Poached Eggs: The Breakfast Book

My mom, Gran Fran, taught me how to make poached eggs about a year ago.

Her method involves cracking the egg onto a small saucer, creating a whirlpool in a pan of boiling water and pouring the egg into it. I've become almost an expert at this method, so I thought why not give another method a try? What better timing could I have as it's time for eggs in this installment of my cook the book project (Marion Cunningham's The Breakfast Book)?

At first, I was concerned that the extra egg boil in the beginning of the process was going to slow me down. By parboiling the eggs, they really did hold their shape much more easily once they hit the water/vinegar poaching liquid.

It's great to have two methods to use to make poached eggs as each one yields a little different shape and texture of egg in the end. Gran Fran's method gives you a more fluid shape (though the yolks are cooked perfectly every time). Marion's gives you a more solid shape.

Anyway you want to make poached eggs, you'll end up with a nice light egg dish on a Saturday morning to serve with sausage and toast, or on a Monday night on top of your favorite salad greens.

Check out the posts by my cook the book partners:  Rachel, Aimee, Emily, Sammy and Claudie.

Poached Eggs

from Marion Cunnigham’s The Breakfast Book, Copyright 1987, Alfred A. Knopf

Ingredients:

• 4 eggs
• 4 cups water
• 2 teaspoons cider vinegar
• Additional water for parboiling the eggs

Method:

The eggs to be poached will be getting a preliminary short boil. In a saucepan, boil enough water to completely cover the eggs. Gently lower the unshelled eggs into the saucepan. Count to 30 and remove the eggs. This preliminary cooking in the shell will harden the egg white a little so that the egg will hold its shape better as it poaches.

Bring to a simmer 4 cups water and 2 teaspoons cider vinegar in a 10-inch deep frying pan or sauté pan. If you are poaching more than 4 eggs and need a larger pan, add 1 teaspoon vinegar for each additional 2 cups water. One by one, crack each egg on the edge of the frying pan, open up the shell just over the simmering water, and let the egg fall gently into the water. If the eggs are not to ally submerged, spoon the simmering water over them as they poach. They will be ready after 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. Or remove the pan from the heat immediately after adding the eggs, cover, and the eggs will be poached after 4 to 5 minutes.

Remove the eggs with a skimmer or slotted spoon and let them drain on a towel. If you are not using the poached eggs right away, put them directly into a bowl of ice water and refrigerate. They will keep for 2 to 3 days. Reheat them in a bowl of very hot water for about 1 minute.

Breakfast for Dinner: Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Pancakes

We had gluten free chocolate chip pancakes for dinner tonight.

 Working all day, cooking two to three meals a day and making sure my teenage daughter is taken care of is a huge amount of responsibility. I love all of it, but sometimes, I just have to give in to a nice and easy dinner: gluten-free almond milk chocolate chip pancakes (way more words in that name than the actual effort took to make them).

This is another installment of my cook the book project with these lovely ladies: Rachel, Aimee, Emily, Sammy and Claudie. We are cooking our way through Marion Cunnignham's The Breakfast Book. Chapter six is all about pancakes!

My daughter was thrilled with the choice. I didn't have any bacon, so she had roasted chicken and  cauliflower alongside her pancakes. Sort of like she ate dessert at the same time as dinner.

Look at that batter. The warm milk and butter mixture melted the chocolate chips into delicious strips of chocolatey goodness.

I made them with almond milk and gluten-free flour so I could eat them, too. So yummy!

Plain Pancakes

adapted from Marion Cunnigham’s The Breakfast Book, Copyright 1987, Alfred A. Knopf

Ingredients:

• 2 eggs
• 5 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup almond milk
• 1 1/4 cups gluten-free flour (make your own or use this one from Gluten-Free Pantry)
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt

Method:

• Beat the eggs in a mixing bowl until they are thoroughly blended. Put the butter and the milk in a small saucepan and warm over low heat until the butter has melted.
• Set aside and allow to cool a little –you don't want to add this mixture to the eggs while it is very hot or it will cook the eggs. Stir the butter mixture into the eggs and mix well.
• Put the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt into a bowl and stir with a fork until well mixed.
• Pour the egg mixture into the flour mixture and stir only until the dry ingredients are well moistened. Don't over mix.
• Heat a griddle or skillet until a few drops of water dance on it, then lightly film with grease.
• Drop 2 or 3 tablespoons of batter for each pancake onto the griddle (a 12-inch girdler will hold 4 pancakes) and cook until bubbles break on the surface.
• Turn the pancake over and cook another 30 seconds, or until the bottom is lightly browned. Serve the pancakes hot.

Glazed Cinnamon Rolls from The Breakfast Book

Glazed cinnamon rolls are so very tasty. Welcome to the first installment of my very first Cook the Book. The idea here is that I will cook a recipe every other week from Marion Cunnigham's The Breakfast Book. I'll give you a flavor of what the book is like and will inspire you to cook up some of the tasty breakfast treats yourself.

Up first is a very good glazed cinnamon roll recipe. I'm not much of a baker. I fully acknowledge my shortcomings in this area. The requirement to follow an actual recipe with precise measurements is next to impossible for me. I've been at this recipe since 7:30am this morning. The rolls went into the oven at 5:15pm. To be fair, the dough rested for six hours in the refrigerator.

I chose to do the cinnamon rolls because I have the fondest of memories of Gran Fran whipping these up for us on weekends. I now have an even greater respect for the process she went through to give us fresh baked pastries. Gran Fran was known for being up at all hours of the day and night cooking and baking. I'd come home well after midnight to be greeted with the smell of beef stew or foccacia bread with garlic and rosemary. Gran Fran was to be found somewhat asleep, sitting up on the couch with the TV on. She'd awake with a start saying "Oh, I was just resting my eyes. Let me make you a plate." It was never asked as a question. It was a given that when you came in she'd feed you.

Why'd I wander off on that tangent? Because I just figured out that she must've been up making the dough so it could rest in the fridge overnight to be ready for baking soon after we got up. I wasn't that smart. Isabella will be having cinnamon rolls as her dessert tonight (with many more leftover for breakfast). Regardless of when we eat them, they are amazing, and I am proud to say that I made my first successful batch of glazed cinnamon rolls (it only took me 42 years!).

As per Isabella's instructions, I made one dozen with the glaze and dusted one dozen with cinnamon-sugar.

I'm doing this project along with five other wonderful food bloggers: Rachel of Ode to Goodness, Sammy of Rêve du Jour, Emily of The Bon Appetit Diaries, Aimee of Homemade Trade and Claudie of The Bohemian Kitchen.Click on through to their sites to see which recipes from the Yeast Breads chapter they made.

Glazed Cinnamon Rolls

from Marion Cunningham's The Breakfast Book, copyright 1987, Alfred A. Knopf

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup warm water
• 1 package dry yeast
• 1 teaspoon plus 1/4 cup sugar
• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 pound (2 sticks) butter, chilled [I used unsalted, recipe didn't specify]
• 3 eggs yolks
• 1 cup milk

Filling Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted [I used unsalted, recipe didn't specify]
• 6 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Glaze Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar
• 2 tablespoons butter, room temperature [I used unsalted, recipe didn't specify]
• 1 tablespoon water (a trifle more mat be needed to make a manageable glaze)

Method:

1. Put the warm water in a small bowl and sprinkle the yeast over. Add 1 teaspoon sugar, stir, and let dissolve for 5 minutes.
2. In a large mixing bowl stir together the flour, 1/4 cup sugar, and salt with a fork to mix them well.
3. Cut the butter into pieces the size of small grapes and add to the flour mixture.
4. Using either you hands or a pastry blender, rub or cut the butter into the flour mixture until it is distributed and there are coarse little lumps of butter throughout.
5. Stir in the yeast mixture, the egg yolks, and the milk. Beat until blended [I used my Kitchen-Aid stand mixer with a dough hook].
6. Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator at least 6 hours (this dough can be refrigerated for 12 to 14 hours).
7. Divide the dough in half. On a lightly floured board, roll out half the dough into a rectangle about 10 by 12 inches.
8. Spread 2 tablespoons of the melted butter over the rectangle.
9. Mix the remaining 6 tablespoons sugar and the 1 teaspoon cinnamon together in a small bowl. Sprinkle half the sugar mixture evenly over the rectangle.
10. Starting with the wide side, roll up the rectangle like a jelly roll. Divide the roll into 12 pieces by first cutting the roll into 4 equal portions, the cutting each portion into 3.
11. Put the rolls cut side down in a greased muffin tin. Repeat these steps with the other half of the dough.
12. Cover loosely and let rise for 1 hour.
13. Bake in a preheated 400 degree F oven for 20 to 25 minutes
14. Remove the rolls and out them on a rack set over a piece of waxed paper.
15. To make the glaze, sift the confectioners' sugar into a small bowl, then beat in the butter and water until smooth.
16. Spoon a little of the glaze one reach roll while still hot.