A Lesson in Poached Eggs

I live by the seat of my pants. My well-worn, stretch pants that I wear at least five of the seven days in a week.

Since I work in San Francisco, and mostly from the comfort of my home, the idea of “getting dressed” continues to slowly fade from my social lexicon. I had a few years of working a real, office-casual kind of job where I put together sassy power suits and tailored pants with some flash-of-personality heels, confidently strutting downtown with the rest of the urban jungle thinking, “look how professional I am.”

But comfort and simplicity have always won out in my life. I chose my college based on the campus where girls wore sweats, not pearls. And even today, if I’ve brushed my hair and teeth, well then you might as well guess that I’m getting ready for some sort of formal affair.

But there is a time and a place for getting gussied up and for that reason, I keep a few figure-fitting dresses amongst my loose t-shirts. Because, honestly, what girl doesn’t like feeling dolled up? What boys don’t mind feeling debonaire? And what kind of Brussel Sprouts don’t mind looking sexy? Really sexy.

These beautiful leaves were just calling for some kind of culinary makeover and while I could have doused them in balsamic vinegar and pepper or caped them in a thick mustard cream sauce, I took a cue from Coco Chanel, and kept the dressing simple. I limited the accessories and made my food fashion statement with a simple, slightly oversized, poached egg hat.

Of course, I had some help. The wonderful Ms. Alice Waters and her “The Art of Simple Food” held my hand through the poaching process. Something I had viewed with trepidation for years – wasn’t this supposed to be one of the hardest things to cook? Well, it wasn’t. I nailed it on my first try. And again on my second. Scouts honor. There is no room for modesty with a masterpiece like this.

The trick lies in a heavy bottomed pot (so that heat disperses evenly), a little dash of vinegar in the simmering water, a vortex (which only requires the stirring of your spoon, not a magic wand), and cracking your egg in a separate bowl before sliding into the pot.

The result is a perfectly runny poached egg and happy smiles. Which is the best accessory of all. Right?

Chow on.

Ingredients:

• 1 egg per person
• Dash of good-tasting white vinegar

Directions:

1. Fill a tall, heavy-bottomed pot half-way with water and bring to a rolling boil over medium-high heat. Could I have more hyphens in that sentence?

2. Prep by cracking an egg in a separate bowl and filling another boil with warm water. If you are making several poached eggs for guests, you can keep the finished eggs in the warm water bath while you make the rest.

3. Once the water has started to boil, lower the heat so that little bubbles constantly crack on the surface, but the boil is gentle. Then, add a dash of the vinegar (about 1/4 teaspoon if you want to measure) and stir. Slide the egg into the water and start your vortex by gently stirring clockwise, careful not to touch the egg at all. The vortex helps keep the egg white wrapped around the yolk and it also keeps the egg from settling and sticking to the bottom of the pot.

4. If your egg came straight from the refrigerator, it should take 2-3 minutes to cook. Remove with a slotted spoon and test for doneness by gently pressing on the yolk part. If slightly springy but soft to the touch, it is ready to go. Place into the bowl of warm water and repeat with the rest of the eggs.

5. Serve over creamy polenta, braised Brussels sprouts, even coffee rubbed steak. Enjoy.

The Wish List

It’s holiday time and it’s getting down to the wire for finishing your list and checking it twice. For those of you who are last minute shoppers, much like myself, I thought I would impart some gifting advice and help you navigate the world of food related presents that are easy on the wallet and require very little time to procure.

Thoughtful and useful, these knick knacks and do dads are perfect for those seeking to become more comfortable in their kitchen and more adventurous in their cooking. And if none of these suggestions strike a chord with your inner elf, you can always buy your loved ones a warm pair socks. I know I need some.

Cooking Classes

The best way for people to learn how to cook something is by actively watching and participating in its construction. And if your loved one is a classic type A, and wants the dish to be perfect the first time he or she attempts it, cooking classes will help them feel like an immediate master of the stove. As for the rest of us, cooking classes are also a fun and social way to get outside of your cooking comfort zone. So grab a gift certificate or save a date on the calendar for a class at one of these local culinary schools:

Salud, San Mateo Whole Foods

Tante Marie

Parties That Cook

Baking Arts

City Girl Cooks

First Class Cooking

Scents and Spices

Doesn’t saffron rice and truffle mashed potatoes sound delicious? But who really wants to spend upwards of $5 on oils and spices? This year, give the gift of ultimate flavor by supplying your friends and family with the taste bud tools that will take a no sodium dish from edible to extraordinary.

Penzy’s Spices

iGourmet – Flavored Oils and Aged Balsamics

McEvoy Ranch Olive Oil

Far West Fungi

Herb Tree

Cooking Utensils

One of the most difficult things about a dietary restriction is having to make the majority of your food from scratch. But by adding these few items to your tool belt, you can cut time and energy when creating home-made meals.

Immersion Blender

Microplane

Rice Cooker

Cookbooks and Recipe Resources

We all need inspiration and when learning how to cook sodium free, the more resources for culinary creativity the better. These food muses will ignite your cooking instincts and will help you better understand where sodium lurks and how to find flavor in its absence.

The No-Salt, Lowest-Sodium Cookbook

The No-Salt, Lowest-Sodium International Cookbook

Pocket Guide to Low Sodium Foods

Healthy Heart Living Magazine

Cooks Illustrated

Jam It, Pickle It, Cure It

Miscellaneous Stocking Stuffers

And for the no sodium chef that has everything, here are two more gift ideas that can round out any fully stocked kitchen.

Farmers Market Tokens from CUESA

CSA Memberships

‘Tis the Season

If you don’t want to listen to me, listen to a guy who really knows his stuff. Last week I picked up Thomas Keller’s most recent cookbook, ad hoc at home, and a quick peek at the culinary god in person. Pretty legit.

To prepare for my dinner guests this evening, I cracked open the book to find a simple yet inspired side dish recipe. What I found instead was an opening page of cooking advice that felt like a message from the salt free gods.

In a section called, “Becoming a Better Cook,” Keller gives the following tip:

Learn to use vinegar as a seasoning device. Recipes often tell you to season with salt or salt and pepper, but you almost never see the instruction “season with vinegar.” In fact, vinegar (or citrus, or any acidic liquid, such as verjus) can be an important way to markedly enhance the impact of a dish. It’s always worth considering whether a few drops of vinegar could be added to a soup, sauce, or braising liquid to make the flavors really jump out. You don’t necessarily want to taste the vinegar, only to feel its effects. It’s an important seasoning tool.

So listen to the man and think beyond the salt box. Everything from that half drunk wine in your refrigerator to the pan juices from your sautéed pork can serve as flavoring devices. Oh, and so you don’t procrastinate from your work any longer than needed (unless you want to of course), verjus is an acidic liquid made from green grapes or green apples.

For homework this week, use vinegar (champagne, balsamic, white wine) to season your food, whether it is a salad, vegetables, or a fine cut of meat. And remember to leave off the salt.

Okay, it’s about time for me to hit the stove for this evening’s feast. Recipes, pictures, and stories to come tomorrow.

Chow on.

Check Out My Cheese

Usually I try to come up with a somewhat intriguing title. But this time, the subject was so exciting that I had to rush past the presentation and skip to the good stuff.

I made cheese. No seriously, I did. All by myself. Most amazingly, it was really easy. And most surprisingly, people who usually eat salt, lots of it, liked it.

So the scenario goes like this: like I said in my last post, I signed up to attend the Jam It session at 18 reasons on Thursday night at which jamming, pickling, and DIY-fooding enthusiasts and professionals gathered to share their recipes and their home-made goods. I figured that this was a perfect testing ground to see how normal, everyday sodium freaks would respond to my no sodium food.

At this point, I feel pretty confident in my pickling ability. But to kick this conquest up a notch and give myself an extra special challenge, I decided to roll the dice, make cheese, and feed it to the masses.

Two friends sent me paneer and buttermilk cheese recipes which use milk, lemons, and salt to create the desired final product. For my first attempt, I decided to use hemp milk. I mean, I couldn’t look more like a crazy northern Californian if I tried. Hemp milk has virtually no sodium in it (5mg per serving), but it also has virtually no ability to curd and whey . So I threw the tie-dyed cartoon in the recycling bin and decided to use the real deal. Soy milk.

It has 85mg of sodium per serving and I knew, from an unfortunate previous experiences, that it indeed will curdle unlike its free-loving, hemp substitute. I bought a quart of unsweetened soy milk and used half of it for my cheese.

The entire cheese-making process lasted about 40 minutes, with endless hours of eating enjoyment to follow. I plan on bringing this winning recipe to the east coast for Thanksgiving Day appetizers along with some curry carrot pickles and dill and fennel green bean pickles. You better believe I’ll impress the pants off of those Pilgrims.

Ingredients

• 1 quart of soy milk
• 2 T lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons of smoked paprika
• 2 teaspoons of cumin
• 1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
• 2 teaspoons of fresh dill
• Cheesecloth

Instructions:

1. Heat half a quart of soy milk in a heavy saucepan – but let’s be honest, I used a pot.

2. When it begins to boil and starts to rise, immediately take it off the heat. Be sure to watch for this, because the milk will rise quickly and if you don’t have cat-like reflexes, you will end up with one hot, sticky mess on your stove.

3. Add 2 tablespoons of lemon juice to the milk and stir for two minutes to help separate the curds from the whey.

4. Let the curdy milk sit for 10 minutes.

5. Pour the milk into a colander that is lined with 3 layers of cheese cloth. When it is cool enough to handle, close the cheese cloth tightly around the curds and squeeze out the extra liquid.

6. At this point, since there was no salt in the cheese, I added 2 teaspoons of smoked paprika, 2 teaspoons of cumin, 1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper, and 2 teaspoons of fresh dill. Mix the spices in with the cheese and close the cheese cloth again to remove the remaining liquid.

7. Place the cheese (still in the cheese cloth) on a plate and flatten to about 1/2 inch thick.

8. Place another plate on top of the cheese and weight it with your heaviest (or two heaviest) cooking books.

9. After 20 minutes of flattening, you can refrigerate overnight or use immediately. If it turns out to be a little more chunky and loose, use it as a spread on some crackers with your fennel relish that you made. If it is harder, try preparing it like traditional paneer and fry it in some hot oil.

And just for fun, here is a shot early into the 18 Reasons event. A special shout to Karen Solomon for eating my cheese, liking my pickled fennel relish, and writing a kick ass book that I can’t wait to plow through. Chow on everyone.