Tag Archives: breakfast

Cooking

Milk Bread

This is akin to the bread you find in Chinese bakeries. They’re often stuffed with fillings such as custard, red bean, or cha siu, or topped with crusts to make those Hong Kong style pineapple buns (foreshadowing!!!) but as this is my second time ever working with yeast, I’m starting small with just plain loaves.

Recipe from thewoksoflife.com, as always.

Milk Bread

  • Combine 2/3 cup heavy cream, 1 cup whole milk, 1 egg, 1/3 cup sugar, 1 cup AP flour, 3+ cups bread flour, 1 tbsp yeast (1 packet), 1.5 tsp salt. Knead for like 20 minutes.
  • Proof for 1 hour, until grows 1.5x. (cover bowl with damp towel, place in warm spot)
  • Punch down, knead a little to rid of air bubbles.
  • Divide into 8-12 rolls/knots. Place into greased pans. (e.g. 3 rolls in a 9×5 pan, 5 knots scattered in a 9×13 pan).
  • Proof for 1 hour.
  • Brush with egg wash: 1 egg, 1 tsp water.
  • Bake at 35 F for 23-25 minutes, until golden brown.
  • Brush with syrup: 1 tsp sugar in ~1 tsp hot water.
Cooking

Egg Breakfasts

I am becoming increasingly convinced that chicken eggs are a miracle food. They’re endlessly versatile! Especially considering the emerging nutrition research that suggests egg cholesterol isn’t so bad for you, I’m going to embark on a eggs-for-breakfast spree.

Imitating this video. I encourage you to go on a YouTube binge of Gordon Ramsay cooking scrambled eggs with various celebrities, like Kimmel or Corden.

Scrambled Eggs

  • Crack 3 eggs and 1/2 tbsp knob butter into pot.
  • On med heat, start folding eggs with silicone spatula. When eggs start curdling quickly, take off eat and continue folding, then return to heat afterwards.
  • When almost done (but still runny), cool  with dollop creme fraiche (or milk…?).
  • Finish with finely chopped chives, salt, pepper.
  • Serve on robust toast, with tomatoes, mushrooms, bacon, tea.

update 6/23: this one took a while.

French Omelette

  • Whisk 2 eggs, 2 tbsp milk/water, salt, pepper.
  • In a 6”-8” nonstick skillet on med heat, melt 1 tsp butter. Pour in egg mixture.
  • Push curds towards center, tilting the pan to spread liquid eggs to the side. Repeat until almost no liquid egg left.
  • Add 1/2 cup fillings (cheese, cooked vegetables, etc) onto one side.
  • Fold other side onto fillings. Slide out onto plate. Serve immediately.

I’ve only eaten Eggs Benedict once or twice in restaurants, but in retrospect I realize I don’t even like Hollandaise sauce, and that was like 3/4 of the effort. lol. It’s sour and spicy clarified butter?!

Shoutouts to my roommate for reserving leftover egg yolks.

Eggs Benedict

Poached eggs served on toasted English muffins with Canadian bacon/soft bacon/ham topped with Hollandaise sauce.

Poached Egg

  • Gently boil water seasoned with salt and splash of vinegar. Swirl into brisk vortex.
  • Crack egg into ladle, then lower into water. Cook for 3-4 minutes, until egg white sets and envelops runny yolk
  • Extract with slotted spoon. Pat dry.

Hollandaise Sauce

  • Clarify 1 stick butter (melt, skim off froth, simmer 15-20 minutes on low, ladle clarified butter off water on bottom; or boil then strain to make ghee)
  • Whisk 3 egg yolks (plus 1/2 tsp white wine vinegar) until frothy.
  • Over water bath, add butter very slowly while whisking. Don’t let curdle.
  • Add 1/2 lemon of juice, 1/8 tsp cayenne, 1/4 tsp Kosher salt, pinch pepper.

 

Breakfast Frittata

See frittata post.

Shakshuka

See shakshuka post.

Inspired from this video on Eggslut in LA. 

Egg Sandwich

  • 2 eggs scrambled with (1 tsp) cold butter, fold in finely chopped chives and salt.
  • American cheese melted on top (but I used Muenster)
  • Sriracha mayo in 1:3 ratio
  • Sweet caramelized onions
  • Bacon
  • Toast brioche bun

A classic Taiwanese breakfast dish! Recipe from food52.com. Made 4/2.

Dan Bing (Taiwanese Egg Crepe)

  • For 3 crepes, Mix 1/2 cup bread flour, 2 tbsp cornstarch, 1 cup water. Rest for 10 minutes.
  • On nonstick pan, heat some oil, add a third of batter and swirl around. Cook until top is set. Flip.
  • For each crepe, beat 1 egg, 1/4 tsp sesame oil, 1 tbsp water, pinch salt, 1 chopped scallion. Spread over crepe.
  • Cook crepe until egg mostly set. Flip, cook for 10-20 seconds.
  • Roll, batter side out. Cut into sections. Serve hot.
  • Dipping sauce: 1 tbsp soy sauce, 1/2 tsp rice vinegar, splash sesame oil, 1 clove garlic crushed.

 

The first time I made this I decided not to photograph it because I didn’t have fresh cilantro so it just looked like a yellow gob. Still tasted good.

Egg Bhurji

  • In oil/butter, Sweat 1/2 onion. Add 1/4” ginger minced, 1 tomato finely chopped, 1 green chili.
  • Add 1/2 tsp coriander powder, 1/4 tsp cumin powder, 1/4 tsp garam masala, 1/4 tsp turmeric, 1/8 tsp salt. (but everyone has different spice combinations)
  • Whisk 2 eggs. Scramble into masala on low heat until even.
  • Garnish with coriander.

The trick is to find the right bread. The more eggy the better.

French Toast

  • Combine 1 egg, 1 tbsp milk, 1/8 tsp vanilla, 1/2 tbsp sugar, 1/8 tsp nutmeg, 1/4 tsp cinnamon.
  • Dip 2 slices bread in egg mixture.
  • Fry bread on skillet in ~ ½ tbsp/slice butter until golden brown. Dust with powdered sugar.
Cooking

Shakshuka

This week, I bought two dozen eggs at a time. Yes. This is a good brunch food, but I still ate a lunch afterwards.

Taken from the NYTimes.

Shakshuka

  • In skillet on med-low, cook down 1 onion and 1 red bell pepper, sliced thin.
  • Add 3 cloves garlic, sliced thin, and 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp paprika, pinch cayenne.
  • Add 28-oz can tomatoes and juices, Break up tomatoes. Add 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper. Simmer.
  • Crack in 6 eggs. Season eggs, submerge in sauce
  • Cover and cook on low for 5-8 minutes, until eggs have set.
  • Optionally top with feta cheese, cilantro, add spinach, serve with pita.
Cooking

Dutch Baby

This dish is not Dutch. Apparently Americans in Seattle who created this named it after the German word “Deutsch,” which of course means German in German. Americans are the worst.

This is one of the funnier uses of a cast iron skillet I’ve stumbled across. I just dumped the batter in and it crept up the sides and exploded in volume!

Dutch Baby

  • Melt 2.5 tbsp butter in hot 10” skillet.
  • Pour in 3 eggs, 1/2 cup flour, 1/2 cup milk, 1 tbsp sugar, pinch nutmeg and cinnamon.
  • 425 F, 20 minutes. 300 F, 5 minutes more.
  • Serve with powdered sugar, fruit jams, etc.