July 09, 2004
Decadent Brunch
With a nod to Pim, who made a beautiful omelet of eggs and morels the other day ... Mushrooms are one of my favourite foods, and morels come but once a year, usually in the spring. I was lucky enough to obtain some on Tuesday at the Berkeley Farmer's Market. Ahhh... the wondrous benefits of living in Northern California, where the weather is temperate and the gourmet goodies plentiful...
Slow cooked scramble
When I have time, I am convinced that there is no better way to make scrambled eggs. I like mine creamy, soft and rich, and a friend, who had spent some years in Spain, told me exactly how to get them so. First you slap down an inordinately sinful amount of butter into a sauté pan. I'd say use about 1/4 cup for 4-5 eggs. Fire up your stove and keep it on the lowest possible setting. When the butter has melted break your eggs into the pan and start to stir. Keep stirring for a while -- perhaps anywhere from 10 to 15 minutes -- to achieve the consistency you like. The eggs should reduce to 3/4 or even 1/2 their original volume, and should be a bright golden colour, with the consistency of a chunky custard. I topped them off with some shavings of gruyere cheese.
Sauteéd Morels
Wash the mushrooms (I had less than 1/4 lb.) by soaking/ submerging in a large bowl of water. Drain. Heat some butter in a saucepan, add a tiny amount (1/4 tsp?) of finely minced garlic (so as not to overwhelm the mushrooms). When the garlic begins to turn golden, add the mushrooms, then a splash of sherry, and cook until tender.
I finished with some Chicken-Asiago sausages I obtained at that poor man's gourmet shop, Trader Joe's and sprinkled the dish with some chopped chives. The mushrooms were powerfully flavourful, meaty, earthy -- the hint of sweetness bestowed by the sherry just right. I feel somewhat guilty for all the richness -- it's been the only meal I've had all day, and I feel no hint of hunger yet.
Posted by claudine at July 9, 2004 05:08 PM