eggs Archives - Fresh From Oregon

Fresh Asparagus with Eggs Benedict

June 23, 2017 · by Carrie Trax ·

Fresh from Oregon and now in season fresh asparagus is perfect to serve at any meal. I try to make a new breakfast dish every Saturday morning and with a bunch of asparagus in my refrigerator the first thing I thought was Eggs Benedict with Hollandaise sauce. Hollandaise sauce is a mild, rich sauce made with egg yolks, lemon juice and butter. Beside the traditional topping on Eggs Benedict it is served over vegetables like asparagus and artichokes and is also great with grilled seafood. The first time I made Eggs Benedict I thought I would never master the Hollandise sauce so I decided to turn to the master Julia Childs and her recipe. It looks simple, whisk your egg yolks, lemon and some water in a saucepan for a few minutes. When it says to use low heat you use low heat and whisk non stop but it only takes about 2 minutes to thicken up the egg. Next step in the recipe it says to soften butter and that is important and to keep whisking. From start to finish it only takes about 5 minutes but you need to keep your focus on making the sauce. I do the sauce first and let it set covered and then slightly heat it up for a minute once I am ready to serve.

I like to cook each item and then assemble. First roast the asparagus and set aside. Toast 4 English muffins and set aside. Next I like to make the Hollandaise sauce and once cooked set aside covered and reheat for 1 minute before I pour over the eggs. Next poach your eggs and place on a paper towel. Last, in a skillet heat the ham and brown slightly, about 3 minutes. To assemble, place each half of one English muffin on plate, now add a piece of the ham. Add about three stalks of the grilled lemon asparagus and then the poached egg. Check the Hollandaise sauce and if it needs to be warmer place back on stove over low heat and whisk for about 1 minute. Pour sauce over eggs and sprinkle with some cracked black pepper. The recipes for each item are in the links below.

Roasted Lemon Asparagus
4 Bays English Muffins
8 poached eggs
Julia Childs Hollandaise Sauce

Storing extra asparagus check out some tips here!

Save

B “S” T Egg Salad Sandwich

March 31, 2015 · by Carrie Trax ·

I am putting the “S” or spinach in the traditional “B”acon “L”ettuce “T”omato egg sandwich. With Easter coming there will be some extra hard boiled eggs in my refrigerator perfect for egg salad. In my egg salad recipe I add some crisp bacon to add a little extra flavor. This open face sandwich is served on grilled bread layered with fresh baby spinach, sliced tomatoes, egg salad and topped with pieces of crisp bacon.

Bacon Spinach Tomato Egg Salad Sandwich
6 hard boiled eggs, peeled
1/2 cup Miracle Whip or mayonnaise
3 slices bacon, cooked crispy, divided
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
4 large slices french bread
butter
1 cup fresh spinach
2 tomatoes, sliced

In a medium bowl place the hard boiled eggs. With a pastry blender (My favorite kitchen tool) chop eggs into small pieces. Add Miracle Whip or mayonnaise, 2 slices of bacon that has been chopped into small pieces, salt and ground pepper. Mix until combined.

Preheat a flat top grill or skillet. Butter both sides of the bread and cook until lightly brown on both sides. To assemble sandwiches place each piece of bread on a plate. On each piece of bread layer a 1/4 cup of spinach, 3 slices of tomatoe and 1/4th of the egg salad. Chop the last piece of bacon into small pieces and sprinkle on each sandwich.

Bread Pudding Mission

January 4, 2015 · by Carrie Trax ·

For 2015 I have set myself some goals; learn how to sew an apron, take more hikes, photograph an amazing sunset, give back to others, enjoy my new granddaughter and search for and make bread pudding recipes. Bread pudding is one of the comfort foods that takes us back to our grandmother’s kitchen. Bread pudding is just the combination of bread with an egg custard mixture which is then refrigerated for several hours and baked, but the combinations can be endless. You can use Challah bread, croissants, french bread and brioche bread. You can add the flavors of chocolate, sweet potato, vegetables, fruits and liqueurs. Do not forget the sauce on top; whiskey, vanilla, rum, caramel the list is endless. I have set myself a goal to find and try two new bread pudding recipes each month and of course add some of my Fresh From Oregon taste to them. Lets start off the first one with an Old Fashion Bread Pudding recipe that will please everyone in your family! Read more about the history of bread pudding here…

Old Fashion Bread Pudding
7 large eggs
3 1/2 cups whole milk
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 pound loaf of challah bread or brioche bread, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup raisins (optional)
Vanilla Sauce ~ recipe below

Butter a 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish, set aside. Whisk eggs in large bowl until blend. Add milk, sugar, whipping cream, vanilla and cinnamon; whisk until blended well. Stir in the cubed bread making sure all the bread has soaked in some of the egg mixture. If adding raisins mix in at this time. Pour mixture into prepared baking dish. Cover and refrigerate 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake pudding uncovered until puffed and golden, about 1 hour. Cool slightly (pudding will fall).

While cooling, prepare the vanilla sauce.

Vanilla Sauce
1/2 cup (1 stick) of unsalted butter
1/4 cup of granulated sugar
1/2 cup of heavy cream or whole milk
1 tablespoon of all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract

Melt butter in a saucepan and whisk all other ingredients in except the vanilla; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until thickened. Remove from heat, add vanilla, whisk and drizzle over bread pudding.

Bread pudding is always best served warm so heat a piece for about 40 seconds in the microwave and then pour on some vanilla sauce. Refrigerate any left over pudding and vanilla sauce.

Deep South Dish & My Knotted Life

Classic Deviled Eggs

November 15, 2014 · by Carrie Trax ·

Thanksgiving dinner would not be complete without “Classic Deviled Eggs”. My family does not like anything fancy just your basic deviled eggs like I remember growing up. If there are any extra leftover deviled eggs add them to your favorite potato salad recipe the next day to enjoy with your turkey sandwich!

Classic Deviled Eggs
8 eggs
1/3 cup Miracle Whip or Mayonnaise if your prefer
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon white vinegar
Salt & pepper to taste
Paprika, garnish
Fresh Parsley, garnish

Add eggs to a pot and add enough water to cover eggs about 1 inch. Bring to a boil, remove from heat and cover with a lid for 20 minutes. Drain water and run cold water over eggs for a few minutes. Crack and peel off the egg shells. Cut eggs in half lengthwise and remove the yolk and set the egg whites aside for now. Place the egg yolks, Miracle Whip, dry mustard, vinegar and a pinch of salt and pepper in a bowl of a food processor and blend until creamy. If you have a Ninja Food Processor just use the puree button which pulses and blends for 65 seconds. If you want to do by hand mash with a potato masher until no longer lumpy. Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed. I wanted to be a little fancy so I placed the mixture to a pastry piping bag that I had attached a star tip. Pipe mixture into each egg white sprinkle with a little paprika and garnish with a piece of parsley. It is that simply and easy.

Chocolate Covered Easter Eggs…

March 25, 2013 · by Carrie Trax ·

With Easter less than a week away… you must be thinking about bunnies, coloring eggs and of course chocolate in the Easter basket. I got my 20# box of chocolate out this weekend and my favorite filling recipes and turned my kitchen into the Easter Bunny’s workshop. I added a new filling this year that is filled with Fresh From Oregon flavors, hazelnuts and cranberries. I took some hazelnuts out of the freezer (the best place to store them) and toasted them in the oven at 400 degrees for about 3-4 minutes. I then opened a box of dried cranberries I found the other day while shopping. These dried cranberries are grown and produced by the Vincent Family on the Southern Oregon coast, they cultivated their first cranberries in 1957, read more here about their story. So with these two great Oregon flavors and my fudge recipe I created a Hazelnut Cranberry Fudge filling. I also made my family’s other favorite fillings: coconut almond, peanut butter and pecan fudge caramel. These melt in your mouth recipes are easy and quick to make and the taste of homemade chocolate eggs will be the perfect surprise for your family and friends this coming Easter.

Once you have made your fillings and shaped them into eggs they will be ready to dip in the chocolate. I use a good grade of melting chocolate wafer, Merckens. You can find them at your local stores that sell candy making supplies or order online. It is best to melt in a double boiler or a bowl placed over simmering water. I find it is easier to dip just the bottoms in the chocolate first and let it set, about 10 minutes. Then when you dip the top into the chocolate you will have something to hold onto, the only downside you will need to lick the chocolate off your fingers often. You can also place that set chocolate bottom on a fork and dip it into the chocolate. Remember to place a piece of parchment paper on the pan you will place the eggs on to set the chocolate, this keeps them from sticking to the pan as the chocolate sets.

Hazelnut Cranberry Filling:
1 pound semisweet chocolate chips (about 1 1/2 bags)
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate squares, chopped
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup hazelnuts, toasted and roughly chopped
1/2 cup dried cranberries, chopped
Line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper, allowing extra to hang over the sides and spray lightly with cooking spray, set aside.
In a double boiler toss chocolates, baking soda and salt. Stir in condensed milk and vanilla. Stir 2-5 minutes until only a few pieces of chocolate are left. Remove from heat and stir another 2 minutes, the mixture will become a little glossy. Stir in the hazelnuts and dried cranberries. Spread evenly in the prepared pan and let set for 3o minutes. Once cool enough to handle cut into 12 even pieces and make into an egg shape. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet and let set for about 1 hour before you dip them in the chocolate.

Peanut Butter Filling:
1 cup butter
2 1/2 cups peanut butter
5 cups confectioners sugar
Cream together butter and peanut butter in the bowl of an stand mixer until creamy. Gradually add the confectioners sugar and mix until combined. Shape into the size eggs you want.

Coconut Almond Filling:
1 cup butter
4 cups confectioners sugar
1 pound shredded coconut
7 ounces sweetened condensed milk
1 cup almonds, finely chopped
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
In bowl of a stand mixer cream butter and confectioners sugar. Add coconut, condensed milk, almonds and vanilla, mix until fully combined. Chill in refrigerator about 30 minutes and then shape into any size egg you want.

Pecan Carmel Fudge Filling:
1 pound semisweet chocolate chips (about 1 1/2 bags)
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate squares, chopped
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup pecans, toasted and roughly chopped
6 ounce caramel squares
2 tablespoons milk
Line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper, allowing extra to hang over the sides and spray lightly with cooking spray, set aside.
In a double boiler toss chocolates, baking soda and salt. Stir in condensed milk and vanilla. Stir 2-5 minutes until only a few pieces of chocolate are left. Remove from heat and stir another 2 minutes, the mixture will become a little glossy. Stir in the pecans and spread evenly in the prepared pan and let set for 3o minutes. Once cool enough to handle cut into 12 even pieces and make into egg shapes. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet and let set for about 30 minutes before pouring caramel over. To melt caramels unwrap and place caramels and milk in a bowl over simmering water and stir until melted. Pour about a tablespoon of caramel over each egg, if it drips over the side its Ok. Let set 5 minutes and eggs are ready to dip in the chocolate.

Pears, Blue Cheese and Hazelnuts do I need to say any more?

January 22, 2013 · by Carrie Trax ·

Here is another recipe I adapted from the Cook to Books January challenge from Around My French Table by Dorie Greenspan. The original recipe was a Gorgonzola-Apple Quiche and to make it a Fresh From Oregon taste I made it with pears and an Oregon blue cheese and added hazelnuts to the crust. I was at the Portland Farmers Winter Market this past Saturday and picked up a few really nice ripe pears. If you want the best blue cheese in Oregon then you need the Rogue Creamery Blue Cheese. It has a high price per pound but worth it and you only need 2 ounce in this quiche and you will taste the difference. I decided to make this for lunch yesterday and serve to my husband and son and was ready for the reaction “Quiche” is not a man’s meal. But to my surprise they both enjoyed it and ate every bite. I served it with a mixed greens tossed salad and dried cranberries and my homemade Balsamic Vinaigrette and topped it with some candied walnuts. Enjoy my version below and let me know how you like it.

Pear and Blue Cheese Quiche with Hazelnut Crust
Hazelnut Tart Dough
1 1/4 cup Bob’s Red Mill white flour
2 Tablespoon hazelnuts, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 Tablespoon butter, cold
1 large egg, beaten
1 teaspoon water, cold

I made my dough in the food processor really quick and easy. Place flour, hazelnuts, sugar and salt in bowl of food processor with the blade attachment. Pulse a few times to mix, add the butter in small pieces and pulse again to make smaller pieces. Add egg and water and pulse until the dough holds together when pinched. I found I needed to add another teaspoon of cold water since I added in the hazelnuts. Dump the dough onto the counter and gather together into a ball and flatten to a disk shape. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, I refrigerated my dough over night. To bake the dough I lightly floured my counter and sprinkled some flour on the top of the dough and rolled it out to slightly bigger than my tart pan. Place the dough in a 9-inch tart pan and gently press into the bottom and up the sides taking off any extra dough along the side. With a fork prick the bottom crust in several places. I lined the crust with foil and added beans to keep the bottom and side in place while it baked. Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for 20 minutes, remove foil and bake another 3 minutes. Place on wire rack to cool.

Pear and Blue Cheese filling
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup onion, chopped
salt & pepper, to taste
1 pear, peeled and diced small
2 ounces Rogue Creamery Blue Cheese
2/3 cup heavy cream
3 large eggs, (I used 1 more egg than the original recipe used)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat and add the onion and salt & pepper to taste. Cook until slightly brown, about 5 minutes. Spread the onions in the bottom of the hazelnut tart shell. Evenly spread the pears and then the blue cheese over the onions. In small bowl beat the heavy cream and eggs, season with salt and pepper, pour over the pears and blue cheese. Bake for 30 minutes or until brown or a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Set on rack for at least 5 minutes to set the eggs completely. The Fresh From Oregon Quiche is ready to serve, enjoy.

Recipe adapted from: Around My French Table by Dorie Greenspan