Sweetie Pie

Poached Eggs

 

They tell me that spring is here despite the low temperatures and cold wind.  This means Easter is just around the corner.  Do you remember our sweet little peeps from this time last year?  Now those puff balls are full grown, fat and sassy hens.  They have free run of the place and in return for their attitude, we take the most delicious rich and golden eggs.  We also get to watch them as they go about their business of scratching, pecking, flapping and squawking.  These girls are busy all day long.  I love watching them enjoy their dirt baths in the late afternoon sun; they look like soft feathery puddles.
 
Today I will share with you how to poach this treasure so that you may enjoy the silky richness of a good egg.  Go to your local source for fresh eggs such as the farmer's market for best results.

Poached Eggs

You will need:

fresh, refrigerated eggs

small bowl or ramekin

small pot of water (3-4 inches of water) with a lid

timer

slotted spoon

paper towels

salt and pepper to taste

Directions: 

Bring the water to a gentle boil.  (This means that it will have small bubbles.)  Crack one egg into the ramekin, being careful not to break the yolk.  Use the slotted spoon to stir around the edges of your pot of water in a circular motion to create a whirlpool.  Take the spoon out of the water and lower the ramekin sideways until it's touching the center of the whirlpool to slide the egg gently into the water.  You may gently stir the whirlpool back to life or just leave it as is.  The purpose of the whirlpool is to keep the egg in place so that the white doesn't float all around the pot.  We are aiming for a little package, not bits of egg all over the place.  Place the lid on the pot and remove it from the heat.  Set the timer for 5 minutes and leave it alone.  If you look at your egg, it may look a little iffy, like a bunch of white stuff foaming in the water.  Don't worry about it.  When the timer dings, take the egg out with a slotted spoon and place it on paper towels.  That's it!  
The poached egg should look like a little pillow when it's done.  If you like your eggs well done, set the timer for 10 minutes.  My son enjoyed his prepared this way and ate it as though it had been hardboiled.  We enjoyed our eggs on some fresh pita sandwiches.  The pita was stuffed with a mixture of chopped sweet red and yellow peppers, cherry tomatoes, kalamata olives and feta cheese.  The hot egg was placed on top, then broken so that the yolk mixed with the fresh bread and cruchy veggies.  Don't forget to sprinkle some salt on top.

"How can you whip cream without whips?  Whipped cream isn't whipped cream at all unless it's been whipped with whips.  Just as a poached egg isn't a poached egg unless it's been stolen from the woods in the dead of night!" - Mr. Wonka (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl)

A Good Egg

I was SO excited to see the first egg from our beautiful chickens yesterday!  These pretty ladies have been entertaining us for months as they stroll, strut and flap around the property.  Their combs are now bright red and their feathers are full and fluffy.  Our chickens are Buff Orpingtons and they are fairly large birds with sweet temperaments.  We've raised them from fluff ball peeps to clucking and chattering  hens.  We let them out to graze and do whatever chickens do each afternoon or evening.  They follow us around and chase bugs and squabble over prized bites.  We love them. 
We also love fresh eggs!  If you've ever had a fresh egg from a chicken that roams free, pecking and grazing on bugs and grass, you know that their yolks are intensely orange and thick.  They are also intensely delicious.  If you don't know anyone with fresh eggs to share, go to the farmers market and pay the extra cash for a dozen eggs.  We had the first eggs scrambled; next up - fried eggs with runny yolks. 

Strawberries and Honey Sauce

 

My husband saw the strawberries come into the house last week and immediately asked when we were having Strawberry Shortcake.  In our family, this means some sort of cake - anything from Angel Food Cake to yellow cake to Pound Cake with fresh strawberry sauce and whipped cream.  I put plenty of berries in the crisper drawer of the refrigerator for later while we enjoyed a big bowl of fresh strawberries with every meal for a few days.  Remember not to wash your strawberries before you're ready to eat them or they will get soggy.   These beauties from City Roots Farm needed only the quickest rinse at the last moment.   The simplest way to make strawberry sauce is to slice up some berries, sprinkle sugar over them and wait.  The sugar pulls the juices out and you get sweet strawberries with a thin sugary sauce.  This can be spooned over cake or ice cream for a seasonal treat.   I wanted to explore other options this time so I tried a slightly more involved recipe.  I was not disappointed.

This recipe was created by chef Michel Nischan and found on the Oprah website.

Strawberry Sauce

2 cups chopped ripe strawberries

6 cups halved strawberries

5 tablespoons honey plus 1 tablespoon honey or sugar

1/8 vanilla bean

1 tablespoon lemon zest

12 lemon verbena leaves

Place one cup chopped strawberries in a saucepan with the 5 T honey, lemon zest, vanilla bean and verbena leaves.  I didn't have any lemon verbena so I left it out  (I wonder if lemon balm would work).  It's important not to leave out the lemon zest to balance out the sweet honey taste.  I also think it would be okay to use 1/4 vanilla bean.  Bring this to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for about 8 minutes until it's slightly thickened.  Let it cool and scrape the vanilla seeds into the sauce and discard the pod.  Once cool, place the cooked mixture in a food processor with the other cup of chopped strawberries and blend until just smooth.  Refrigerate until chilled.  Toss the remaining 6 cups berries with either 1 T honey or a little sugar and set aside.  I used about 1 teaspoon of sugar on the berries, so they were basically just fresh berries because this sauce is very sweet. 

When you're ready to serve, spoon some sauce over a layer of sliced berries for the perfect combination.  The honey, lemon zest and vanilla provide a more complex flavor that highlights the fresh berries. 

Cake was requested, so I used my Vanilla Bean Cupcake recipe in two 9" cake pans.  This lovely dense cake was layered with sweet honey sauce, fresh strawberries and whipped cream sweeted with confectioners sugar and vanilla for a really wonderful dessert.  There's something special about treats which can only be enjoyed when the ingredients are in season. 

 (This sauce would also be excellent on plain greek yogurt.)

 

 

Stellar Strawberries

 Strawberry season is finally here!  We went over to City Roots Farm to enjoy the beautiful spring weather and fill our baskets.  We picked, we sampled, we went back for more baskets to fill.  These strawberries are grown organically with no chemical fertilizers or pesticides.  They are also the sweetest and prettiest I've ever seen.

Row after row of stunning strawberries in the sunshine ripe for the picking.  If you're looking for a perfect way to spend some time with your kids, take them over to the farm to pick berries.  You can also visit the chickens while you're there and then stop by Rosewood Park on the way home.

Farm Fresh

We took a little trip to Live Oak Farm in Woodruff, SC yesterday.  We wanted to look at the Suffolk Punch draft horses, enjoy the beautiful weather and pick up some groceries.  We were not disappointed. 

 

The horses were sweet and friendly, and all the animals were clearly happy and well cared for on this farm.  We took in the sunshine and enjoyed looking at the sheep, cows, horses, barns, wagons and solar panels. 

We bought a cooler full of good stuff to stock our refrigerator and freezer.  It's a great feeling to know the meat we're eating came from animals that were clean, happy and healthy. We also enjoy supporting small farmers instead of big chain stores.  The store at Live Oak Farm is very nice and carries jams, relishes, pickles, milk, beef, lamb, duck, chicken, milk, eggs, dry and canned goods, and more.  We are now supplied with chicken, grass fed beef, pastured pork bacon, fresh eggs, butter and some cheese.  I forgot to get buttermilk. We also picked up some literature and they gave us a nice canvas shopping bag and Farmers Almanac.   It was a good day and a worthwhile trip.   I'm looking forward to all the good eats.