Dad! Don’t read this post until Sunday!

My dad has many amazing qualities. He can make a game out of anything – including rolled up socks, the packing material from our new blinds, and a big bucket leftover from some construction project. Incidentally, bucket rides also illuminated one of my mom’s best qualities – trusting that her husband wouldn’t put her kids in the hospital and letting us have some crazy fun.

Dad . . . → Read More: Father’s Day Breakfast Idea: How to Make Homemade Pop Tarts]]>

Dad! Don’t read this post until Sunday!

My dad has many amazing qualities. He can make a game out of anything – including rolled up socks, the packing material from our new blinds, and a big bucket leftover from some construction project. Incidentally, bucket rides also illuminated one of my mom’s best qualities – trusting that her husband wouldn’t put her kids in the hospital and letting us have some crazy fun.

Dad will also support me no matter what – even if it’s listening to me hyperventalate on the phone because I spotted a mouse in my first solo apartment or eating a weird vegetarian meal I cook for him. Oh sure, he’ll eat kale for breakfast to make me feel good, but what does he really want? PopTarts and Diet Pepsi. If you were ever in his car before he retired, you know what I mean. Crumbs and cans galore! Might not be Wheaties, but it’s certainly the breakfast of one of my biggest champions.

So for Fathers’ Day 2012, I give you bacon and jam toaster tarts. Make them for the dad in your life or for yourself, just cuz it’s Sunday and breakfast should be fun sometimes. I froze these and then sent them overnight. Just take one out of the freezer and pop it in the toaster, Dad. Love you!!

Some quick notes on the recipe…First, the dough is almost exactly the same as my standard pie crust with extra salt and sugar for flavor. I also added a splash of vinegar to the water on the advice of my friend Mike, who says it will lend extra flakiness. Second, this is a great way to use up some of last year’s lingering jams. Nothing on the larder shelves caught my fancy, so I made a quick strawberry rhubarb jam from what I had around. Store-bought jam is just fine, too.

Fathers’ Day Toaster Tarts

Makes 10 tarts

Directions

1. Follow these directions to make dough for a double crust pie, adding the vinegar to the ice water and the sugar and salt to the dry ingredients. After you’ve put the dough in the refrigerator, come back to this recipe.
2. While the dough is chilling, make the icing by combining the confectioners’ sugar with 2 tablespoons of water. Whisk until smooth.
3. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
4. To roll the dough, you need a decent amount of space. We’re aiming for a rectangle that’s 15 inches on one side and 8 inches on the other, so you’ll need to roll your dough a little bit larger to account for uneven edges. Find your counter, clean it, and lightly flour it. Keep some flour on hand for the rolling process.
5. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
6. Take one of the dough halves out of the refrigerator. Prepare your filling, so that it’s ready to do when the dough is. Beat the egg and have a pastry brush nearby. If you don’t have a pastry brush, you can use your fingers, but it’s slower.
7. Now, roll out the dough carefully. This is one of those situations when it really helps to be a bit nuts about neatness. Do your best to keep it in a rectangle twice as long on one side as the other. I use a bench scraper to push the ragged edges flat and to help me flip the dough around every few rolls, so that it doesn’t stick to the counter. Use that flour when you need it.
8. Once your dough is large enough, use a ruler and a thin knife to measure and cut a 15-inch by 8-inch rectangle. Don’t worry about moving it yet.
9. Along each of the 15-inch sides, make a little mark with the knife every three inches. Use the ruler and the knife to connect the marks, so that you now have five long rectangles (8 inches by 3 inches). Again, don’t move anything.



10. Using the pastry brush, paint all the edges with egg wash.



11. Place about a teaspoon of filling on one the end of a rectangle. Fold the dough in half to cover the filling and transfer the tart to the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining four tarts.



12. Seal the edges of each tart with your fingers, then use the tines of a fork to crimp them. Poke a few holes in the top of each tart with the fork.



13. Brush or drizzle some icing over each tart. Don’t worry about being too neat. You won’t notice once they’re baked.



14. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until lightly brown. Just like the real thing, you will finish these in the toaster. If you want to eat them immediately, bake them for about 10 minutes longer.



15. Store in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months.

The final week of the Dark Days Challenge is focused on breakfast. We’ve done a bunch of breakfast posts, so we were a bit stumped. I wanted to do another baked good, but didn’t want to split two dozen muffins or a whole coffee cake with Erik over the next two days. Yogurt and granola parfait with strawberries? I just couldn’t decide. So then I forgot all about it… ….until this morning. I was . . . → Read More: Dark Days Challenge: Breakfast]]>

The final week of the Dark Days Challenge is focused on breakfast. We’ve done a bunch of breakfast posts, so we were a bit stumped.

I wanted to do another baked good, but didn’t want to split two dozen muffins or a whole coffee cake with Erik over the next two days.

Yogurt and granola parfait with strawberries? I just couldn’t decide. So then I forgot all about it…

….until this morning. I was out for a run in the beautiful almost-spring weather and remembered. Dang it! So here’s what I had for breakfast – two poached eggs on leftover mixed green salad with sunflower thyme pesto. Completely local, but maybe not breakfast-y enough for some people. It totally hit the spot for me, though. Maybe I’ll have a muffin for lunch to even things out.

Taza Chocolate makes really SOLE-ful chocolate, if you’ll allow me that somewhat . . . → Read More: Somerville’s Own Taza Chocolate]]> My parents came to visit in December and it was so so cold. My plans of wandering around the city were squashed. We didn’t even want to walk to the nearest bus stop. But d’y'know what’s nearer than the nearest bus stop? A CHOCOLATE FACTORY! For serious. Where’s the closest place to get a snack? A CHOCOLATE FACTORY! Yeah, that’s how we roll.

Taza Chocolate makes really SOLE-ful chocolate, if you’ll allow me that somewhat over-used acronym. Beyond Fair Trade, Taza Chocolate is “Direct Trade” certified, which adheres to the following principles:

1. We work exclusively with certified organic cacao farms that practice sustainable agricultural methods.
2. We pay a premium of at least 500 US dollars per metric ton above the New York Board of Trade (NYBOT) price on the date of invoice to the producers of our cacao beans for high quality cacao with 95 percent fermentation rates or more and dried to 7 percent moisture or less.
3. We physically visit each cacao producer or producer group at least once a year to build long-term, sustainable relationships.
4. We only buy cacao from producers using fair and humane work practices.
5. We never purchase cacao from producers engaging in child or slave labor.

Source: Taza Chocolate website

Their chocolate is Mexican-style, which has a nice gritty quality and really fruity flavor. “Gritty” might not be something you think you want in chocolate, but it’s pretty tasty. The straight-up chocolate is great, but my favorite part of Taza is all the crazy stuff, like salt and pepper hot chocolate discs. Or chocolate-covered ginger. Mmmmm….

They also make roasted cacao nibs, which are a great nut substitute. They definitely have a chocolate flavor, but it’s much subtler than chocolate chips. We remade these cranberry muffins substituting 3/4 cup of nibs for the carrots. Wicked! (I’m really becoming a Bay Stater, now, huh?)

If you want more info and live in the area, you should definitely check out their factory tour. Gena at Choosing Raw just wrote a post on them, too, so check out her site for another take on the greatness of Taza. If only they were still open, so that I could swing by for a snack…

Happy New Year!! I hope you all had a wonderful 2011. Ours was very exciting – we traveled to some interesting places (here and here), got engaged, and moved to Somerville, MA. Whew! 2012 promises to be a fun one as well. We wish you all happiness, health, and delicious food!!

After last night’s festivities, you might want to top your burnt toast with this marmalade full of vitamin C and fructose and just . . . → Read More: How to Make Clementine Marmalade]]>

Happy New Year!! I hope you all had a wonderful 2011. Ours was very exciting – we traveled to some interesting places (here and here), got engaged, and moved to Somerville, MA. Whew! 2012 promises to be a fun one as well. We wish you all happiness, health, and delicious food!!

After last night’s festivities, you might want to top your burnt toast with this marmalade full of vitamin C and fructose and just a tiny bit of whiskey. Once you slice up all the clementines, it comes together pretty quickly. If you don’t process it, you can have it ready in about an hour. It’s got a nice bittersweet flavor that would work well with rich food, if you get sick of toast – a glaze for salmon or maybe in a grilled cheese sandwich.

Hair of the Dog Marmalade

Makes 6 4-ounce jars

Directions

1. Prepare your canning tools, if you’re processing this. (Steps 3, 4, and 6)
2. Since we won’t be removing the peels, wash the clementines really well. They might be coated in wax, so give them a good scrub. Slice the clementines as thinly as you can, discarding the first and last slices and any seeds. I have a cutting board with a little moat, which is really helpful for catching the juice. If you’re using a regular cutting board, consider pouring the juice into your pot occasionally, so that you don’t lose any of it.
3. Add the clementine slices, juice, grated apple and carrot, and water to a wide saucepan. Put the cinnamon sticks and allspice berries into a tea ball or tie them up in a square of cheesecloth and add them to the pot. Bring the mixture to a boil.
4. Once the mixture is boiling, stir in the sugar and lemon juice. Once the sugar has dissolved, raise the heat to high and boil hard for about 15 minutes or until the liquid has thickened considerably. I know this is a vague description, but it’s done when there’s only a little puddle of liquid at the bottom of the pan.
5. Remove and discard the spices and stir in the whiskey.
6. If you’re canning this, fill your jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace, and process for 10 minutes. (Steps 7+)

About two weeks ago, we ordered a five-pound box of fresh cranberries from Cape Cod Select. Take a look at that . . . → Read More: Dark Days Challenge Week 3: Cranberry-Carrot Muffins]]> Happy Sunday to you all! My parents are visiting for the weekend, so we had a lazy morning. After a huge feast last night of braised chicken and parsnips, a riff on this macaroni and cheese, and a kale salad with toasted almonds and dried cherries, we only needed a nibble for breakfast. Muffins!

About two weeks ago, we ordered a five-pound box of fresh cranberries from Cape Cod Select. Take a look at that great box!

We used most of them for canning – whole berry sauce, relish with oranges and walnuts (no mint), and pickled cranberries…

… but had about 2 cups sitting in the refrigerator. We also had a TON of carrots. Why? I don’t know. I probably planned to use them in some grand scheme, so bought some at the farmers’ market, and then got some more from the CSA, and it just got out of control.

For a random muffin based loosely on a Mark Bittman recipe, these turned out really really well. Just sweet enough, but with a tart bite every now and then. The texture is great, too. I don’t usually like coffee shop muffins, because they’re too dense, but these are moist without being heavy. If I do say so myself…

Cranberry-Carrot Muffins

Makes 12 muffins

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and spray a 12-cup muffin tin with nonstick spray.
2. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.
3. Add the butter pieces to the dry ingredients and use your fingers to rub the butter through the flour mixture. Keep smooshing until the butter is pretty evenly dispersed and all the chunks are pea-sized or smaller.
4. Whisk together the maple syrup and egg.
5. Add the wet ingredients to the flour/butter mixture and whisk until just barely combined.
6. Gently fold in the cranberries and grated carrot. You’ll probably have to switch from the whisk to a spoon or spatula, but use as few strokes as possible to avoid developing gluten, the protein that makes bread nice and chewy, but muffins tough.
7. Fill each muffin cup with a scant (i.e. not quite full) 1/4 cup of batter. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until a thin knife or skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.

There’s a great restaurant near where we used to live in NYC called Northern Spy. Definitely give it a try if you’re in the area – it was one of our favorites. They make a kale salad for dinner that’s really simple, but almost perfect. . . . → Read More: Is this the best kale salad ever?]]> It’s a bold statement. I’m not shy about it. It could be the best salad salad ever. I’ll leave it up to you, dear reader, to decide for yourself.

There’s a great restaurant near where we used to live in NYC called Northern Spy. Definitely give it a try if you’re in the area – it was one of our favorites. They make a kale salad for dinner that’s really simple, but almost perfect. For brunch, they add a poached egg and make it perfect. Yum yum yum. Erik and I have been eating a lot of kale salads with poached eggs lately. It sounds kind of strange, but give it a shot. It makes a quick, filling, and nutrious meal any time of day. Two nights ago, I was HANGRY (so hungry I was angry) and Erik soothed me with one. Before I had time to protest, BAM! it was on the table and calming me down.

Perfect Kale Salad

Makes 4 servings

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
2. Cut the squash in half and place, cut side down, in a small baking dish. Bake the squash until soft, about an hour, depending on the size of your squash. Remove from the oven and let cool.
3. Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees.
4. Spread the almonds on a baking sheet (or pizza pan) and bake for about 15 minutes or until browned. Watch them carefully, because they’ll go from nicely browned to burnt very quickly. You can do all these steps a few days ahead, if you want.
5. Once the squash is cooled, remove the skin and chop into bite-sized, but small pieces. Reserve about 1 cup for the salad. Refrigerate the rest for a quick side dish another time.
6. Start a pot of water boiling to poach the eggs.
7. Pour the lemon juice into a large salad bowl. While whisking, add the olive oil in a thin stream to help it emulsify. Whisk in the salt and pepper.
8. Prep the kale, following these instructions, but slicing the ribbons only about 1/4 inch wide. As you finish the kale, toss it into the bowl with the dressing.
9. Toss the kale in the dressing, making sure to coat all the leaves. I usually just use my (clean) hands, because I seem to be unable to keep salad in a bowl any other way. It also gives me a chance to give the kale a little tenderizing massage.
10. Once the water is at a rolling boil and the kale is dressed, poach the eggs. Only make as many as you want to eat that meal. This salad keeps well in the refrigerator, so you can make a quick meal of the leftover tossed salad and a newly poached egg. We use nifty egg poachers, like these, and cook our eggs for two and a half to three minutes for a cooked, but runny, egg. You could also just crack them gently into the boiling water and then fish them out with a slotted spoon. It takes a little practice, but works.
11. Put a pile of kale on each plate. Top with the squash, cheddar, almonds, and a poached egg (or 2).
]]> http://eatlocal365.com/2011/12/13/is-this-the-best-kale-salad-ever/feed/ 3 http://eatlocal365.com/2011/05/31/feasting-at-flying-pigs-farm/ http://eatlocal365.com/2011/05/31/feasting-at-flying-pigs-farm/#comments Tue, 31 May 2011 16:31:47 +0000 Lindsay http://eatlocal365.com/?p=3596 Now that we’ve introduced you to the Farm, please say hello so some absolutely delicious pork. Everything we’ve had from Flying Pigs Farm has been juicy, flavorful, and addictive, but we had really only eaten their sausage and bacon before. We used our trip to try a few new things – namely pork belly, blade roast, leaf lard, and tenderloin. The Surgeon General would not have approved of the amount of meat we ate that . . . → Read More: Feasting at Flying Pigs Farm]]> Now that we’ve introduced you to the Farm, please say hello so some absolutely delicious pork. Everything we’ve had from Flying Pigs Farm has been juicy, flavorful, and addictive, but we had really only eaten their sausage and bacon before. We used our trip to try a few new things – namely pork belly, blade roast, leaf lard, and tenderloin. The Surgeon General would not have approved of the amount of meat we ate that weekend…please do not attempt at home. However, you should definitely try all of these products as part of a balanced diet!!

Friday night started with a bang with pork belly in a Chinese-style glaze (recipe to come).



I had eaten pork belly in restaurants, but never cooked it myself. Success! This was one of the easiest things we made all weekend, but I think it was also my favorite. Pork belly is essentially unsmoked bacon. It’s rich and creamy and salty. NOT DIET FOOD! But, seriously, we weren’t there to diet and you shouldn’t diet all the time anyway! A little pork belly every now and then (from happy, healthy, well-cared-for pigs) is a treat you should allow yourself. We also had rice and bok choy, just to please our moms.

Although we were all stuffed, I wanted to try making pie crust with their rendered leaf lard. I had read a NY Times article about lard pie crusts (which mentioned Flying Pigs) and was dying to try it out. I was able to get the bottom crust out, but my rolling skills still need work, so I improvised on the top crust. I pinched off marble-sized pieces of dough, flattened them into sloppy disks, and laid them over the top of the pie like roof tiles. Not too pretty, but tasted delicious and saved me a lot of stress trying to make a perfect pie.



We all agreed that the leaf lard made a really flaky, but tender crust for our apple pie. The recipe I have from their website is delicious and easy, but uses volumetric measurements, which I think is kind of a pain. As soon as I figure out the weight equivalents, we’ll post the recipe.

We awoke on Saturday morning to a beautiful day and brown sugar bacon waffles! Yum yum yum. I wasn’t even really hungry, but who cares! We brought up a big bottle of cold brew coffee concentrate, which made the morning even better.



Our friends, Pete and Cynthia, made us a great mixed grill for lunch. Juicy chorizo, which was just spicy enough, on the grill along with peppers, onions, and tortillas. Pete’s grilling skills were much appreciated…he manned the grill even when a rain shower came out of nowhere. We enjoyed the spread on the covered deck with some refreshing rhubarb-rosemary gin cocktails.



Dinner on Saturday night was also “hosted” by Pete and Cynthia, who prepared two really impressive roulades – one with tenderloin and one with blade roast. They were both stuffed with mild sausage, lemon, and sage. The tenderloin was nice and lean, so was complimented well by the sausage filling. The blade roast was heavier, but the lemon and sage provided a nice light offset to the richness. Perfect! They roasted the roulades with some fennel, which turned so sweet it was almost candy. Mmmmmmmm… We also made a quick baked beans type dish with navy beans, spinach, and sweet and spicy tomato sauce I canned last summer.



I’m slightly embarrassed to say that we had another pie on Saturday night. Peach pie with a crumble top using the same great lard pie crust and peaches we canned last summer. We also whipped some local cream for the top. Please don’t count the calories we ate. I don’t want to know. It was so so so worth it though. Girlish figure be damed!!

Before we went to bed on Saturday night, we made a strata of sourdough bread, breakfast sausage, cheddar-ish cheese, leftover herbs, and Flying Pigs eggs. On Sunday morning, I popped it in the oven while we all got ready for the day and it was ready about 45 minutes later. Stratas are one of my favorite brunch foods to prepare. All the work is done the night before, so you don’t have to fuss in the morning. Plus, they’re delicious. Cynthia made a nice fruit salad for us, so that we didn’t only eat meat and bread.



After breakfast, Morgan, the Farm manager, took us on a tour of the Farm. I definitely needed a walk. We met the pigs and chickens, and climbed a nice hill to see the view. And, what do you know, I was hungry when we got back! As a quick lunch before heading out, we wrapped some asparagus in bacon and roasted it at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes. Topped off by a poached egg, it made the perfect farewell lunch.



]]> http://eatlocal365.com/2011/05/31/feasting-at-flying-pigs-farm/feed/ 0 http://eatlocal365.com/2011/01/24/dark-days-brunch-how-to-make-a-scotch-egg/ http://eatlocal365.com/2011/01/24/dark-days-brunch-how-to-make-a-scotch-egg/#comments Tue, 25 Jan 2011 03:30:30 +0000 Erik http://eatlocal365.com/?p=2304

How to make a Scotch egg (and see below for instructions for a Bloody Mary)

Based on our local, seasonal, and vegetable-heavy eating habits, many people assume that Lindsay and I are vegetarians (or vegans!). This post provides evidence to the contrary. Yesterday, we made brunch by frying up eggs, each wrapped in a quarter-pound of sausage. We also managed to do it all with local ingredients. Mmmm!

We based the recipe on a . . . → Read More: Dark Days Brunch: How to Make a Scotch Egg]]>

How to make a Scotch egg (and see below for instructions for a Bloody Mary)

Based on our local, seasonal, and vegetable-heavy eating habits, many people assume that Lindsay and I are vegetarians (or vegans!). This post provides evidence to the contrary. Yesterday, we made brunch by frying up eggs, each wrapped in a quarter-pound of sausage. We also managed to do it all with local ingredients. Mmmm!

We based the recipe on a recent post in the NY Times, but were really inspired by a nearby restaurant, The Breslin, which serves excellent Scotch eggs. If you want extremely delicious but extremely heavy fare, try out that restaurant! We made 4 Scotch eggs and 2 Bloody Marys, which would cost around $55 after tax and tip. We did it all for under $20.

$20 still sounds expensive, but most of that comes from the sausage. We eat a lot less meat than most people, but when we do we are sure to choose meat that is local, naturally fed, and full-pasture. It’s far more expensive (one of the reasons we eat less of it), but the health and nutrition profile is very different from industrial meat. Cows that eat nothing but corn cause humans cardiovascular problems. Cows raised completely on natural pasture have a profile similar to wild salmon (without the Mercury). For more information, read Michael Pollan.

We got the sausage from Grazin’ Angus Acres (sweet Italian sausage), which, as far as I’m concerned, sells the best beef money can buy.



Also notice how vibrant the yolks in the eggs are compared to the greenish-yellow hue that hard boiled eggs normally have. That’s the difference of naturally-raised and fully pastured chickens.

Ingredients:

Amount	Ingredient	Preparation	Where we bought it (* Union Square Greenmarket)
6	Large eggs		Northshire Farm *
2 cloves	Garlic	Minced	Keith’s Farm *
Pinch	Kosher salt
1 – 2	Whole pieces, horseradish	Grated	Gorzynski Ornery Farm *
Splash	White vinegar
1 lb	Italian sausage	Casing removed	Grazin’ Angus Acres *
1/4 cup	All-purpose flour		Cayuga Pure Organics *
1/4 cup	Panko bread crumbs		Whole Foods
~ 8 oz	Sunflower oil (or other frying oil)		Stolor Organics (sold by Cayuga Organics)*

Directions:

1. Place 4 of the eggs in a medium pot or saucepan and add cold water until they are submerged. Cover with a lid and bring the water to a boil over hight heat. Turn off the heat and leave covered for 3 minutes. Uncover the pot and let it sit for 10 minutes.
2. Peel each egg under running cold water and pat dry.

   

3. Mince the garlic. Use a mortar and pestle (or the back of a spoon, or a knife) to mash the garlic and the pinch of salt into a paste.

   

4. Peel the horseradish and cut it into manageable pieces. Use a microplane or grater to grate the horseradish as finely as possible. Add a splash of white vinegar to mix the horseradish into a paste similar to prepared horseradish that you can buy in a jar. You are aiming for about 2 tablespoons Alternately, you can skip this step and use 2 tablespoons of prepared horseradish from a jar. But grating it fresh will give you a head start on your Bloody Marys (see below).

   

5. Remove the casing from the sausages. If you can find ground sausage without casings, you can skip this step.

   Begin by cutting off the end of the casing with a meat scissor. Then work the scissor lengthwise into the casing.

   

   Cut the casing along the length of the sausage. Now, you should be able to peel of the casing in one piece.

   

6. Place all of the de-cased sausage into a bowl. Add the garlic paste and horseradish paste and mix thoroughly by hand. Divide the sausage into 4 equal portions.

   

7. Prepare an assembly line of four bowls. The first bowl should contain the flour. The second should be the bowl with the sausage in it. In the third bowl, lightly beat the 2 remaining eggs. The fourth bowl should contain the Panko bread crumbs.
8. Repeat the remaining steps for each egg.

   Roll the egg in the flour. Flatten a 1/4 portion of the sausage into a patty.

   

   Wrap the egg in it and form it into an even ball around the egg. Dredge the sausage-coated egg in the flour.

   

   Shake off the excess flour, then dip it in the beaten eggs. Let the excess drip off. Roll the ball in the Panko to cover it thoroughly.

   

9. Fill a medium pot with oil to 1/2 inch depth and turn the burner on to medium. Heat until it reaches 350 degrees, or if you don’t have a thermometer that you can use for frying (we don’t), until the oil starts to shimmer and bubbles form around the edges of the pot.

   The smaller the pot you use, the less oil you will need. We used a small saucepan, but it meant that we could only fry one egg at a time. The advantage to this, though, is that the first egg is almost guaranteed to come out worse than the rest. The first egg will both get the oil going, and allow you to adjust the temperature. If you fry two eggs at a time, you will have two “first eggs”.

10. Turn the heat down to medium-low. Use a wooden or metal spoon, preferably slotted, lower the first egg into the oil. Do it very slowly and carefully, so as not to splash the hot oil. Set a timer for two minutes. Give the oil a moment to react to the egg. It should sizzle but not go crazy. If it begins to sizzle and pop too energetically, turn the heat down further.

    

11. After the two minutes, use the spoon or tongs to roll the egg over 180 degrees to fry the exposed half.

    

12. After another two minutes, roll the egg to check for any under-fried spots and roll until those are face-down in the oil. After another two minutes, check to make sure that the entire egg is evenly fried. If it is, let it sit for another minute or two while rolling it to evenly re-fry the whole surface. This will also make sure that the sausage it thoroughly cooked through. In total, the frying should take 7 – 8 minutes.

    

13. Place a cooling rack inside of a sheet pan. Turn the oven on to 250 degrees. Use the spoon or tongs to remove the egg from the oil and place it on the rack. Sprinkle with Kosher salt. Put the rack into the oven to keep the egg warm while cooking the rest of the eggs.

    Alternately, to serve immediately after frying you can place the egg onto a plate lined with paper towels and give it a moment to wick away the excess oil.

    Notice the one burnt egg in the picture below. That was our first one, the “sacrifice”. It was still excellent.

    

14. To eat, cut the Scotch egg in half and enjoy. Just for the record, we only had one each for brunch and stored the other two for leftovers. It was a close call, though. I had really had to exercise will power!

    

The Bloody Marys

To supplement the Scotch eggs we made some Bloody Marys which were also prettylocal, thanks to Lindsay’s frantic canning of various tomato products in August / September. One of the things she canned from local tomatoes was Bloody Mary mix. We will be sure to post the recipe and the process next year when canning season rolls around again.

We used 10 oz of the mix per glass, and added:

• 1 oz of vodka
• 5-10 drops of Worcestershire sauce
• 5-10 drops of Tabasco
• A generous pinch of salt
• A healthy grind of fresh pepper
• 1 teaspoon of freshly grated horseradish, which I grated while making the Scotch eggs

Stir well and sip happily.



]]> http://eatlocal365.com/2011/01/24/dark-days-brunch-how-to-make-a-scotch-egg/feed/ 2 http://eatlocal365.com/2010/11/29/100-pumpkin-sunday-breakfast/ http://eatlocal365.com/2010/11/29/100-pumpkin-sunday-breakfast/#comments Tue, 30 Nov 2010 02:12:55 +0000 Lindsay http://eatlocal365.com/?p=521 For breakfast on Sunday, we went pumpkin crazy. We started with homemade pumpkin spice lattes. Well, I guess they were really pumpkin spice cafe au laits, but you could make lattes if you happen to have an espresso maker. As much as I like the Starbucks version, it contains lots of sugar and (in my view) unnecessary additives, which can be a problem if you’re gluten-intolerant or have other food allergies.

Pumpkin Spice Cafe . . . → Read More: 100% Pumpkin Sunday Breakfast]]> For breakfast on Sunday, we went pumpkin crazy. We started with homemade pumpkin spice lattes. Well, I guess they were really pumpkin spice cafe au laits, but you could make lattes if you happen to have an espresso maker. As much as I like the Starbucks version, it contains lots of sugar and (in my view) unnecessary additives, which can be a problem if you’re gluten-intolerant or have other food allergies.



Pumpkin Spice Cafe Au Lait
Makes 2 big servings

Ingredients and Directions for Pumpkin Spice Mix:

1/2 cup pumpkin puree (fresh, if possible, but canned is fine)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 teaspoons ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Mix thoroughly and use immediately or store in the refrigerator for up to a week or so.

Ingredients and Directions for Cafe Au Laits:

In a saucepan, whisk 2 heaping tablespoons of Pumpkin Spice Mix with 2 cups milk (dairy or non-dairy) and 2 cups of strong coffee. Cook on low for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Try to keep the mixture from boiling too vigorously, so the milk doesn’t burn.

To serve, strain through a fine sieve to remove the solids and pour into mugs. Straining is optional, but it’s nice not to get a mouthful of pumpkin pulp at the end.

Note: We’re not fans of sweet coffee, but maple syrup would be a great addition if you enjoy your coffee on the sweeter side. You can alter the milk/coffee ratio if you want it stronger or weaker.

Once we had our coffee and were awake and thinking clearly, we realized the pumpkin mixture could be used for French toast! Double pumpkin!

Pumpkin Spice French Toast
Makes 2-4 servings (depending on how hungry and/or indulgent you’re feeling)

Ingredients:

8-12 1-inch thick slices of a day-old baguette
Double batch of Pumpkin Spice Mix
1 1/2 cups milk (dairy or non-dairy)
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon butter

Directions:

1. Arrange the bread in a rimmed baking sheet so that all the bread lays flat. Use a pan that fits the bread, but without too much extra space, so that the bread sits in a deep bath of the milk mixture.
2. Whisk the milk and cornstarch into the Pumpkin Spice Mix. Pour the milk mixture over the bread and then flip each slice so that both sides are covered.
3. Let the bread sit on the counter for 20 minutes, then flip the slices and let it sit for another 10 minutes.
4. Preheat the oven to 375.
5. Drain the bread for 1 to 2 minutes on a wire cooling rackset on another rimmed baking sheet.
6. Melt the butter in a non-stick skillet over medium-low heat.
7. Working two slices at a time, cook the French toast in the skillet for 2 to 3 minutes on each slide.
8. Put the browned toast into the oven (directly on the middle rack) for 5 more minutes.
9. Repeat for all slices. Devour.

This technique, from His Majesty Alton Brown, creates French toast with a perfectly brown crust and a creamy, custardy middle. It does take a little more time than the usual method, but it’s definitely worth it. The extra soaking time is worthwhile, too, since the flavors really get absorbed. Just use the waiting time to take a shower and dry your hair!

I wanted to finish it off with pumpkin pie for dessert, but Erik talked me down and convinced me I might turn orange. You can never have too much pumpkin in my opinion!

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