Eggs are one of nature’s amazing food.  In terms of cooking them, eggs are both on of the most simple things to handle and cook and also can be one of the most scientifically complex.  Maybe that’s why I like them so much.  Sure, they’re high in cholesterol, but they’re also packed with protein and B vitamins – not to mention taste delicious.

When thinking about cooking eggs, most people can scramble, fry and hard boil, but cooking eggs with some finesse and seasoning them with things like fresh herbs and cream can really take your eggs to the next level.  This dish is straight out of Julia Child’s masterpiece Mastering the Art of French Cooking, and I like serving it for Christmas Brunch and on other special occasions, but it’s also great for dinner alongside a simple salad.

One thing I will say about eggs is that we really do like to advocate that you buy ORGANIC eggs.  It may cost you a little bit extra, but it’s something that is really good for the entire food community. Non-organic eggs are kept in tiny cages and fed a diet of mostly corn, treatment that produces a much worse product that hens that are allowed to roam free and eat mostly grass and organic feed.  For more information on this please check out these differences between organic and non-organic eggs.

It’s best alongside a crusty toasted piece of sourdough toast for you to dip into the soft yolk.  You can also season the eggs with other things such as prosciutto, caramelized onions or anything you might like.  My advice with this dish though is to keep it simple and you’ll be rewarded.  It’s a simple dish to begin with and keeping it that way is one of the most appealing things about it.  Here’s how to execute it:

Serves 4

• You’ll need to have 4 small ramekins that are oven-safe
• 8 organic eggs
• 8 Tbsp. cream (heavy recommended, though light cream might work too)
• 1 Tbsp. sage
• 1 Tbsp. rosemary
• 1 Tbsp. thyme
• Around 2 Tbsp. butter
• Salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 375 F.  The preparation for this dish is pretty simple.  Start by making sure that the eggs are a room temperature, this will help them cook evenly how you want them.  Take a little bit of butter and simply butter the ramekins lightly on all sides and on the bottom.  Get a large baking sheet or pan that can go into the oven and add enough water to cover the pan by about an inch of water.  Place the pan over medium/low heat and bring the water to just a simmer.  Place the buttered ramekins into the pan and water.

Next add 1 Tbsp of cream to each ramekin, followed by a small amount of each herb (dividing each pile of herbs evenly amongst each ramekin).  Next, crack 2 eggs into each ramekin, being very careful not to break any of the yolks.  Once your eggs are in the ramekins, season them all with a bit of salt and pepper and then add the remaining 1 Tbsp. each fo cream to each ramekin.  Finally, top each with a tiny pat of butter and place the whole pan with the ramekins into the pre-heated oven.

Bake the eggs for 8-10 minutes and then pull them.  it may seem like they’re still runny, but trust me, you don’t want to overcook them.  Serve immediately with some toast and you’ve got an awesome gourmet breakfast.

The frittata – what an underestimated food.  It is classier than a scramble, less formal than an omelet, and sturdy enough to serve alongside just about anything else you have on the menu.  I recently gained a new appreciation for the frittata at a brunch my good friends Amanda and Luke hosted a couple months ago, and I have been eagerly experimenting ever since.  What I particularly like about frittata is that it is really just a medium.  You can alter the masterpiece any way you wish, which makes it convenient for entertaining and for keeping your taste buds engaged.  Not to mention – it’s cheap!

When I made this frittata, it was midweek, and I was after a taste that would satisfy and fill me up, but I also wanted to make something light enough that I would feel good about eating it.  For that reason, I used more egg whites than yolks and Canadian bacon, but Sunday morning probably would have inspired me to use all of the yolks and real bacon.  You make the call on that one!  I served it along with a fresh green salad.  Delicious!

Ingredients:

• 6 egg whites and 2 egg yolks
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/4 cup diced white onion
• 1-2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup shredded provolone cheese
• 1 tablespoon each of parsley, thyme, basil, and rosemary
• Three medium cut slices of Canadian bacon, cut into 1/2 inch dice.
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon butter
• Salt
• Black Pepper
• Crushed red pepper (if you like spice)

Heat a large, oven-safe skillet over medium high heat.  Add the olive oil and butter.  Add the Canadian bacon and cook until it is golden brown.  Add the onions, salt and pepper, and saute until the onions are begin to become translucent.  Add the garlic and continue cooking until the onions and garlic are soft.  Beat the eggs and milk and salt and pepper to taste.  Add the egg mixture to the pan and stir in the onions, garlic, and bacon to incorporate.

Let cook for about five minutes on stove top, rotating the pan occasionally to increase the surface area reaching the heat.  Add all of the herbs and cheese and put into a preheated 425 degree oven and bake for about ten minutes.  Serve immediately.

Here are some other Frittata Recipes for your enjoyment:

• Simply Recipes: Asparagus Frittata
• Food Blogga: Nana’s Potato, Onion and Pepper Frittata
• Divine Caroline: Spinach Frittata
• 101 Cookbooks: Tasty Frittata

When I move away from places I’ve lived, one of the things I always miss the most is my favorite restaurants.  When I moved away from the Bay Area earlier this year, I knew there were going to be countless places that Aimee and I were going to miss.  One of those places is one of the first restaurants we ever ate at while living with Russ up in the hills above UC Berkeley: Rick and Ann’s.

Perched just below the majestic Claremont Hotel off of Ashby Ave., Rick and Ann’s is a Berkeley institution.  Aimee and I would always really want to go there on weekend morning for breakfast, but were normally turned away by the typical hour waits and lines out the door.  Here and there though we got lucky and got a spot.

Who doesn’t love hash?  Chop a bunch of vegetables and meat, throw them into a pan, add a few eggs and presto, you got yourself an awesome breakfast (or dinner in this case).  This ‘Yukon Gold Plate’ that I’ve tried to re-create here is a classic example of the combination of sweet and savory flavors.  The apples and sweet potatoes married to the peppers, onions and fennel – combined with the poached egg yolk make this a truly luxurious breakfast.

At Rick and Ann’s, you’ll find this dish vegetarian, however I decided to add some sausage, but you can definitely omit that if you wish.  I was also making this in the late fall/early winter months, so corn was completely out of the question.  I instead added some mushrooms and fennel, but you can really go whatever direction you want with this.  This dish makes a great breakfast, but also served us very well as dinner (who doesn’t love ‘breakfast for dinner’?).

Ingredients for the Hash:

• 1 large or 2 medium sweet potatoes (Garnett Yams are the best for this dish) – Cut into small 1/2″ cubes
• 3 Yukon gold potatoes – Cut into small cubes (1/2″)
• 1 medium bulb of fennel – End and stalks removed and sliced thin (reserve some of the fronds)
• 1 white onion – Sliced thin
• 3-4 cloves of garlic – diced
• 1 large apple – Cored and cut into small 1/2″ cubes
• 1/2 cup Crimini mushrooms – cubed off
• 1 large red bell pepper – Diced
• Sweet Italian pork sausage or chicken sausage of your liking (OPTIONAL) – Casings removed
• 6-7 stalks of thyme – Leaves removed
• 5-6 leaves of sage – Finely chopped
• Scallions – Sliced very thinly
• 2-3 Tbsp. butter

• 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• 2 eggs per person (so 8 total)
• Large splash of white vinegar

First of all, prepare a pot of boiling water to blanch the potatoes in.  Then go about chopping your vegetables.  You can really make your veg as big or small as you want, but I like making them pretty small so that I can get as diverse a group as possible onto each fork full.

Over medium heat, add your butter and olive oil to a heavy bottomed skillet.  Add in the onion and fennel and salt and cook slowly until they begin to caramelize – around 7-10 minutes (you can cook them while you prepare the rest of your vegetables).  Once the pot of water is boiling, add both types of potato to the water and blanch until cook most of the way, but not completely (they will finish cooking in the pan with the rest of the ingredients).

Once the potatoes are done, drain them and then fill up the pot again with water an a good splash of white vinegar to poach the eggs in.  You want to be sure that you’re using a heavy pot (dutch ovens are perfect) and only fill up the pot with about 3″ of water.  Bring this pot of liquid to a boil and then turn the heat to the lowest setting on your stove.

Next, add the garlic, peppers, mushrooms, thyme and sage and a little more salt to the pan with the onions and fennel and continue to cook, mixing the ingredients together.  Make a empty circle in the pan and put in the sausage (if using) and break it apart with your wooden spoon.  Once the sausage is cooked, add in the apple and cook for another 2-3 minutes and then add the potatoes back to the party.

At this point, all of the ingredients should be in the pan cooking together.  You want to mix them well and then let them sit over the heat for a few minutes to give them a little color.  Add some pepper and adjust the salt if you need to here as well.

To poach the eggs, crack each individual egg one by one into a small bowl and gently plop it into the water/vinegar mixture you heated before.  The egg should stay together and begin to poach.  If it’s not poaching, you can increase the heat again.  You want the water to be very hot, but not at a rolling boil.  Once the egg is done (it will become fairly white but the yolk will still be runny) remove it very gently with a slotted spoon being careful not to break the yolks.  Repeat until you have enough eggs to serve your party.

Plate 2 eggs on top of a pile of the hash, salt the eggs and top with you diced scallions.  Serve with toast too if you want.

Serves 4

Here are some other awesome looking hash recipes you should try!

What We’re Eating: Sweet & Purple Peruvian Potato Hash (Beautiful!)
Eating Out Loud: Quick & Simple Sweet Potato Hash
Suite 101: Sweet Potato Hash with Fennel Salmon
Simply Recipes: Ham and Potato Hash