Fresh Tart

OK yes, I realize that I'm posting yet another fried egg dish, but this one is just too good to not share. I had actually forgotten about it, which is rather amazing given how many times I've made the dish since Mark Bittman first wrote about it in the New York Times two years ago.

This is a Jean-Georges Vongerichten recipe, simple and elegant and exactly how I like to cook and eat. The fried rice itself has but three ingredients: oil, leeks, and rice. You wouldn't expect just rice and leeks to be so addictive, but they are, particularly when topped with a fried egg, particularly when topped with crispy ginger and garlic. A drizzle of soy sauce and sesame oil to finish makes the whole completely sublime.

If you make an effort to keep leeks around, count this as a perfect quick dinner when you invite someone over and forget to swing by the store to pick up ingredients. I don't often find myself with leftover rice, so I make a fresh batch and cool it on a baking sheet before continuing; works perfectly.

Somehow on my trip to Provence this summer I completely missed socca, or chickpea flour pancakes. I'm a little bit obsessed with them at the moment, hot off the griddle, topped with nothing more than a grind of black pepper. That's how they're served in Provence, as a snack, wrapped in paper, meant to be washed down with ice-cold rosé.

OK!

But they make terrific breakfast/brunch food as well, served as a savory pancake topped with a fried egg and garlicky spinach. Last year I posted a recipe for just one pancake as the perfect base for a fast lunch of leftovers. I declare that a crispy, savory pancake can transform any ho hum leftovers into something sublime.

And then, if you're home late from a holiday party, craving a new twist on grilled cheese, do this: Smear two pancakes with harissa, press haloumi cheese into the middle, and griddle for a few minutes to warm through. Seriously the most perfect after-celebration food ever.

Recipe for Socca (Chickpea Flour Pancakes) with Fried Eggs & Spinach at Dara & Co./Minnesota Monthly Magazine.

My son Nathan and I spent our summer Sundays eating our way through Kingfield Farmers Market. We did it last summer too and got in such a fun groove of eating together, visiting with friends, and stocking up on all of our favorite treats for the week.

It's worth noting that it was a much less expensive endeavor last year, when Nathan was around my height and was satisifed with a Chef Shack hot dog. Uh, not this year, not at 6'4" and counting, when he still ate a Chef Shack hot dog, but added their soft-shell crab sandwich, mini-donuts, and Arnie Palmer; Gai Gai Thai curry; Cafe Palmira iced coffee; Foxy Falafel curry falafel with a load of perfect pickles, extra hummus to go; Sun Street Bakery turnovers and sourdough loaf; and Bogart Loves maple-bacon donuts.

I scored plenty of bites, of course, and a good portion of it all we brought home to share with John...but I'm telling you, Sunday became a day for feasting.

So damn cool.

One of my favorites toward the end of the season was Gai Gai's Thai omelet served in a curry broth. On a chilly morning, perhaps after being out too late the night before, that crispy omelet in creamy coconut broth tasted spicy-sublime.

I was out too late last night, in fact - hey! - and could think of nothing but that omelet around lunchtime today. So I made up a fast one, nowhere near the beauty of Kris' lovely coconut curries, but flavorful enough to feed the beast. I made one for John for dinner. His conclusion: I'm dying.

See you in the spring, Kingfield.

Thai Omelet in Coconut Curry Broth
Inspired by Gai Gai Thai
Serves 4

1 can coconut milk
2 Tbsp. Thai green curry paste
1/2 c. chicken broth
2 Tbsp. + 4 tsp. Thai fish sauce
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
handful of finely chopped vegetables, optional (I had cabbage and mushrooms on hand)
juice of 1/2 lime
4 eggs
2 Tbsp. chopped scallions
2 Tbsp. chopped cilantro or basil
4 Tbsp. peanut oil

more chopped scallions & herbs for garnish
hot rice (optional)

Open the can of coconut milk and spoon some of the fat off into a medium saucepan set over medium heat. When the fat is hot, stir in the Thai curry paste and fry for 2-3 minutes. Stir in the rest of the can of coconut milk, chicken broth, 2 Tbsp. of the fish sauce, brown sugar, and vegetables. Simmer until vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in lime juice. Set aside and keep warm.

In a medium bowl, beat eggs with 4 tsp. of fish sauce, scallions, and cilantro. Set a small nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and add 1 Tbsp. of oil. When the oil is very hot, add 1/2 c. of the egg mixture to the pan. Swirl the egg around in the pan and when the edges start to brown, which will be pretty quickly, use a spatula to fold the omelet in half and then in half again. Cook for a few more minutes then transfer to a bowl. Ladle some broth over the top.

Repeat the process with the remaining egg mixture. Serve hot, with rice if desired, topped with more chopped herbs.

Think of this soup as comfort food with a kick. The garlicky broth is mellow and sweet, ready and waiting to be made sublime with a fried egg (because a fried egg makes everything sublime...right).

I added warmed sausage, white beans, and arugula because that's what I had in the fridge (see recipe below). Simmer the base soup and make it your own, a little differently each time, over and over again.

Recipe for Garlic Soup with a Fried Egg at Dara & Co./Minnesota Monthly Magazine.

Let me say this right away so that you don't stop reading: Souffles are so easy to make! I made this version with rhubarb but you can use almost any juicy fruit - local strawberries are finally happening!

Soon there will be cherries, blueberries, peaches, plums... Play away.

This recipes uses four egg whites. Don't toss the yolks! Just cover and refrigerate and make Old-Fashioned Vanilla Pudding with Crushed Strawberries the next day (or the day before - you choose). My recipe for Warm Fruit Souffle (in this case, rhubarb) at Dara & Co./Minnesota Monthly Magazine.

OK, I'm going out on a limb here, but...I declare it summer. I know, we've had no spring at all, but that's how we roll...0 to 104 degrees F (yes, we reached 104 this week!) in the blink of an eye. Very Lamborghini, Minnesota, perhaps without the sex appeal. But no matter - it's relatively consistently warmish now, which means the farmers' markets are in full swing, and that's summer enough for me.

Do you subscribe to a CSA? If you're already feeling a wee bit overwhelmed by vegetables, no worries. Everyone who acquires a weekly box of vegetables feels that way, and if they say that they don't...well, they're lying. But worry not - of course carry forth with simple sautes, and throwing vegetables on the grill, or making lovely salads. But when you want to mix things up a bit, consider...

...savory pancakes. It is incredibly satisfying and delicious to roll a crepe or other pancake around cool, crispy vegetables. Or warm, crispy vegetables. Add a tangy vinaigrette, or a sprinkle of cheese, or creme fraiche, and you have the flavor explosion known as a meal. For very little effort. Which is what almost-summer is all about.

I have three savory pancake ideas for you to mess around with over the next few days. The first is a grain-free, gluten-free version, really just a very thin herb-omelet, wrapped around crispy potatoes and whatever greens suit your fancy. Add ricotta cheese or creme fraiche (if you eat dairy) and I swear you will be happily stuffed in no time. If you would like a little meat with your potatoes - fine! Saute sausage or bacon first until crispy, then add the potatoes and greens. Oh my goodness would that be good.

"Crepes" with Crispy Potatoes, Greens & Creme Fraiche
Adapted from a recipe by Yotam Ottolenghi from Plenty
Serves 4

This recipe is highly adaptable to whatever seasonings meet your cravings. I immediately envisioned sauteeing a chopped fresh chili with the potatoes, adding a bit of cheese over the top to melt, and serving with salsa and sour cream. Adjust the herbs in the crepes accordingly. You could also fill the crepes with beans, uncooked greens, yogurt, any herb imaginable, on and on and on. Fun!

2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 Tbsp. butter, divided
4 medium new potatoes, diced small
1 small bunch greens (spinach, bok choy, Swiss chard, or other quick-cooking green), coarsely chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
Kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. smoked paprika
5 free-range eggs (or 4 duck eggs, if you're lucky)
1/3 c. milk
1 c. chopped fresh herbs (any combination of basil, thyme, parsley, tarragon, oregano...)
1/2 c. creme fraiche

Put olive oil and 1 Tbsp. butter in a large saute pan over medium heat. When butter is melted and hot, add the potatoes, greens, and a generous pinch of salt. Toss the vegetables to coat with the oil, then cover and cook for 5 minutes, until greens are wilted and potatoes are beginning to soften. Set the cover aside and continue to saute until potatoes and greens are nicely browned. Stir in paprika and saute for another 3 minutes. Season with more salt if needed and add freshly ground black pepper to taste. Remove from heat and set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, herbs, 1/2 tsp. salt, and a generous grind of black pepper. Cut the remaining 1 Tbsp. butter into 4 pieces. Heat a 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. When the pan is hot, add 1 small piece of the butter, swirling it around the pan until browned. Ladle in 1/3 c. of the egg/herb mixture and swirl the pan so that the egg is a very thin crepe. Cook until the edges are dry & browning, about 3-4 minutes. Flip crepe and cook for 1 minute more, then turn out onto a baking sheet. Cook the remaining three crepes the same way.

To serve: Spread crepes with creme fraiche. Divide potato mixture among the four crepes, roll, and eat warm or heat in the oven for a few minutes until hot. Serve with additional creme fraiche.

I worked out this decadent, completely over-the-top (gluten-free!) dish with the help of friends Andrew Zimmern, Scott Pampuch, and Ken Okumura.  A delicious, collaborative blast.

Recipe for Poached Egg, Crispy Pork Belly, & Watercress on Rice Flour-Potato Pancake with Bacon-Maple Vinagrette (whew!) at Dara & Co./Minnesota Monthly Magazine.  Have at it!

PS I realize that's two poached egg posts in a row.  I'll give it a rest for awhile, I promise.

Make the Chicken with Taklia (Coriander Seeds & Garlic Toasted in Butter) and Sauteed Spinach (posted below) for dinner, then have poached eggs for breakfast the next day.  That's pretty much the routine in this house.  In fact, I saved the chicken pan drippings and used them to saute the cabbage and spinach in this dish.  (Don't let delicious pan drippings go - so much flavor!)

Because we were going chicken-to-the-max, I also poached the eggs in chicken stock.  You don't need to do that.  Although if you have it around...very worth it.  Yum.

The crunchy-garlicky taklia makes the dish.  I left a little texture in the cabbage as well; against a pillowy-soft egg, the bite of the taklia's garlic and coriander is fresh enough to counter the pretty big hit of chicken-before-egg richness.

Poached Eggs with Vegetables & Taklia (Coriander Seeds & Garlic Toasted in Butter)
Serves 2

2 c. chicken stock or (generously salted) water
2 Tbsp. chicken fat or butter
1 large shallot, sliced thin
1/4 small head green cabbage, trimmed, sliced thin/shredded
2 c. spinach leaves, sliced thin
salt & freshly ground pepper
2 Tbsp. chicken pan juices or chicken stock
2-4 eggs

taklia (room temperature)

Put 2 c. chicken stock (or generously salted water) in a small saucepan over medium heat.

Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium heat.  Add chicken fat or butter and when it is melted and hot, add shallot to the pan.  Saute for 5 minutes, then stir in cabbage and spinach leaves with a generous pinch of salt.  Stir to coat the vegetables in the chicken fat (or butter), then stir in the 2 Tbsp. pan juices (or stock).  Saute until wilted and just-tender.  Taste and add a little salt if needed.  Divide vegetables between two plates.

The stock (or water) will likely boil as you're sauteeing the vegetables, which is great.  Turn heat down so that the water is barely simmering - small bubbles should barely break the surface.  As soon as you're done sauteeing the vegetables, crack one egg into a small dish and slide it into the water.  Quickly do the same with the second egg.  Set the timer for 3 minutes.  The eggs whites will look shredded, but that's OK.  When the timer goes off, use a slotted spoon to scoop one egg out of the stock/water.  Tilt the spoon so the liquid drains completely off, then place the egg on top of one of the plates of warm vegetables.  Repeat with the second egg and second plate of vegetables.  (Poach additional eggs if desired.)  Top eggs with a teaspoon of taklia and a few grinds of black pepper each.  Serve immediately.

I've been slightly obsessed with food blogger/writer/photographer Kate Sommers adventures in raising chickens in the city of Minneapolis.  After a couple of false starts - two hens turned out to be roosters! - she's now got three hens noisily cranking out pretty, pretty brown, pink, and blue eggs.

Probably because I haven't been very secret with my fascination, Kate very kindly offered to bring fresh eggs to a blogger event we both attended Monday night.

City-fresh eggs!  I was over-the-moon.  I need a life.  I luckily had bacon jam to offer in trade so I wasn't a complete freeloader.

Bacon for eggs!  Right?

The first eggs I ate were poached and fried, respectively.  I didn't photograph them, or write about them, I just ate them.  Fast, happily, not for public consumption, just between me and Hermione Granger, Peggy Olson, and Nina Totenberg.  Those are the hens' names - beyond awesome.  Nina Totenberg is my favorite, I'm listening to her on NPR as I write and totally cracking up.  (Ooh, bad pun, sorry....)

They were every bit as delicious as I knew they'd be.

The next few eggs became this ridiculously simple, gluten-free souffle.  This isn't a traditional souffle - no flour, so no bechamel - but the end result is still puffy and foamy at its center, surrounded by a golden, cheesy crust.  I love that you whip it up in a blender - we're talking seriously low effort.

I added fresh thyme because fresh thyme is lovely with just about everything.  Particularly city-fresh eggs.

Cheddar Souffle (Gluten-Free)
Adapted from a recipe by Jim Tuttle of Mount Dora Historic Inn via Steamy Kitchen
Serves 4

1 Tbsp. soft butter
4 oz. grated cheddar cheese
7 large eggs
4 oz. sour cream
1/3 c. whole milk
2 tsp. minced fresh thyme leaves
generous grating of fresh nutmeg
pinch cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Coat the bottom and sides of a small souffle dish with the softened butter.  Sprinkle the cheese in the bottom of the dish.

Add remaining ingredients to the bowl of a blender.  Blend for 30 seconds, then pour egg mixture into the souffle dish.  Bake for 55-60 minutes or until the souffle is golden brown and puffy.  (Be aware, the souffle will begin to fall about 45 seconds after taking it from the oven - all good!)

Recipe for Bacon Jam at Dara & Co./Minnesota Monthly Magazine.