1. Roast tomato, onion and poblano pepper at 450º for 20-30 minutes
2. Peel tomato and pepper
3. Pulse half the roasted vegetables in a food processor very briefly with a bit of salt
4. Put pulsed veggies into a skillet and add the other half of the roasted veggies
5. Simmer 10 minutes
6. Meanwhile, scramble 6-12 eggs so that they are still glistening (very soft scrambled)
7. Put the eggs into the salsa and mix just slightly
8. Serve with some sort of soft bread

Search YouTube for several recipes and techniques.

1. Beat 1 egg
2. Put into hot pan with 1 tsp olive oil
3. OPTION:  Sprinkle as little as possible spinach, chives, etc
4. As soon as glisten is gone, roll it as small as possible
5. Push to the side of the pan and add another beaten egg, allowing the liquid egg to run under and adhere to the first
6. Add your optional ingredients – VERY sparsely
7. Roll the first egg roll around the second flat and cooked egg, creating a larger roll
8. Push to the side, and add a third beaten egg, allowing it to flow under the roll
9. Do not add any extra ingredients this time.
10. When the bottom is cooked, but the top still has a bit of glisten, roll your log over the third egg – creating one large rolled egg.
11. Turn out of the pan onto a sheet of waxed paper
12. Form into a square shape – and let rest about 3 minutes
13. Unwrap (discard the paper) and cut the ends off.  This will create a nice section in which you can see the layers of rolled egg.
14. Cut the log in half – creating two pieces
15. Cut each of the two pieces into thirds – creating a total of six pieces
16. Plate and garnish with basil, cilantro or chives

Onion and Gruyere Strata

1. Slice one Vadalia, Maui or sweet onions thinly
2. Add 2 tsp sugar, and salt and pepper to taste
3. Put over low heat with 2 TBL butter
   While that cooks
4. In a separate bowl, combine
   • 6 dozen eggs – beaten
   • 1/2 C chopped Spinach
   • 1/2 C Gruyere – grated
   • OPT: 1/4 C Cheddar, Mozzarella or Monterey Jack
   • Salt, pepper, nutmeg, Dijon mustard to taste
   • OPT:  Scallions, thyme
   • 1 tsp Grandpa’s Thunder Powder
   • 1/2 C Cream
   • 1 C Milk
5. Add the sauteed onions to the spinach mixture
6. Toss above spinach mixture with 1 C French bread crumbs or croutons – mix to combine
7. Pour into a lightly greased baking casserole
8. Bake at 325º for 60 minutes
9. Put butter knife into the center.  If it comes out wet, cook for another 15 minutes; if it comes out fairly clean, go to next Step.
10. Sprinkle more shredded cheese over top
11. Return to oven for another 10 minutes

This feeds 3-4 people

Breakfast Monte Cristo Lasagna

Makes six individual personal lasagnas

Softened butter
One 1 1/4-pound loaf bakery white bread—crusts removed, bread sliced (about 18 slices)
1/4 cup grainy mustard
1 pound thinly sliced Virginia ham
2 tablespoons chopped tarragon, plus more for garnish
3/4 pound Gruyère cheese, coarsely shredded (3 cups)
3 cups milk
4 large eggs
Freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 375°
Butter individual ramikens
Arrange a slice of bread in the bottom of the dish
Spread with mustard.
Add a layer of ham
Sprinkle with Tarragon and a scant handful of Gruyère cheese
Repeat the layering, leaving off the last layer of cheese.

In a medium bowl, whisk the milk with the eggs and season generously with black pepper.
Pour the custard evenly over the dish, pressing the bread to absorb the liquid.
Pat the remaining cheese on top and cover with a sheet of buttered parchment paper.
Bake the lasagna in the center of the oven for 30 to 35 minutes, until bubbling and browned around the edges.
Remove the parchment and turn on the broiler.
Broil for about 3 minutes, just until the top is golden and bubbling.
Let rest for 10 minutes, then serve.

The unbaked strata can be refrigerated overnight.
Let sit on counter for 30 minutes before putting into oven

Standard Poached Eggs

Egg on the left (of the photo on the right) was cooked for 2 1/2 minutes, and has a fully runny yolk. Egg on the right was cooked for three minutes, and has a soft yolk that is only slightly runny.

INGREDIENTS

Fresh COLD eggs
Large pot of simmering (nearly boiling) water (approx 200 degrees)
2 TBL white vinegar and 2 TBL salt

STEP BY STEP

1. Bring large pan of salted water to boiling, then reduce to the merest simmer
2. Add vinegar as a stabilizer
3. Break egg into a dampened bowl (just ran under the faucet and the water dumped)
4. Carefully stir the water to create a SOFT swirling motion
5. Gently slip the egg into the center of the vortex
6. Let cook 2.5 – 3 minutes and remove with a slotted spoon
NOTE: You can discard the loose membrane that floats free from the body of the egg.
7. After you remove it from the water, put it onto a no-lint tea towel to drain slightly.  This keeps it from getting your English muffin wet.
8. Serve on toast with a slice of avocado, some feta cheese, and salsa on the side

Poaching Eggs in the Shell

1. Start with fresh and cold eggs
2. Put eggs into room temperature water
3. Heat water quickly over medium high heat
4. When water reaches 170º turn burner down to simmer and keep temperature between 165º and 180º
5. Let cook for exactly 12 minutes (for soft poached)
   Increase to 15 minutes if you like them just a BIT tighter.
6. Remove to ice bath for 60 second
7. Crack egg directly onto toast or English muffin.
   (The white that is retained in the shell is the part the floats around when you poach using the first method on this page.  Edible, but not attractive.)
8. Optionally, serve with hashed browns

Poaching in a Custard Cup

1. Put custard cups in the bottom of a large pot
2. Add water so that water comes about one inch above rim of cup
3. Add 1/4 C white vinegar and 1 tsp kosher salt
4. Bring water to 205-210 degrees (almost boiling)
5. Break eggs into a cup outside pot in case the yolk breaks
6. Slip eggs into custard cups at 30 second intervals
7. Start timing egg poaching cycle with the first egg.
   NOTE:  It might take extra time to poach your egg to your liking since it is “enclosed.”  Start with four minutes per egg.
8. After removing the first egg, remove the next egg 30 seconds later
9. Test this on yourself, before you expose your guests to it.

Commercial Egg Poacher

My wife prefers an Egg Poacher, and I am not covering that preparation here because it is very easy:  Put eggs into the poacher, add some water and press a button.  On the up side, you get nearly perfect poached eggs every time.

Here is the one she uses:   West Bend Egg Poacher  – – available from Amazon for about $35.  Very easy, and very consistent.  This can also be used for hard-boiling eggs, although she uses it just for poaching.

TIPS AND TRICKS

• You do not need to refrigerate eggs IF they have not been cleaned and processed.  If you get them in a typical supermarket and there are no feathers or poop on them, refrigerate them because the protective coating is gone.
• Don’t use raw eggs past the “marked date” from the package for anything other than fully cooked eggs.
• The white of fresh eggs will stay more intact than the white of older eggs, which tend to spread out, so use fresh eggs for poached eggs.
• Another tip is to break the egg into a colander, and allow the loose white to strain.  Poach only the remaining white and yolk
• Carmelize onions and serve on English muffin, spinach, ham and cheese. Top with poached egg.
  COOKING FOR A LARGE GROUP?
• You can par boil them ahead and put into ice water to store.  Cook for only two minutes, the remove to ice water.  To reheat them, just put back into boiling water for two minutes.  This is how cruise ships and hotels do their poached eggs.
• If you are serving a large group all at the same time, after cooking put them into water at 150º until ready to plate.
• To cook four eggs at a time, put four custard cups into a boiling pot of water.  Put eggs into each up at 15 second intervals.  Remove the first at 3 minutes, then the others at 15 second intervals.  Put into an ice bath to stop cooking.  Refrigerate up to 8 hours.  Reheat for two minutes in boiling water.

Another good recipe is poaching eggs in marinara sauce.  Heat your canned crushed tomatoes (San Marzano) to boiling.  Cook about three minutes.  Reduce to a simmer and put your whole eggs into the sauce.  Cover and cook for 2 1/2 minutes.  Scoop out tomato with egg in the center and put on toast.

Steaming Eggs

You can put eggs into the basket of a standard steamer.  8 minutes for soft, 10 for medium, and 12 for solid yolks.

Need to test and debug

• Put water, enough to cover custard cups by 1/2 inch
• Add 3 TBL vinegar and 1 tsp salt
• Bring to boiling
• Prep a bowl of ice and water
• Use fresh eggs
• Put egg into the custard cup
• Add others 30 seconds apart
• Set water to 205º
• Cook 5 minutes each
• –