This Will Make Your Weekend: Sausage Wrapped Poached Eggs

It’s snowing outside and I just found out I have a bronchitis. Nice way to start the year. On top of it, I’ve been procrastinating writing on this blog, for no particular reason. Actually, maybe there is a reason. The holidays were so hectic around here; this week feels like I’m on vacation! But I’ve been itching to write again and share my 2012 recipes. I don’t know how much I’ll be able to keep up with my writing though… I should be going back to work soon… as long as I find myself a job!

Besides that, I tried this amazing recipe last weekend while some friends were over for breakfast. I didn’t invent this recipe; I found it in a magazine while I was sitting by the pool someplace hot in the South! Yeah I know… deciding to make some crazy good-looking recipe while tanning is not a good idea. This is decadent. It looked good under the sun and it was even better back here, in the winter cold! And don’t get fooled by the look of it, it’s quite simple to make and could even make a great activity for you and your kids!

SAUSAGE WRAPPED POACHED EGGS

Makes 8 servings

INGREDIENTS

10 large eggs

16 small breakfast sausage

1 ½ cups flour

2 cups Corn Flakes

Salt & pepper

Vegetable oil

PREPARATION

Put 8 of the uncooked eggs in a saucepan and cover them with cold water. Put over high heat and bring to a boil. Remove from heat, cover and let stand for 3 minutes.

Carefully drain. Then fill the saucepan with cold water to cool the eggs. Gently crack the shells under cold running water. Set aside.

Take the sausage out of its casing. Make 8 equal portions and make them into thin patties over the length of your palm. Lay 1 soft-boiled egg on top of the sausage and delicately wrap it around the egg. Repeat with the remaining eggs.

Place the flour in a wide shallow bowl and crushed corn flakes in another one. Whisk the remaining 2 eggs in a bowl.

Working gently with 1 sausage-wrapped egg, dip it in the flour, then coat in the egg wash. Finish by rolling it in the crushed corn flakes.

Attach a deep fry thermometer to the side of a heavy pot. Pour in some oil to a depth of about 2” and heat over medium heat to 350˚F. Fry the eggs, turning occasionally and maintaining oil temperature at 350˚F until the sausage is cooked through and the breading is golden brown and crisp. This should take about 5-6 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the eggs to paper towels to drain the excess oil.

Lightly season with salt and pepper. Serve warm.

Note: You can boil your eggs and make the sausage wrap a day in advance.

Cool Brunch With a Spanish Potato Tortilla

Ok, I feel really bad and my conscience is having a hard time sleeping at night. I realize I haven’t written in the past two weeks… at least. The worst part is that I haven’t really been cooking either. That’s a horrible, horrible thought! But I have great excuses (of course!): sick kids, the end of a construction site and, no free time. But things are back on track and I have some new recipes to share, plus stuff that I’m planning to try out in the next few weeks. So to you, my awesome readers, I apologize if I’ve let you down a little and I promise I’ll try to make it up to you. Do you forgive me?

This weekend we had a great big brunch with friends and we all had to bring a little something. With little time on my hands, I really had a rough time deciding on what to bring. I almost went to the market to buy a ready-made quiche; but that’s just not me. And to be honest, I sometimes find it harder to go out and find a great ready-made meal than to take the time to make it on my own (I know, that sounds weird!). So I looked in my fridge, only to find that it was almost empty… except for a bunch of eggs and some leftover cooked potatoes. What to do with so little ingredients?

That’s when it hit me. Why not make a really nice Spanish tortilla? They’re simple to make yet super tasty and it’s the perfect thing to eat around noon! Lucky me, I have a small Spanish cooking book at home so I took a look at it to make sure my version of the tortilla was made according to pure traditional Spanish style. And it was! I believe it was a success with everyone and it sure relieved me to know I was bringing something great and up to everyone’s expectation for an amazing brunch!

SPANISH POTATO TORTILLA

Makes about 8 servings

INGREDIENTS

2 onions, finely sliced

3 potatoes, diced

2 garlic cloves

7 eggs

2 tbsp olive oil

Salt & pepper

PREPARATION

In a large skillet, heat the oil. Over medium-high heat cook the onions until they are transparent. Take them out of the skillet and put them on a separate plate, leaving the leftover oil in the skillet.

Add the potatoes and the garlic and cook them. When they are ready, add the onions. Blend well and take off the heat. Let cool.

In a bowl, whisk the eggs and add salt and pepper. Add the potatoes and onions to the mixture and let sit for about half an hour.

Heat some olive oil in a pan over medium-low heat. Add the egg mixture and cook. When the eggs are cooked to your taste (some like them a little juicy!), take off the heat and place a plate on top of the pan. Delicately flip the tortilla on the plate.

Serve hot with a nice salad or cold, diced in small bite size.

Note: I had some leftover potatoes from a previous dinner. So I used them instead of arranging some fresh ones. They were already seasoned so I took it easy on the salt and pepper.  

The Aftermath: Stuffed Eggs With Matane Shrimps

Well, the tornado has passed and the quiet wind of September is settling in again. No, I’m not talking about Irene, I’m talking about my son’s baptism. An event like that can really take over a household for a few days, or even a full week! I got so absorbed into the eye of the tornado that I quite frankly had to put aside my urge to write a new page in my blog. There was simply not time to write; but there was time to cook!

But the page has been turned and I can move on with my normal life. One where cooking is enjoyable and not just a matter of success. Thanks to a few of you, I got some great ideas for my fancy buffet. I made a delectable menu and had raving reviews for the food. I know this might sound a little cocky but I even impressed myself with a few things. You see, I tried quite a bit of new recipes and even took a new angle to my style. I usually make a lot of fish and raw foods. This time, I added a lot of meat and cooked foods!! Not an easy challenge for me, and it was hard to get around to creating my menu but in the end the challenge was great and I ended up making one of my best buffets yet. To top it all off, I believe I have regained my love for cooking, which had been lost along the way this summer. Too much vacationing can really get to your head. Now I really feel like trying some new stuff and taking things a notch higher. That’s what fall should be about.

If you don’t mind, I’ll present to you what I made in my next few blog entries. You can recreate the whole thing after if you like, or make 1 recipe at a time when necessary. The first recipe was a mad success. A modern twist on a classic recipe: stuffed eggs. Only when you make them chic and fancy, no one can resist a good egg. Simple to make ahead, finish them just before the guests arrive. Perfect as an appetizer, you can’t go wrong with this one.  

HARD BOILED EGGS STUFFED WITH MATANE SHRIMP

Makes 24 half eggs

 

INGREDIENTS

12 eggs

1/3 pound Matane shrimps, cooked

2-3 tbsp mayonnaise (home made is ideal)

½ tsp Dijon mustard

1 green shallot, finely chopped

1 tbsp cilantro, finely chopped

Salt & pepper.

Cilantro for decoration

Salmon roe for decoration

PREPARATION

In a saucepot, put the eggs in cold water. Bring the water to a boil. Once it’s boiling, take off the heat and let the eggs cook for 15 minutes. Put the eggs in cold water to stop the cooking. When they are cold, peel and wash the eggs. Cut the in half and, with a small spoon, take out the egg yolk.

In a bowl, mix together half of the egg yolks with the shrimps, mayo, Dijon, shallot and cilantro. Add salt and pepper. Adjust taste if necessary.

Cut a tiny piece off the bottom of each egg half so that they stand upright. Fill them with the egg and shrimp mixture. Decorate with a piece of cilantro and salmon roe.

Eggs Cocotte For Sunday Brunch

The other day I had some girlfriends over for brunch. There’s nothing like a good brunch at home when you’re not really in the mood to go to the restaurant. I’m a big fan of Sunday breakfast with eggs but, somehow, brunch is not something I master very well. I always get so impressed when I’m invited over at friends’ house for brunch and find out they have all these original and great breakfast ideas… Waffles, pancakes, breakfast pizza, special omelettes, etc. When I invite, I never know what to prepare and always end up making scrambled eggs!!

But this time was different. Because I’m not having a lot of guests over for dinner these days, I felt like making a great breakfast with something original and out of the ordinary. So I thought of my little “cocottes”, those individual serving size dishes that go in the oven. They’re cute and perfect for the occasion. So I crafted a special mix of eggs, bacon, mushroom and cheese; my own personal version of a great omelette… only much cuter than the traditional version!

Add to that great seasonal fruits (aren’t they amazing these days?), fresh croissants, and café au lait and you’re in for business. I don’t know if my guests were that impressed with my creation but I certainly was… considering what my Sunday breakfast usually looks like! Make this recipe as a treat for yourself or to share with friends. You can even have it for diner!

EGGS, BACON, MUSHROOM AND CHEESE COCOTTE

Makes 4 servings

INGREDIENTS

8 eggs

8 bacon slices, cooked crispy and cut in ½ inch pieces (keep 4 for decoration; keep the fat for cooking)

1 shallot, thinly chopped

1 cup mushrooms, chopped

Salt & pepper

1 cup 15% cream

1 cup Jarlesberg or Gruyère, grated

PREPARATION

Preheat your oven at 400˚C.

In a large saucepan, cook the shallot and the mushrooms in 1 tbsp of the leftover bacon fat, over medium heat, until nice and tender (about 7-10 minutes). Add the cream and let simmer for about 2 minutes. Season with salt & pepper.

Break 2 eggs in each cocotte. Divide the cut bacon between the 4 cocottes. Cover each cocotte with the mushroom and cream mixture. Top with the cheese. Finish off by adding a slice of cooked bacon.

Put in the oven for 7 minutes at 400˚F. Bring the heat up to broil and cook for 2 minutes. Serve immediately.

Note: The great thing about this recipe is that you can prepare it early in the morning and pop the cocottes in the oven just before serving. That way you can entertain your guests without having to cook at the same time.