Monday, July 19, 2010

Eggs Florentine tricks from "Breakfast Special"


Watch the full episode. See more Breakfast Special.


Last week I got sucked into "Breakfast Special," on PBS and although I could only drool over specialties like Scotch Eggs at Helser's in Portland, I decided to try to make the Eggs Florentine served at The Breakfast Club in Savannah, Ga., Hollandaise Sauce and all.

Ideally, we would have eaten this dish after a long, hard workout, but since time was not on my side over the weekend, we instead decided it make it after a long, hard night of drinking at Die Bierstube. I put Bryan to the task of whisking the Hollandaise Sauce while I put the tricks I'd learned to the test.

Rather than simply wilting the spinach and poaching the eggs separately, I threw freshly washed spinach onto a skillet, then broke two eggs directly into the leaves, put a lid on top and let the eggs cook.

Unfortunately, I either did not let them cook long enough or didn't turn up the heat high enough because they ended up a little runnier than I think anybody prefers, but it was still a good trick that I aim to perfect.

We placed the spinach-egg combo on freshly toasted English muffins, topped it with sauteed mushrooms and onions, and poured way too much Hollandaise sauce on top for a midnight snack that is literally to die for.

Check out the yummy end result. Delish.

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

A peachy Fourth of July weekend


We didn't have any camping trips or other big events planned over the Fourth of July weekend, so I decided to create my own big event, namely canning some peaches.

I'm a little ashamed that it's taken nearly a year for me to get my act together and apply the knowledge I learned at Leslie's Canvolution last August. But at least I did it. And the jam: delicious. I'll have to get back to you on the peaches because it takes at least a month for the flavor to fully infuse.

And at least I learned my lesson after my attempt at canning carrots earlier this year resulted in a broken jar Mom had given me that probably once had my baby food in it. This time, not only was I better prepared with a jar lifter, but I also figured out that boiling the jars is not a good idea. It says "200 degree water bath," not rolling boil!

After canning 10 pounds of peaches with my little helper, Bryan, stirring away, I realized I didn't have enough sugar to can anymore but I still had quite a bit leftover. So I made this Peach Tart, shown above in the middle, that I was drooling over while at the gym a couple of weeks ago. Normally, Paula Deen recipes kinda make me feel a little ill with her too-generous use of fat, but this one's a keeper. Just ask Ed at Vortex Cellars -- and stay tuned for more on my friend's up-and-coming winery!