Bacon and Egg

What a treat!  Two books dedicated to two of the most versatile and tasty ingredients, bacon and egg. I have a review and a recipe from each book and a copy of 'Bacon' to giveaway, see bottom of  this post for details.

Let's start with Bacon by Theresa Gilliam.  It's not just another bacon cookbook, the book is described by the author as an ode to bacon and it also covers curing and smoking bacon at home.


The recipes are divided by the phases of the day: Dawn, Midday, Dusk and Dark which is rather fun, but before that comes Bacon 101.  Learn all about the different types of bacon and different cooking methods and then, if you are really ambitious, you can tackle home curing and smoking bacon yourself.  There are also some instructions for a couple of basics, clarified bacon fat and a tender and flaky pastry case made with said bacon fat.

DAWN 
I would  love to wake up to some of these recipes,  Gingerbread and Bacon Waffles, Maple Bacon Twists, Bacon-stuffed French Toast and Breakfast Hand Pie.  Having a bit of a thing for scones, I chose to make the Bacon Cheddar Scones (see below)

MIDDAY
And so to lunch and I could happily make and eat a Bacon and Apple Grilled Cheese Panini or a Power Lunch Spinach Salad.  There is an amazing Deconstructed BLT which is actually a soup and another BLT variation,  the BLT Mac and Cheese.

DUSK 
Everything from a classic Pasta alla Carbonara to a Korean-Style Hangover Stew and, oh my goodness,  mouthwatering Bacon-Wrapped Beef Tenderlions with Pomegranate Glaze.  No bacon book would be complete without a recipe for that wonderful preserve, Bacon and Onion Jam.

DARK 
Ah now to move to the dark side which includes all those recipes that take bacon just a step further than you expect and are ideal for a party.  Try a toast with a Bacon Martini while nibbling Bacon Wrapped Stuffed Dates and Bacon Cheese Puffs. For dessert some candied Bacon S'mores, Cardamom Cupcakes with Maple, Bacon and Cream Cheese Frosting and Bacon Baklava.  Finish by nibbling on some Bacon, Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chip Cookies.

Who is it for?  
Well it's obviously for  bacon-lovers, whether it is the cook or their family who love bacon, there is something in there for every bacon lover.

Pros
Theresa Gilliam is a food stylist and recipe developer by profession and, along with photographer EJ Armstrong, has created really mouthwatering photographs which show off the food without too much fuss. The recipes are well laid out and range from the very simple with a few ingredients to some more challenging recipes and, most challenging of all the curing of your own bacon.

Cons
It's obviously not suitable for vegetarians, and is very much a specialist book.

The Verdict
There are some really delicious classics and also some inventive recipes using bacon.  It may find a place on my bookshelf or be a gift to a true bacon lover as I know they would not be disappointed.


Bacon Cheddar Scones
makes 6

270g plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
100g Cheddar cheese, grated
4 rashers of cooked and crumbled bacon
360ml double cream

1. Preheat the oven to 200C/Gas 7.  Line a baking tray with baking parchment.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Stir in the cheese and bacon until it is evenly distributed and coated with flour. Stir in the cream until the dough is just moistened, about 30 seconds. Do not over mix.

3. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and gently knead until it is just smooth, about 30 seconds.  Pat the dough into a rectangle, 2.5cm thick. Cut the dough with a 7.5cm round cutter into circles, or use a knife to cut into 7.5cm squares.  Place the scones on the prepared baking tray, 5cm apart.

Bake for 5-18 minutes until golden brown.

*Over the top bacon lover's tip:  Before putting the scones in the oven, brush with a little melted Clarified Bacon Fat.

I served the Bacon Cheddar Scones with Gravadlax and dill dressing, they were full of flavour and would be good with soup.

BACON, Recipes for Curing, Smoking and Eating
by Theresa Gilliam
Photography by EJ Armstrong
RRP £25
published by Jacqui Small www.jacquismallpub.com (@JacquiSmallPub)


Now on to EGG by Michael Ruhlman, A Culinary Exploration of the World's Most Versatile Ingredient.  In the introduction Michael Ruhlman tells how US TV personality Alton Brown, described the egg as the 'Rosetta Stone of the kitchen' an ingredient which unlocks the secret language of the kitchen.  Well this book has taken the subject of the egg and created a guide to the language of the egg.

The Egg Flowchart is a remarkable achievement, the book contains a copy of the flowchart in a pocket on the back page.  It's an extended version of what is on the front cover of the book and looks at the egg in all it's forms. It is from this flowchart that the book was mapped out.  The whole of the introduction is fascinating and gives a real insight into how Michael Ruhlman thinks, cooks and writes.

Part One: Egg/Whole/Cooked in Shell
Who knew you could say so much about a boiled egg!  Learn how to make Perfect hard boiled eggs and then use them in Egg Salad Three Ways. The soft boiled egg can have degrees of doneness that can tax the most skilled of cooks, the instructions and advice in this chapter will certainly help to make it easier to get you a soft boiled egg the way you want it.  Soft boiled egg recipes include Soft-Boiled Eggs on Artichoke Hears with Creamy Lemon-Shallot Vinaigrette, Pork Ramen with Soft-Boiled Egg and Spring Onions.  There are even instructions to cook eggs sous-vide.

Part Two: Egg/Whole/Cooked out of Shell
Includes Weekend Broken-Yolk Fried Egg Sandwich, Quail Eggs Croque Madame, Frisee Salad with Bacon Vinaigrette and Deep Fried Egg, there are coddled eggs, shirred eggs and, of course, eggs poached in water and in sauces.  Poached Duck Egg on Duck Confit Hash sounds glorious as does Eggs in Puttanesca Sauce with Angel Hair Pasta.

Part Three: Egg/Whole/Cooked out of shell/Blended
A page and a half is devoted to scrambling eggs so that you can make people swoon!  The Omelette also gets a full page and step by step photographs to ensure that nothing is missed. Recipes include Omelette with Creamy Morel mushrooms and Potato, Onion and Cheese Frittata.  Moving on to Baked egg (dry heat) and we come to the recipe that I recreated: Marlene's Bacon and Sausage Breakfast Strata, a savoury bread pudding (recipe below).  Egg wash is also part of blended egg and essential to enable panko breadcrumbs to stick to Breaded Chicken Cutlets with Dijon and Thyme. Egg is explored  as a binder for meatballs and as a custard in a Classic French Quiche with Chorizo and Roasted Peppers, Creme Caramel and Bourbon Brioche Bread Pudding.

Part Four: Egg/As Ingredient/The Dough-Batter Continuum
As you see we are moving on from dishes which are dominated by egg to those where egg is more equal in it's position in the recipe such as Challah, Pasta, Italian Drop Biscuits with Lemon Glaze, Gougeres and Profiteroles. Oh and, of course, Cake and the Egg with 'The Keys to Fabulous Cake' and Regina's Lemon Cream Cake looks like a totally Fabulous Cake.  All the basics are explained including the notorious 'Creme Pat' and a luscious looking Chocolate glaze which doesn't even include and egg.  The cakes just go on and on looking so tempting.   Then suddenly we are returned to the savoury with Sweetcorn and Sweet Pepper Fritters with Chipotle-Lime Mayonnaise, Prawn Tempura and back to the sweet with Crepes Suzette.

Part Five: Egg/Separated/The Yolk
The yolk is Michel Ruhlman's favourite part of the egg and with recipes like Caesar Dressing for Crips Cos Lettuce and Croutons, Blanquette de Veau, Mayonnaise and it's variants and one my favourite foods Pasta Carbonara, it's not surprising that the yolk is given such high status. Then there are those tricky stars of the eggy world Hollandaise and Bernaise.  Egg yolks also create dreamy sweets think, Creme Brulee, Vanilla Ice Cream and a Poire William Sabayon.

Part Six: Egg/Separated/The White
Egg white is like a magic substance acting as a binder, a setting agent, they can clarify stock and be used as a powerful raising agent.  Fabulous impressive recipes such as Seafood Roulade with Scallops and Crab which is laid out in step by step photographs, creamy Orange-Ginger Panna Cotta and 'The Amazing Meringue'.  I really want to make nougat as it's my husband's favourite sweet treat, this recipe looks relatively simple and again has step by step photos so I might just finally get around to making it.   Soft egg white in dishes like Ile Flottante and  egg white cake like Angel Food Cake are also featured.

Just when you thought there were no more variants on the EGG, there is just one more.

Part Seven: Egg/Separated but Used Together
This includes Curried Devilled Egg Canapes, Mango-Lime Semifreddo, Chocolate Espresso Kahlua Souffle (yes, please) and Eggnog.

Who is it for?
I had to think about this quite a lot as this is an unusual book, designed in a very different way from most cookbooks.  I would say that this book is for the kind of person who likes to be precise, to understand their ingredients, the science behind the recipe and practice making simple dishes until they 'make you swoon' as Michael Ruhlman would say.  Also someone who wants to challenge themselves to make those recipes which can so easily go wrong without attention to detail.  In saying that, there are lots of recipes here for everyone and great care has been taken with the instructions so if you follow them, you are most likely to create a good result.

Pros
There is a lot of information, many recipes and excellent photographs.

Cons
As a cookbook it isn't laid out in the usual way, savoury and sweet recipes are in the same chapter of the book as they are organised by use of the egg, but there are two Indices, a Recipe Index by technique and a General Index.

The Verdict
There are some great recipes in the book some of which I have already marked for later.  I'm not sure I'm 'geek' enough to work my way through all the text on eggs, I rarely follow a recipe completely and tend to use them as a guide, so those very technical recipes are probably not for me.



Marlene's Bacon and Sausage Breakfast Strata
(This is one of the less technical recipes!)
Serves 6-8

240g bacon rashers
240g sausage meat
1/2 onion, cut into dice
6 eggs
240ml milk
240ml double cream
1 tsp mustard powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
7-9 slices or cubes, toasted or allowed to sit out for a day or two (enough for two layers in your dish)
300g grated hard cheese (such as Cheddar, Gruyere or Emmental).

1. Pre-heat the oven to 160C (Gas 3).  Butter a 23x 33cm baking dish and set aside.
2. Place the bacon rashers in a large frying pan, cover them with water and put he pan over high heat. When the water has cooked off, reduce the heat to medium and cook the bacon until nicely browned and crisp.  Remove to a plate lined with kitchen paper.
3. Add the sausage meat to the bacon fat in the pan.  Cook the sausage meat, breaking it up as it cooks.  Meanwhile, chop the bacon coarsely.
4. When the sausage meat is nearly cooked through, add the onion and continue to cook until the onion is tender, another 5 minutes or so.  Use a slotted spoon to transfer the sausage meat/onion mixture to the plate with the bacon.
5. Combine the eggs, milk, cream, mustard powder, salt, pepper and cayenne in a large bowl or glass measuring jug. Whisk or blend with a hand-held blender until the custard is uniform.
6. Put half of the bread cubes in an even layer in the prepared baking dish.  Sprinkle half of the bacon-sausage meat-onion mixture evenly across the bread.
7. Sprinkle half of the cheese evenly over this. Repeat the layers. pour the custard over them.
8. The dish can be baked right away or covered and refrigerated for up to a day.  Bake until the centre is hot and the tip is invitingly browned, 45 minutes to 1 hour.
9. Cut and serve hot.  Alternatively, leave it cool then chill it in the refrigerator and eat it cold, or cut the chilled strata into serving-sized pieces and reheat in a 180C (Gas 4) oven to serve.

Egg - A Culinary Exploration of the World's Most Versatile Ingredient
by Michael Ruhlman
Photographs by Donna Turner Ruhlman
RRP £25
Published by Jacqui Small www.jacquismallpub.com (@JacquiSmallPub)

I have one copy of Bacon by Theresa Gilliam to giveaway, just follow the instructions on the Rafflecopter widget.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Labels: #review, bacon, book, breakfast, Cook book review, Egg, sausagemeat, Scones, Strata

posted by Janice @ 07:00 38 Comments

Crespelle - Italian Pancakes for Shrove Tuesday

Next Tuesday, 4th March, is Shrove Tuesday this year.  Traditionally, Shrove Tuesday or Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday) is the day to use up all the rich foods in the house before Ash Wednesday and the start of the fasting season of Lent. It's also traditional to make pancakes, whether you take part in Lent or not, pancakes are a simple and delicious base for sweet or savoury toppings, so well worth using this annual reminder to cook some up. 

Winter Fruit Pancakes



Breakfast Pancakes - Roti Telor Style


I had three pancakes left over so decided to have them for our breakfast.  I would normally grill my bacon but am operating out of a temporary kitchen due to the work that is going on in my kitchen, so I fried  up the rashers in my Tefal Superior Frying pan then set to one side.







I drained off some of the fat from the bacon and added a pancake. Then I broke an egg onto the pancake and swirled it about.  Anyone who has been to Malaysia and eaten breakfast in a street cafe will have tried Roti Chanai (Pancakes with a curry sauce) but for added protein you can have Roti Telor.  All that means is that an egg is broken on top of the pancake, it was my husband's favourite when we visited Malaysia in the 1980s.  Before the egg is cooked add the bacon.

I found that I had to flip the pancake over to make sure the egg was fully cooked  and to enclose the bacon in the pancake.

There was only one thing missing...Maple Syrup!  Unfortunately, it wasn't something that I put in my temporary store cupboard, so we had to do without.





I'm entering both recipes for Shop Local, the blogger challenge run by Elizabeth's Kitchen Diary to highlight the great products available in our local area. Walkmill Cider products are available at my local farmers market and the eggs I used in the pancakes and on the pancakes come from a local farm.

I'm also adding this to Credit Crunch Munch as both are cheap, cheerful and filling. CCC is the blog challenge of Fuss Free Flavours and Fab Food 4 All and this month is hosted by My Golden Pear.
 
And finally the Pancakes Roti Telor Style made to use up the leftover pancakes is going into the No Waste Food Challenge run by London Unattached and Elizabeth's Kitchen Diary

I was provided with a Tefal Superior Fry pan, I was not paid for this post and all opinions are my own. 

Labels: breakfast, Credit Crunch Munch, crespelle, italian pancakes, No Waste Food Challenge, pancakes, Roti Telor, Shop Local, Shrove Tuesday, Tefal

posted by Janice @ 07:00 29 Comments

Breakfast Club Round Up Jan/Feb 2013

Thanks so much to everyone who supported our rather extended Breakfast Club which ran in both January and February. We also enjoyed National Farmhouse Breakfast Week  
during this Breakfast Club and you all came up with some amazing 'cooked or baked' breakfasts.

First up is Helen from Fuss Free Flavours with her Dukka and Sun Dried Tomato Muffins.  Breakfast Club is run by Helen except when guest hosts, like me, are roped in invited to host. Later in the month Helen also treated us to French Toast Crumpets

Elizabeth of Elizabeth's Kitchen cooked up a really unusual breakfast of Fried Dates with Eggs to transport her from cold Shetland to the middle east.


At Utterly Scrummy, healthy Wholemeal Date Scones are on the menu for breakfast.


Nivedhanam entered a number of recipes for Breakfast Club including this Oats Kaara Appam
Quinoa Idli (Instant), Instant Oats, Wheat and Corn Idli, Oats Dosai, Oats Dates Almonds Shake, Raisins Oatmeal, Savory Oats Muffins,  
Sundried Tomatoes and Olives Tart
Cous Cous Upudum
Stuffed Masala Bun

At My Cooking Journey we were treated to Sun Dried Tomato and Onion Tart pizza style dish made with puff pastry.  Also from My Cooking Journey Avocado Paratha, Tomato Dosai

Besan Chilla Sandwich is the breakfast dish from Home Cooked Food.

One of my own entries was a rather extravagent Croque Monsieur Whoopie Pie 
Energy busting Chocolate Cherry Bars , Fruity Porridge in a Flask
and Spelt Pancakes with Bacon and Maple Syrup

The lovely Urvashi at Botanical Baker has baked us an Apricot Crumble Cake for breakfast, I'm going round to her house, these are some of my favourite flavours.


Here's a hearty and tasty breakfast to send you out into your day with a smile it's a Cheese, Ham and Potato scone from Camilla at Fab Food 4 All

What a delicious offering from Divine Foods Living in this  Eggless Fresh Lemon Vegetable Quiche

 Talented chef Ren Behan of Fabulicious Food gave us a breakfast steeped in her cultural roots: One Pan Polish Breakfast


Blackberry Breakfast Muffins were one entry from Sumee's Culinary Bites also Kale Breakfast Smoothie,  Orange Banana Bread
 and Cheesy Sweetcorn and Peppers Breakfast Casserole

Cookies for breakfast?  Well these are wholesome oat cookies so in the spirit of the cereal bar these would do the job to start the day.  Sugar and Spice, Flavours from Harini's Kitchen certainly thinks so.


A little taste of summer with this Asparagus and Cherry Tomato Oven Baked Frittata from Laura Nutrition London.

I've never heard of Shakshuka before but it looks very good, so thanks to Expoits of a Food Nut for sharing this lovely one dish meal with us.

Who wouldn't want to have these pretty potato waffles for breakfast?  Jane at Onions and Paper made these with her new electric waffle maker.  Jane also created another impromptu waffle breakfast with left over Yorkshire Pudding batter


Stunningly simple but perfectly balanced, this Kichree from Gujerati Girl is ideal for detox or fasting.

Love the look of these Oats Banana Pancakes from Manju's Kitchen, a tasty addition to any breakfast menu. Also entered for Breakfast Club was Sorghum Dosa  Oats Sakari Pongal and  Orange French Toast

Granola is always a popular choice for breakfast and this Millet Granola comes to us from The Taste Space.

Jen of Blue Kitchen Bakes thought up the idea for these Sweet Potato, Celeriac and Sultana Muffins just before dropping off to sleep! Jen also brought us Cheesy Chorizo Flatbreads and
 Cranberry Sauce Flapjacks


It was great for me to see these traditonal Scottish Tattie Scones, made by Foodie Quine, make an appearance for my hosting of Breakfast Club.

Sweet and Salty Grape Juice is the unusual breakfast drink served for us by Indian Vegetarian Recipes and also entered is Spicy Bread Upma


Healthy Spinach Quinoa Biscuits are the breakfast of choice for Chef Mireille, or why not try Brocolli Breakfast Casserole?

Sarah at Maison Cupcake raided her Store cupboard to make this chunky, crunchy Store Cupboard Granola.

Banana Almond Cupcakes come from Pranati's Kitchen as a quick and easy breakfast bread. Another dish from Pranati's Kitchen is Crispy Moong Dal Kachori

I really loved this idea from Gill from Tales of Pigling Bland, a fat free muesli bake seems like the perfect way to start the day.


A quick, easy and warming bowl of Maggie Egg noodles is on offer for breakfast from Spicy Foood blog.

Banana muffins and breads have proved a popular choice for Breakfast Club, these ones come from Nithya's Corner

More bananas but this time Jac at Tinned Tomatoes combined  them with chocolate and oats in a lovely chewy Banana and Chocolate Flapjacks, they are suitable for vegans too.

I just loved this little Heart Shaped Egg Toast from Simply Delicious blog, isn't it cute?

The Granola entered by Riverside Baking was the result of some rather crumbly flapjacks, brilliant re-purposing!

Allotment 2 Kitchen brought us the King of Breakfasts from the King himself: The Best Elvis Bagel

Food with a View brought us a more challenging breakfast to make: a duo of cheeses, Paneer and Labneh check it out.


Sizzling Tastebuds gives us this simple Set Dosa served with carrot-shallots chutney.

Healthy Apple Wholegrain Muffins look like a tasty breakfast from What's Cooking?

Nazima from Franglais Kitchen completes the Breakfast Club round up with these stunning Easy Peasy Chocolate Banana Pancakes with Ginger Maple Syrup.

Many thanks to everyone who took part in Breakfast Club and remember to join in again next month, details of the Breakfast Club from Fuss Free Flavours.  If you would like to host Breakfast Club please contact helen at fussfreeflavours dot com  March Breakfast Club can be found at Heidi Roberts Kitchen Talk

...and the winner is



I entered the total number of entrants to Breakfast Club into the Random Number Generator and the winner of the Sharpham Park Hamper is entry number 3, Michelle, with her Wholemeal Date Scones from Utterly Scrummy Food for Families.

Labels: breakfast, Breakfast Club, Fuss Free Flavours, Round Up

posted by Janice @ 21:44 4 Comments