Breakfast is the most important meal of the day and eggs are the quickest protein you can muster. You’re not hungry in the AM? Try eating less at night or eat your evening meal earlier. Go to bed hungry; wake up famished.
If you have never cooked or liked to cook, try eggs; they are idiot proof. Eggs and butter are two ingredients tossed together that become a delicacy greater than the sum of their parts.
For scrambled eggs, think two eggs per person. The secret is a generous dollop of butter and a splash of olive oil. Butter will scorch before oil; the oil is your safety net. Like a spy’s martini, scrambled eggs should be stirred (with a fork) in individual portions over high heat, in the pan, not beaten in a bowl. When the slimy stuff starts to disappear, turn off heat, salt and pepper to taste, give the eggs a vigorous shake and plate. After you master a scramble, you can guild this lily with bits of cheese, ham or mushrooms or any combination. Swiss, provolone and aged cheddar hold up well in a scramble.
You say your kids will not eat eggs or breakfast! First, put them to bed hungry. In the AM, cover a well buttered piece of whole wheat toast with scrambled eggs. Cut diagonally into four triangles; arrange in a pinwheel; and fill center with chopped ham, bacon or loose sausage. Yes, presentation is important, especially for fussy kids. We all eat with our eyes. If you try and make eating fun, it’s just possible that your cookie crunchers will look forward to sitting at your table.
Speaking of meat, the traditional packaged breakfast meats are quality casualties, starting with bacon. If you eat things like turkey bacon, stop it! This concoction has twice the salt and half the flavor of pork. The same is true for “lite” ham or sausage. The best ham in the world is made by Spaniards and Virginians. Find a good butcher and buy fresh side meats in bulk. Freeze what you don’t use immediately. It’s cheaper and healthier.
The not so secret ingredient in all sausage is fat. Steam your tube steak before browning if you’re worried about fat intake. Find a good Italian butcher or grocer and buy fresh – spicy or mild. Lamb sausage can be found at most Jewish or Muslim meat markets. Speaking of spice, Hawaiians serve the best breakfast on the planet; pineapple juice, papaya half with lemon wedge, eggs, rice and Portuguese sausage (chorizo). Left over rice is an excellent alternative to potatoes in the morning.
Back to eggs. The key to a good sunny side is two eggs, yokes intact, over high heat, cooked in butter or bacon fat – no oil. The idea is to brown the whites under the yokes without turning the yokes into hockey pucks. If you don’t like that runny stuff on top of your eggs, cover the eggs for the last minute or until the white becomes opaque. Salt, pepper, slide and serve.
“Eggs over” are sunny sides upside down - or another way of dealing with uncooked whites topside. The trick here is to turn the eggs without breaking or overcooking the yokes. You can do this with wrist English or a spatula. Impress your friends. Learn to flip eggs in the pan without a spatula. It’s not just showmanship; it’s a great timesaver.
Omelets are the royalty of the breakfast plate. Here the eggs (no more than three) are beaten in a bowl before cooking. The idea is to whip in some air, hence making them fluffy. Some folks add a tsp of water or milk but it’s not necessary. If you like your omelets browned, use butter only; if you like eggs saffron yellow use butter with a little oil. Cook eggs over medium high heat until they start to congeal evenly; place filling on one side of the egg circle; fold egg side to the fill side; flip and cook through.
It’s dealer’s choice on omelet fillings. Like strombolli, you can use damn near anything. Yet remember that eggs have a subtle flavor; they require sensitive companions like fungi. Indeed, try different kinds of mushrooms or spinach and see what tickles your palate. Cheese works also. But you can’t overwhelm the eggs with something that smells like ripe laundry. Almost all of the Swiss or provolone types work well. Some foods are born partners; corn and limas, tomatoes and basil and, of course, ham and eggs. Mild cheese and/or earthy fungus were made to fraternize within the omelet.
Were it not for Eggs Benedict, I would not eat a poached egg. I wouldn’t eat a boiled egg either except that Annabell likes to chop them onto various comestibles. So let’s dispense with the hard boiled first. Bring a small pot of water to a boil. Pierce blunt side of each egg with sharp needle to release sulfur (making your kitchen smell like a toilet). Gently drop eggs into water for 3-5 minutes. Remove, cool and smack with the round side of a spoon to peel. Discard the egg.
Eggs Benedict is really just an excuse to make hollandaise sauce (see below). Toast several slices of whole grain bread. Cut into a circle with a cookie cutter if you must have ovals. Butter bread. Trim a slice of salty ham or Canadian bacon to fit bread base. Gently, place a poached egg on top and finish with hollandaise sauce and a sprig of something green.
To poach the eggs, break gently into slow boiling water, again without breaking the yokes. When the whites have congealed and the yokes are still soft, remove carefully (with slotted spoon) to toast or a pan of warm water. If you leave them in the cooking water they will be overdone. If you have bain maries (small double boilers), you can make eggs benedict on an industrial scale. This gadget will keep the eggs or sauce warm until you are ready to serve without overcooking either. Think about it! Here’s a one egg dish where there are four egg yokes in the sauce. What’s not to like?
Hollandaise Sauce – Four eggs, 4 ounces of butter, 4 tbls water, 4 tbls white wine vinegar, serving spoon of flour and juice of ½ lemon. Make a paste of the soft butter and flour. Add to a sauce pan with the vinegar and water, whisk until almost boiling. Add four beaten egg yokes and continue to stir until the sauce thickens. Remove to jar immersed in hot water or the clean top of a bain Marie. The key to a really snappy sauce is to stir in that room temperature lemon juice just before serving.
The perfect sides are asparagus tips and a glass of well chilled Gloria Ferrer or a long tall mimosa made with fresh OJ. Americans get a little nervous about alcohol in the morning. Get over it! Extensive research has proven that a glass of grape in the morning is a sure cure for that wrong side of the bed thing. The Bulgarian sage of Templeton tells us to be moderate in all things, including moderation.
Egg Tools – There are only three tools necessary for the breakfast chef; a deep glass or stainless bowl, an omelet pan and a wire whisk. The pan should be cast iron or steel. No substitutes. The whisk should be stainless wire flexible enough to make a musical sound when you tap your palm.
Cereal – Most dry dog food is made of cereal. However, there are no known canines (lupus) that eat cereal in the wild. Canines are carnivorous. They eat meat – hair, bones and all. Cereal is a creation of the pet industry – a cheap way to feed an otherwise expensive animal. Cereal is good for the industry, not so good for the dog. So it is with cereal for your children. Most breakfast cereal is crap, processed grains with sugar. The crap is literal. There is a USDA allowable amount of rodent and insect feces in all grain products. Think about that the next time you buy a box of fruit loops.
Other grain products would include pancakes, crepes or waffles. Here again these are packaged sugar and carbohydrates. If you must have them, follow directions on the box. If you feel the need for seed, you’re better off with a slice of good whole grain bread soaked in beaten egg and fried in butter - aka French toast. If you use a topping, raw honey or real maple syrup is tastier and healthier than refined sugar.
The deficits of most grains are overcome by porridge; rolled or steel cut oats. Porridge is cooked with boiling water. So much for the foreign matter. Also, oats are arguably the most healthy and nutritious grain you can eat. Oat meal is good for your plumbing too. So if you must eat cereal, oats are the thing. For the kids, you can sweeten the pot with honey, maple syrup, raisins or dried fruit. Serve with butter, milk or cream. There’s nothing like a hot, steaming bowl of mush on a dreary cold morning.
Stay tuned. Next we deal with lunch.
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