Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Archive for the ‘Cook’ Category

Chinese Style (Fragrant Braised) Peanuts For Chinese New Year

Posted in Cook, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on January 27, 2011| 28 Comments »

Chinese Style Braised Peanuts

Chinese Style (Fragrant) Braised Peanuts

Is January really almost gone?  I really thought that things would slow down after the Christmas holidays but oh how wrong I was!  With the new job, days have gone by in a blur. Most of the time I’m meeting new people, learning new systems, products and before I know it, it’s past seven or eight in the evening.  At times my head’s just spinning with so much new information that I long for the day when everything “just clicks”… The good news though, as nerdy as it sounds, is that I’m enjoying it all.  I feel lucky to be where I am now.

Then there’s my other project.   In between work, I’ve also been getting our house ready for auction.  We had it painted and did a little bit of cleaning and styling, and by the time it was done, I was almost regretting leaving.   In fact, the photographer said it was the most photogenic house he had seen in a long while.

So really, there isn’t much time for anything else.  Blogging has continued to take a backseat for the moment, especially, as I mentioned before, being able to visit some of my favourite blogs.  Even the recipes now that appeal to me, are the ones that require minimal effort on my part.

Take these Chinese Style, also known and Fragrant Braised Peanuts, I made the other day, which also coincides quite nicely with Chinese New Year just around the corner.  The inspiration for them came during one  yum cha lunch with my family where I polished off the braised peanuts that came with the roast duck and soy chicken.  As I nibbled on them I thought they tasted like they had been cooked in a traditional Chinese red braising liquid and that there probably wasn’t much to making them.  Sure enough, this tasty snack takes nothing more than placing all ingredients in a pot and allowing to simmer for a few hours.  Peanuts braised in soy, star anise, cassia, garlic, chillies, sugar and hints of citrus, the result is a myriad of lovely and addicting flavours.

Chinese Style Braised Peanuts

Chinese Style (Fragrant) Braised Peanuts

Chinese Style Braised Peanuts

  • 750 grams raw peanuts
  • 3 star anise
  • 2 cinnamon sticks or cassia barks
  • 2 dried orange peel pieces (or 1 fresh orange peel)
  • 5 cloves garlic, peeled
  • 3 dried chillies
  • 50 grams rock sugar or caster sugar
  • 4 tablespoons light soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
  • 2 teaspoons five spice powder
  1. Combine all ingredients in a large pot with eight cups of water. Bring to a boil and then turn the heat down so that the braising liquid is just simmering. Add some water while cooking if necessary (I added around two cups each hour I boiled the peanuts). Cook for around two and a half hours.
  2. Remove the peanuts from the heat and place in another container. Allow the peanuts to cool before storing in the refrigerator.
Chinese Style Braised Peanuts

Chinese Style Braised Peanuts

Read Full Post »

Cocido Madrileño for Kulinarya Cooking Club

Posted in Cook, El Comedor, tagged , , , , , , , , , on January 23, 2011| 34 Comments »

Cocido Madrileño

Cocido Madrileño

I’ll be honest, it was a bit of a struggle to come up with a “dish that I would most like to have for my birthday” for this month’s Kulinarya Cooking Club challenge. I have been so busy with the new job and getting everything ready for the sale of our old house, I hardly had anytime to cook.  Luckily, my Mom came to the rescue when she found out I had to make something for January’s theme. She declared that she was going to make Cocido Madrileño for Sunday lunch.  So this month’s Kulinarya Cooking Club dish is brought to you by:

Jen (www.jen-at-work.blogspot.com)
Tressa
Maribel (http://www.foodgeek.webs.com)

and of course… The Blog Monster.

Growing up, I don’t think I knew any other Sunday activity than to go to my Grandmother’s (Mama) house for Sunday lunch.  The house was constantly full of people from my Mama’s seven children, their spouses, all the grandchildren (fourteen), and other uncles and aunts.  Of course, overseeing the daunting task of feeding us all was my Mama.  I remember there was the “big” table where all the uncles and aunts would sit and the “small” table for all the children.  At a certain age,  the kids would eventually graduate to being able to enjoy sitting at the “big” table depending on who made it to lunch that day and whether there was space for them…  But, at the head of the table was always my Mama who meticulously oversaw the menu.

Cocido Madrileño was one of my favourite dishes that easily fed the throng of hungry people that made it to Sunday lunch.  The dish is essentially a medley of meat and vegetables that is simmered for hours resulting in a rich broth or  caldo, that is served alongside the dish.  In my Mom’s version, the meats she uses includes pork belly, beef ribs, chorizo, chicken and these meatballs or pelota (my favourite). If you can find it, adding some blood sausage or morcilla would be a welcome addition too.   As a kid, I remember the hardest thing about having Cocido for lunch was having to sit at the “small” table and waiting for all the adults to serve before we could have our share.  The wait was pure torture.

So if I had to pick a dish that I’d like to have on my birthday – it would be this one. Because birthdays are all about being with the ones your love and if you’re going to be inviting lots of people to help you celebrate, then you might as well make sure you have enough good food to go around.

Cocido Madrileño

Cocido Madrileño

Cocido Madrileño

Cocido is a very flexible dish so feel free to add or change the meats and vegetables you use depending on your taste or what is available. For example, instead of the beef ribs, you could use beef brisket, instead of the smoked ham hock, substitute a slab of bacon or jamon. My husband and I once went to a famous restaurant in Madrid called La Bola that served Cocido with fideos (Spanish noodles)… you could also add that to the soup as well. You will notice I haven’t given exact quantities to this dish as the quantities depend on how many people you are serving this dish to. I always make sure to make more than I need anyway, but that’s because I like dicing the leftover meat and vegetables to make a hearty soup with the rest of the broth for another day.

Meats

  • Pork belly
  • Beef ribs, or chuck
  • Chorizo
  • Smoked ham hock
  • Chicken, cut into pieces
  • Pelota (recipe follows)

Vegetables & Aromatics

  • Onion
  • Garlic
  • Peppercorns
  • Bay leaf
  • Garbanzos (Chickpeas), soaked overnight
  • Pumpkin
  • Potatoes, cut into large chunks
  • Carrots, cut into large chunks
  • Stringbeans, tied into little bunches to make it easier to remove from the pot when done
  • Cabbage, cut into eights

Tomato Sauce

  • 2 Cans diced tomatoes
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 5 cloves garlic, crushed

Pelota

  • 500 grams pork
  • 2 slices white bread, crusts removed, diced
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 onion, diced
  • 1 teaspoon parsley
  • salt and pepper to taste
  1. For the pelota, mix all the ingredients in a large bowl, shape into balls and set aside until ready to use.
  2. Place the meat and chickpeas, (exclude the chicken and the pelota) in a large pot and fill with water, making sure to have enough water to cover the meats. Add the onion, garlic, peppercorns and bayleaf, take the heat up to high and bring to a boil. Once it has reached a boil, turn the heat down to the lowest possible setting and skim the surface of the pot for any scum. The meat will need around two hours to soften.
  3. After two hours, add the chicken, chorizo, pelota, vegetables and continue to simmer another thirty minutes.
  4. For the tomato sauce, saute the onion and garlic in some olive oil, add the diced tomatoes and cook for around 20 minutes until the sauce has thickened.
  5. To serve, separate the meats and slice them. Then remove the vegetables, place them in platters. Serve with the caldo, tomato sauce and warm crusty bread.

For more great Kulinarya Recipes – check here.

Read Full Post »

Quail Scotch Eggs

Posted in Cook, tagged , , , , , , on January 19, 2011| 32 Comments »

Scotch Quail Eggs

Quail Scotch Eggs

I was introduced to Scotch Eggs by Rie, a dear family friend.  I met her through my older sister who was in the same mother’s group and over the years we’ve come to think of her as a sister too.   She took the scotch eggs to a dinner hosted by my sister one night and  I couldn’t help but think that whoever invented them was genius.  Here was a little quail egg encased in a chicken sausage and then deep fried.  They were not only the most popular party food that night, but I was told they were also a great picnic food and wouldn’t think be a wonderful breakfast on the go?  Now, if only they could make it into a bar!

As I munched on probably my tenth piece, I thought that if there was any left at the end of the night, I would take some home to photograph them so I could share the recipe on my blog.  But because they were so popular, half way through the night I realized that if I didn’t act soon, there’d be none for me to take home.

Throwing etiquette out of the window, I placed a few pieces in a take-away container.  Luckily, anyone who saw, was kind enough not to say anything.

So here is the recipe for the Quail Scotch Eggs from Australian Women’s Weekly which Rie made that night.

Quail Scotch Eggs

Quail Scotch Eggs

Quail Scotch Eggs

Recipe from Women’s Weekly

  • 12 Quail Eggs
  • 275 grams minced chicken
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
  • 1 teaspoon dry mustard
  • plain flour
  • 1 egg, lightly beaten
  • packaged breadcrumbs
  • Oil for deep-frying
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  1. Place the eggs in a pan large enough to fit all of them in one layer, pour water into the pan just so that it barely covers the eggs. Bring this to a boil, making sure to stir gently (this helps center the yolks). Simmer for four minutes and then drain. Place the eggs in cold water, then crack the shells very gently and cool to room temperature. Rie mentioned that the trick to making sure the peel comes off easily is to leave the cracked eggs in the cold water for a few minutes.
  2. Combine the minced chicken, herbs, mustard and season with salt and pepper in a bowl and divide the portions into 12 so that you have enough meat for each of the quail eggs.
  3. Drain the eggs and then carefully remove the shells. Toss the eggs lightly in the flour and then shape a portion of the chicken mince mixture around a quail egg. Continue to do the same for the remaining eggs. (Tip: keep your hands lightly floured to make the shaping easier.)
  4. Dip each egg in the beaten egg, then into the breadcrumbs. Just before serving deep-fry the eggs in hot oil until well browned and then drain on absorbent paper.
Quail Scotch Eggs

Quail Scotch Eggs

Read Full Post »

How To Cure Salmon

Posted in Book Reviews, Cook, tagged , , , , , , , , on January 16, 2011| 30 Comments »

Sugar cured salmon, spiced avocado, crisp tortilla

Sugar cured salmon, spiced avocado, crisp tortilla

There are New Year’s resolutions I make that I never keep, despite good intentions.  The other day I realized it was already mid January and I still hadn’t gotten around to exercising, or reading my “book of the month”.  Sometimes I think to myself, would it work if I made some Reverse New Year’s Resolutions instead?  I’d love to be able to resolve to (1) Eat as much junk food as I want, (2) Buy as many cookbooks as I can, and (3) Never exercise.

The resolutions I like to make however, are those relating to food.  Those ones I gladly keep.  This year I decided that one of them was to learn how to cure fish.  Curing to me has always been one of those things that only seriously weird and crazy food fanatics make.  It’s right up there with the sausage making and making.  Considering that I have already gone to a sausage making class AND I’ve learned how to make cheese, it was really only about time that I decided to bite the bullet and cure my own salmon.

The recipe I chose was from Dietmar Sawyere’s Table By The River.  Sawyere is executive chef and director of  two-hat restaurant Berowra Waters Inn located on the Hawkesbury river.  If you’re like me and have never had the pleasure of dining in this restaurant – some caution – reading this book will make you want to hop on the next sea plane to get there (my booking is  in mid- Feb!).

There is nothing difficult about curing – the one thing you need though, is patience.  However, if you are new to curing, this recipe is probably the best place to start.  For one, given the size of the fillet used, the curing only takes four hours, much shorter than many recipes I’ve seen that can take up to two days. The curing recipe is only made up of coriander, sea salt, sugar, dill and citrus zest.  The cured salmon is also accompanied with a crisp tortilla (next time, I’ll try using a fried wanton wrapper as well) with some spiced avocado, and topped with salmon roe.  Each bite has the gorgeous sweet-citrusy salmon, the crunch of the tortilla, tang of the avocado and the “pop” of the briny salmon roe.  To me, an epitome of a perfect bite.

Sugar-cured Salmon

Sugar-cured Salmon

Sugar-cured Salmon, Spiced Avocado, Crisp Tortilla

Recipe from Dietmar Sawyere, Table By The River
Sugar-cured Salmon

  • 8 coriander seeds
  • 30 grams (1 oz) salt
  • 30 grams (1 oz) sugar
  • 20 grams (2/3 oz) dill sprigs, roughly chopped
  • 1 lime, zested, juice reserved
  • zest of 1 lemon
  • 30 ml (1 fl oz) lemon-infused extra virgin olive oil
  • 400 grams (14 oz) centre-cut salmon fillet, skin-on, pin boned (I used salmon with the skin off)

Spiced Avocado

  • 1 ripe Hass avocado
  • 2 tsp shallot, finely chopped
  • 1/2 tsp red chilli, finely diced
  • 20 ml (2/3 fl oz) chicken stock, chilled (I used double cream)
  • Juice of 1 lime (above)
  • sea salt

To complete

  • 2 large soft flour tortillas
  • grapeseed oil for frying
  • sea salt
  • 30 grams salmon roe
  • micro coriander leaves

For the Sugar-cured Salmon

  1. Place the coriander seeds, sea salt and sugar in a mortar and lightly crush with a pestle. Add the dill, lime and lemon zests and spread evenly over the flesh side of the salmon. (Since my fillet was skinned, I rubbed the mix on both sides)
  2. Warp the salmon in clingfilm or aluminium foil and place on a plate with a light weight on top. Leave the weighted salmon in the fridge for 4 hours, then wash the fish under cold running water and dry well with a clean cloth.
  3. Using a sharp knife, remove the salmon fillet from the skin. Rub the salmon with a little lemon infused extra virgin olive oil and keep tightly wrapped in the fridge until needed.

For the Spiced Avocado

  1. Cut the avocado in half, discard the stone and scoop out the flesh. Place the avocado flesh in a blender along with the shallots, chilli, and chicken stock (or cream, if using). Blend of a puree and correct the seasoning with the lime juice and some sea salt.

To Complete

  1. Cut the tortillas into rectangles and crisp-fry in some grapeseed oil. Remove and season lightly with sea salt. Spoon some avocado puree on top of the warm tortilla and then place a slice of the sugar-cured salmon on the avocado. Garnish with salmon roe and some micro coriander leaves.
Sugar-cured Salmon

Sugar-cured Salmon

Thank you to New Holland for the Review Copy.

Table By The River, Dietmar Sawyere RRP $49.95

Read Full Post »

Olives Marinated in Orange and Thyme-infused Olive Oil

Posted in Cook, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , , on January 10, 2011| 31 Comments »

Olives marinated in orange and thyme infused olive oil

Olives marinated in orange and thyme infused olive oil

My friends have been known to say that I like to complicate things.    I once complained to my husband that there was too much sun coming into the bedroom window which was waking me up earlier than I wanted.  I thought long and hard about how to fix this and finally I decided that I was going to buy large sheets of black paper and sticky tape and cover the windows to block out the morning sun.  So off I went to buy the supplies and was excited to show my husband my handiwork.

“What are you doing??”  My husband asked when he entered the room.

(more…)

Read Full Post »

Chicken Wings With Spicy Basque Ketchup

Posted in Cook, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on January 6, 2011| 52 Comments »

Chicken Wings with Spicy Basque Ketchup

Chicken Wings with Spicy Basque Ketchup

This, my friends, is going to be a very short post. I’m not sure if you’ve noticed the lack of any online presence lately… and there’s certainly a reason for my silence. First, my parents are around for another few weeks – and family always takes priority so I am trying to squeeze in as much time as I can with them while they’re here. Then, there’s the new job which has been keeping me quite busy as I try to  to navigate my way around a whole new business. So something’s got to give –  and in this case – it’s catching up with friends, those I see in person as well as in cyberspace.   So this unfortunately means  there’s also less time now to visit my favourite blogs and I am sorely missing you all (and my RSS feed).

I’m hoping February should quiet down somewhat (but of course, you never know!) and things return to normal…  But I couldn’t let this week pass without sharing another recipe I made for our New Year’s Tapas Party.  If you love chicken wings, you’d be crazy not to try this recipe.  Everyone at the party went crazy for them. I had initially used only half the wings I had bought thinking I had too much food.  Half way through I had to bake the rest which was also promptly devoured.  So advice, when you’re making this – make lots!

(more…)

Read Full Post »

Looking Back and Moving Forward plus Easy Roast Vegetable Cake

Posted in Bake, Cook, tagged , , , , , , , , , on January 2, 2011| 52 Comments »

Roast Vegetable Frittata

Roast Vegetable Cake

What a year 2010 was!  As I reflect on the year that’s just past, I can’t help but feel grateful (despite many, many stressful moments) to be where I am at this point in my life.  My top five unforgettable moments this year:

1. Hong Kong in February  for a girls only weekend.  It was the first time in ages that we had an exclusive “girls”-cursion which included my Mom, sisters and aunt.  Lots of eating, shopping and bonding.  I could tell you more about what we did but what happened in Hong Kong, stays in Hong Kong…

2. Watching the birth of my nephew James – Last July I was with my sister and her husband when my nephew James was born after more than 13 hours in labour.  In exchange? I was given the honour of cutting his umbilical cord (well, more like my brother-in-law was too queasy to do it) and being named his godmother.

3. Teaching my first macaron class – In August I taught my first macaron class at The Essential Ingredient.  I was so worried about making sure my class ran smoothly that I actually took leave off work two days before the first class to practice, practice, and practice some more!

4. Moving homes is one of the most stressful things I did this year.  Especially when the move required two trips using a ten ton truck, a month of packing, twelve hours of moving,  and three days completely devoted to unpacking (we’re still unpacking bits and pieces until today).   There were times when I wondered to myself “is it worth it?”… looking around now, I can say it was definitely worth it.  But let me tell you, I never want to move homes again!

5. Changing Jobs –  I had reached a plateau with my previous job but I was also hesitant to make the change to do something new. With the encouragement of friends and family, I finally decided it was time to move on after four years.  I am extremely excited to be working with a committed and successful team when I get back to work in the new year.

So what’s instore for 2011?

I wouldn’t even want to take a guess because had someone told me this time last year that I would do any of the following: go to Hong Kong for a bonding session, be present for my nephew’s birth, teach a macaron class, move home or change job – I would have told them that they were crazy…. and to think I did all of that in the last year alone!

So whatever happens in 2011, I say bring it on.  If 2010 is any indication – it’s going to be an exciting year!

Roast Vegetable Frittata

Roast Vegetable Cake

(more…)

Read Full Post »

Bechamel Prawn Stuffed Mussels (Tigres) from Miguel’s Tapas

Posted in Book Reviews, Cook, tagged , , , , , , , on December 22, 2010| 28 Comments »

Bechamel and Prawn Stuffed Mussels

Bechamel and Prawn Stuffed Mussels

Is it any surprise that my most favourite presents to give (and receive) during Christmas are cookbooks?  I consider myself a pretty good judge cookbook character.  For example, my brother who is a bachelor loves the four ingredients or less series and his idea of cooking is to buy a chicken, buy a packet of spices and chuck everything in the oven. For one of my sisters, I am always on the look out for cookbooks that have recipes that can be completed in thirty minutes or less.  She is so keen on saving time (in fairness to her, she does have a four month old baby), that we call her “Miss Shortcut”.

My Mom is getting a book I bought a few weeks back, Miguel Maestre’s first cookbook, Miguel’s Tapas.

Born in Murcia Spain, Miguel has worked in many celebrated restaurants including Bather’s Pavillion and Bilson’s in Sydney and even Ferran Adria’s El Bulli in Roses, Spain. He has also been on a number of TV shows including the popular Boy’s Weekend.  Today Miguel owns two restaurants in Sydney, El Toro Loco and Argyle Bazar.

The cookbook is divided into seven sections based on the times of day the tapas are meant to be eaten. Breakfast, morning tea, lunch, dessert, afternoon tea, dinner, and evening snacks. Hmmm… the Spanish seem to love their tapas anytime of the day!  There is also a section at the very end covering basics and sauces which includes among other things, a variety of stocks, flavoured oils and vinaigrettes.

Miguel has managed to strike a balance between the classic tapas such as the tortilla (potato omelette), paella and churros (his chocolate sauce is made with condensed milk!) and some tapas he gives a contemporary twist.  For instance, Wild Rice Popcorn and a Deconstructed Spanish Omelette inspired by his time at El Bulli.

I’ll be honest, the reason I’m giving my Mom this book isn’t so much that I want her to enjoy it (well, that’s part of it), but mainly because I want her to cook many of the dishes from it while she’s here for a visit.  Top of the list would be the Flamenca Eggs, Manchego Bread Rolls (inspired by the very popular Brazilian cheese bread), Salted Cod Croquettes, and Wagyu and Chorizo Meat Pie.  For dessert, I’m thinking she could make Bombe Alaska Fruit Skewers, Santiago’s Tart and Bread and Butter Pudding…

Like his TV shows, Miguel has a light hearted approach to cooking tapas.  As he shares his recipes, he also shares stories behind the recipes, in particular about his childhood growing up with a large family from where he got his love for cooking from.

So yes, this book’s going to my Mom for Christmas… unless of course… I decide to keep the book for myself…

(more…)

Read Full Post »

Easy Homemade Christmas Gifts: Queso de Bola (Cheese) Spread for Kulinarya

Posted in Cook, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , on December 20, 2010| 34 Comments »

Queso de Bola Spread

Queso de Bola Spread

Because the holiday season is already so stressful, there are some things that you should never do in December.

Getting married is one of them.

This of course is from first hand experience when eight years ago, three days after Christmas, I said “I do.”  When I got engaged my then fiancé said “pick a date” and there was no doubt in my mind that we would get married around the Christmas holidays.  I had visions of a string quartet playing Christmas carols at the wedding reception, pointsettias hanging around the ballroom and because my Mom was taking care of the catering, I asked for a Holiday themed menu including glazed hams and roast turkeys.

The stress started as early as September when the dressmaker told me that because I wanted a beaded dress, whatever my current weight was then was what my weight had to be at my wedding.  There was no room to put on any holiday weight as this would mean major adjustments to the dress.

It was hard to enjoy engagement parties and holiday get togethers when every time I’d want to stuff myself silly I’d envision a little bubble over my head and inside was the dressmaker shaking his head saying “Tsk… tsk… I told you not to eat so much!”

(more…)

Read Full Post »

2011 Food Trends & The Spotted Pig’s Deviled Eggs

Posted in Cook, tagged , , , , , , , , , on December 14, 2010| 38 Comments »

Deviled Eggs

Deviled Eggs

 If  2010 was all about local and sustainable food, I’m hearing that 2011 will be all about the Pie.  At least this is the prediction from Andrew Freeman & Co, a US based firm that consults on marketing to hotels and restaurants around the US.  In their 2011 Trend List, pies were listed as the next cupcake.  From sweet to savoury, deep fried (oh my!), and bite sized minis, pies are set to dominate the food scene in the new year.

Here are some other predictions from the list :

  • New Mom & Pop – self-financed/self-built restaraunts with less than 40 seats, designed for friends or family where the owners’ hands touch every ingredient and every part of the restaurant.
  • Single Purpose Restaurants – that serve variations on one thing. 
  • Powders, crumbles, dusts and dirts – never has it been so good to be dirty!
  • Haute Dogs – move over burgers, gourmet hot dogs from duck sausages with pate and red wine mustard to lamb and pork merguez served with fig chutney will feature more prominently on menus in 2011.
  • In 2011 vegetarians will have more to smile about as chefs start to realize that there’s more to a restaurant menu than meat.
  • Popsicles – spiked, salty, sweet and savory!
  • Bellies – here I was thinking I would lose the belly in 2011 – apparently not!  We’ll be seeing not only more of pork bellies in the new year but also lamb, and goat even.
  • More Food Apps – creative marketers are taking advantage of the popularity of the new Ipad.  Take for example Murdoch Book’s Around the World in 80 recipes or Martha Stewart’s Cookie app  or Martha Stewart’s Living offering among other things, built in timers, shopping lists, videos and step by step instructions.

The list also covers some hot ingredients that will feature prominently in 2011: pimiento cheese, whey, kumquats, smoked anything (think olive oil, butter, and cumin), hay, popcorn, hummus, pretzels and honey.

As for me?  In 2011 I’d like to see deviled eggs make a come back.  Whenever my husband travels the first question I ask him is “did you miss me?” and the next question I ask is “what did you eat?”.  On his last trip a few weeks ago, of all things, he raved most about the deviled eggs he had at The Spotted Pig. 

 “Can you make deviled eggs?”  he asked. 

A quick search on the internet led me to this recipe.   My husband says this is an exact replica of what he had in New York so I’m sticking to the recipe – no tweaks at all.  I hope you try to make it yourself, it’s perfect as a canape for the holiday season as well – and really, the more people that make it, the more my prediction will come true!

Spotted Pig Deviled Eggs

Spotted Pig Deviled Eggs

 

  • 12 large eggs
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
  • 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • 2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon malt vinegar
  • Maldon sea salt
  • Peperoncino red chili flakes, pulsed in a spice grinder into approximate 1/16th-inch pieces.
  • 3 tablespoons thinly sliced chives

 1. Place eggs in single layer in medium saucepan. Cover with cold water about 2 cm higher than the eggs. Place over high heat, bring to a simmer, shut off heat, and wait for at least ten minutes (for medium and 17 minutes for large). Drain eggs, and peel under cool running water. With thin knife, carefully slice eggs in half.

2. Place egg yolks in bowl of food processor. Add olive oil, mayonnaise, mustard, and both vinegars and process until smooth puree forms, scraping down sides of bowl as necessary. Season to taste with salt.

3. Transfer mixture to pastry bag fitted with plain tip or to plastic zipper-lock bag with corner cut off. Select 12 best egg white halves (reserve remaining egg whites for another use), and pipe filling mixture into them by starting outside the indentation, completely filling the indentation, and overflowing the other side of it, leaving a curled “tail” at the end.

4. Sprinkle eggs with Maldon salt, Peperoncino, and chives. Drizzle with olive oil, and serve.

When making deviled eggs, here are a few tips:

  • The older the eggs you use, the better.  To test whether your eggs are fresh, place the egg in a bowl of water.  Eggs that lay on their side are fresh which eggs that stand on one end are older and better to use as they are easier to peel.

 

  • To get the egg yolks centered, lay the eggs on their sides for a day before use.

 

  • Cook eggs in one layer with about 2 cm of water above the eggs as using too much water will throw of the timing for cooking the eggs.

 

  • Do not overcook the eggs as this creates a green layer to form around the yolk.

Read Full Post »

« Newer Posts - Older Posts »