haute egg sandwich

First off, I really want to thank you all for your nice comments on my last post! This blog would have been nothing but a whisper without all of you, so thank you! I'm really touched and still giddy over it all.

A little while ago I received an email from Adrienne who is the food blogger behind Nosheteria. She just published a memoir entitled Cooking and Screaming: Finding My Own Recipe for Recovery and wanted to know if I wouldn't mind a copy. Of course I said yes! Her book recounts her recovery after a stroke-like condition at age 21 and how she discovered what she wanted to do with her life: cook and write.

Each chapter begins with a recipe, including a version of a "haute" egg sandwich. But there's so many recipes worthy of making, especially the Tagliatelle with Grated Zucchini that starts off the book. But that one will come later in summer when I'm bombarded with zucchinis. As for the book? It was an enjoyable read. Adrienne's descriptions of food transported me to the Berkley market where she did her shopping or made me wish I was snacking on her catered canapes. She not only cooks with passion but she definitely lives with passion. You can read my full review and follow me on my GoodReads page.

I really liked this sandwich and it reminded me of a simpler version of my apple & cheddar omelette. Next time I make this, I'll follow Adrienne's recipe and sub in English muffins for the toast. Also I'd make 4 sandwiches, as recommended, rather than just 2 giant ones. It would be much easier to grab-and-go that way. The original recipe called for blue cheese rather than cheddar and pear instead of apple. I'm not a huge fan of blue cheese and I hate pears, so this really is my take on her haute egg sandwich. But like most recipes here, it's a highly adaptable one, so do with it what you will and enjoy a mighty fine breakfast sandwich.

And totally off topic, on my other blog, I'm having my first give away clearing out some "damaged goods" note cards from my etsy shop. Enter to win!

haute egg sandwich
(adapted from Cooking and Screaming)
4 eggs
3 T milk
salt & pepper to taste
1 T butter
1/2 T olive oil
1/3 c shredded cheddar cheese
4 slices of sturdy whole grain bread, toasted and buttered
1 T honey
1 tart apple, sliced thin

Whisk the eggs with the milk and salt & pepper and set aside. In a medium skillet, heat olive oil and butter together over medium-high heat. Add in eggs and scramble until nearly set, about 3-4 minutes. Turn off heat. Sprinkle cheese over top, do not mix in.

Spread honey thinly on toasts and divide the apple slices equally over top. Grind some pepper over the apple. Divide the eggs in half and place on the apple slices. Top with remaining toast and eat up. It's gonna be messy.

breakfast? i can do that.

Moving and unpacking has been a bit trying. Even though we now have twice the space, the new kitchen is so much smaller than our old one and our new stove is electric and not gas. We just can't understand it when the butter in our cast iron skillet doesn't immediately start melting! And there is still so much of our stuff still in boxes and I'm not used to all the clutter and it's so hard to find things. So needless to say, I haven't been doing a whole lot of cooking lately and I haven't even attempted baking yet. The other night I did make some fantastic baked chicken breasts seasoned with cumin, coriander, Mexican chili powder and cinnamon. So good served with mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli...but that's about it for my culinary adventures. Most of our meals have been quick pasta and take-out Pho from the Vietnamese restaurant around the corner. The one thing I have been making from scratch is breakfast. We've had some damn fine oatmeal, some deliciously sour grapefruits and some lovely Italian bread toasted up right and smeared with butter. But one of my favorite breakfast meals this week has been scrambled eggs. Really, why am I writing a recipe post on something as simple and a breakfast mainstay as scrambled eggs? Well, I've made it twice this past week and they make our new place feel a bit more like home and that's a feeling I can definitely get used to.

scrambled eggs with salsa
For something so simple, a recipe seems so counter intuitive. What you do is this:
Crack 4 eggs into a bowl. Whisk with a fork and add in a few drops of water. This makes them extra fluffy. Trust me. Throw in a pinch of salt and a few good grindings of black pepper and gently whisk again. In a cast iron pan, throw in a small knob of butter and melt. When it's nice and bubbly, slide in the eggs. Using the same fork, toss the mixture around. When it's congeals slightly, add in about 3-4 large spoonfuls of salsa....the good fresh stuff (nothing from a jar or can!) and whisk again with the fork. Grate in about a tablespoon of sharp cheddar, mix again and then divide the mixture equally onto 2 plates. Serve with buttered toast and hot coffee.