kthread » eggs

the shore, the yolks, and the brightness

Kristen Taylor — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 02:02:20 +0000

A few summers ago, my wonderful friend Jeannine and I found ourselves at Cakebread Cellars in Napa, and ever since I am reminded of our visit by e-mails from their resident chef with recipes tailored to the wines.

This recipe of roasted cauliflower with crab sneaks in a gremolata (parsley, garlic, and lemon zest) and has an addictive crunch with homemade breadcrumbs.

And as it doesn’t fall neatly in a course category, I think the recipe will be perfect for a Midsummer Night’s Dream party later in 2010—or, the next time someone feels my apartment is chilly and powers through it with my Snuggie (pictured: my friend Kevin).

This morning, I smiled at the sun and the orange yolks in my favorite breakfast egg preparation, eggs Maryland. My grandmother grew up on the Maryland shore, and I thought about her as I made the aioli to mix with breadcrumbs and crab for the cakes, then whisked a classic hollandaise sauce to make her proud.

Hollandaise in your own kitchen will taste deliciously of lemon and good butter, and the poached eggs will have yolks more orange than the sauce—these are from Evolutionary Organics at the Grand Army Plaza market—that spill out on top of the crab cakes and toasted crumpets.

I’ll fold the remaining crab into an omelette tomorrow morning and think back to the best eggs benedict I’ve ever had, this past summer in Great Barrington, when Emily and Jeremy made homemade crumpets and a Prosecco hollandaise with eggs from their chickens, just yards away at their Barking Dog Farm.

I’m daydreaming about that today and the day when they open their local butcher shop this year, which will be a cause for celebration (and an excellent reason to visit). Perhaps it is the bright yolks I need most right now to remind me that the sun will return…

kthread cooks: eggs for Julia

Kristen Taylor — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 14:18:49 +0000

In honor of Julia, and for the PBS Tell Us Your Julia Story event (you can add your Julia story here) we are making eggs with cream. And I am happy to introduce you to my Brooklyn kitchen, the setting for future kthread cooks episodes. Though I cannot warble, these eggs sing the praises of a woman who labored over recipes to let everyone experience her joie de vivre.

You can skip my Julia monologuing, and begin by making mayonnaise by processing one egg for ten seconds, then slowly drizzling in 1 cup of vegetable oil while the machine is running. Add 1 teaspoon lemon juice and season to taste; it will keep for a week chilled. Then, dice mushrooms (I use black trumpet here) and cook with 1 teaspoon of oil on med-high heat until they release their juices—about 5 minutes. Remove from pan, turn heat to medium and add two eggs, whisked (reserve one eggshell), and a tablespoon of heavy cream; gently fold eggs until softly scrambled—2-3 minutes. Spoon eggs back into eggshell and then around it on the plate; serve with mayonnaise and with potatoes, if you like (I sautéed baby potatoes and amaranth leaves with garlic).

Bon appétit!

reading recommendation: My Life in France, Julia Child with Alex Prud’homme

listening recommendation: the snappy “French Chef” opening theme

dance recommendation: waltz for Julia and Paul

eggs for Julia wallpaper on Flickr

drink pairing: beer, your choice

salt recommendation: Fleur de sel, of course (kosher in a pinch)

Your Julia memories?

More kthread cooks episodes on this page and on the Vimeo channel.

tubes and carbonara

Kristen Taylor — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 17:49:35 +0000

Perhaps because I’m spending time on trains and in tunnels lately, perciatelli was the pasta I reached for today when I realized I had beautiful guanciale from Formaggio Kitchen and fresh eggs from this morning’s Union Square Greenmarket—a carbonara waiting to be made.

For a simple lunch for one, start by cooking a third of a pasta box (spaghetti is traditional here) to al dente in a pot while 1 inch of diced guanciale renders (guanciale, made from jowls, has a subtler flavor than bacon) with a little olive oil in another pan, and whisk a single egg in a small bowl with a tablespoon of Pecorino Romano (or Parmesan) and a little more olive oil.

Drain the pasta, toss in pan with the rendered fat (remove guanciale to separate plate), and quickly pour the egg/cheese mixture on top, stir with tongs to coat. Plate and sprinkle with guanciale, season.

If you feel so inclined (I always do), nestle a crowning yolk on top of the glistening tangle.

One of the simplest pastas, I find carbonara deeply satisfying—an honest recipe for the middle, or beginning, or end of any week…

America Day II: Rock and Roll Dreams Come Through

Kristen Taylor — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 17:28:55 +0000

In recognition of Captain America’s return to Charlottesville, we deemed this past Saturday America Day II: Rock and Roll Dreams Come Through.

Like last year’s first America Day, we determined to spend the day doing very American things; this time, relating to music.

(Follow the rest of the adventure after the jump–)

Keicy, Jordan, Dana, and I began the day with a visit to Dave Matthews’ farm, Best of What’s Around, for fresh eggs and a lesson about chickens from Matthew and Suzanne Holt.

As the rest of the hipster musicians dragged product through their hair and arrived at America Day HQ, we took a few band pictures on a bridge (no troubled water in sight) and headed off to a small town. (Ben’s parents live in this same small town.)

Delighted, Nina and Laura discovered a bike a fan had left for them in downtown Waynesboro.

Then we all looked for (caffeination and) non-obvious books about music at Stone Soup Books;

Jordan chose Oliver Sacks’ Musicophilia, I chose Puff the Magic Dragon, Laura found a book with scores and woodcuts titled My Pious Friends and Drunken Companions, and Jeremy located a Johnny Cash biography by his wife.

We detoured to Ben’s grandmother’s house to visit and she graciously pressed homemade sweet potato pie on us, fueling our journey to Wright’s Dairy-Rite in historic Staunton.

Nina, owner of alternative label of Hoss Records, evaluated our options on the jukebox before seemingly everyone in the diner surprised me with a chorus of “Happy Birthday.”

Riding milkshake sugar highs, we followed a slightly akimbo Statue of Liberty pointing us back to Charlottesville for American Idol karaoke (after Laura accompanied Dana on the guitar piñata),

And in fantastic leggings, Steph crawled the VIP booth at Escafe and directed us to a party at Kiki Bar’s closing night.

A few hours later, the shimmering continued as we toasted Easter with wild hibiscus flowers opening in flutes of cava,

biscuits with butter and jam, carrot cake, croissant pudding, rainbow chard, roasted lamb, potatoes, aioli, iberico ham,

and eggshells dusted with gold and silver that, peeled back, yielded solid chocolate fillings.

With gold dust on our fingers, and locals in the know, we shall have music this year wher’er we go…

For more pictures, see Laura’s Flickr set, my Flickr set, and see the video in HD on Vimeo.