I have prepared two articles suitable for a food blog (http://www.seriouseats.com, http://www.orangette.blogspot.com, http://thewednesdaychef.com).
Eggs Sardou
I am, without a doubt, one hundred percent, a breakfast person. You know you’re a breakfast person when you enjoy eating pancakes of an evening – not for dessert, and not the type of savory pancake that is wrapped around meat and cheese and ultimately resembles a burrito – pancakes with eggs, banana, bacon and syrup.
I’m definitely not a “toast for breakfast” girl, although sometimes I, unfortunately, have to be, and I don’t like eating cereal, either. I like a cooked breakfast, partially because it’s the best tasting breakfast, but mostly, because the cooked breakfast is a meal that refuses to sing of convenience. In fact, I think that my ability to fit a casual, cooked breakfast into my morning routine will serve as the barometer for my happiness from now on.
It’s the siesta of the Western world. It’s like digging your heels in, and refusing to let the day hurry you along. It’s pausing and enjoying your morning, with comforting food, and equally comforting company – we hope, there is something quite lonely about eggs for one – and, for a while, disregarding all of the things life is bound to throw your way once you’ve finished eating.
Regardless, I’m now a vegetarian and the number of alluring breakfasts on offer to me has irrefutably diminished. I don’t like sweet breakfasts, I like salty savory breakfasts, and there are only so many packets of Facon any dedicated pork-loving vegetarian can eat their way through. Suffice to say, I keep a keen eye out for interesting, if not gluttonous, breakfast recipes, and I think I have found my favorite.
Eggs Sardou
There a quite a few necessary steps in this recipe. It helps to keep an oven heated on low, say 80° Celsius, to keep the artichokes and spinach warm before serving.
Ingredients (serves 2)
3 cups creamed spinach (see recipe below)
6 large, artichoke bottoms (use marinated artichoke hearts if you’re feeling really lazy)
4 large poached eggs
1 cup of Hollandaise sauce (recipe below)
Creamed Spinach
3 cups fresh baby spinach
1 cups of New Orleans-style Béchamel sauce (recipe follows)
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon of salt
1. Prepare the Béchamel sauce: In a saucepan, melt 2 tablespoons of butter over a low heat. Gradually, add 1 ½ tablespoons of plain flour to the melted butter, stirring constantly to ensure the mixture is smooth. Once the flour is integrated, gradually pour in ¾ cups of milk, stirring with a wire whisk to keep the sauce smooth. Once all of the milk has been incorporated, add a bay leaf and cook the sauce over a low heat until it thickens. Take off the heat, remove the bay leaf, and stir in 4-6 drops of Tabasco sauce and ½ a teaspoon of salt.
2. Cook the spinach to wilting point and remove from heat. Drain thoroughly – I find it is best to squeeze the water out of the spinach by hand – and chop finely. Add the chopped spinach to the béchamel sauce, and warm for a few minutes over low heat, stirring constantly. Place the sauce in a heat-safe container, and keep in the warm oven.
Artichokes
If you’re using artichoke bottoms, warm them in the oven before final assembly. In the United States you can, apparently, purchase frozen or tinned artichoke bottoms, but I’ve never seen them here. Alas, this means you’re forced to clean and prepare the artichoke yourself, then boil them until they’re tender. If this sounds too intimidating, or you’re on the lazy side, I’d recommend frying up oil marinated artichoke hearts in some butter, with finely grated garlic. Again, put them in the oven to keep warm until final assembly.
If you do want prepare raw artichokes yourself, this video is quite handy.
Poaching the Eggs
Poaching eggs can be a delicate practice, but there are a few surefire ways to ensure it runs smoothly.
- Always use a non stick saucepan, or lightly oil the base before filling it with water.
- Heat the water to boiling point and add some white vinegar (about 2 tablespoons), then turn the heat right down just before you add the eggs. Rapidly boiling water runs the risk of pushing the eggs around the saucepan, in which case, they may become separated or lose their shape.
- Break an egg into a small bowl before you add it to the water. When you drop the egg into the water, do it gently, submerging the lip of the bowl into the water slowly, letting the water flood in and collect the egg.
- Once the eggs are in the saucepan, turn the heat off, cover and let them cook until they are firm, and to your liking.
- Remove them carefully with a slotted spoon, and let them rest on a small plate. Make sure you drain them properly before you serve them (watery, creamed spinach is not so good), placing the slotted spoon above them, and tipping the plate so that the water runs off.
Hollandaise
Hollandaise is one of my favorite breakfast accompaniments, it’s also, generally, a nightmare to prepare. Not any more! I’ve found the ultimate cheats version: no more double boiler, no more wasted yolks. New Orleans Hollandaise sees the inclusion of 1/8 teaspoon of cayenne pepper. Add it at your own discretion. Another thing, if the placement of this instruction right at the very end of the recipe wasn’t enough of a clue, make the hollandaise sauce last, even after the eggs! If you’re concerned about the eggs getting cold, place them back in the warm water while you make the sauce. Or, better yet, make the sauce in the last few minutes while the eggs are still poaching. Keep the bowl of hollandaise in a slightly larger bowl, filled with warm water, while you plate the breakfast. Hollandaise is kind of like Cinderella at the ball, except with a shorter shelf life.
Assembly
Spoon two circles of the creamed spinach onto a warmed plate, and place some artichokes on top. Gently rest a poached egg on each of the piles, and cover with a generous amount of Hollandaise. Voila!
Gumbo
I’m a big fan of Gumbo, but the more I consider it, my reasons for liking are quite strange. I’m sure a lot of people love it because it is a diverse, rich, wonderful tasting dish, full of fresh seafood and quality ingredients. I like it because I find it strange. It’s the most foreign thing I’ve ever eaten. Besides, there is not one Creole restaurant in the greater Melbourne area, so, the fact that I have to make it myself, deems it somewhat elusive and wonderful. I’ve put the Gumbo up on a pedestal. I’ve spent hours trying to find a restaurant in the state that serves it, to no avail, and so it’s become the Holy Grail for me. I suppose it’s not that different from a Bouillabaisse, but it all seems very romantic, even more so than the best French restaurants in the city.
I make it without meat, but include vegetarian sausages and mock chicken or lamb to make it seem more substantial and authentic. Here is the recipe without those inclusions. If you are vegetarian and want to add mock meats, add them close to the end, somewhere between the last 10 and 5 minutes of simmering.
Gumbo
Ingredients
½ cup vegetable oil
½ cup plain flour
3 celery stalks, diced
1 large green capsicum, chopped
½ sweet onion (if none are available, use salad onion)
½ brown onion, finely diced
5 cloves of minced garlic
6 cups of chicken broth (I’d recommend a consommé for richness, and perhaps substitute one cup for bacon stock)
1 tablespoon chopped red chili
½ bunch fresh parsley
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp salt
- The first step is to make the roux. It’s a similar concept to béchamel sauce, minus the milk, and supplementing butter for oil. Don’t use butter, oil has a higher heat resistance and won’t burn. Add the vegetable oil and flour to heavy pot (you will be cooking the entire gumbo in this pot, so make sure it’s big enough) and begin warming it over a medium heat. Do not add the flour after the oil is already hot! Add them at the same time and combine them. Stir constantly – it can take up to 35 minutes for the roux to reach the stage you like –If the roux starts to show black specks, its burnt and you’ll need to start again. There’s an article here on the different variations of roux and their flavors.
- Once the roux is ready, turn the heat off and add the celery, capsicum, sweet onion, brown onion and garlic. Stir until the vegetables are coated, then add the stock. Start the gumbo simmering over a medium heat.
- Add the remaining ingredients. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for about 40 minutes, stirring regularly.
- Serve in a deep bowl, over a portion of steamed white rice, whatever is to your liking.