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Cooking

The incredible egg

Sonya Verlaque

(3/2024) My best friend from college just got chicks. She lives in Georgia and set up a ring camera in her home so I can watch them from Maryland. She also hates to cook and her daughter does not like eggs, so this article is dedicated to the new chickies: Dottie, Elizabeth, Matilda, Stella and Delilah and the hope for bountiful eggs in the spring. And hopefully her daughter will learn to love eggs someday.

Frittata Recipe

This easy Frittata Recipe is the perfect quick and healthy meal. It can be made vegetarian or, like this version with bacon.

Ingredients:

  • 4 slices bacon or 2 TBS olive oil for vegetarian version
  • ½ cup onion diced
  • 1 tsp minced garlic
  • 4 cups vegetables of choice bell peppers, broccoli, zucchini, etc.
  • 10 eggs
  • ¼ cup milk
  • ½ tsp sea salt
  • ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • ¼ tsp paprika
  • 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Instructions : Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs and then add milk, sea salt, pepper, paprika and whisk until combined. Add cheese and stir to combine and then set aside. In a 10" cast iron skillet over medium heat, cook bacon, onion and garlic until bacon just begins to brown. Add vegetables, cover and cook until vegetables are soft and bacon is browned, stirring occasionally. Turn heat down to medium, add egg mixture, and quickly stir it into the bacon/vegetables in the skillet until everything is evenly distributed. Cook on medium heat for about 4-5 minutes, until the edges are set. Transfer the frittata to the preheated oven. Bake for 7-10 minutes or until the top is lightly browned and set. Remove from oven, let cool for 10 minutes, serve. The frittata will be very puffy in the oven, but then deflates and is firm when it cools.

Eggs in Purgatory

Eggs in purgatory is a dish made up of eggs poached in tomato sauce. It only takes 20 minutes to make, and can be eaten any time. Get some crusty bread to go with it.

Ingredients:

  • 2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
  • 3 tbs chopped white onion cut into small pieces
  • 2 garlic cloves minced
  • 1 14 oz can peeled plum tomatoes
  • ¼ tps chili flakes
  • 1 tbs torn basil
  • 4 eggs
  • 3 tbs grated parmesan cheese, divided
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions : In a medium size skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Once the oil is shimmering, add the onion and sauté until soft but not fully cooked, about 1-2 minutes. Add garlic and chili flakes and continue to sauté until garlic is cooked through, another 1 minute. While onion and garlic are sautéing, pour the tomatoes into a bowl and mash them up with a fork. Once onion and garlic are finished cooking, add canned tomatoes to the skillet. Also rinse out the can of tomatoes, and the bowl where you mashed the tomatoes. Add this tomato water to the sauce (about ½ cup). Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook the tomato sauce until it has thickened, 10-15 minutes. Add torn basil to sauce and stir. Crack an egg into a small bowl. Form a small well in the sauce and pour the egg into the well. Do this 4 times. Sprinkle the eggs with 1 tbs of the parmesan cheese. Cook the eggs in the tomato sauce, partially covered, until the whites are set, but the yolks still runny, about 5 minutes. Top the eggs with remaining parmesan cheese, additional pepper and basil if desired. Serve with toasted bread and enjoy!

Easy Custard Pie Recipe

This is a creamy custard pie and any milk can be used to make it. It’s best for the eggs and milk to be at room temperature, and if you want a richer, creamier pie to use heavy cream or evaporated milk.

Ingredients:

  • 1 unbaked pie crust
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 6 large eggs room temperature
  • 2 tpss vanilla
  • ¼ tps nutmeg
  • 3 cups whole milk room temperature
  • c tps nutmeg, garnish

Instructions: Preheat oven to 350EF. Lightly spray a 9½-inch pie pan with nonstick spray. Place unbaked pie crust in pie pan, pressing dough against the sides of the pie pan. Whisk together sugar, eggs, ¼ tps nutmeg, and vanilla for 2 minutes. Add milk and whisk for another 3 minutes until smooth. Pour mixture into pie shell. Sprinkle the remaining c tps nutmeg lightly on top of the custard. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until set. You can tell when it is done by giving the pie a little jiggle or shake, and if the center only slighty jiggles, then it’s done. Chill and serve with whipped cream or berries, or all on its own.

Eggs En Cocotte

I love baked eggs for lunch, they are creamy and delicious and paired with a toasty piece of bread and a salad with a vinaigrette feels like a very fancy French lunch. This can easily be made for one person, or more. Typically one or two eggs is for each serving

Ingredients:

  • 1 tbs softened unsalted butter
  • 1-2 eggs
  • 2 tbs heavy cream
  • 2 tbs cheese (Boursin garlic & herbs cheese, goat cheese, blue cheese, Gruyere all can work)
  • bundle of chives thinly sliced to serve
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • crusty bread to serve

Instructions : Preheat your oven to 350 degrees, and bring a kettle to a boil. Take your softened butter, and spread around your ramekins to help with any sticking/and to add more flavor. Crack 1-2 eggs in a ramekin. Finish off with crumbled or shredded cheese of your choice and cream. Place your ramekins in a baking dish/oven safe proof dish that has slightly high sides. Make a bain-marie by pouring boiling water into the baking dish until it reaches halfway up the side of the ramekin. Cover with your ramekin tops or foil. This helps cook the eggs really gently, and it stays really creamy! Bake for 12-15 minutes, until the eggs are your desired doneness. If you want them completely firm, bake for 16-20 minutes. Remove from the oven; season with flakey salt, pepper and top with chopped chives and crusty bread for dipping.

Read other cooking articles by Sonya Verlaque