egg perfect

I could not help but admire the dozens eggs I bought this morning at the Austin Farmer’s Market in Downtown Austin, which shamefully are the first batch I have ever bought straight from somewhere other than the grocery store. You have to start somewhere, and now there is no turning back. Taking them out of the egg carton to put into the refrigerator tray, I could not help but pick each egg up without and “oooooo” and an “ahhhhh”—every single one was different, as they should be, of course. One was particularly scratched up, the color of the shells ranged from light tan to a warm honey brown, the sizes varied from jumbo to small, and some were more oblong than others. My excitement towards these eggs surprised me. I tried to reming myself that these are really just eggs and the 30 photos I took of them were so unecessary and if I was not careful Matt was going to have to committ me. But these eggs seem more real, more immediate, they represent nature and diversity, the come from animals who lay them, who contribute to the food chain. They will nourish us and give us energy to thrive and live. How could I not be excited, grateful, and thankful for these eggs? I cannot wait to try them with my egg toasts!

Breakfast for dinner

Since Bon Appetit’s photography is so much better than my amateur attempts at food photography (I would assume so, they have been doing this much longer than me), I chose to use their snap of my latest favorite dish I call egg toasts and they call “Poached Eggs and Parmesan Cheese over Toasted Brioche with Pistou.” For as many times as I have eaten this in the past three weeks, it is a good thing I shortened such a name, even though the dish is more than deserving of the description.

Excited about my first Bon Appetit since I subscribed, it was about time, this dish popped out at me because of a) the short ingredient list b) easy of assembly c) I love breakfast for dinner and d) what is not to love?—eggs, bread, cheese, and pesto ( pistou, please forgive me). So, Matt and I made it for dinner one night accompanied by a salad and we were hooked. We had it again last night and I can’t tell you how many nights before that because it is embarrassing. I have made a couple of substitutions from the recipe below. I use fresh French bread instead of brioche and since we have had some difficulty with the delicacy of poaching we have just been frying the eggs. Also, on my last trip to the grocery store, there was no basil, I know, unthinkable, so I bought some hatch chile pesto that has added a nice spicy, smoky twang. Once again, the options and combinations are really quite endless. Savor and enjoy.

Egg Toasts aka. Poached Eggs and Parmesan Cheese over Toasted Brioche with Pistou

1/3 c. packed basil leaves

1 garlic clove

6 T olive oil

1 egg per toast

brioche/french bread

thin parmesan slices

Combine basil, garlic, and olive oil in a food processor. Set aside. Fry or poach eggs in a pan while toasting slices of French bread of brioche. Once toasted, spread pistou on bread slice, place a parmesan slice on top of pistou and finish off with the egg.

Yes, that easy.

Bon Appetit!

A burger unlike Texas has ever seen….

The Aussies have something to teach us all—thinking outside the food box. Courtesy of Gourmet magazine, this leaning tower of manly goodness ( I say this because this monstrosity is clearly not feminine in any way shape or form), is what I attempted to eat last night, in addition to homemade sweet potato fries and a wonderful salad. From the bottom up—bun, grilled pineapple, meat patty (we used lean bison), a fried egg, slab of tomato, Asian spiced mayonnaise, and bun. The recipe calls for pickled beets, but we opted out. I was skeptical about all the different flavors, but all blended well together. It was definitely a nice break from your typical meat, cheese, bun, lettuce, onion, and tomato. If you are looking for an adventure in burgers, this would be your recipe. It also works well if you are nostalgic for the land way down under……

THE Aussie Burger