Faith Middleton Show: The Food Schmooze, May 12, 2010

Hear from a man who built a garden in his backyard, a master wine maker in California and great recipe ideas from Faith and her food buddies, Cameron, Lori and Chris!

Spring Poached Eggs with Truffle Oil and Morrell Mushrooms

1/2 pound mushrooms trimed and cut in half 
1 tablespoon sweet butter
2 ramps sliced thin
1/2 teaspoon chopped chives
1/2 cup brandy
salt and pepper to taste

Wash mushroom well.
In a large sautee pan add the butter, sliced ramps, chives and brandy and cook for 2 minutes on medium low.
Add the mushrooms and gently simmer until the mushrooms are soft.
Season with salt and pepper. 

Plastic Wrap: No-Fuss Poaching

Like home chefs, professional chefs use plastic wrap in a variety of ways, including to wrap and cover foods. But that doesn't mean the ingredients are always headed for the refrigerator. The pros also use plastic wrap as a cooking aid because it can withstand the heat of hot or simmering water. Chris uses plastic wrap as a no-fuss way to poach eggs. His method is easy:

Take a square of plastic wrap, press it into a small ramekin and crack an egg into the center.
Add some seasonings, if desired, and then a twist of the wrap forms a little package that can be lowered into a pot of simmering water.
The eggs turn out perfect, and clean-up is a cinch.

POACHED EGGS:  

4 eggs
4 tablespoons olive oil, sesame oil, truffle oil  
Kosher salt  
Freshly ground black pepper

Bring a saucepan of water to a gentle simmer, bubbling slightly but not boiling.
Lay out 4 sheets of plastic wrap (about 12 by 12 inches) on a counter.
Brush the center of each sheet with 1 tablespoon oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.
For each sheet, position the center of the plastic wrap in the bottom of a small ramekin (2 to 3 inches in diameter).
Crack an egg into the plastic wrap, then pull up the four corners of the wrap and twist gently to enclose the egg.
Carefully lower each egg package into the simmering water.
Cook for 1 minute for a runny egg, and up to 3 minutes for a well-done egg.
Unwrap eggs and use in the serving suggestion below.

(From Chris Prosperi at Metro Bis Restaurant in Simsbury, CT)

HOLLANDAISE SAUCES:

By BILL DALEY and CHRISTOPHER PROSPERI, The Hartford Courant

Hollandaise sauce has a bad rap. It's temperamental, difficult to make and fattening - or so they say. Actually hollandaise is rather easy once you understand how egg yolks react to heat and a gentle whisking. Modern appliances like blenders or food processors make hollandaise even easier. And there's nothing like the creamy plushness of hollandaise to dress up poached eggs, roasted asparagus or steamed asparagus. As for fattening, well, just consider how healthful eggs and butter are considered now.

To make hollandaise is to engage in a slow dance with egg yolks and melted butter. Beating the egg yolks over low heat denatures their proteins - a fancy way of saying that you loosen up the yolks, introduce a little air to change the color slightly and change the yolk's molecular structure so they become very, very thirsty. The yolks will drink up whatever you pour in, be it hot butter for hollandaise or oil for real homemade mayonnaise. The key is to go slowly. No matter whether you make hollandaise by hand or use a blender, the yolks can absorb only so much at one time. Go slowly - almost boringly slow - or you risk curdling the sauce.

Another factor is heat. You must heat the sauce to no more than 160 to 165 degrees or you risk scrambling the eggs. Now, 160 is hot, but not hot enough to eliminate the dangers of using what the government calls "undercooked" eggs. So make sure you know your source for eggs before beginning.

Here's how you separate egg yolks from whites: Crack the egg gently on the side of a cup or small bowl. Open the shell carefully, allowing the yolk to be cupped in one half of the shell. Pass the yolk back and forth slowly from one shell half to the other, allowing the white to drop away into the bowl. When the yolk is white-free (easy to tell), place the yolk in the blender or a saucepan and repeat until you have the desired number of yolks. Save the egg whites for meringues. The whites freeze well.

Traditional Hollandaise

Some recipes call for making hollandaise in a double boiler or other fancy rig. Forget it. Use an ordinary heavy-bottomed pan. If the yolks seem to be getting too hot, you simply slide the pot off the heat until things cool down. Use a whisk for maximum efficiency.

• 3 egg yolks
• 1 teaspoon water
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 2 sticks unsalted butter, 8 ounces, cut into 1/2-inch slices
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• Couple dashes Tabasco sauce (optional)

Set a heavy-bottomed saucepan on medium-low heat. Add the egg yolks and water and beat gently. The yolks will change color slightly, turning lemon yellow, as they warm up. Add the lemon juice; the acid will help the yolks accept the butter. When the yolks are hot to the touch, begin beating in the butter piece by piece. Work slowly. Allow the butter pat to melt and become incorporated completely into the yolks before adding the next piece. As the butter is absorbed, you'll see the yolk mixture begin to swell in volume, turn creamy and then, near the end, become somewhat stiff. Stir in the salt and the optional Tabasco and serve immediately. Makes about 2 cups.

Blender Hollandaise

Using your blender in conjunction with your microwave oven to melt the butter makes hollandaise so simple and fast you might begin considering it an "ordinary" sauce. Chris prefers the blender to a food processor because it emulsifies the sauce almost immediately and the fast-moving rotor blades help keep the yolks from scrambling. Microwave the butter in a heatproof covered container until the butter is completely melted and begins to bubble. This will ensure the butter is hot enough to "cook" the egg yolks to create the hollandaise.

• 3 egg yolks
• 2 8-ounce sticks unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• Couple dashes Tabasco sauce (optional)

Place the egg yolks in the blender. Melt the butter in the microwave until the melted butter begins to bubble.
Turn the blender on high. Pour in the lemon juice and add salt to the yolks. Pour in the hot melted butter. Go slow: Don't dump the melted butter in. Finish with the optional Tabasco sauce. Serve immediately. Makes about 2 cups.

Rescuing Hollandaise

Saving a curdled hollandaise is so easy, Julia Child once famously broke her sauce on television for the express purpose of showing how it could be reconstituted. The key is to put about a tablespoon of fresh lemon juice or vinegar into a bowl and then slowly - SLOWLY - add the curdled sauce glop by glop. Don't add more until what you've already put in the bowl is fully incorporated and creamy. "Rescued" hollandaise is a bit tarter than normal, but most people won't notice the difference.