until mixture is set and top is lightly browned. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. To serve, cut into squares.

*The original version of this recipe did come from a book, but my mom photocopied the sheet and stuck it in with her other things, so I’m not sure who to cite. We did alter several ingredients, subbing, removing, etc., but please, if you know who I should credit for inspiration, do let me know, and I will update as soon as I can. (Or, as soon as Comcast puts me back in the land of the living.)