Easter Brunch Try a Little Bunny Food with Eggs: Baked Eggs with Spinach

This recipe....is one of those easy but sophisticated ones that can serve as a late morning breakfast, or brunch staple....baked eggs and spinach.

First, you blanch some spinach, dropping in boiling water for 30 seconds to a minute, and then lining a lightly greased oven safe bowl with about a half a cup of the spinach.

Break two eggs over the top of the spinach, and pop in the oven at 375 degrees (200 C) +/-, for about 15-20 minutes, or until the eggs are cooked to your liking.

The result is an almost quiche like consistency, that is tasty and there are no carbs.....it is also something that can be served at a table in the garden or at the kitchen counter, where traditional egg dishes can get cold quickly or are impractical....really simple and simply delicious!  Thanks again to Donna Hay!

5 Minute Gourmet Breakfast

Here is a healthy Saturday morning favorite in our house, a blend of color and textures, simply prepared, nutritious, and FAST.  This meal looks so good, it could go down in front of great chefs or entertaining in-laws, and they could not help but enjoy it.  The design of this plate is simply beautiful, and this is a great ‘fitness’ brunch meal.

A Perfectly Poached Egg should be just slightly running...31/2 minutes...

Ingredients:

4 Fresh eggs, Perfectly Poached

2 Sourdough English Muffins

2 cups of Mache or Frisee Blend Salad Greens

1 Satsuma tangerines

Herbed Salad Dressing

Fresh Cracked pepper and salt

Tools:

Egg Poacher

Toaster

Preparation: For Two

Simply put, tpoach the eggs in a poacher for 3 to 4 minutes, or more traditionally fill a sauce pan with about 3 cups of water, break each egg into a teacup, drop into the sauce pan after the water has boiled, and let them poach. 3-4 minutes

Meanwhile, toast the muffins to your liking, and dress the plates with the Frisee or Mache greens.  Arrange the muffins on the plate, lightly dress the salad and arrange the tangerines atop the salad or next to it. 

Drain the eggs now, place gingerly on the muffins and sprinkle generously with pepper and a dash of salt. 

All in under five minutes, couldn’t have designed a  faster or tastier meal…

Crazy for Coconut ! Halekulani Coconut Cake with Chocolate Sauce

We are going to the Halekulani Hotel tonight to see  Kanoe Miller Hula Dance at House Without a Key. Then we are having the Hotel's famous COCONUT CAKE WITH CHOCOLATE SAUCE!!!!  Tomorrow I'll be climbing Koko Crater for a butt burner, but it will be worth it. I called the hotel and Chef gave us the recipe, included below.

I found this great article by the by the New York Times 36 Hours in Honolulu and this beautiful photo of Kanoe MIller by Cory Lum for the New York Times...

HALEKULANI COCONUT CAKE 
with Chocolate Sauce


8 Servings

INGREDIENTS AND METHOD FOR THE SPONGE CAKE:
3/4 cup Cake flour
1/3 cup Sugar
1 tsp Baking powder
1 pinch Salt
2 Tbsp Salad oil
1 each Egg, large, whole
2 Tbsp Water
4 each Egg whites
1/4 cup Sugar
1 pinch Cream of tartar


- Preheat oven to 350°. In a small bowl, sift together the cake flour, 1/3 cup sugar, salt and baking powder. Reserve.
- In a separate bowl, combine salad oil, whole egg and water. Add to sifted ingredients to form a batter, and mix until a smooth consistency is obtained.
- In a separate bowl, whip the egg whites and cream of tartar. Gradually add 1/4 cup sugar and continue to whip until a stiff meringue is formed.
- Fold meringue into the batter and mix thoroughly.
- Pour the batter into an ungreased 9" spring form pan and bake for 20 to 30 minutes. Remove cake from pan, cool upside down on a cooling rack.


INGREDIENTS AND METHOD FOR THE PASTRY CREAM:
1 1/2 cups Milk
1 each Vanilla bean, split in half
1/3 cup Sugar
3 tbsp Flour
4 each Egg yolks
1 1/4 cups Coconut flakes


Method:
- Bring the milk and the split vanilla bean to a boil. Reserve and let cool.
- In a mixing bowl combine the sugar, flour and egg yolks, whip together.
- Remove the vanilla bean from the cooled milk and add 1/3 of the milk to the egg mixture, mix well.
- Pour the egg mixture into the pan of remaining milk. Over medium heat, continue stirring until mixture begins to bubble and thicken.
- Remove from heat, cover with aluminum foil and stir occasionally to prevent crusting. When completely cool, add coconut flakes.


INGREDIENTS AND METHOD FOR THE WHIPPED CREAM:
1 ½ cups Whipped cream
3 tbsp Sugar
1 ½ cups Coconut flakes


- In a mixing bowl, combine the whipped cream, sugar and 1/2 of the coconut flakes.


Half of this mixture is to be folded into the pastry cream and the remainder is to be used to frost the cake. The remaining half of the coconut flakes is to be used for coating the frosted cake.


INGREDIENTS AND METHOD FOR THE CHOCOLATE SAUCE:
1 cup Milk
3/4 lb Chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup Heavy cream
1 tbsp Butter
1/4 cup Sugar


- In a sauce pan, combine the milk and chocolate, bring to a boil. Add the cream, butter and sugar and again bring to a boil. Remove from heat and keep warm.

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TO ASSEMBLE & SERVE:
- Cut the cooled cake into 3 layers.
- Spread pastry cream atop the bottom two layers, assemble the cake.
- Frost with the whipped cream and sprinkle with coconut flakes to finish.
- Slice the cake into desired portions and serve with warm chocolate sauce.

Fast and Fancy Filet will Green Peppercorn Sauce

One our favorite fall / winter dinners thats easy to prepare for 4-6 people is Filet Mignon with a creamy peppercorn sauce. It's fun to prepare on our Wolf range stovetop with friends hanging out in the kitchen with a glass of wine during the prep. We alternate recipes sometimes using black crushed peppercorns and Madeira Wine or Green Peppercorns in brine and Cognac, both with heavy cream. We usually serve  this with Haricots Vert on the side.

Next time I going to try this dish with Cognac and White Wine as posted by Graham on Cookbook.ca.za.

Last nights preparation for four:
1 3/4 cups beef stock or canned beef broth

• 3 tablespoons butter
• 4 6- to 8-ounce filet mignon steaks (each about 1 inch thick)

• 1/4 cup chopped shallots
• 1 cup whipping cream
• 3 tablespoons Cognac or brandy
• 2 tablespoons drained green peppercorns in brine

Boil stock in small saucepan until reduced to 3/4 cup, about 7 minutes. Meanwhile, melt butter in large skillet over medium-high heat. Season steaks with salt and pepper. Cook steaks to desired doneness, about 4 minutes per side for medium-rare. Transfer steaks to plate (do not clean skillet).

Add chopped shallots to same skillet and sauté 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Add reduced beef stock, 1 cup whipping cream, 3 tablespoons Cognac and green peppercorns. Boil until mixture thickens to sauce consistency, about 6 minutes. Season sauce to taste with pepper. Spoon sauce over steaks and serve. Check out more recipes on Epicurious.com.


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