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'Wich of the Week: Pan Bagnat

YumSugar — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 16:15:09 -0700

Nicoise salad buffs, meet the pan bagnat. This classic French sandwich also hails from Nice and features the same signature olives, plus oil-packed tuna (I prefer Genova), hard-boiled eggs, tomatoes, and anchovies, among other yummy ingredients.

Since I've been somewhat obsessed with all things French, I recently lunched at San Francisco's Cafe Claude to satisfy my pan bagnat craving. Learn how to replicate the recipe now.

Summer of Salads: Wedge Salad

YumSugar — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 05:50:48 -0700

In an age of arugula and frisée, the 1960s Americana icon known as iceberg lettuce might seem behind the times. It's true that iceberg is virtually devoid of nutrients, and lacks the flavor and roughage of contemporary chicories. But coming to terms with the fact that iceberg isn't exactly an antioxidant is what's helped me to embrace it. I now love the leaves for their sheer juiciness and ice-cold crunch.

My favorite way to enjoy the 'berg? As a huge wedge, pulled straight from the crisper and topped with salty bacon bits, soft, powdery egg, and a generous drizzle of creamy, slightly tangy blue cheese dressing. Sure, it's a throwback to yesteryear, but the flavors still feel entirely new. Get the recipe after the break

'Wich of the Week: Sardine and Arugula Sandwich

YumSugar — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 15:00:50 -0700

Since I make my sandwich obsession so public, my friends and family are always passing along recommendations and recipes. I was especially tickled by an article my mom tore out of an old Esquire magazine from 1989, entitled "New Hope For the Bread." My dad and I share a love of Esquire, so these sandos are well-suited to Father's Day. The '80s sandwich tribute included such forward-looking recipes as an open-faced polenta sandwich and a breadless one eerily similar to my eggplant grilled cheese. I chose the simple sardine and arugula sandwich (arugula in '89! who knew?) to showcase this super-healthy, sustainable fish. It was tasty but there were some things I'd do differently, find out what and read more.

The magazine recommended water-packed sardines, but I think oil- or mustard-packed make for a tastier and less dry sandwich. In addition, I spread a bit of mustard on the bottom slice of bread to hold everything in place. Rather than sprinkle crumbled egg yolk over the sardines, as suggested in the article, I couldn't resist using lovely whole egg slices. Here's my modified recipe.

Sardine and Arugula Sandwich
Modified from Esquire

Ingredients

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
8 slices Jewish rye bread
2 handfuls arugula
1 tablespoon walnut or olive oil
2 tins good quality oil-packed sardines, drained
2 hard-boiled eggs, sliced

Directions

Spread one half tablespoon of mustard on four slices of bread.

Toss the arugula with the oil and place it on the mustard-coated slices. Arrange the sardines over the arugula.

Lay the hard-boiled egg slices over the sardines.

Top with remaining bread, cut in half, and serve.

Makes 4 sandwiches.

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'Wich of the Week: Open-Face Balsamic Egg

YumSugar — Wed, 21 May 2008 14:00:08 -0700

One of my favorite SF brunch spots, Foreign Cinema, has a balsamic egg dish I've always wanted to recreate at home. Deglazing the fried egg in vinegar gives it a gentle saltiness that tastes gourmet and - I must admit - is highly suitable for hangovers. But instead of serving it with potatoes and greens like the restaurant does, I put a twist on the egg dish by making it into a sandwich.

As I suspected, the flavors were easy to reproduce on my own plate with some balsamic-reduction sauce, hearty multigrain bread, and mixed greens. I made two versions of the sandwich: one open-face with greens, and one closed-face with serrano ham. I preferred the open-face, without meat, which allowed the rich flavor of the balsamic egg to take center stage. To get the recipe (with both options) and more photos, read more.

Balsamic Egg Sandwich
Original Recipe

Ingredients

2 slices swiss cheese
2 to 4 slices multigrain bread
3 very thin slices of Serrano ham, cut into strips (optional)
1 tablespoon butter
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar reduction sauce
2 cups mixed baby greens, loosely packed

Directions

Preheat the oven to 250°F.
Place two slices of swiss cheese on each of two pieces of bread.
Place the two cheese-covered slices of bread in the oven, plus two more pieces of bread if you want a closed-face sandwich. Cook for about 5 minutes or until cheese is just melted.

In a skillet over medium-low heat, cook Serrano ham until crispy, turning once, about 5 minutes.
Turn burner to low, add the two eggs, and cook sunnyside up. Alternately, if not using the ham, melt 1 tablespoon butter over low heat, then add the eggs.
When the yolks have just started to firm up but are still runny, drizzle the balsamic reduction sauce atop the eggs. Place a lid over the skillet and cook for an additional 30 seconds. Remove from heat.

On each piece of cheese-topped bread, add 1 cup mixed greens and top with the fried egg. If using the ham, top each egg with the Serrano ham and a second slice of bread.

Makes 2 open-face or closed-face sandwiches.

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Fast & Easy Dinner: Grilled Egg Sandwich

partysugar — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 04:29:37 -0800

Keep things super simple tonight - especially if you have a big day of cooking and eating tomorrow - by making an egg sandwich for dinner. Quick cooked scrambled eggs are layered with spinach, tomatoes, and cheese. The whole sandwich is pan grilled lightly for a fantastic taste sensation. It also makes a great on the go sandwich. To get the recipe all you have to do is, read more

Grilled Egg Sandwich
From Better Homes & Garden magazine

2 tablespoons mayonnaise or salad dressing
1 tablespoon Dijon-style mustard or brown mustard
4 slices English muffin bread or firm-textured white bread
2 tablespoons margarine or butter
4 eggs
4 to 6 spinach leaves
1 small tomato, sliced
2 slices Swiss or American cheese
2 tablespoons milk

In a small bowl stir together mayonnaise and mustard. Spread the mustard mixture on one side of each bread slice. Set aside.
In a large skillet melt 1 tablespoon of the margarine over medium heat. Break 2 of the eggs into skillet. Stir each egg gently with a fork to break up yolk. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes or until eggs are desired doneness, turning once.
Place each egg on mustard side of a bread slice. Layer the spinach, tomato, and cheese on eggs. Top with the remaining bread slices, mustard sides down.
In a shallow dish beat together the remaining 2 eggs and the milk. Carefully dip sandwiches in egg mixture, coating both sides.
In the same skillet melt the remaining 1 tablespoon margarine over medium heat. Add sandwiches; cook about 4 minutes or until bread is golden brown, turning once.

Serves 2.

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Breakfast For Dinner: Egg Roll-Up

YumSugar — Mon, 21 May 2007 07:58:31 -0700

When the choices for dinner seem overwhelming, I usually tell myself, "I'll just have eggs." They're great because they're filling and hearty, and they always seem to hit the spot. When I was searching for a great recipe for my next indecisive dinner moment, I came across this one for an "egg roll-up." It consists of a baked seasoned egg that is filled with sautéed vegetables and rolled up like sushi. Visually I think it looks absolutely appetizing. The only downfall is that it takes a little bit of a time (there's a 30-minute cooling step), however It definitely sounds worth the wait - I know I'm going to try this recipe! To check out the details, read more

Elegant Egg Roll-Up
From The American Egg Board

Cooking spray
1 1/2 cups sliced zucchini
1 1/2 cups sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup diced sweet red peppers
1/4 cup chopped onion
6 eggs, separated
3 tablespoons flour
1/4 teaspoon salt, optional
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 1/4 cups skim or low-fat milk, heated
1/2 cup grated reduced-fat Cheddar cheese
Parsley sprigs, optional

Evenly coat a 10-inch skillet with spray. Add zucchini, mushrooms, peppers and onion. Cover and cook over medium heat until peppers are crisp-tender. Set aside. Meanwhile, evenly coat 15 x 10 x 1 inch jelly roll pan with spray. Line with wax paper and spray again. Set aside.

In large mixing bowl at high speed, beat egg whites until stiff but not dry, just until whites no linger slip when bowl is tilted. In small mixing bowl at high speed, beat together yolks, flour, salt, if desired and pepper until smooth. Gently fold yolk mixture into beaten whites. Pour into prepared pan and gently spread evenly.

Bake in preheated 350°F oven until top springs back when lightly touched with finger, about 8 to 10 minutes. With spatula, loosen egg from sides of pan invert onto clean tea towel. Carefully pull wax paper. Trim all edges with serrated knife. Starting from long edge, roll up egg, rolling towel in with egg. Place wrapped roll seam-side down on wire rack until cook, about 30 minutes.

Carefully unroll cake and spoon 3/4 cup of the milk over egg. Sprinkle with reserved vegetables and 1/4 cup of the cheese. Reroll. Place seam-side down on shallow baking pan. Spoon remaining 1/2 cup milk and sprinkle remaining 1/4 cup shredded cheese over top. Bake in preheated 375°F until cheese is melted and heated through, about 10 to 12 minutes. Cut into 1 1/4-inch slices. Garnish slices with parsley sprigs, if desired.

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Simple Tip: Make Your Egg Slicer a Multi-Tasker

YumSugar — Fri, 11 May 2007 10:01:10 -0700

Here's a tip I picked up a long time ago - you've probably already seen it, but I thought I'd pass it along just in case. If you happen to have an egg slicer in your mix of kitchen contraptions, you can now move it from uni-tasker to multi-tasker. Not only are egg slicers perfect for creating uniform strips of egg, but they work well on mushrooms and strawberries too. Now you can have sliced strawberries for your spinach and strawberry salad in no time.

What's Your Favorite Way To Eat Hard-Boiled Eggs?

YumSugar — Wed, 11 Apr 2007 02:48:38 -0700

TV Dinners: V For Vendetta - Egg In A Basket

partysugar — Tue, 09 Jan 2007 16:47:03 -0800

When my mom rented the movie V for Vendetta, she was pleasantly surprised by a scene that brought her back to her childhood. She paused the television and turned to me excitedly and said, "My mom used to make me those everyday for breakfast when I was a little girl!"

If you've seen the movie you know what I'm talking about. V makes Evey an "egg in a basket" for breakfast using real butter and later in the film, the scene mimics itself when Gordon makes Evey the same thing. An egg in a basket is a fried egg cooked inside a piece of toast. I had never seen this tasty little breakfast treat and my mother informed me that she and my grandmother, Nan, referred to it as an "egg in a nest."

The next morning I awoke to find my mom, who doesn't cook, in the kitchen over the stove! "I'm making us eggs in a nest for breakfast!" she told me enthusiastically. An egg in a nest (or whatever you want to call it) is a simply divine breakfast, the crisp, buttery toast and the runny, gooey yolk are a combination that rivals peanut butter and jelly. I was hooked after a single bite and now my mom makes me one every Saturday morning. To make V's egg in a basket, read more

Egg In A Basket (Nest)
From Martha Stewart

2 slices whole wheat sandwich bread
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, or butter
2 large eggs
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt

Cut a 2-inch circle from the center of each bread slice; toast circles and serve along side egg in a basket.
Set slices aside.
Brush 1 tablespoon oil or butter in a medium skillet, and heat over medium heat until hot but not smoking.
Lay bread slices in skillet. Reduce heat to medium-low.
Crack an egg into the hole of each bread slice, and sprinkle each with 1/8 teaspoon salt.
Cook until bottom of eggs are set and golden brown, about 2 minutes.
Flip; cook 2 minutes more for soft-cooked eggs, or 3 minutes more for slightly firmer.

Serves 2

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10 Deviled Egg Recipes For World Egg Day

YumSugar — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 06:50:16 -0700

Today is World Egg Day, and I'll be celebrating by eating eggs - one of my favorite foods ever - all day long. As I mentioned before, there are countless ways to eat them, but tonight I want to serve eggs as an appetizer in one of my beloved dishes: deviled eggs. The basic recipe is incredibly simple, yet there are so many ways to display a sophisticated take on them. Are you ready to see how? Then let's get cracking!

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