No more cheese please

Hannah's Challenge

Today, as an antidote to cheese and egg I have decided to make an egg recipe that contains, thankfully, no cheese, but also, controversially, no egg.  'No egg' I hear you good readers cry; 'what sort of egg blog is this?'  Last weekend I went to Canterbury to visit my friend Jenai.  Jenai is a part time Vegan, that is a vegan on week days and she recommended that I try Scrambled Tofu.  Scrambled Tofu is the vegan substitute for scrambled egg.  Actually, perhaps i'm underplaying this fine dish, perhaps, it's not a substitute for any other dish but a proper stand alone dish.

After eating too many rich egg and cheese dishes of late, this weekend seemed the perfect time to try scrambled Tofu.  I dedicate today's entry to my friend Jenai who gave me the idea.

I was supposed to use nutritional yeast but could you believe it I could not find it in Taj.  Taj, by the way, (for those of you who live or have ever lived in Brighton) has lost it's Kemp Town branch.   Life is not all bad, however, because Sainsburys is due to open a new store on North Street, making it the third Sainsburys I pass on my walk home from town!

Enough of my rambling and back to the recipe. I adapted this recipe from: The post punk kitchen  I think the post punk kitchen website has some really interesting recipes on it and I intend to frequent this site more often.

I did not add the stated nutritional yeast and added half a small leek and some walnuts and pumpkin seeds.  I served this with home made salsa and guacamole in wraps.

Marking Category	Hannah	Alan
Presentation	1.75	2
Innovation	4	3.5
Quality of egg	2	0
Taste	4	4
Total	11.75	9.5

Comments

Hannah- I was a little apprehensive about this dish at first but I loved it. I thought this was so fresh tasting.  The wraps had a real zing to them.  I'm not sure about the colour initially the dish was a lovely yellow colour but it appeared to turn an unappealing green colour.  I would make these again but feel I will always remain loyal to the egg.


Alan- Zingy!!! Tasty.  My poor marks mostly reflect the lack of eggs.  Nice healthy breakfast or snack

Maude's Welsh Rarebit V's Seven Sisters (Buck) Rarebit.

After listening to Maude and Mildred's conversation at Seven Sisters Country Park I did some research about rarebit. I found out that rarebit without an egg in the cheese mixture but with a poached egg on top is called Buck Rarebit.  Today we have decided to make both buck and welsh rarebit.

This recipe is best enjoyed whilst watching Harold and Maude; a beautiful love story.

Maude is a real bright spark!

Welsh Rarebit. Serves 4

Ingredients:
100-150 g Cheddar cheese
 2eggs
2 tbsp (1 oz) 25 g butter or margarine
1 tbsp plain flour (All purpose)
 100ml milk
1 tsp French mustard
a few drops Worcestershire sauce
salt and pepper
4 slices bread
butter for spreading

1. Grate the cheese
2. Melt the butter in a pan, and stir in the flour.
3. Cook together for 2-3 minutes, stirring all the time; do not let the flour colour.
4. Stir in the milk and blend to a smooth, thick mixture; then stir in the ale or beer, if used, the mustard and Worcestershire sauce.
5. Add the cheese little by little, stir in, and season to taste.
6.  Add egg and then remove from the heat as soon as well blended.
7. Toast the bread lightly on both sides.
8. Butter one side well and spread the cheese mixture on the buttered sides.
9. Grill briefly, if liked, using high heat, to brown the surface of the cheese mixture.

Marking Category	Hannah	Alan
Presentation	2.75	2.5
Innovation	2	3
Quality of egg	3	3
Taste	1	2.5
Total	8.75	11

Buck Rarebit serves 4

The same ingredients plus an extra two eggs.

Follow the same method for Welsh Rarebit but do not add the egg to the cheese mixture.  Poach the eggs and place them on top of the cheese mixture.  We ate this with a carrot, beetroot and mixed leaf salad

Marking Category	Hannah	Alan
Presentation	2.75	2.5
Innovation	2	3
Quality of egg	3	3
Taste	1.5	3
Total	9.25	11.5

Comments

Hannah- Despite it being a classic dish I have never had Welsh rarebit before. I did not grow up in a household that ate very much cheese  I did not like either of these two recipes. They were both too rich and the mustard was very overpowering.  I would not make this recipe again. I felt that the buck rarebit was slightly better as the poached egg seemed to cut through the richness of the cheese.  I think maybe I would try buck rarebit again but use wholegrain mustard. I want to lay off the cheese for a few days.

Alan-  I preferred the Buck, the welsh was a bit to rich.  I was a fan of the zing of the mustard and Worcester sauce.

Recette de Soufflé au fromage de chèvre et salade de betteraves, noyers et pommes rouges

21/11/10 Alan's challenge.

Bonjour!

Today I have decided to make: goats cheese soufflés and a beetroot, apple and walnut salad in dedication to our French viewers. We discovered this week that we have a number of international viewers and that the vast majority of these are francophones.

ou

On a decide a cuisiner soufflé en dedication a tout nos viewers francais. Excuse la mauvais grammer s'il vous plait!



The soufflé has a fearsome reputation and I approached it with some trepidation. The task was made all the harder due to the fact that our oven has all the numbers rubbed off  the dial making baking like russian roulette. Well perhaps not as dangerous as that. Happily I have had a bit of beginners luck and my souffles rose to dizzy heights. Comme on dit en france: super!

excuse le quality des photos mon apperiel c'est toute a fait  merdique!

La Recette

Soufflé:

100g unsalted butter
100g Plain flour (sieved)
600ml milk
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
2 tbsp grated parmesan
2 tbsp thyme leaves
100g roughly chopped goats cheese log with rind
Salt and pepper
4 eggs

Salad:

1 'Jazz' apple
1 Beetroot
50g walnuts
salad leaves

Dressing:

Olive oil
balsamic vinegar
2 tsp honey
2 tsp french wholegrain mustard

Step 1
Melt the butter a saucepan. add flour  mixing in with a wooden spoon until you have a thick paste. over a low heat slowly add the milk mixing until you have a smooth paste (if you have any lumps give it a whisk).
Take the mixture off the heat and  let it cool a bit. add the parmesan, thyme, mustard and goats cheese

Step 2
Separate the yolks from whites eggs into 2 bowls. Blend the yolks in with the cheese mixture. Whisk the whites thoroughly until they stiffen and hold peaks. Fold the egg whites into the mix and season with salt and pepper.

Step 3
Spoon the mixture into individual ramekins.
(6 should do the trick but we only have 4 so I made 4 and one large one)
Put the dishes into a large oven dish and fill with boiling water so that the dishes are submerged to about half way. Whack them in the oven on about 200 (or guess in my case) for 25-30 mins.

Step 4
While the souffles are in the oven get the salad together: rinse the leaves, peel and grate the beetroot, roughly chop the apple, mix in the walnuts and lightly splash with the dressing (we usually keep a jar full in the fridge for convenience).

Et voila: Bon appetit tout la monde.

c'est tres bleu et j'en suis pas sur pour quoi.

Results/Résultât

Marking Category	Hannah	Alan
Presentation	3	4
Innovation	3	4
Quality of egg	4	4
Taste	4	4
Total	14	16

Comments

Alan: A lot of effort but worth it. The sweet sharp salad perfectly complemented the creamy cheesiness of the soufflé. The tops were a bit over done but otherwise I feel I rose to the occasion.


Hannah: A very brave effort by Alan as soufflés are very difficult.  Great taste, it was a bit burnt  on top but our oven is not great.  This has inspired me to make a chocolate one.  Well Done Alan!

Chicken or Alan?

Spicy Tomato Eggs

Hannah's Challenge 

This weekend I have eaten a lot of spicy food.  On Friday we had Thai food at the Pond and on Saturday I had dinner at planet India.  I woke up this morning and decided I wanted to keep with the spicy theme of the weekend and decided to make Spicy Tomato Eggs

Ingredients
2x red onions
small handful coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1x clove garlic chopped
1x large green chilli
1 x teaspoon cayenne pepper
1x tin chopped tomates
4x eggs
sugar, salt and pepper

1. Chop onions, garlic, chilli and coriander stalks (only) Fry onions until soft in a medium size frying pan and then add other chopped ingredients.  Fry or one minute before adding the spices fry for 1 min more and then add tin toms

2. Add salt, pepper and pinch of sugar on a low heat cook for twenty mins.

3. After twenty mins make four small hollows and crack in an egg in each hollow.

4.on a low heat cook for another twenty mins or until the eggs look cooked to how you desire.  You may want to put a lid over half way through.

5. Sprinkle chopped coriander leaves over eggs and serve.

Marking Category	Hannah	Alan
Presentation	2.5	2.75
Innovation	3	3
Quality of egg	2.5	3.5
Taste	4.5	4
Total

Hannah- I have tried variants of this recipe before and I never seem to be able to get the eggs quite right.  The egg yolk was soft on top but hard on the bottom.  I want a soft egg.  I knew Alan would mark me down for innovation because I have tried it a couple of times in the pre blog era.

Alan- A bit too spicy for me 


In other news this weekend I took my parents for a walk at seven sisters country park. (Please see potty dance for a review of the toilets here.)  I found a heart made of stone.

 After the walk we stopped for tea and cake at the little cafe where I overheard two women engaging the waitress in a conversation regards the use of egg in Welsh Rarebit.  Woman number one I shall name Maud, Woman number two I shall name Mildred

Maude -I would like to order the Welsh Rarebit......Is it made using egg?
Waitress- No....I could put a poached egg on top if you would like?
Maude- Oh yes could you please?
Waitress- Of Course
Mildred- I would like the Tuna Baguette please.

Ten minutes later the food is brought to the table Maud receives a plate of Welsh Rarebit with a neat little poached egg placed on the top.

Mildred-I say what have you got there that does not look like Welsh Rarebit.
Maude- I know I don't think she really understood what was meant by Welsh Rarebit.  I mean who would think you should place a poached egg on top it should be mixed in with the cheese mixture.  Otherwise what you have got is cheese on toast with an egg on top!

This conversation has inspired me to make Welsh Rarebit one weekend so my thanks to Maude and Mildred.

Chicken or Cock?

Birthday eggstraviganza

Postdated entry

Week 6: Friday 5th November 2010



I asked myself what could I give to the girl who has everything and came to the obvious conclusion: a scotch egg. A classic breakfast of soft boiled eggs with marmite soldier was followed by a picnic lunch of scotched eggs taken during a sodden walk over dark and dismally foggy downland. The evening was spent in the town of Lewes which was overrun by drunk students, adolescents, Gurkas and maniacs in stripped jumpers who threw threw fire crackers into; blazing wheel barrow braziers.


Vegetaian 'Scotched' eggs

We got the recipe from the BBC Food website:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/veggiescotcheggs_89967

Comments- I thought the bread crumbs were too moist.  I made the eggs the night before and kept them in the fridge over night, meaning the bread crumbs lost their crisp.  We should have also bought some tomato ketchup with us on the Journey.

Marking Category	Hannah	Alan
Presentation	3	3
Innovation	4	4
Quality of egg	4	4
Taste	4	3
Total	15	14

Hannah- I would have liked the presentation to have been more birthday themed
 Also  Alan has wrote a somewhat whimsical account of the fireworks really we were both terrified and walking over the Downes in the dark passing the people hare coursing was also a little terrifying.

Yours full of Scotch Eggs

Alan

Jan Pehchan Ho - Md. Rafi, Gumnaam Song

Happy Diwali.  I thought I would post you the above little treat as it's one of my bollywood favourites.