Eggs are one of my favorite proteins to work with, however, they are NOT the easiest ingredient to make look appetizing on a plate. They are delicate by nature and easy to overcook. In this blog I am going to reveal a few of my cooking tips to get you on your way to serving the perfect egg. (Note: I use ceramic pans when using direct heat on eggs because of its non-stick properties, and a high grade stainless steel because of its even heat conduction when using a secondary heat cooking method.)
If at first you don't succeed, try again. Practice makes perfect with these little globes of liquid sunshine.
Round 1: Scrambled
This is thought to be the easiest preparation of eggs. But, getting eggs to be fluffy isn't so easy. The first trick to making fluffy scrambled eggs is to whisk the eggs in a separate container to incorporate a little bit of air into them. Some people add a splash of milk to their eggs, but I find that adding milk to my eggs makes them flat. The second tip to cooking eggs is to drizzle olive oil in the bottom of a hot sauté pan over medium low heat and not to overwork them while they cook. After pouring the eggs into the pan, let them sit until the bottom begins to set. Gently folding half of the mixture onto the other half helps to build the eggs up; similar to making an omelet. Refrain from breaking them apart until reday to serve. At this point, I like to season w additional salt and pepper and cover w cheese. Cover and let sit on a burner that's not in use, until ready to use.
Chipotle Sausage Breakfast Burritos
Ingredients
4 large flour tortillas, warmed
4 large eggs
2 tbsp fresh pico de gallo salsa
1 lb turkey sausage
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 large white onion, diced
4 oz Mexican style shredded cheese
2-3 tbsp Tobasco Chipotle hot sauce, divided
salt and pepper
Directions
1. Preheat medium sauté pan over medium low heat to scramble eggs. Preheat another medium sauté pan over medium heat to cook turkey sausage.
2. Crack eggs into a mixing bowl. Add pico de gallo and season w salt, pepper, and a few dashes of tobasco. Whisk by hand until well combined, about 1 minute. (Tip: the more you whisk, the lighter in color the eggs will become because of incorporated air).
3. Chop onion and garlic. Add 2 tbsp olive oil to bottom of sauté pan on medium heat and sweat onion and garlic until almost translucent. Add in ground turkey, a few dashes of tobasco sauce, and cook through, about 8 minutes. Remove from heat.
4. While meat is cooking, generously add olive oil to bottom of sauté pan over medium low heat. Add in eggs, sprinkle w salt and pepper, and let sit until eggs begin to set. Gently fold over half of the mixture on top of the other half to start building layers. (Tip: Be careful not to overwork them or they will fall flat.) When eggs are almost fully set, remove from heat, add shredded cheese over the top, cover w lid and let set on a burner not in use.
5. Warm the tortillas slightly to make them more pliable, about 20-30 seconds each in the microwave. Evenly distribute sausage mixture to the middle of each tortilla. Cut scrambled eggs into 4 evenly portioned strip and add to tortillas. Dash tobasco over the mixture in each tortilla. Wrap each Tortilla into a burrito.
6. Place rolled burritos on a microwave safe plate and microwave for 45-60 seconds to thoroughly heat everything through. Cut each burrito on a slight bias and serve hot.
Makes 4 burritos.
Round 2: Pan Fried Eggs
The way it works with pan frying eggs to achieve doneness is by the number of flips it goes through in the pan.
0- for sunny side up
1- for over easy
2- for over medium
3- for hard set
I have a slightly different approach to pan frying eggs. Because of eggs' very delicate nature, trying to flip eggs that are in the first stages of cooking, they are too easily broken... so again, I take the stance of not overworking the egg while it cooks. Using a generous amount of olive oil in the pan before adding eggs helps the egg to not stick to the pan while cooking, and makes it easier to remove from the pan when done cooking. I also crack the individual eggs into small ramekins to make sure yolk doesn't bust upon adding to the pan. Lastly, I let the egg white cook longer, on lower heat, before attempting to flip. I rarely flip my eggs though because I enjoy the saucy element that an egg yolk adds to my dishes. Just like how I cook them in this next recipe:
Chicken Cordon Bleu Club Breakfast Muffin
Ingredients
2 Thomas' English Muffins, cut in half
2 large eggs
2 slices sweet deli ham
2 slices roasted deli chicken
2 slices swiss cheese
2 slices bacon, cooked
2-3 tbsp honey mustard
olive oil
Directions
1. Preheat 2 medium sauté pans, one over low medium heat, the other over medium heat. Cook bacon in sauté pan over medium heat until crispy. Drain on paper towels until ready to use. Cut muffins, and stack lunch meats and cheese into 2 sandwich settings.
2. Break eggs into individual ramekins. Drizzle pan w olive oil and carefully add eggs in, one at a time, on opposite sides of the pan, being careful not to have them run together. Let them set. Eggs are done when the egg whites are completely opaque.
3. While eggs are cooking, on a microwave safe plate, heat the lunch meat and cheese stacks until cheese is melted, about 45 seconds. Toast muffin halves in the toaster.
4. Divide honey mustard to the bottom rounds of the muffin. Top w heated meat and cheese stacks, bacon, and lastly the egg. Season w salt and pepper and loosely lay top muffin round on sandwhich. Serve immediately.
Makes 2 sandwiches
Round 3: Poached Eggs
This is possibly the silkiest, most delicate, and sexiest egg that can be presented on a plate. It seems daunting to try and cook a poached egg, but, let me assure you, with a few pointers and a little bit of practice, cooking an egg using this method becomes a piece of cake (won't literally turn them into "cake", but you understand what I mean!). Only tips you need to remember is to use simmering, not boiling, water, add white vinegar to aid in the coagulation process, and be mindful not to overcook them. Easy peasy. Here's a great recipe that I make often for brunch gatherings:
Asparagus with Poached Eggs
Ingredients:
8 oz Asparagus, ends cut
2 tbsp butter
Juice of half a lemon
2 large eggs
6 cups simmering water
1/2 cup white vinegar
salt and pepper
Directions:
Preheat a saute pan over medium heat on the stove. Also, preheat 6 cups of water and vinegar in a pot on the stove.
melt butter in the saute pan and add asparagus. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook over medium heat for 5-7 minutes.
Crack eggs into individual ramekins. Wait for water to come to a simmer before lowering eggs into the water. Create a cyclone in the water to keep the eggs from settling on the bottom of the pan and sticking. Cook for 2-3 minutes, until egg whites are opaque. drain on a paper towel. Season with salt and pepper.
Lay out asparagus on a plate. Squeeze lemon juice over asparagus and then top with poached egg. Serve warm.
For our finale, we're going to break out the classic recipes for hard boiling our eggs. These are recipes that just about everyone grew up with. My mom made these for my siblings and I after Easter, since we had a boat load of dyed eggs left after the holidays, but, these are great for any occasion.
Classic Deviled Eggs
Ingredients
6 eggs
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon yellow mustard
1/8 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Smoked Spanish paprika, for garnish
Directions
1. Take eggs out of the refrigerator 15-20 minutes before starting to cook. Bring about 6 cups of water to a boil in a medium sauce pan. Carefully lower eggs into the boiling water (tip: a ladle works well for this) and boil on medium high heat for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and drain. Transfer eggs to a large bowl and fill with cold water to stop the cooking process.
2. Crack egg shells and carefully peel under cool running water. Gently dry with paper towels. Slice the eggs in half lengthwise, removing yolks to a medium bowl, and placing the whites on a serving platter. Mash the yolks into a fine crumble using a fork. Add mayonnaise, vinegar, mustard, salt, and pepper, and mix well.
3. Evenly disperse heaping teaspoons of the yolk mixture into the egg whites. Sprinkle with paprika and serve. Tip: place the yolk mixture into a Ziplock sandwich bag and cut a small piece of the corner off of the bag to pipe mixture into the eggs.
Classic Egg SaladPrep: 15 minutes + chilling
Ingredients
¼ cup mayonnaise
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon dried minced onion
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
6 hard-cooked eggs, chopped
½ cup finely chopped celery
Directions
1. Take eggs out of the refrigerator 15- 20 minutes before starting to cook. Bring about 6 cups of water to a boil in a medium sauce pan. Carefully lower eggs into the boiling water (tip: a ladle works well for this) and boil on medium high heat for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and drain. Transfer eggs to a large bowl and fill with cold water to stop the cooking process.
2. In a large bowl, combine the mayonnaise, lemon juice, onion, salt and pepper. Stir in eggs and celery. Cover and refrigerate.
Yield: 3 servings. Recipe can be doubled to make larger batches at once.
Garden Frittata
Ingredients:
3 large eggs
2-3 tablespoons milk
3 cherry tomatoes, sliced in half and seeded
1/4 cup diced onions
1/2 cup packed fresh spinach leaves
1/2 cup chopped white mushrooms
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Feta cheese for garnish (optional)
Directions:
1. Preheat a medium non stick sauté pan over medium heat. Drizzle olive oil in the pan and evenly coat the bottom of the pan. Add the tomatoes, onions, and mushrooms. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook for 2-3 minutes then add the spinach leaves.
2. In the meantime, crack the eggs into a dish and add the milk. Add salt and pepper to taste and scramble eggs in the bowl. Pour egg mixture evenly over the veggies in the pan. Lower the heat to medium low.
3. Cook without stirring until the eggs begin to set. To get eggs to cook evenly, move the edges of the frittata away from the pan and allow liquid egg to fill its place. Continue cooking until eggs are set, about 3-4 minutes.
4. To plate: frittata should slide out of the pan easily onto the plate. Garnish with feta cheese if desired and serve immediately. Serves 1.
Enjoy!
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