 The perennial coffee is a morning mainstay; and in the south red eyed gravy was discovered when an adventurist cook deglazed the ham pan drippings with their morning coffee. I love the play of bitter, salty and sweet so I decided to take red-eyed gravy one step further and make a cappuccino gravy, I have some leftover Benton country ham pieces so why not dice it and use it to provide the salty. Deglaze the ham drippings with coffee (or expresso) for the bitter. Add milk or cream and season with salt, pepper and sugar for the sweet. The perfect gravy is balanced, so taste as you go and enjoy! Serve with your favorite eggs and buttermilk biscuits. Ingredients: ham steak fatty country ham pieces finely diced 1 Tbsp. flour butter if needed 1 cup coffee or expresso milk or cream to taste salt and pepper to taste sugar to taste Procedure: 1. dice the country ham and fry with the ham steak until nicely browned. 2. Add a little butter if the pan is dry and stir in the flour making a roux. Deglaze with the coffee releasing the fond from the pan then add milk or cream to taste. Season with salt, pepper and sugar tasting as you go. 3. Serve the ham steak with the gravy poured over top. Serve with eggs and biscuits.
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 I was reading "Sarabeth's Good Morning Cookbook" by Sarabeth Levine and came across her recipe for Hot Cereal Soufflés which started me thinking; why not a southern version made with cheese grits? But why stop there? Here in the south we love pies so why not a soufflé pie? In her version she makes a sweet soufflé with jam on the bottom but I like savory so I added some pancetta for flavor. Maybe I can make a version with a savory Shrimp Etouffé at the bottom for a surprise. My point is that inspiration can springboard from other chef's recipes so read through your old cookbook library leaving your mind open to new possibilities or in this case a new addition to your library. Ingredients: 1 cup stone ground premium white grits 2 cups milk 2 cups water 1 cup grated sharp white cheddar cheese 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese 1 cup diced Veleeta cheese 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter salt 4 ounces diced pancetta 3 eggs separated pinch of cream of tarter 1 deep dish pie shell extra parmesan and finely grated sharp cheddar to sprinkle on top and bottom of pie shell Directions: 1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Add the butter to a large sauce pan and the grits and toast on medium heat for 10 minutes. 2. Add the milk and water to the sauce pan and bring to a boil while stirring with a whisk. Continue cooking until grits soften (about 30 minutes) adding more water if needed. 3. Sauté pancetta in separate skillet until crisp and drain on paper towels while grits soften. 4. Grate and dice the cheeses and add to grits while stirring. You can optionally add extra butter to make creamier grits. Season with salt and pepper to taste and add water to achieve proper consistency and take off heat. Stir in the pancetta into the grits. 5, Sprinkle some cheese into the bottom of the pie crust and bake in oven until the cheese melts. This will help the pie crust stay crisp. 6. Separate the eggs. Beat the yolks with a tablespoon of milk and whisk into the grits. In a clean bowl whip the egg whites with a pinch of cream of tarter until glossy and stiff peaks form. Using a spatula fold one quarter of the egg whites into the grits mixture. Fold the grits mixture gently into the remaining egg whites until mixed. Fill the pie shell with the mixture and sprinkle with cheese. Cook until the pie crust is golden and the filling has risen and browned (20 to 30 minutes). Serve immediately and enjoy.  I'd like to continue on offering a makeover of a classic American comfort food, meatloaf and translate it for breakfast. Instead of using 100% ground beef, let us use half breakfast sausage that we made in the last post and use ground beef for the other half. If we want to go all out let us grind our own which is superior for pre-ground meat. We can even add some ground bacon to add an element of smokiness. I want to add some whole eggs to the mix along with some diced peppers and onions reminiscent of a western omelette. When I make my meatloaf or meatballs, I first add milk and eggs to bread cubes, a technique called a "panade". This addition does a couple of things, first it acts as a binder holding everything together. Second, it helps the meatloaf hold on to moisture better creating a moist interior that resists shrinkage. Finally we need a great top crust. How about shredded cheese and potatoes? I can hardly wait! 5. Press 1/2 of the meatloaf into a 9 by 9 inch pan. Press the eggs into the mixture and cover with the rest of the mixture. Top with the shredded potatoes, then the cheese and the rest of the parmesan. 6. Bake at 350 degrees until done and the top crust crispy. Let cool and cut into piec  I like rice. Risotto, pilaf, fried, sticky, brown, even plain white rice but what rice do I make for breakfast? I then remembered that Dim Sum restaurants sometimes serve congee, sometimes called jook (pronounced joke), a tasty rice porridge. This rice dish is the ultimate Chinese comfort food. Because it is very easy to digest, it is fed to children, older people and those people who are sick although without a lot of seasoning. In the Dim Sum restaurant version I am familiar with is usually flavored with chicken, mushroom, garlic, ginger and a unique Chinese ingredient, a thousand year old egg (a preserved egg made by curing the egg in a curing mixture for ten days). For my version I will flavor it with a regular egg, cheese and breakfast sausage to make a American breakfast version. To make our version more special we can make our own sausage, but to save time you can use store bought. It just is not as good as fresh ground and homemade. Ingredients: For the sausage - 1 pound freshly ground pork 2 cloves minced garlic 4 or 5 fresh sage leaves finely chopped 1 teaspoon fresh finely chopped thyme pinch of red pepper flakes pinch dried rosemary salt and pepper to taste For the congee - 3/4 cup long grain rice 1/2 pound cooked crumbled sausage 1 large sweet onion diced (about 2 cups) 4 cups chicken stock 1 cup water 1 tablespoon fresh finely chopped thyme 4 cloves minced garlic 1 tablespoon fish sauce or sub anchovy paste salt and pepper to taste 2 to 4 eggs 2 chopped scallions Procedure: For the sausage - 1. To 1 pound ground pork add minced garlic, thyme, rosemary, sage, red pepper flakes and season with salt and pepper. Mix well and fry a small bit in a skillet to test for taste and seasoning. Using your taste add more seasoning if needed and retest. When you are satisfied with the taste form into patties or stuff into casings if you wish. Makes 4 large patties or 6 smaller. For the congee - 1. In a large saucepan sauté the sausage and crumble into pieces and transfer to a bowl. Add the onion and garlic into the saucepan, season with salt and sauté in the rendered fat until the onion start to turn brown. remove to the bowl with the sausage. 2. In the saucepan, toast the rice for 2 to 3 minutes then deglaze with the water. Add the remaining ingredients except the eggs and scallions and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook until the rice breaks down adding more water if the mixture becomes too dry. 3. Before serving, add two to four eggs and cook until the whites are solid. Serve with a garnish of freshly cracked pepper and chopped scallions.  My favorite sandwich is the Monte Cristo, a roasted ham and turkey with Swiss and processed cheese fried in a milk egg batter. As you may of noticed I have an obsession with eggs Benedict, so why not bring the two together? Let us start with a base of French toast, top it with roasted ham, turkey, Swiss and processed cheese. Then add a perfectly poached egg and cover with a drizzle of strawberry jam thinned into a sauce. Maybe you can add bacon if you want to. I think this creation successfully brings two of my favorites together into one great tasting dish. Ingredients: 2 slices day old bread (traditional is challah bread but any firm white bread will do) 3 eggs 1 Tbsp. butter 3/4 cup half and half 4 slices honey ham 4 slices roasted turkey 2 slices Swiss cheese 2 slices American cheese 1 tsp. vanilla 1 tsp. sugar powdered sugar for dusting strawberry jam water Directions: 1. Mix 1 egg, vanilla, sugar and the half and half in a shallow dish to form a custard. Soak both sides of the bread in the custard. 2. Heat a skillet on medium high heat and add the butter. When the butter starts to foam add the bread and cook both sides to golden brown. Keep warm. 3. Poach the remaining 2 eggs and keep warm. In a small sauce pan heat the jam and thin to a sauce-like consistency. 4. Build the Benedict starting with the French toast. Stack a slice of Swiss cheese, ham, turkey then a slice of American cheese. Add a poached egg then drizzle with the strawberry sauce and finish by dusting with some powdered sugar. Serve immediately.  Since I tackled Southern style cheese grits I have looked forward to creating my own version of Shrimp and Grits. I also wanted to talk through my thought process as this dish comes together. My starting place was to mimic Susan's Breakfast Oatmeal but use cheese grits instead of the oatmeal and a shrimp filling. I researched traditional Georgia style shrimp and grits and decided to use smoked sausage, sweet peppers and onion with a sauce. I found a Ukrainian style smoked Kubasa instead of the traditional Andouille but you could substitute a polish smoked sausage. If I fried the sausage I could render out some of the tasty fat in which I could fry the shrimp, peppers and onions. Adding some flour would make a roux that I could flavor with white wine, lemon juice and stock. To keep our shrimp moist we need to brine them, then sauté in the shells to add more shrimp flavor (the shells are packed with flavor). White wine and lemon may not be traditional but pairs great with the shrimp. I presented three different possible grits platforms but you could just use a pile of cheese grits to simplify. The three possible platforms are a mini pie pan, an egg mold and a mini spring form pan. You can try any or find your own. If you are going to use some sort of mold or container, you will need to make a stiffer grit mixture in order for it to retain its shape. Good luck and happy cooking! Ingredients: For the cheese grits - 2 cups stone ground premium white grits 1 1/2 cup chicken broth 1 1/2 cup milk water to achieve proper consistency 1 cup grated sharp white cheddar cheese 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese 1 cup grated fontina cheese 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter salt For the shrimp mixture - 1 pound large shell on raw gulf shrimp 1/2 pound good quality Ukrainian smoked sausage 1 1/2 cup chicken broth 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese 1 cup white wine (Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc 1 cup diced peppers (mixture of red, yellow and poblano) 1/2 medium onion diced 2 cloves garlic chopped 1 lemon 4 Tbsp. butter plus extra to butter the molds 2 Tbsp. flour Directions: 1. Add the butter to a large sauce pan and the grits and toast on medium heat for 10 minutes. Add the chicken broth and milk to the sauce pan and bring to a boil while stirring with a whisk and continue cooking until grits soften (about 15 minutes). Grate the cheeses and add while stirring, season with salt to taste and add water to achieve proper consistency. Let cool. Note: we want a fairly stiff mixture. 2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Butter the molds and sprinkle the molds with the grated parmesan. Press the cooled grits into the molds and up the sides. Bake for 30 minutes. 3. Clean and devein the shrimp. Dice the sausage and sauté with half the butter until the fat begins to render. Add the onions, garlic and peppers and sauté until the onion is translucent. Remove the mixture to a bowl and add the shrimp to sauté until pink. Remove the shrimp and add the sausage mixture back with the flour and butter. Stir until a roux comes together then add the wine and stock to deglaze. Reduce by one half. Peel the shrimp, chop into large pieces reserving some for garnish. Add to the sausage pepper mixture and reduce to the required consistency. 4. Spoon the shrimp mixture into the molds and sprinkle with some parmesan. Garnish with the reserved shell-on shrimp and return to the oven to heat through then serve.  Well, I am finally in my new kitchen, in a new state ready to try some new things! Since moving to Georgia I have been researching the local food scene, looking at new ingredients and how I can use them. The first thing I want to tackle is southern style grits which are served for breakfast almost every where. I love to add cheese to my version because regular grits with butter is just too plain for me. I like to add three different cheeses; cheddar, fontina and parmesan, but you can try your own combination of cheeses or just one. Its all up to you! I like to serve mine with diced country ham and some bacon. I'll think I will make some extra to make my version of shrimp and grits. More on that later. First you may ask, what is the difference between grits and polenta? The major difference is that grits are traditionally made from a type of corn called dent corn, while polenta is made from flint corn. Polenta is usually a little coarser and can have a firmer texture while grits generally are creamier. I have tried two premium stone ground offerings. The first I got from The Healthy Gourmet in Athens, GA ( check them out on facebook ) from the Logan Turnpike Mill ( http://www.loganturnpikemill.com/ ) and the second are called Gayla's Grits from Shaw Farms ( http://gaylasgrits.com/ ) which I picked up at Lizzies Pantry ( http://www.lizziespantry.com/ ). Ingredients: 2 cups stone ground premium white grits 1 1/2 cup chicken broth 1 1/2 cup milk water to achieve proper consistency 1 cup grated sharp white cheddar cheese 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese 1 cup grated fontina cheese 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter salt 2 pieces of thick sliced bacon cooked crisp and broken into pieces 1/4 pound country ham fried and simmered in water to reduce saltiness Directions: 1. Add the butter to a large sauce pan and the grits and toast on medium heat for 10 minutes 2. Add the chicken broth and milk to the sauce pan and bring to a boil while stirring with a wisk 3. Continue cooking until grits soften (about 15 minutes) 4. Grate the cheeses and add while stirring. 5, Season with salt to taste and add water to achieve proper consistency. 6. Serve in a bowl with the diced bacon and ham  I grew up on Sunday roast beef and Yorkshire puddings while my wife grew up eating the southern American version of toad in a hole, a pan fried piece of buttered bread with round hole in the center in which a egg is fried. She also likes pancakes called Dutch babies which are similar to a Yorkshire pudding pancake. I like both versions and plan to make both and call it toad in the hole, 2 ways. Today I am going to show you the British version first. This is a simple dish and I am going to make a large single serving using a small cast iron skillet but you can make a full version in a full sized cast iron skillet (Just double the recipe amounts). Let this be a starting point and make it your own by changing things around. I can see using corn meal, using different meats, (I tried it with smoked turkey and quail eggs) eggs. Traditionally this is served with a gravy, but today I served it with maple syrup (my wife's idea). Ingredients: 6 links of breakfast sausage 1/2 cup self rising flour 3 eggs 2 tbsp. melted butter plus extra for the skillet 1/2 to 1 cup buttermilk salt, pepper and sugar to taste maple syrup Directions: Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Beat the eggs and 1/2 cup of the buttermilk together with salt, pepper and the sugar. Add the flour to a bowl, make a well in the center and stir in the egg mixture. Adjust the thickness of the batter to your liking. Thinner will be more like Yorkshire pudding, thicker more like a pancake. Choose your preference. Let rest for half a hour. Brown the sausage in a skillet or in the oven. Save the grease. Heat the cast iron skillet in the oven for at least 10 minutes. Remove the preheated skillet from the oven and add the grease from the sausage plus some butter to coat the bottom of the skillet. Add a thin layer of batter, then the sausages, then more batter filling the pan at least half way up the pan. Return the skillet to the oven and bake until brown on top and a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Serve with maple syrup and enjoy!  I have been very busy getting ready to move to Georgia and have neglected doing any new posts. I came up with an idea I wanted to share, eggs parmesan. I always wanted to do an egg dish baked in tomato sauce but wanted to add a couple of additions to take it to the next level. I found the perfect medium size baking dish big enough for a dinner for two and started thinking. I had tomato sauce, fresh mozzerella, fresh basil and some leftover pasta. My kids always liked a dish we simply called spaghetti lasagna, left over spaghetti and sauce baked with a parmesan mozzerella crust. Why not add eggs to the equation? Lets also add sauted onions and some diced prosciutto or pancetta for some texture and flavor. I always love comfort food and what could be easier; leftovers made into a fantastic new dish! Ingredients: 6 - 8 onces left-over pasta warmed 2 cups marinara sauce warmed 1/2 onion sliced 2 ounces prosciutto cut into strips or diced pancetta 4 eggs 1/2 pound fresh mozzerella 1/2 to 1 cup fresh grated parmesan butter and olive oil salt and pepper for seasoning Procedure: Heat a pan on medium heat. When hot add a little oil and or butter and the prosciutto or pancetta. Slice the onion and add to the pan and sweat until translucent (about 3 mins). Cover the bottom of the baking dish with a little of the marinara, then add the pasta, season with salt and pepper. Add the onion mixture and top with the rest of the marinara sauce. Make an indentation and add an egg and repeat for the rest of the eggs (it helps if the marinara is thicker). Add pieces of mozzerella around the eggs and grate parmesan over the top. Bake at 400 until whites of the eggs are firm and the cheese start to brown. Add torn fresh basil leaves to garnish and serve while hot.  Now that the 4th of July has come and gone, I must confess that I had my fill of hot dogs this month. America loves finely ground sausage, whether it is the frankfurter, bologna or many assorted luncheon meats. For breakfast, I wondered if I could take a simple recipe for breakfast sausage and grind it very fine and create a sort of breakfast pâté or loaf. a simple emulsified sausage tasting like traditional breakfast links. What I ended up with resembles many comercial fine grain sausages. Next time I plan to up the anté and add some additional textural components like bacon bits or diced peppers to add color and interest.
When making any sausage it is paramount to keep the meat and equipment as cold as possible. This is especially important grinding the meat to create superior results. Put the cubed meat and extra fat in the freezer for 15 to 20 minutes to firm up. I like to grind my meat twice, first time through the large die, followed by a short time in the freezer then a final grind using a smaller die. Next we want to process the ground meat in small batches in a food processor, adding the seasoning as I go. If I want to add any textural elements I would do those now before molding and cooking in a water bath. Ingredients: 3 pounds lean cubed pork 1 pound pork fat cubed 3 Tbsp. fresh sage leaves chopped 3 Tbsp. fresh thyme leaves chopped 2 tsp. ground mustard powder salt and pepper to taste Optional: ground red pepper or cayenne to taste Directions: Partially freeze the cubed pork and pork fat then grind using a large holed die. Return to the freezer to firm up and grind using a smaller holed die. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well. Fry a small amount in a skillet and taste and correct for seasoning. In batches using a food processor, break the mixture down into a thick paste adding a little crushed ice if the mixture is too thick. If you would like to add any additional garnishes (I'm thinking about some precooked bacon bits, or diced veggies) mix in at this time. Spread the mixture in a greased terrine mold or small loaf pan(s) and cook in a preheated 300 degree oven in a water bath until the mixture reaches 165 degrees (about an hour to hour and a half. Let the loaf cool, de-mold and slice and serve cold or heat in a pan until hot.  Recently I stopped at a large Oriental market and found some ripe sweet mangoes and decided to serve them with sweet sticky rice; one of my favorite simple Thai recipes. How could I make this a breakfast dish with contrasting textures? The answer is granola to supply the crisp texture. Add some fresh in season fruit and top with whipped cream to complete the package. The anchor is the sticky rice, a sweet short grain rice that cooks to a slightly chewy texture and add in coconut milk and sugar for that authentic Thai flavor. I decided to start with muesli and add extra nuts and dried fruit then add honey to create my own granola. For fruit I used local in-season strawberries I got from my local farmer's market and fresh whipped cream to complete my Thai inspired breakfast. Use the freshest fruit available for the best results. Note: You can use your own favorite granola recipe or in a pinch your favorite  A while back I was researching new techniques for breakfast potatoes and I came across a recipe in Food52's genius recipes. Although the recipe is no longer there is a video with Josh Ozersky showing the procedure here. Now that we can create the crispiest hash browns let us use that to create a breakfast sandwich that defines crispy. Ever since McDonalds introduced the egg McMuffin, everyone has created there own version, some with different breads, different meats, different cheeses, but let us do our own version this time focusing on texture. We can use the hash browns as our secret crispy element but let us not stop there, but examine other ways we can make our sandwich fantastic. First, the buttered English muffin needs to grilled in a cast iron pan to achive both taste and the perfect texture. I have experimented with different brands and even made my own to get something I'm happy with and for this application have decided to go with a extra crispy version from a local bakery. Part of being a great chef is to source out the right product. Although I love sausage based sandwiches, I think crisp bacon would be the best choice here with an additional thin slice of crispy procuitto for extra taste. The perfect egg would be just set with the yolk the consistency of jello and of course, a great slice of cheese. Option: You can substitute potato chips for the potato  Whenever I order hash browns at a restaurant, I always ask for them extra-crispy. There is something about that golden crispy exterior that keeps me coming back for more. Our world is addicted to crispiness, whether the snap of a perfectly cooked French fry, sinking your teeth into southern fried chicken, kettle cooked potato chips, or even a freshly picked apple off the tree. I am going to look at two different methods, the first the proper way I was taught at culinary school to create a crispy exterior with a soft interior and the second method originally featured on Food52's genius recipies to make a thin lattice of ultra crispy potatoes. I love this method because I can create a great garnish perfect for breakast or brunch. I will use this to create my ultimate crispy breakfast sandwich. These I will cover next time.
First let us look at the classic hash brown preparation. The obstacle we face as chefs to create a crispy crust is water. Too much water and the potatoes will steam, and potatoes are over 80% water; so we need to get rid of some. This can be agrivated when we add vegetables to the equation which release their own water when cooking. The second problem is the potatoes will brownish grey after shredding due to the reaction with the enzymes in the potato reacting with the oxigen in the air. This is easily remeded by having the freshly shredded potatoes sit in a cold water bath completly covered with the water. Just before cooking we need to squeeze out as much water as we can. This can be done a number of ways. Paper towel, a salad spinner, using a potato ricer, but I prefer using a kitchen towel. Drain the potatoes and dry in the towel. Center the potatoes in the towel and bring the 4 corners up and grasp in one hand and twist the potatoes squeezing out as much water as you can. Cook any vegetables separately until they have released their water which is when they begin to brown and mix unto the hashbrowns just before serving. Ingredients: 3 medium russet potatoes 1 Onion sliced salt and pepper to taste Olive oil Directions: Pre-heat a skillet on medium and slice the onion into 1/8 inch slices. Add some oil to cover the bottom of the hot pan and add the onions in a single layer. Season and cook until they start to brown. Continue to cook until desired doneness then reserve. Pre-heat a cast-iron skillet on medium and peel the potatoes. Shred the potatoes using a box grater and wash under cold running water to remove excess starch. Reserve covered in cold water until needed to stop the potatoes turning brown. When ready to cook, drain in a colander then place in the middle of a clean kitchen towel. Gather up the four corners and twist the towel to squeeze as much water out as possible. Add olive oil to cover the bottom of the skillet and add the potatoes. Season with salt and pepper and drizzle a little olive oil over top. Cook slowly until browned on the bottom lifting with a spatula and checking periodically. Cover with a plate and flip onto the plate; then gently slide back into the skillet to brown the other side. Season the top with salt and pepper and when crisp on the bottom remove to a plate. You can flip onto the plate again and slide onto a serving patter. Sprinkle the onions over top and serve immediately. Serves 2 to 4 people.  There is nothing like a vacation to give you a new perspective and a long needed rest. I visited Nashville and had my fill of barbeque then off to Auburn Alabama to visit family all the time thinking of new ideas and dishes. Keeping with my present theme of at alternative cooking methods, I wanted to use my new Cuisinart Steam Oven to do an omelette. The advantage of steaming is that the eggs puff up giving an unique texture plus I can create an interesting shape. For my toppings I wanted to use local fresh ingredients, and decided on shrimps and mushrooms, a common pizza combination I remember from Canada. If you don't have a steam oven you can use a wok steamer or any other steamer equipment you have. Keeping with my northwest theme, I wanted to use sea beans as a garnish. If you can not find this interesting vegetable you could always substitute chives or green onions. I also made some herb oil to give a little extra touch of flavor or add some chopped fresh herbs. You could use fresh or dried reconstituted mushrooms and play with the presentation making it something special. This is a surprisingly simple dish that looks fantastic. Remember the omelette can be cut into different shapes to give you many different serving and plating options.
Ingredients: 6 eggs 3-4 small cremini mushrooms 1/2 pound small shrimp blanched sea beans your favorite herb oil plus any fresh chopped herbs salt and pepper for seasoning olive oil Directions: Pre-heat a skillet on medium and slice the mushrooms into 1/8 inch slices. Add some oil to cover the bottom of the hot pan and add the mushrooms in a single layer. Season and cook until golden brown on the first side then the other. Peel and devein the shrimp, season and stir fry in hot oil then reserve. Blanch the sea beans in unsalted water and reserve. Select the container(s) you want to steam the omelette with and cut a piece of parchment to fit. Fit the parchment paper into the container and beat 3 eggs in a bowl, season with salt and pepper and pour into the container. Steam for 6 to 8 minutes or until done. Unmold and trim omelette and plate. Arrange shrimp, mushrooms and sea beans on the top of the omelette and drizzle with herb oil (directions below). Repeat for second omelette; serves two. Herb oil: add fresh herbs and extra virgin olive oil and process. Strain oil through fine mesh or cheese cloth.  My first experience of Machaca con Huevos was less than satisfying, a small amount of tasteless dry grey steak encased with dull rubbery overcooked eggs; the product of a good dish in the hands of a poor cook. When I experience just such a fiasco, I start diagnosing what when wrong and how I could improve it. Starting with the beef, I wanted to concentrate on texture and flavor. Traditionally machaca is made from reconstituted dried beef, and I am not excited with dried meat products. Although drying can concentrate and intensify flavor, I hate to lose the braised texture of the meat. What really sparked my interest is the shredded form of the meat, which led me to think about pulled pork and braised beef short ribs: both which could be infused with Mexican flavors. Then as chance would have it, I pulled out a corned beef brisket that I was going to slow cook. I gently cooked and shredded the corned beef; then crisped it in the oven before adding onions and peppers then served over crispy shredded hash browns with . Topped with your favorite eggs and topped with a little pepper hot sauce resulted in salty, savoury beef; crispy potatoes with spicy eggs with a noticable Irish twist just in time for Saint Patrick's day. This dish shows we can use multiple translation techniques; substitution using corned beef (plus I used some pickled red peppers instead of roasted), using Saint Patrick's day as an inspiration, and slow cooking the brisket and shredding it changing methods. The pulled pork and braised beef versions are waiting for another day when I have suitable leftovers.
Ingredients: 1 pound corned beef 1 poblano pepper 1 large russet potato shredded 1 red bell pepper (optional) 2 Roma tomatoes 1 small sweet onion 2 cloves garlic ½ cup beef stock 6 Large Eggs ½ cup shredded cheese (optional) dash favorite hot sauce (optional) 1 Tbsp. canola oil Butter Salt and pepper for seasoning Garnish with cilantro, lime, tomato and some tortillas. Directions: Shred the corned beef with fork or hands and reserve. Roast at 400 degrees for fifteen minutes or broil until browned and crispy). Shred the potatoes and fry in oil until brown and crispy. Keep warm. Skin, seed and dice the tomato. Roast, skin and dice the peppers. Dice the onion and finely chop garlic. Heat a skillet on medium heat; add butter and a little oil and sauté garlic and the onion for 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper, add peppers and continue to sauté until soft (about 5 min). Add the tomato, most of the corned beef, beef stock and reduce until most of the liquid is gone. Reserve and keep warm. Cook your eggs and plate some potatoes first then some beef mixture then a little of the reserved potato and corned beef. Garnish with cilantro, avocado slices, a small wedge of lime and grilled tortillas.  Every now and then I'll come up with an idea that I think is totally original only to find someone has beat me to the punch. Nonetheless here is how I developed the initial idea, changing the method of preparing classic French toast. I have to confess to a serious addiction. Cooking shows! This idea came from watching three of Bobby Flays shows; "Brunch at Bobby’s" showcased Bobby cooking French toast in a waffle iron; in a "Throw-down" episode he sandwiched two pieces of French toast to make stuffed French toast and I remembered another episode making Chicken and Waffles. Suddenly everything came together! But why stop there; the ideas for filling are endless. Make it your own! Ingredients: 8 slices thin sliced firm bread 3 eggs 1 Cup Milk 1 Tbsp. Vanilla 1/2 tsp. cinnamon pinch fresh grated nutmeg 1 tsp sugar Here are some fillings I have thought of or you can come up with your owwn - Filling 1: "New York Cheese Cake" flavored cream cheese (I found some white chocolate), sliced fresh strawberries Filling 2: "Chicken in Waffle" breaded chicken tenders sliced thinly on the bias Filling 3: "The Elvis" peanut butter and sliced banana Directions: Prep your filling(s) and reserve. If you want to try the chicken, make sure it is fully cooked before it goes into the waffle. Heat up your waffle iron. Beat the eggs in a flat wide dish then add milk, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg. Whisk to combine. Brush or spray waffle iron with oil. Dip first four pieces of bread and place on the waffle iron then add filling to the center of each waffle. Do not over stuff! Dip remaining pieces of bread in the egg mixture and position on top of filling. Close the waffle iron and cook until nicely browned. Hint - The steam will start to subside. Serve immediately. Serves two to four depending on appetite.  As we delve into our latest Translation subset (Methods), I examine some of the lesser known cooking methods and see how they can be used to make a novel breakfast dish. In culinary school we learned to steam fish in parchment paper, creating a moist flavorful dish; so why not use the method for breakfast? I started with potatoes on the bottom and added a spinach mixture topped with an egg. I cooked the potatoes to crispness and add some toasted nuts for both flavor and texture. For more flavor I added a little grated Parmesan cheese and to create the necessary steam, some wine or vinegar that brightened the taste. Ingredients 2 Eggs 2 Medium Potatoes partially cooked and grated Some thin sliced sweet onion 1/4 cup pine or pecan nuts 4 cups of spinach 2-4 Tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese salt and paper to taste optional: chopped fresh herbs 4 Tbsp. white wine or wine vinegar. 1/2 cup olive oil plus more if needed Procedure Fold two twenty inch pieces of parchment paper in half then cut heart shaped pieces out just like we used to do as children to make a heart for a valentine. Save for later. Partially cook two medium potatoes about three quarters done and let cool completely. Skin the potatoes and grate into shreds. Heat the oil in a skillet on medium heat then when hot add the potatoes. When the potatoes start to brown turn the heat up a little and cook until crispy on both sides adding more oil as needed. Try not to turn the potatoes too often and they will brown better and more evenly. Drain on paper towels. Thinly slice a quarter of a large onion, wash the spinach and toast 1/4 of a cup of nuts. Saute the onions until they start to brown then add the nuts and toast. When the nuts are toasted add the spinach, season with salt and pepper and cook until the spinach is wilted. Remove from the heat an reserve warm. Open the paper and add half of the potatoes, then add one half of the spinach onion nut mixture. Create a little nest in the top and grate some cheese. Break a egg into the depression and season with salt and pepper and a little more cheese. Splash half of the wine or vinegar over the top. Fold the paper over and starting at the top of the heart fold the paper over about a half of a inch the repeat every inch until the package is entirely sealed. Build the second package just like the first and place both on a sheet pan and bake in the oven until the eggs are cooked (about 7 minutes for a soft yolk to 12 minutes for a completely cooked yolk). Serve immediately cutting open the packages at the table. Serves two. Note: You can also bake the eggs, potatoes and spinach in covered ramekins if you don't have the paper. It will be just as good.  Time to put our New Year's resolutions into action and take a few inches our waistlines by eating healthier. The easiest way I have found to eat healthier is to increase my vegetable intake; not a total diet change that is difficult to maintain but a small step towards eating better. Let's take a traditional American breakfast of eggs, fried potatoes and sausage then add vegetables to make breakfast more healthy. The vegetables can vary based on what looks good at the market but there is something special how the tastes of onion, sweet red and poblano peppers go together. I prefer the taste of the poblanos to regular green pepper and they add some subtle heat that I love. I can add a little browned sausage to bring everything together into one savory dish or leave it out if I want to go meatless. This is a perfect recipe to experiment with, adding whatever you want to satisfy your own individual taste. The vegetables are cooked first then added to your eggs and potatoes with fresh herbs. Experiment also with the size of the cut of the vegetables until you find your preference. I personally like a medium dice for the eggs and a larger dice for the potatoes but you can also do one size and use a single skillet then divide the vegetables between your egg and the potatoes. Ultimate Home Fries Ingredients 3 large Red Bliss potatoes ½ stick butter 2 tbsp. olive oil ½ pound sausage meat 3 cloves garlic 1 large onion diced 1 red pepper diced 1 poblano pepper diced 3 sprigs Italian Parsley or other fresh herbs chopped Salt and Pepper to taste Directions One day ahead, quarter 3 large Red Bliss potatoes and put in a pot of cold salted water. Bring the water to a boil and cook for 12 minutes or until desired doneness. Drain, cool and refrigerate overnight. This will cook and let the starches gell using the same method that gives french fries their fluffy interior with a crisp exterior. Dry the potatoes with a kitchen towel or paper towel. Heat a cast iron skillet to medium heat and add ½ of the butter. When the butter starts to sputter, add the oil and then the potatoes. Cook slowly letting each side of the potato brown before flipping. While the potato browns heat a skillet on medium heat and when hot add the remaining butter. When the butter starts to sizzle add the garlic and sausage; break the sausage up and let brown. When the sausage begins to brown add the onion and peppers and season with salt. Cook until the onions start to brown and reserve warm. When the potatoes are brown and crispy, add the sausage, onion and pepper mixture and toss to combine. Taste, season with salt and pepper and add the chopped parsley. Toss to mix and remove from the heat. Serve immediately. Serves 4. Optional – Deep fry the potatoes and toss with the sausage, onion and pepper mixture and finally the parsley. Pepper and Onion Breakfast Scramble Ingredients 6 large eggs ½ stick butter 2 tbsp. olive oil ½ pound sausage meat 3 cloves garlic 1 large onion diced 1 red pepper diced 1 poblano pepper diced 3-5 sprigs Italian Parsley or other fresh herbs chopped Salt and Pepper to taste Directions Heat a no stick skillet to medium heat and add ½ of the butter. When the butter starts to sputter, add the oil and then the garlic and sausage; break the sausage up and let brown. When the sausage begins to brown add the onion and peppers and season with salt. Cook until the onions start to brown and reserve warm. Clean the skillet and return to the heat and add the remaining butter. Beat the eggs in a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Add to the skillet and begin to pull the egg mixture with a spatula from the sides of the pan to the center. As the egg starts to set add some of the fresh herbs and when almost done fold in the vegetable mixture and take off the heat. The eggs will continue to cook so plan for a little carry over cooking. Serve immediately sprinkling more fresh herbs over the top. Serves 4.  Growing up in Canada fries were almost always offered with brown gravy and in Quebec they go one step further; lovely fresh squeaky cheese curds! Initially I was a sceptic, gravy and cheese together. Certainly not an everyday type of food, and wouldn't the gravy make the fries all soggy? Surprisingly, it all fits together; hot home made crispy fries, squeaky cheese curds covered with a tasty brown gravy. It truly is the perfect accompaniment for a tourtierre quiche or as pictured here, a authentic French Canadian Tourtierre. You can cut the potatoes any way you wish. I prefer a short stubby fry. Ingredients 2-3 russet potatoes Fresh cheese curds 1/2 red onion brown gravy butter salt and pepper for seasoning Directions Wash, peel and slice the potatoes to desired size and shape. Rinse under running cold water and store in cold water until needed. Slice the onions into ribbons and add to a preheated pan on medium heat with a pat of butter. Season with salt and continue to cook until softened and sweet. Add the gravy and stir checking the seasoning. Keep hot until needed. Drain and dry the potatoes and add to a deep pot or deep fryer of cold oil. Start heating the oil slowly to 375 degrees. This is a new method I'm trying out called the cold start method and is reputed to create French fries that are lower in calories and is practically fool-proof. Drain the potatoes on paper towels and keep warm until needed. To assemble, put the potatoes on a warm plate and sprinkle with cheese curds. Serve immediately with individual cups or creamers of the hot gravy and let each person pour the gravy over the fries to maximize the crispy-ness of the potatoes as they will get soggy fast. Enjoy this treat from Canada.  One of the things I looked forward to each year when I was living in Canada was Christmas Eve. Before heading to church for Christmas eve service we sometimes had the fortunate pleasure of eating tourtiere, a French Canadian meat pie. My sister married into a French Canadian family and her mother in law always had tourtiere for the season. Made with a mixture of pork and beef, potatoes and spices the aroma always reminds me of family and friends during the Christmas season right till New Years. There are as many recipes as there are families, lovingly passed down to each new generation and I have my own recipe that I will share with all of you. But I also want to introduce something new and different, a breakfast layered meat pie and quiche. I developed this as a way to combine two great dishes into one unforgettable hybrid. When I first attempted this dish the quiche flowed into the meat creating just a meat quiche. Time for a solution and not backing down I melted a thin layer of cheese on top of the meat to create a barrier. I now could add a quiche Lorraine layer that remained separate making something truely unique and saving calories as a unexpected bonus. Of course you can just make the meat pie without the quiche half; just cover it with a pastry lid. Serve with poutine homefries (Coming soon). Ingredients 1 pound pork freshly ground 1 pound beef freshly ground 2 russet potatoes cooked and riced 2 stalks finely diced celery 1 medium onion finely diced 2 tbsp. butter 1 tsp. cinnamon large pinch ground cloves 1 tsp. savory 1 clove garlic finely chopped 1/4 cup water 2 cups grated Swiss cheese 12 slices bacon cooked and chopped 12 eggs 1/2 cup milk or cream 1 tsp. Herbes de Provence salt and pepper 2 deep dish pie crust home made or store bought Directions Prepare the pie crusts (See below) To get the best results I recommend grinding your own meat if you are able. Cut into 1 inch cubes and mix the pork and beef together when grinding. It will help if you partially freeze the meat first before grinding. Boil or steam 2 medium russet potatoes in their skin until a knife easily pierces to the center of the potato. Peal and mash or if you have a ricer; cut in half and put into the ricer cut side down and rice. The skin will be left behind and can be easily discarded. Reserve until needed. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a skillet on medium heat melt the butter and add the garlic, celery and onion. Cook 3 to 5 minutes to soften then add the ground pork and beef and continue to cook until all pink is gone. Add the spices and water and mix to combine. Fold in the potatoes and cool until needed. Blind bake the pie crusts until just starting to brown. If you have not done this before, don't worry; we just prick the bottom of the crust with a fork about 12 times, cover with some parchment paper, add dry beans to let the crust keep it's shape and put into the oven. Brush the pie crust with a little beaten egg to help keep it from getting soggy. Split half the meat potato mixture to each pie crust and smooth down. It should come about half way up. Sprinkle a thin layer of grated cheese to cover the meat mixture and melt in the oven for 5 minutes. Beat the eggs in a bowl with the milk or cream and the Herbes de Provence, season with salt and pepper. Add to the pie crusts then add the bacon and cheese. Cook until the egg is fully set covering the exposed crust with foil to protect it from browning too much. Let cool for thirty minutes before serving. Makes two quiches. I sometimes make extra meat and potato mixture and make true Tourtières covering the meat pie with a pastry crust brushed with egg wash. Remember there is twelve days of Christmas and I always try to make some extra. They freeze well, for a great future meal! There is a great recipe for pie crusts at the Smitten Kitchen. Follow this Link.  One of the most important aspects of Inspiration are ingredients; especially when an ingredient is in season and at its peak. Pick up and smell a tomato when it is ripe and at its peak or almost any other seasonal ingredient and let the fragrance, appearance and taste give you inspiration. Currently here on the coast it is Dungeness crab season and my neighbor gave me some of his extras. My initial thought was to make crab cakes and then inspiration led me to create a benedict that showcases the northwest. The base has to be that great northwest bread, sourdough; then a great lump crab cake, a poached egg and some sort of a sauce. To make things simple I decided to make a simple sauce, mayo, lemon juice and avocado; both that go great with crab. Ingredients 1 pound fresh cooked lump Dungeness Crab meat 1 cup Panko bread crumbs 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce ½ teaspoon cranberry mustard (or substitute Dijon) 1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning 1 large egg ½ cup mayonnaise 2 Tbsp. butter ½ cup mayonnaise ½ lemon 1 ripe avocado 4 large eggs 4 slices sourdough bread Directions Mix the wet ingredients together then gently fold in the crab then the bread crumbs. Divide into four equal portions and form into cakes. I like to use a ring mold. Melt the butter in a medium heat skillet and fry until crispy on one side, then gently flip and brown the second side. Keep warm. Mix ½ cup of mayonnaise with the juice of ½ lemon then mash in one half of a ripe avocado. Whip until smooth. Poach the eggs until the desired doneness and reserve warm. Toast the bread and butter. Place the bread on a plate and add a crab cake on top. Place a poached egg on top, season with salt and pepper and top with the avocado mayonnaise mixture. Repeat for the three remaining benedict and serve immediately. Serves four.  I have had a few people ask me for recipes that are both simple and easy so I decided to post this; a recipe I have been making for over 20 years. It is so simple that almost anyone can make it with leftover turkey and gravy, a onion and your favorite curry spice. All you need is some rice, noodles, a slice of toast or if you want some leftover stuffing to pour the curry over. Serve this over toast with a fried egg on top to make a great brunch dish. This is a great recipe to get the kids to help with. Ingredients: 1 large onion 1 ½ - 2 cups cooked turkey 2 cups turkey gravy 2 - 4 Tbsp. curry powder (to your taste) 1 Tbsp. butter 4 pieces toast 4 fried eggs Extras: chopped toasted almonds and craisins Optional: rice, noodles or stuffing for serving instead of toast Directions: 1. Dice the turkey and the onion. Heat the gravy and reserve. 2. Heat a non-stick skillet on medium add the butter to coat the bottom of the pan. Sauté the onion until translucent. 3. Add the turkey, stir and let warm through. 4. Add the gravy and stir to combine. Mix in the curry powder and taste. Add more if you like it stronger. Correct seasoning with salt and pepper. Optionally you can stir in some chopped toasted almonds (I prefer Marcona style almonds) and some craisins for sweetness. Fry the eggs to your preferred doneness. 5. Serve over toast, rice, noodles or stuffing. Top with fried egg. Serves 4.  I love to create new and innovative benedicts; using something interesting for the base followed by a complementary piece of meat or vegetable, topped with a lovely poached egg and a sauce to tie everything together. Using Thanksgiving as my inspiration, I thought to use leftover dressing for the base, pressing it into a ring mold and browning it in sauté pan. Next I think a nice piece of turkey would be perfect next level. We could use a circle cutter to make it look a bit more professional or leave the pieces as is for a more rustic presentation. Then the prerequisite poached egg done to your favorite doneness; I like mine with the white firm and a runny yolk. For the sauce, I could use turkey gravy or if cranberries are your thing, top with cranberry sauce. Maybe next year I will work on a cranberry-hollandaise sauce to bring something new to the traditional. This benedict is the perfect brunch dish for your Thanksgiving weekend and is so easy to make. Option: To work properly your stuffing should be moist and be able to be compacted into the form. If you don't want to make this dish with leftover stuffing why not use the Stuffin Muffin recipe and use a egg ring instead of a muffin pan to create a form similar to an English muffin. You just have to trim off the top to make it flat. Ingredients 2 slices of turkey 2 cups of moist turkey stuffing or dressing 2 poached eggs turkey gravy or cranberry sauce butter Directions 1. Using greased round egg molds, divide stuffing and press to fill. Heat a skillet on medium heat, add butter and the stuffing in the molds. Brown on one side, unmold and brown on second side. Reserve until needed. 2. Using a circle cutter the same size as the egg mold, cut the turkey slices into rounds or if you prefer a more rustic look use a slice. Warm and place on the stuffing rounds. 3. Poach two eggs and add on top of turkey 4. Finish with warmed gravy or cranberry sauce. (you could also add the cranberry sauce to hollandaise for a fancier offering)  Daylight is getting shorter, the weather is getting cooler and football rules the airwaves so it must closer to Thanksgiving day. One great thing about being a Canadian in the United States is that I get to celebrate two separate Thanksgivings, November 28, 2013 in the US and October 14, 2013 in Canada. Talk about leftover turkey! All kidding aside, how do you take inspiration and make a special breakfast that does Thanksgiving proud. Each year I look forward to my favorite dish; stuffing made with celery and onions, bread and spices plus something extra like sausage or diced turkey. My inspiration is to recreate that same great taste in a savory muffin, my "Stuffin' Muffin." I wanted the muffin to be moist and savory with a hint of sweetness. I encourage you to use this as a starting point and make it your own and then envision your own savory muffins. Note: I searched for the name "stuffin' muffins" and found others had made something similar (even Rachael Ray has one!) usually using bread crumbs or pre-packaged stuffing mixes. I think that using seasoned bread crumbs would be a great idea if used as a crisp topping. I believe my version is unique, adding turkey gravy to add additional moisture (and for taste); creating an unique dish. I believe you could substitute chicken or turkey broth to save some calories. Ingredients: 3 tbsp. butter 1 medium to large onion 2 or 3 stalks celery Optional: 1 or 2 large precooked turkey or pork sausage patty 2 tsp. poultry seasoning 1 cup turkey gravy plus extra for serving 1 tsp. thyme leaves 1 tsp. ground sage Salt and pepper for seasoning 2 cups all-purpose flour 1 ½ tsp. baking powder 1 tsp. salt 3-5 tbsp. sugar 1 Large Egg ½ cup milk Directions: Preheat the oven to 400° F. Finely dice the onion, celery and if you choose to use, the sausage. Heat a skillet on medium heat and add butter. Sauté the onion, celery and sausage seasoned with salt and pepper until the onion and celery are soft. Add the poultry seasoning, thyme and sage and sauté for two minutes more, then add the gravy and stir to combine. Taste and correct the seasoning, take off the heat and allow to cool until warm. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt in to a large bowl. Beat the egg, sugar and the milk in another bowl and gently mix into the dry ingredients. As making any other muffin I want not to over work the mixture. Mix in the onion and celery mixture. Grease some muffin tins and spoon the mixture into the muffin tins ¾ full. Bake in a 400° F oven until done (about 20 minutes) or until the tops are brown and a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Serve hot with extra gravy. Makes 6 large or 12 small muffins.  And now for something completely different - Ever since Monty Python showed up on the airwaves in the late sixties, I have been a devoted fan. The silly skits still make me smile and laugh. When ever two or more devoted fans come together, you will almost always hear songs or skits recited from memory. Any one for a quick run through of the lumberjack song? For the first time that I know of; a breakfast dish inspired by and dedicated to the lads of Monty Python. What’s next, dead parrot hash, killer rabbit stew or strawberry tart with not too much rat in it? This has to be definitive proof that inspiration can come from anywhere - "Nudge Nudge, Wink Wink, Say no more!" This is simply spam done three ways. We start with scrambled eggs with minced spam, accompanied with spam and potato hash covered with a country spam gravy. I recommend that you use the low sodium spam which still has a considerable amount of salt. Everyone sing, "spam spam spam spam, spam spam spam spam, wonderful spam!" Ingredients Eggs with minced Spam ½ can of Spam (or use reduced salt Spam) 4 eggs plus 2 extra yolks 1 Tbsp. finely chopped chives 2 Tbsp. milk or half and half 1 Tbsp. butter salt and pepper for seasoning Spam Gravy ¼ can of Spam (or use reduced salt Spam) 1 small white onion or 2 shallots finely diced 2 Tbsp. butter 2 Tbsp. flour 1 tsp. dijon mustard 1 Tbsp. chicken base 4 sprigs thyme pinch red pepper flakes hot sauce to taste salt and pepper for seasoning Spam Hash 2 Medium Red Potatoes ¼ can of Spam (or use reduced salt Spam) 1 - 2 cloves garlic 1 small white onion ½ small green or poblano pepper ½ small red pepper 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh herbs - parsley, oregano, rosemary and chives (or your favorite mix) salt and pepper for seasoning ¼ cup olive oil plus 2 Tbsp. butter Directions Spam Gravy Heat a sauce pan over medium heat. When the pan is hot, add 2 Tbsp. butter and the finely diced Spam and finely diced onions or shallots, season with pepper and cook until the Spam is browned. Add the thyme and red pepper flakes and continue to cook for a minute. Whisk in the flour and stir until fully mixed. This is in fact a roux. Stir until the raw flour begins to smell nutty which should only take a minute or two. Continue to whisk and slowly add the milk. Increase the heat to medium high continuing to stir until the mixture begins to boil, then reduce the heat to low. Add the dijon mustard, hot sauce and the chicken base (I like to use "Better then bullion"). Now is the time to check seasoning, and to add the hot sauce to achieve the heat you want. Pick out any thyme stems and keep warm until needed. Spam Hash Peel and dice the potatoes into 3/8 inch cubes and soak in ice water bath. Dice the Spam, onions and peppers to the same size and reserve. Drain and dry the potatoes with a kitchen towel or paper towel. Heat a cast iron skillet or griddle to medium heat and add ½ of the butter. When the butter starts to sputter, add the oil and then the potatoes. Cook slowly letting each side of the potato brown before flipping. While the potato browns heat a skillet on medium heat and when hot add the remaining butter. When the butter starts to sizzle add the garlic and sauté until fragrant then add the onion and peppers and season with salt. Cook until the onions start to brown and reserve warm. When the potatoes are almost brown and crispy, add the Spam and continue to cook until both the potatoes and spam are browned and crispy. Add the onion and pepper mixture and toss to combine. Taste, season with salt and pepper and add the chopped herbs. Toss to mix and remove from the heat. Serve immediately. Eggs with minced Spam Crack the eggs and extra yolk into a small bowl and add the half and half or milk and season with salt and pepper. Beat the eggs with a fork until they are a solid color. Do not over-beat to keep the eggs tender. Heat a 10 inch skillet on medium high heat so that when you add 2 Tbsp. of the butter, it sizzles but does not brown too quickly. Swirl it around the pan to cover the bottom. Add finely diced Spam and fry until lightly browned. Add the beaten eggs to the skillet and let heat for 20 to 30 seconds. Using the spatula gently push the egg mixture from the edge to the middle of the pan. Continue over the entire surface of the skillet until egg curds start to form. Reduce the heat to medium low, and start gently folding over the curds. If you want extra creamy eggs; while the mixture is still runny add small pieces of butter continuing to fold the mixture over to make the eggs extra creamy. Pull the eggs off the heat when almost done, stir in chopped chives and let the residual heat finish cooking the eggs. Serve immediately. Serves 2. Hints - I like to use the 25% salt reduced spam to cut back on the salt and taste as I go to ensure the salt doesn't get out of control. Don't skip the fresh herbs, they are my favorite part. If you want to add additional vegetables, go for it; in fact if you want to add a Hawaiian touch you could try a little pineapple in the hash. Try substituting olive oil for the butter to save a few calories and for the vegetarian, substitute mushrooms or a meat replacement product for the Spam. |
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How does a good chef think? What is the creative process a chef uses to come up with new and exciting dishes? What do I need to know to enable that creative process? These are the questions I want to explore in this series of articles. As a chef and an avid cookbook collector I am drawn towards ideas and techniques of cooking rather than just a collection of recipes. I believe to grow as a chef, I need to continually learn and hone new techniques along with perfecting each technique I use every day. Whenever I go to a restaurant, whether fine dining, neighborhood pub, avant garde, or even fast food, I continually ask myself how can I do this better, what works and more important, what doesn’t? Feel free to send me comments, ask questions. Together, we can explore and make creative cuisine. Gord StefaniukSpending almost thirty years in the computing field, I was able to travel experiencing a wide variety of tremendous cuisine. First I became a foodie, and when the opportunity arose, I was able to attend culinary school following my passion. I work as a part-time private chef and volunteer time at the community café in North Bend Oregon providing affordable meals in a restaurant setting to my community. Archives
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