Eggs are so good and can be served in so many ways, I just love them, although I don’t eat them all that often.
I’ve never been a breakfast person. My mother used to practically have to shove even a piece of toast down my throat in the morning when I was a kid. But occasionally she would make a “breakfast dinner” for her brood of five, and we all loved it.
She would whip up some fried eggs, either bacon or Jones Dairy Farm sausage links, toast and what she called apple fritters. The apple fritters were not fritters at all, rather homemade pancakes with sliced apple in them. They were delicious all smothered in maple syrup.
We don’t have true breakfast dinners at home, but I occasionally make corned beef hash with a fried egg or a quiche with a big salad for dinner, and they are both tasty and satisfying. So why don’t we have breakfast for dinner? I don’t know, but I think it is a tradition that should become part of our dinner repertoire.
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| Wild Smoked Salmon with Goat Cheese, Eggs and Capers |
When we have overnight company it is easy to scramble up some eggs, open a package of wild smoked salmon and voila!, breakfast is served. Or top a crusty baguette with goat cheese, chopped hard boiled eggs, salmon and capers for a nice break from lox, bagels and cream cheese.
Of course when I feel ambitious, I’ll make the perennial favorite, beautiful and velvety Eggs Benedict. I made eggs Benedict for brunch just last Sunday. They are easier than they look, and can be made even simpler if using a mix for the Hollandaise Sauce.
Because of the high cholesterol content of eggs they shouldn’t be eaten in excess, but in moderation they are a great source of protein, vitamins and minerals.
For egg novices, here are some Egg Basics:
Eggs are a good source of protein, calcium, iron, vitamins A and D, and riboflavin. There are about 75 calories in the average egg.
Eggs are sold in two grades, A and AA, the former having slightly thinner whites and spreading a little bit more when you cook them. Grade A is fine for use in baking or as an ingredient in a dish, but use AA eggs when you want a good-looking cooked egg.
Eggs come in sizes from small to jumbo, which has less to do with their appearance than it does their weight. Most recipes in cookbooks are based on large eggs, two of which will yield a half-cup of beaten egg.
The color of the shell has no effect on egg nutrition or quality. Brown eggs are laid by a different breed of hen than white eggs, that's all. Egg yolks vary in color as well, from light to bright yellow. There is no difference in quality. The different-color yolk depends on what the chicken was fed.
Buy the freshest eggs you can find. The "sell by" date on an egg carton usually is three to four weeks past the date the egg was graded. You should try to use your eggs a week or two before the date on the carton for the best freshness. To tell whether your egg is fresh, put it in a glass of water. A fresh egg will sink to the bottom. An egg past its prime will float because it has lost some moisture through the shell to air.
Keep Eggs Refrigerated - Store your eggs in the refrigerator in their original carton for 10 to 14 days. Avoid using the egg-storage shelf in your refrigerator door because this is the warmest spot in your refrigerator. Turn your eggs so the pointy end faces down. This will suspend the yolk in the white better.
Most methods of cooking eggs are done at medium-low to medium heat. Cooking eggs at too high a temperature will toughen them quickly.
Eggs are the quintessential ingredient in a lot of dishes. They make our cakes rise, thicken sauces and bind lasagna fillings. But eggs cook up well all by themselves, too. What follows are some of the more popular ways to fix eggs.
Fried Eggs
To fry eggs, add a tablespoon or two of butter to a skillet on low heat. Crack the eggs into a bowl to be sure that they're usable, and slide the eggs one at a time from the bowl to the skillet. You'll get a firm white and a nicely cooked yolk if you cover the pan and cook for just a few minutes. This is the traditional "sunny-side up" fried egg. For "over easy," use a spatula to turn the egg carefully so the yolk will cook quickly on the pan bottom just before serving. Be careful not to break the yolk.
Scrambled Eggs
Scrambled eggs make good fare for a large bunch of people at brunch. Lightly beat four to six eggs with 2 or 3 tablespoons of milk or cream, salt and pepper in a bowl. Melt about a tablespoon of butter in a skillet on low heat, swirling to cover the bottom and sides. Add the eggs, stirring constantly with a fork, and cook for about three minutes, so the eggs are set but not too dry.
Some things you can add to the beaten eggs before scrambling are crisp bacon bits, grated cheese, sour cream (instead of the cream or milk), capers, sautéed onions or mushrooms, cooked sausage pieces or snipped fresh herbs. Use your imagination; almost anything tastes good in scrambled eggs.
Hard-Boiled Eggs
Place the eggs in a saucepan big enough not to crowd them. They all should fit in the bottom of the pan with about a quarter-inch of space between them. Add water to cover the tops of the eggs by one inch.
Put the pan over medium-high heat and bring just to a boil. Immediately cover the pan and simmer (do not boil, it makes the whites tough) for approximately 12 minutes. Pour off the hot water and run cold water over the eggs until the pan itself is cool to the touch. This stops the eggs from cooking and makes peeling much easier.
Cooling eggs immediately after they are hard-cooked also eliminates the green ring that can form around the yolks.
Hard-boiling is a good way to prepare eggs that are a week or two old. The fresher the egg, the harder it is to peel because there is less air inside the shell. As eggs age, the shells will peel more easily. It is advisable that eggs used for hard cooking (including Easter Eggs) be a week or older before cooking for easiest peeling.
To tell if an egg is hard boiled, spin it. If it spins, it is cooked. If it wobbles, it is raw.
Soft-Boil Eggs
To soft-boil an egg, follow the method above, but leave the eggs covered for only one minute.
Poached Eggs
Use a lightly greased saucepan filled 1 1/2 inches deep with water. Bring to a boil. Crack an egg onto a saucer. Once the water is boiling, take a spoon and stir quickly around the edge of the pan to create a whirlpool. Slide the egg off the saucer into the whirlpool and lower the heat. Simmer for four to five minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove the egg, and snip off any "streamers" that remain.
Omelets
French Omelet
Eggs are beaten together and cooked quickly over direct heat.
Puffy or Soufflé Omelet
The egg whites and yolks are beaten separately, folded together, cooked over direct heat until browned on the underside, and then baked in the oven until set.
Frittata
An open-faced omelet in which the vegetables, cheese, meat or other filling ingredients are combined with the beaten eggs, then cooked over direct heat until browned on the underside, and finished under the broiler to set the top.
The proper pan is important for successful omelet making. For a 2 or 3 egg omelet, an 8-inch skillet is the best size. It should be shallow with slopping sides to make it easy to slide the finished omelet out. If too large a pan is used, the high heat necessary cannot be maintained and cooking will be prolonged, resulting in a tough omelet. A 6 or 8 egg omelet can be prepared in an electric frying pan, as it provides an even source of heat.
Always prepare several individual omelets, rather than one large omelet. You'll find each will be lighter, fluffier, and easier to handle. Individual omelets can be quickly made in succession and held on serving plates in a warm oven.
A good quality non-stick coating on the pan simplifies omelet making.
Water, not milk, is recommended for omelet egg mixtures. The water turns to steam, producing a light, airy omelet. Milk is great for creamy scrambled eggs but omelets require water to give them their lightness.
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