Bellygasm

Easy Eggs Benedict in Minutes

 

Everytime I see eggs benedict on a menu, it puts a smile on my face. I like to dub it as sunshine on a plate: two softly poached eggs on top of a Canadian bacon and a warm, toasted English muffin served with a dollop of creamy, luscious hollandaise sauce. In other words, "Good Morning, Sunshine!"

Admittedly, I love eggs. It's one of my favorite food. I like it poached, fried, scrambled, deviled... you name it. I'll pass on Wheaties for eggs anyday. Adios, Mary Lou.

My eggs benedict recipe is a breakfast worthy of champions. Contrary to popular assumptions, it's actually easy to make eggs benedict with homemade hollandaise. It's all about timing and quick assembly. Follow my instructions, and you too will get a gold medal from your Sunday brunch guests. 

Suggestion: For a lighter, healthier option, you can swap the the Canadian bacon for a slice of tomato. For a more glamorous version, you can use prosciutto or smoked salmon for the savory component. For a French twist, try it with crossiant halves in lieu of English muffins.

Serves: 2-4
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients

4 slices of Canadian bacon or prosciutto
1 teaspoon of white vinegar
4 large eggs
2 tablespoons of butter
2 large egg yolks
1 tablespoon of lemon juice
1 teaspoon of tabasco sauce
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of pepper (preferably white)
4 English muffins halves
Dash of cayenne pepper

Preparation

1. In a large saucepan, bring 3 inches of water to simmer. 
2. While water is coming to a simmer, lightly brown the Canadian bacon evenly on both sides over medium-high heat in a skillet. Set aside. Cover to keep it warm.
3. Melt butter in a microwave safe bowl until bubbly about 1 minute. Add egg yolks, lemon juice, salt, pepper and tabasco and whisk until smooth. Cover and set aside
4. Add vinegar to water. Break 1 egg into a bowl and slide it into simmering water as close to the surface of the water as possible. Repeat with other eggs.
5. Use a slotted spoon to gather any egg whites that might have spread out toward the yolk. You have to do this in the beginning of the poaching process. Cook about 2-3 minutes. Remove and drain on a paper towel. (Tip: Sight & touch are important for determining when the eggs are ready. For a soft, runny yolk, carefully bring an egg above water with a slotted spoon. You want it still jiggly like extra soft tofu, not firm like jello.)
6. Toast English muffins to warm.

Serving suggestion. Place a muffin on a plate. Top with 1 slice of Canadian bacon, 1 poached egg, a drizzle of your homemade hollandaise sauce, and a sprinkle cayenne pepper. Serve immediately.

(Note: You can poach the eggs and make the sauce before your guests arrive. Just drop the eggs in simmering water to warm them and add a few drops of hot water to your hollandiase sauce to bring it back up to temperature and thin it out since cold sauce tends to thicken.)

Quick & Comfy Chicken Fricassée

Do you like chicken fricassée? How about chicken dumplings? Well, I happen to love 'em both, "equally", as my mother would say when asked about her 3 children...

Last night I made chicken fricassee with dumplings for a comfy weeknight meal. It's a classic dish made easy. Rather than making my own dumplings, I used store bought DeCecco potato gnocchi which is as good as homemade. Plus, my easy chicken fricassee recipe transcends three cultures, starting with French to America and back across the pond to Italy. (I always associate chicken and dumplings with Southern comfort food.)

By the way, this melting pot of yummy soulfulness tastes even better the next day. Heck, I just filed this under easy chicken recipe as a 1-pot meal.

Serves: 6 to 8
Prep Time:  10 mins
Total Time: 55 mins

Ingredients

4 pounds of chicken pieces (I prefer thighs, but breasts is also good)
2 tablespoon of olive oil
1 large onion, diced
1 garlic clove, crushed & chopped
1 cup chopped celery with leaves
1 cup of carrots, chopped diagnoally
1/4 teaspoon of cayenne
2 bay leaves
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 1/2 cups chicken broth or water
1 tablespoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 package of gnocchi
1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce
1 cup of bell peppers, chopped in 1-inch pieces
1 can of cream of mushroom soup

Preparation

1. In a Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium-high. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Brown chicken on all sides, in separate batches to avoid crowding, for approx. 8-10 minutes. Remove chicken and set aside.
2. Deglaze pot with white wine while scrapping the tasty bits. Sauté onion for about 3 minutes or until translucent. Add garlic, celery, carrots, cayenne, and bay leaves to sauté for 2 minutes.
3. Return chicken to the Dutch oven. Add 2 cups of broth or water, perferably heated to maintain a consistent temperature in the pot, and cover to bring it to boil before reducing to a simmer for about 20 minutes or until chicken is just cooked yet tender.
4. Remove chicken from the Dutch oven and let it cool before removing meat from bones. Cut into bit size.
5. While chicken is cooling, cook the gnoochi as instruction indicted but in only half the time (approx. 5-6 minutes). Drain and set aside.
6. Add mushroom soup and remaining broth or water. Return chicken to the Dutch oven. Add gnocchi, bell peppers, and Worcestershire sauce. Raise heat to medium-high to finish cooking gnocchi until thickened and bubbly. Stir to combine and keep gnocchi from sticking to the bottom of pot. Salt and pepper to taste.

Coq Au Vin (Braised Chicken in White Wine)

I haven't revisited this coq au vin (braised chicken in white wine) recipe in almost 10 months because everyone loved it so much the first time that I made it another 8 more times within a 2-month period. Due to popular demand, I brought back my recipe for coq au vin using white wine, rather than the traditional red.  My best rendition was carried out with a young rooster in the Azores for my Norwegian-American host at his self-designed house overlooking the Atlantic Ocean that brings to mind Mies van der Rohe meet John Lautner.

It's a perfect summer evening supper. Pair it with a bottle of Sancerre or even a rosé and voilà! My nouveau recipe for cooking coq au vin is inspired by one of my favorite dish, Blanquette de Poulet, at the super chill French Market Café, in Venice, CA. As mentioned, while most coq au vin recipes call for dry red wine and slow cooking, I use white wine and much less time, shh. Call it braised chicken with white wine or white wine coq au vin, I just hope you enjoy it as much as my friends do. Bon appétit!

Serves: 4-6
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour

Ingredients

8 chicken thighs or 4 whole legs with skin and bone
2 tablespoons olive oil
8 garlic cloves, crushed & chopped
6 celery ribs, diced in 1/2-inch cube
1 1/2 cup dry white wine
1 cup warm vegetable stock or water
1 tablespoon of lemon juice
1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped (optional)
Salt & pepper to season

Preparation

Btx: This is one recipe that splurging for organic chicken is well worth it. I found the quality of the chicken has a significant impact on the result. As a pretty clean dish, few good ingredients go a long way to bring out flavor and balance.

1. Pat dry chicken and season well with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. (Tip: How do you know when the oil is hot? Carefully add a drop of water and stand-back, the oil should immediately sizzle).
2. Add chicken and sear only the skin side to a crisp golden brown in 2 or if necessary, 3 batches. (Do not crowd the skillet with too many pieces of chicken or it will not brown or take too long which can cause toughness.) It takes approx. 4-5 minutes per batch. Transfer chicken pieces to a large plate skin side up and avoid stacking.
3. Drain oil and fat rendering, leaving about 2 tablespoons max. Lower heat to medium. Add celery and sauté for approx. 3 minutes while scraping the skillet for tasty carmelization. Add garlic and sauté together for another 2 minutes. Stir frequently to avoid burning.
4. When celery and garlic become fragrant, deglaze pan with wine and let it come to a boil to burn off the alcohol. After the liquid reduced by half, approx. 3-4 minutes, add warm stock or water (The idea is to maintain the temperature inside the skillet.)
5. Return chicken to the skillet and skin side up. Reduce the heat to simmer and leave it partially covered for 20 minutes or until chicken is cooked. (Tip: How do you know if your chicken is cooked through? If you stab the thickest part or near the bone with a fork, the liquid should run out clear, not pink.)
6. Add lemon juice and parsley and stir. Salt and pepper to taste. 

Serve with rice or buttered orzo. Mmm... Ooh la la.