HOW TO MAKE FRITTERS, CROQUETTES, DUMPLINGS AND CRULLERS

FRITTERS, CROQUETTES, DUMPLINGS AND CRULLERS

When cooking any article to be immersed in fat use about this proportion: 2 pounds of sweet lard to 1 of suet, which had been previously tried out. It is cheaper, also more wholesome, to use part suet than to use all lard. Save all pieces of left-over fat, either raw or cooked, from steaks, roasts, bacon or ham. Cut all up into small pieces and place in a pan in the oven until tried out, or put in a double boiler and stand over boiling water until fat is tried out. Strain and stand aside to be used as drippings. To clarify this fat, pour boiling water over, let cook a short time, strain and stand away in a cool place, when a cake of solid fat will form on top, which may be readily removed and used as drippings, or it may be added to the kettle of fat used for deep frying. Always strain fat carefully after frying croquettes, fritters, etc. Should the frying fat become dark add to the can of soap fat the economical housewife is saving. Return the clear-strained fat to the cook pot, cover carefully, stand aside in a cool place, and the strained fat may be used times without number for frying. The housewife will find it very little trouble to fry fritters, croquettes, etc., in deep fat, if the fat is always strained immediately after using, and returned to the cook pot, kept especially for this purpose. Stand on the hot range when required and the fat will heat in a few minutes, and if the fat is the right temperature, food cooked in it should not be at all greasy. When the housewife is planning to fry fritters or croquettes she should, if possible, crumb the articles to be fried several hours before frying, and stand aside to become perfectly cold. When the fat for frying is so hot a blue smoke arises, drop in the fritters or croquettes, one at a time, in order not to chill the fat or plunge a frying basket, containing only a couple of fritters at a time, in the hot fat, as too many placed in the fat at one time lowers the temperature too quickly and causes the fritters to be greasy and soggy. To test the fat before dropping in the fritters, if a small piece of bread is dropped in the fat and browns in about one minute the fat is the right temperature for frying fritters, and fritters fried at the correct temperature should be a rich brown and not at all greasy. When removing fritters from hot fat place on coarse brown paper to absorb any remaining fat. Fritters composed of vegetables, or oysters, should be served on a platter garnished with parsley, and fritters composed of fruit, should have pulverized sugar sifted over them liberally. Should a small piece of bread brown in the fat while you count twenty, fat is the correct temperature for frying croquettes, but is too hot for frying crullers or any food not previously cooked.  Some links in this article are affiliate links from which we may receive a tiny commission at no additional cost to you should you visit a merchant via our link and subsequently make a purchase.

KARTOFFLE BALLA (POTATO BALLS)

Boil until tender, 8 medium-sized (not pared) potatoes; when quite cold remove parings and grate them; fry one finely-chopped onion in a little butter until a yellow-brown; add this, also 1 egg, to the potatoes, season with salt and pepper and add flour enough to mold into balls; use only flour enough to hold the mixture together. The chopped onion may be omitted, and instead, brown small, dice-like pieces of bread in a little butter, shape dumplings into balls the size of walnuts, place a teaspoonful of the browned bread crumbs in the centre of each and add also a little chopped parsley. Drop the dumplings in salted boiling water and cook uncovered from 15 to 20 minutes. When dumplings rise to the top they should be cooked sufficiently, when remove from kettle with a skimmer to a platter; cut dumplings in half and strew over them bread crumbs, browned in butter.

"BOOVA SHENKEL"

For this excellent "Pennsylvania German" dish, which I am positive has never before been published, take 2½ pounds of stewing meat (beef preferred), season with salt and pepper and cook slowly several hours until tender.

For the filling for the circles of dough, take 12 medium-sized white potatoes, pared and thinly sliced, steamed until tender; then add seasoning to taste of salt and pepper, 2 tablespoonfuls of butter, 2 tablespoonfuls of finely-minced parsley and 1 finely-chopped onion (small); lastly, add 3 eggs, lightly beaten together, to the mixture. Allow this to stand while the pastry is being prepared in the following manner:

Pastry—Sift into a bowl 2½ cups of flour, 2 teaspoonfuls of baking powder and ½ teaspoonful of salt, 1 generous teaspoonful of lard and 1 of butter. Cut through the flour, mix with water into a dough as for pie crust. Roll thin, cut into about ten circles, and spread some of the mixture on each circle of dough. Press two opposite edges together like small, three-cornered turnover pies; drop these on to the hot meat and broth in the cook pot, closely covered. Cook slowly from 20 to 30 minutes. Before serving the "Boova Shenkel" pour over the following:

Cut slices of stale bread into dice and brown in a pan containing 1 large tablespoonful of butter and a couple tablespoonfuls of fat (which had been skimmed from top of broth before "Boova Shenkel" had been put in cook pot), add about ½ cup of milk to diced, browned bread; when hot, pour over the "Boova Shenkel" and serve with the meat on a large platter.

RICE BALLS WITH CHEESE

Place 2 cups of cold, boiled rice, well drained, in a bowl and add ½ cup of grated cheese, a little salt, ¼ cup flour and the stiffly-beaten white of one egg. Mix all together and mold into balls about the size of a small egg, with a little of the flour; then roll them in fine, dried bread crumbs, and stand away until perfectly cold. When preparing for lunch, beat the yolk of the egg with a little milk, dip the rice balls into this, then into fine, dried bread crumbs, drop in deep fat and fry a golden brown. Drain on brown paper and serve, garnished with parsley.

"KARTOFFLE KLOSE"

One quart of cold, boiled, skinned potatoes, grated. (Boil without paring the day before they are to be used, if possible.) Put into a frying pan 1 tablespoonful of butter, 1 finely-minced onion (small onion), and fry until a light brown. Remove from fire and mix with this: 2 heaped tablespoonfuls flour, 1 tablespoonful of finely-cut parsley, 2 eggs (whites beaten separately), and 2 slices of bread, cut fine. Add grated potatoes and bread crumbs, alternately, mixing together lightly with a fork; add the other ingredients, season well with salt and pepper, form into round balls the size of a walnut and drop into a stew-pan of boiling, salted water, containing a teaspoon of butter. Do not cover the stew-pan while they are cooking. As soon as the dumplings rise to the top, skim one out and cut in half to see if it is cooked through. They should take from 15 to 20 minutes to cook. Skim out of the boiling water on a platter. Cut each dumpling in half, pour over them bread crumbs browned in a pan containing a little lard and butter, and serve. The onion may be omitted and only finely-chopped parsley used, if desired, or use both. Or place the halved dumplings in pan containing a little lard and butter and chopped onion (if the latter is liked), and brown on each side, then serve.

RICE CROQUETTES (AND LEMON SAUCE)

Boil 1 cup of well-washed rice in 6 or 8 cups of rapidly-boiling water, until tender. The rice, when cooked and drained, should fill 3 cups. Prepare a cream sauce of 1 pint of milk, 3 heaping tablespoonfuls of flour and 2 tablespoons of butter and 2 egg yolks. Stir in 3 cups of flaky, cooked rice, while rice is still hot. When the mixture has cooled, mold into small cone shapes with the hands, stand aside until perfectly cold. Dip the croquettes into the whites of eggs, then roll them in fine, dried bread crumbs and fry in deep fat. If a cube of bread browns in the fat in a little longer time than a half minute, the fat is the right temperature. Eighteen croquettes were made from this quantity of rice.

Lemon Sauce—To serve with rice croquettes, cream together ½ cup of sugar, 1 tablespoonful of butter, 1 egg, 2 cups of boiling water was added and all cooked together until the mixture thickened. When cooled slightly add the juice and grated rind of one lemon. Serve in a separate bowl, and pass with the croquettes.

CORN OYSTERS

Slice off tips of kernels from cobs of corn and scrape down corn-pulp from cobb with a knife. To 1 pint of pulp add 2 eggs, 2 heaping tablespoonfuls of flour, ½ teaspoonful of salt and a pinch of cayenne pepper and of black pepper; add the 2 yolks of eggs, then stir in lightly the stiffly-beaten white of eggs and flour. Fry in only enough butter to prevent them sticking to the pan. Drop into pan by spoonfuls size of an ordinary fried oyster, brown on both sides and serve hot.

BANANA FRITTERS

From one banana was made 4 fritters. The banana was halved, cut lengthwise and then cut cross-wise. The batter will do for all fruits, clams, corn or oysters. Make a sauce of the liquor, mixed with same quantity of milk, with a tablespoon of butter added, chopped parsley and flour to thicken. When making oyster or clam fritters use same rule as for fruit fritters, using clam juice and milk instead of all milk.

For the "fritter batter," sift together 1 pint of flour, 2 teaspoonfuls baking powder and a pinch of salt. Stir slowly into it a pint of milk, then the well-beaten yolks of 3 eggs, and, lastly, the stiffly-beaten whites of eggs. Beat hard for a few minutes and fry at once in smoking hot fat. Orange sections make delicious fritters, or halves of fresh or canned peaches may be used.

Allow the bananas to stand one-quarter hour in a dish containing a small quantity of lemon juice and sugar before putting them in the batter. Lay the slices of bananas or sections of orange in the batter, then take up a tablespoonful of the batter with one slice of banana for each fritter, drop into hot fat one at a time, and fry a golden brown. Sift pulverized sugar over and serve hot. If a small piece of bread browns in one minute in the fat it is the right temperature to fry any previously uncooked food.

PARSNIP FRITTERS

Scrape and boil 5 or 6 parsnips in salted water until tender and drain. If old parsnips, cut out the centre, as it is tough and woody. Mash parsnips fine, add 1 egg yolk (white beaten separately), and added last a little salt, 1 large tablespoonful flour, ¼ teaspoonful baking powder, mold into small cakes, dredge with flour, and fry quickly to a golden brown in a tablespoonful of butter and one of drippings. Serve at once.

AUNT SARAH'S "SCHNITZ AND KNOPF"

This is an old-fashioned "Pennsylvania German" favorite. The end of a ham bone, containing a very little meat, was placed in a large kettle with a small quantity of water, with "Schnitz," or sliced, sweet, dried apples, which had been dried without removing the parings. When the apples were cooked tender in the ham broth; dumplings, composed of the following, were lightly dropped on top of the apples and broth and cooked, closely covered, from 15 to 20 minutes. Do not uncover kettle the first ten minutes. When dumplings have cooked place them with the "Schnitz" on a large platter, and serve at once.

A VERY OLD RECIPE FOR DUMPLINGS, OR "KNOPF"

One and one-half quarts of flour was sifted with 2½ tablespoonfuls of Royal baking powder, 1 teaspoonful of butter was cut through the flour in small bits, 1 egg was beaten and enough milk or water added to the egg to mix the flour into quite a soft dough. Sometimes instead of molding the dough into balls large spoonfuls were placed over the apples. Aunt Sarah had used this recipe for many years. This is a very old recipe, and from it was made a larger quantity than ordinary housekeepers usually require. Half the quantity, about 1½ pints of flour to 1¼ tablespoonfuls of baking powder, mixed according to the directions given in the first part of recipe, would be about the correct proportions for a family of ordinary size.

Aunt Sarah frequently substituted sour cherries and a teaspoonful of butter was added instead of ham and "Schnitz." Dumplings prepared from this recipe may be dropped on stewed chicken and broth and cooked or steamed, make an excellent pot-pie. Should there be more dough mixed than required for dumplings, place a panful in the oven and bake as biscuits. More baking powder is required when dough is steamed or boiled than when baked in the oven.

"KARTOFFLE KUKLEIN" (POTATO FRITTERS OR BOOFERS)

Place in a bowl 2 cups grated, pared, raw potatoes; drain off any liquid formed, then add 1 small onion, also grated; large egg or 2 small eggs, salt and pepper, 1 tablespoonful chopped parsley, ¼ teaspoonful baking powder (good measure), and a couple tablespoonfuls of flour to thicken just enough to make the fritters hold together; then drop by spoonfuls in deep, hot fat, and fry a rich brown. The fritters form into odd shapes a trifle larger than a fried oyster, when dropped in the fat.

Should the fritter batter separate when dropped in the fat, add more flour, but if too much flour is added they are not as good as when a lesser quantity is used. Drain the fritters on brown paper and garnish the platter upon which they are served with parsley. Mary's Uncle was very fond of these fritters. He preferred them to fried oysters, and always called them "potato boofers." I would not answer for the wholesomeness of these fritters. In fact, I do not think any fried food particularly wholesome.

A FEW GERMAN BEER 🍺 RECIPES

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Granolabrau  

Category Pale Ale

Recipe Type All Grain

Fermentables

 6 lbs 6-row cracked pale malt

1 lbs white or brown rice

1 lbs yellow corn grits or flaked maize

6 oz flaked barley

4 oz oatmeal

1.5 lbs clover or orange blossom honey

 

Other

 4 oz millet

 

Yeast Wyeast German ale yeast (#1007)  

Procedure Cook rice, grits, oatmeal and millet together in plenty of water for 3 hours to gelatinize. The result should be a mushy, gummy mess.

Mash malt, barley and gelatinized grains in moderately hard water at 150F for 1-1/2 hours. Raise to 168F to deactivate enzymes. Sparge with hot water (168F) to collect 250+ degrees of extract (e.g., 6 gallons at S.G. 1.042).

Boil 1-1/2 hours, adding all but 1/2 ounce of hops after 1 hour, honey towards end of boil. Chill wort and add cold water to bring S.G. to 1.050. Pitch with working starter. Dry-hop with reserved hops in hopping bag. Primary fermentation takes 5-7 days. Wyeast 1007 will require 3-4 weeks in secondary fermenter to settle out. Bottle, then age 2 months. Drink and enjoy!

Weizen? Why Not?  

Category Wheat Beer

Recipe Type Extract

Fermentables

 6 lb Williams wheat extract

1 lb crystal malt

.5 lb toasted barley

1 lb honey

 

Hops

 2 oz Cascades hops (boil)

.5 oz Cascades hops (finish)

 

Yeast 1 package Wyeast wheat yeast

Procedure Make a 2-quart starter before brewing. Steep crystal and toasted barley in 4 gallons water for 40 minutes (use grain bags to make this easier). Add extract, honey and bittering hops. Boil wort for 1 hour. Remove from heat. Add finishing hops and steep 2 minutes. Chill and pitch yeast. After 3 days, rack to secondary. Bottle after 8 days.

Alt

Category German Ale

Recipe Type All Grain

Grains and hops used should be German.

 

Fermentables

 8 lbs pilsner malt (or 6 pounds light

4 oz 10L crystal malt

4 oz 60L crystal malt

4 oz 120L crystal malt (assumes 75% extraction

 

Hops

 6 oz German hops (Hallertauer

 

Yeast Wyeast #1338 or #1007  

Procedure Cold condition in secondary.

For more info on beer making and beer making equipment visit

 http:// onestopbeershop.blogspot.com

How to Understand Egg Carton Dates

If you’re confused about the dates you see on egg cartons, it’s not surprising. Food product dating is hard to understand. One of the more puzzling facts is that none of the dates on food packages — not even “use by” dates — are an indication of food safety. Instead, package dates refer to product quality.

An “expiration” or “sell by” date on some egg cartons helps to ensure that the eggs are fresh by informing the grocery store not to sell the eggs after the marked date. These dates are also intended to encourage you to use the eggs when they’re still at their highest quality. An expiration date on the carton is not required but, if one is used, it can be no more than 30 days after the eggs were packed. Since the packer or retailer may choose a date under 30 days, your local retailer can give you more complete information about how many days a “sell by” or “expiration date” allows after packing.

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Some cartons show a Julian date on the short side of the carton. The Julian date is the day the eggs were packed — starting with 001 as Jan 1 and ending with 365 for December 31. For example, eggs packed on June 15 would be marked 166. Some other egg packers print an open “use by” date — July 15, for example — right on the eggshell itself. If properly refrigerated, shell eggs will keep with insignificant quality loss for at least four to five weeks after the Julian or pack date. If there is no Julian or pack date, using your eggs within three weeks of purchase will allow for the possibility that your eggs may have been temporarily warehoused by the retailer before you bought them.

Why isn’t safety a factor in these dates? Food safety depends on many things, including how you handle and store eggs and other foods. Both quality and safety changes can happen before or after the date on a package. For example, if you put a fully-cooked deli ham and a carton of eggs in the trunk of your car on a hot day and then run several errands before you refrigerate the ham and eggs at home, you’ve both reduced the ham’s and eggs’ shelf-life and increased your risk of food-borne illness — no matter what the package dates say.

Even when eggs are refrigerated, time causes a quality difference, too, especially in appearance. As eggs age, the whites thin and the yolks flatten. This means that the eggs will spread more in a pan if you fry them and there will be more “angel wings” of white in the water if you poach them. Because the yolk membranes also weaken with age, the yolks may break whether you want them to or not.

For recipes where shape isn’t important, particularly when whites and yolks are beaten together, you can still use the eggs. The weakening of the yolk membrane, however, makes it easier for bacteria — if they’re present — to reach the nutritious yolk. So, to prevent the possibility of foodborne illness, it’s best to use older eggs in fully cooked items, such as quiches, stratas and baked goods.

When correctly handled, eggs have a fairly long shelf-life compared to other perishable foods. For both quality and safety, simply keep eggs refrigerated and cook them properly.

Basic Recipes for Texas Eggs

Basic Recipes for Texas Eggs

Master these first, then create your own dishes with sauces, leftover meats, preserves, or favorite spices.

SCRAMBLED EGGS

2 servings

In a book titled “The Old Virginia Gentleman,” its author, George Bagby, describes scrambled eggs as a “necessary.” For breakfast, for sandwiches, or as the original skillet supper, families all over the country agree with Mr. Bagby.

4 eggs

¼ C. milk

½ tsp. salt

Dash pepper

2 T. butter

Beat together eggs, milk, salt and pepper with a fork, mixing thoroughly for uniform yellow, or just slightly for white and yellow streaks. Heat butter in 8-inch fry pan over medium heat until just hot enough to sizzle a drop of water. Pour in egg mixture. As mixture begins to set, turn a pancake turner over and gently draw completely across the bottom of pan, forming large soft curds. Continue until eggs are thickened, but do not stir constantly. Cook until eggs are thickened throughout but still moist.[1]

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Egg Tortilla, recipe on page 18.

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FRIED EGGS

1 serving

More people greet each day with fried eggs than any other style. Perhaps you’re a sunnyside up fan, or over-easy or basted is your preference.

1 to 2 T. butter

Eggs

Salt

Pepper

In fry pan over medium-high heat, cook butter until just hot enough to sizzle a drop of water. (If a very large pan is used, more butter will be needed.)

Break and slip eggs into pan. Reduce heat immediately. Cook slowly to desired doneness, spooning butter over eggs to baste or turning eggs to cook both sides. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

POACHED EGGS

The word poach comes from the French pocher which means to place in a pocket. Properly poached, the yolk is pocketed smoothly in the white. Breaking each egg into a saucer before slipping it into the water is gentler than cracking it directly in, and prevents mishaps.

Oil

Water, milk or broth

Eggs

Lightly oil a saucepan. Add enough water to fill 2 inches deep. Heat to boiling over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to keep water at a simmer.

Break eggs, one at a time, into dish, then slip each egg into water, holding dish close to water’s surface. Simmer 3 to 5 minutes depending on desired doneness. When done, lift eggs with slotted pancake turner or spoon onto absorbent paper. Drain and trim edges, if desired.

Eggs Benedict, recipe on page 7.

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BAKED (SHIRRED) EGGS

4 servings

Baking is a good way to prepare eggs in quantity—you can multiply the following recipe to serve a larger group. The addition of cream gives the eggs a softer finish than that of standard fried or poached eggs.

8 eggs

Salt

Pepper

¼ C. half and half or light cream

4 tsp. butter, divided

Grease four ramekins, shallow baking dishes, or large custard cups. Break and slip two eggs into each ramekin. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Spoon 1 tablespoon half and half over each serving. Dot each with 1 teaspoon butter.

Bake in preheated 350° F. oven until whites are set and yolks are soft and creamy, about 15 minutes. Serve immediately.

SOFT-COOKED EGGS

Eggs started in unheated water are less apt to crack than ones put into boiling water. Follow the directions below, and for a special treat, serve soft-cooked eggs in egg cups, in the European fashion.

Eggs

Water

Put eggs in single layer in saucepan. Add enough tap water to come at least 1 inch above eggs. Cover and quickly bring just to boiling. Turn off heat. If necessary, remove pan from burner to prevent further boiling. Let eggs stand covered in the hot water 1 to 4 minutes, depending on desired doneness. Immediately run cold water over eggs or put them in ice water until cool enough to handle.

To serve, break shell through middle with a knife. With a teaspoon, scoop egg out of each half shell into serving dish. To serve in an egg cup, put the egg in cup small end down, slice off large end of egg with knife and eat from shell.

HARD-COOKED EGGS

No wonder “hard boiled” has come to mean a tough character—boiling toughens the delicate protein of egg. Gentler cooking pays off in tenderness. The following method of turning the heat off when the water approaches the boiling point has two advantages—it won’t toughen the egg, and it saves energy.

Eggs

Water

Put eggs in single layer in saucepan. Add enough tap water to come at least 1 inch above eggs. Cover and quickly bring just to boiling. Turn off heat. If necessary, remove pan from burner to prevent further boiling. Let eggs stand covered in the hot water 15 to 17 minutes for large eggs. (Adjust time up or down by about 3 minutes for each size larger or smaller.) Immediately run cold water over eggs or put them in ice water until completely cooled.

To remove shell, crack it by tapping gently all over. Roll egg between hands to loosen shell, then peel, starting at large end. Hold egg under running cold water or dip in bowl of water to help ease off shell.

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Time-Tested Favorites

EGG SALAD

4 servings or 2 cups

This popular combination of hard-cooked eggs, mayonnaise, and seasonings is often served in sandwiches or in scooped-out tomatoes. It is great, too, served in a lettuce cup.

¼ C. mayonnaise

2 tsp. lemon juice

1 tsp. instant minced onion

½ tsp. salt

¼ tsp. pepper

6 hard-cooked eggs

½ C. finely chopped celery

4 lettuce leaves

Blend together mayonnaise, lemon juice, onion, salt and pepper. Cut 4 slices from center of 1 egg and reserve for garnish. Chop all remaining eggs. Stir chopped eggs and celery into mayonnaise mixture until moistened throughout.

For each serving, spoon about ½ cup into a lettuce leaf. Garnish with reserved egg slice.

Variations: Add any of the following ingredients to taste:

Sliced or chopped ripe or green pitted olives

Chopped green pepper, mushrooms, parsley, chives or watercress

Shredded carrots

Shredded Cheddar or Swiss cheese

Crumbled bacon

Chopped pimiento strips, onions

DEVILED EGGS

8 to 10 servings

These stuffed eggs are so popular at picnics and buffets that the name “deviled” seems undeserved. It comes from the fiery seasonings sometimes used; milder variations are below.

6 hard-cooked eggs

2 T. mayonnaise

½ to 1 tsp. prepared mustard

½ tsp. lemon juice

¼ tsp. salt

¼ tsp. Worcestershire sauce

⅛ tsp. pepper

Cut eggs in half lengthwise. Remove yolks and set whites aside. Mash yolks with fork, then blend in remaining ingredients. Refill whites using about 1 tablespoon yolk mixture for each egg half.

Variations: Add any of the following ingredients to yolk mixture:

Chopped parsley or chives

Deviled ham

Drained tiny shrimp or flaked tuna

Minced onion

Finely minced ham

Sweet pickle relish

Parsley flakes

Finely chopped pitted ripe or green olives, radishes or celery

Grated Parmesan cheese

Shredded Cheddar cheese

Toasted sesame seeds or finely chopped nuts

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MEAT BATTER:

Enough for 1 broiler or 6 servings of fried meat

This may be used for batter-fried chicken or one version of chicken-fried steak. Spices such as garlic salt or paprika may be added to the flour to change the flavor from time to time.

2 eggs

½ C. milk

1 C. unsifted flour

1 tsp. double-acting baking powder

½ tsp. salt

In a deep bowl, beat the eggs and milk lightly. Combine the remaining ingredients and add to the egg mixture, a small quantity at a time. Stir just until the batter is smooth. Set the batter aside for 30 minutes. Dip the meat in the batter until it is well-coated and fry in hot oil or shortening.

PICKLED EGGS

12 appetizers

In Pennsylvania Dutch Country, Pickled Eggs are a sign of summertime. Vary the flavor by substituting pineapple juice or canned beet liquid for the vinegar. The latter gives them a rosy look.

2 C. white vinegar

2 T. sugar

1 med. onion, sliced and separated into rings

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. whole mixed pickling sauce

12 hard-cooked eggs

In medium saucepan combine all ingredients except eggs. Simmer over low heat, uncovered, until onion is tender, about 10 minutes.

Arrange eggs in each of two 1-quart jars with tight-fitting lids. Pour 1 cup vinegar mixture over eggs in each jar. Cover and refrigerate several hours or overnight to blend flavors. Eggs may be stored in refrigerator up to 2 weeks.

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MAYONNAISE

About 1¼ cups

2 egg yolks or 1 whole egg

2 T. vinegar or lemon juice, divided

1 tsp. sugar

1 tsp. dry mustard

½ tsp. salt

Dash cayenne pepper

1 C. salad oil, divided

In small mixing bowl, beat together egg yolks, 1 tablespoon vinegar, sugar, mustard, salt and cayenne at medium speed until blended. Continue beating, adding ¼ cup salad oil drop by drop. Add remaining oil, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating constantly. Slowly beat in remaining vinegar. Chill thoroughly.

To prepare in blender: Measure ¼ cup oil and all other ingredients into blender container. Blend at high speed 5 seconds. Blending at high speed, add remaining oil very slowly until thick and smooth. (If necessary, turn off blender occasionally and clean sides with rubber spatula.) Chill thoroughly.

EGGS BENEDICT

4 servings

In the dining room of the Waldorf one day in 1894, an inventive but hungover Lemuel Benedict created a dish that would forever bear his name. He put together buttered toast, crisp bacon, poached eggs and Hollandaise sauce—and a classic was born! Oscar of the Waldorf, a menu maker of the first order, altered the bacon to ham and the toast to English muffins.

4 English muffins, split, toasted and buttered

8 poached eggs

¾ C. Hollandaise Sauce

16 slices Canadian-style bacon, broiled or pan-fried

Top each English muffin half with 2 slices bacon, 1 poached egg, and about 1 tablespoon hot Hollandaise Sauce. Serve hot.

HOLLANDAISE SAUCE

About ¾ cup

While this is a French concoction, the name may come from the fact that Holland is famous for its butter, a main constituent of the sauce. Louis Diat, chef extraordinaire and sauce expert formerly with New York City’s Ritz Carlton, wrote that “if the sauce does curdle, you can bring it back to homogenous thickness by putting a fresh egg yolk in another pan and gradually whipping in the curdled mixture.” The blender method avoids the curdling problem altogether.

3 egg yolks

2 T. lemon juice

¼ tsp. salt

⅛ tsp. paprika

Dash cayenne pepper

½ C. butter (1 stick), chilled and cut in eighths

In saucepan beat together egg yolks, lemon juice and seasonings. Add half the butter. Cook over low heat, stirring rapidly, until butter melts. Add remaining butter, stirring constantly, until butter melts and sauce thickens. Cover and refrigerate if not using immediately.

To prepare in blender: Measure all ingredients except butter into blender container. Melt butter and add to other ingredients. Blend at low speed until sauce thickens, 15 to 20 seconds.

Following A Recipe That Calls For Eggs

Following A Recipe That Calls For Eggs

1. Slightly beaten: Use a fork or whisk to beat eggs just until the yolks and whites are blended.

2. Well beaten: Use a mixer or blender to beat eggs until they are light, frothy and evenly colored.

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3. Thick and lemon-colored: Beat yolks in a mixer for about 5 minutes or in a blender for about 2 minutes until they become a pastel yellow and form ribbons when the beater is lifted or they are dropped from a spoon.

4. Stiff but not dry: Beat whites with a mixer or whisk until they no longer slip when the bowl is tilted.

5. Gently folded: When combining beaten egg whites with other heavier mixtures, handle carefully so that the air beaten into the whites is not lost. It’s best to pour the heavier mixture onto the beaten egg whites. Then gradually combine the ingredients with a rubber spatula, turning the bowl slowly. Don’t stir.

6. Separating whites and yolks: There are various kitchen gadgets on the market which will separate eggs, but the most common method is to crack the egg in the center and shift the yolk from one half of the egg shell to the other, allowing the white to slip into a bowl and being careful not to break the yolk. Eggs are easiest to separate when cold, but whites reach their fullest volume if allowed to stand at room temperature for about 30 minutes before beating.

7. Cook until coats a metal spoon: For stirred custard mixtures, the eggs are cooked properly when a thin film adheres to a metal spoon dipped into the custard.

8. Cook until a knife inserted near center comes out clean: Baked custard mixtures are done when a metal knife inserted off center comes out clean. The very center may still not be quite done, but the heat retained in the mixture will continue to cook it after removal from the oven.

Khon Kaen Traditional Breakfast

Doing some research online before going on vacation to Thailand I found what looked to be a very good breakfast. The picture I saw on a Khon Kaen blog web site showed a picture of some eggs, buns and coffee. I had to give it a try.

The name of the dish in Thai is “kai krata”. This literally translates to “eggs in a pan.”

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Outside of the hotel I am staying at, Cactus Resort is a small coffee shop with 5 small tables. “Miracle Coffee” is a one-lady operation and has the best breakfast in town.

The egg dish is cooked up in a small wok-shaped pan about six inches across. Sliced sausage is cooked right inside the fried eggs. There are about 6 to 8 slices of 2 to 3 different types of sausage.

The small wok-like pan/bowl has small handles on the side and is used to serve the meal. From the stove to the table all in one dish.

Along with the fried eggs and sausage, you also get two small football-shaped buns with shredded pork and sausage inside. The buns are toasted and slightly crunchy and are perfect to soak up the egg yolk.

The meal is served with orange juice and a choice of gourmet coffee. You can choose from espresso, cappuccino, mocha, latte, Brazil, Arabica, or Blue Mountain. You can choose to have your coffee served hot or iced.

Miracle Coffee also serves up another Thai dish called “kow toom” or rice porridge. This is a favorite of mine on a cold morning or when I am feeling a bit under the weather.

I am there almost daily for the kai krata breakfast with juice and a cup of Blue Mountain coffee for less than three US dollars.

It is simple fare served by a very friendly lady in an outdoor caf. Some of the best pleasures in life are the simplest and this is definitely one of them.

So, if you are ever in Khon Kaen, Thailand, make it a point to head on over to Prachasamsorn Road and stop in at the Miracle Coffee caf. It is right outside of the Cactus Resort, next door to the Busaba restaurant.

Whether you have the kai krata or kow toom you won’t regret it. Top it off with a cup or two of gourmet coffee and you will get the day off to a great start.

Egg Salad Surprises

Everybody loves eggs. We commonly meet them at breakfast table either scrambled or fried. However, these are actually tasty salad staples as well. Egg salad recipes are probably one of the easiest salads to make. Not only can it be served as is, but it can also be used as a sandwich filling.

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Below you will find recipes compiled from different sources. You may want to try one or two at home. Don’t worry if you don’t get to finish them, these salads can still make it to tomorrows sandwich. Now, enough said. Gab your things and let’s start whisking.

CHUNKY EGG SALAD
serves 4

1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 Tablespoon cider vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup minced onion
1/2 teaspoon Worchestershire sauce or
1 teaspoon of prepared mustard
1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
6 hard-cooked eggs
1 cup thin sliced celery
2 Tablespoons minced green pepper or red or green hamburger relish
sliced tomatoes or whole tomato
parsley for garnish

In a medium bowl, stir mayonnaise and next five ingredients until well mixed. Cut eggs into chunks or dice, as you prefer. Add eggs, celery, add green pepper or relish to mayonnaise mixture. Mix well. Cover and refrigerate till well chilled.

To Serve: Spoon mixture on tomato slices or into whole tomato. If using whole tomato, either cut off top and spoon out some of the middle, set on shredded lettuce and loosely fill with egg salad, or cut tomato into 8 wedges but do not cut all the way down, so that the tomato wedges will stay connected.

Garden Egg Salad Bowl
Makes 4 servings

6 tbsp. mayonnaise
1 tsp. prepared mustard
1/4 tsp. lemon pepper seasoning
1/8 tsp. salt
1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed
1/2 cup thinly sliced cauliflower
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup diced celery
1/2 cup quartered and sliced zucchini
2 tsp. dried chives
3 hard boiled eggs, coarsely chopped
Spinach leaves
Paprika
4 oz. cut julienne Swiss cheese
Tomato wedges
Pimiento-stuffed olives

In a medium bowl, stir together mayonnaise, mustard, lemon-pepper seasoning and salt. Stir in peas, cauliflower, mushrooms, celery, zucchini and chives. Gently stir in eggs.

Line salad bowls with spinach. Spoon in egg salad. Sprinkle with paprika. Garnish with Swiss cheese, tomato and olives.

Note: If desired, egg salad can be spooned into a tomato cup and placed on a bed of spinach.

Easy Egg Science Projects

In this article we will look at some interesting experiments and science fair projects you can easily do with eggs from the refrigerator. You will discover that the common egg has some amazing properties you might not be aware of.

There are a number of egg science projects you can do but I will mention just a few here to spark your interest. I’m sure you will be able to think of many more by using a little imagination.

The Egg Drop Science Experiment

For this experiment you will come up with a way to cushion an egg in a small container so it doesn’t break when dropped from a certain height. You can use something like a small coffee can that leaves enough room for your packaging around the egg to protect it from the fall.

You will need to do a little research to determine what might be suitable materials to keep the egg from breaking. Lots of room to experiment here for sure with different materials and arrangements of the egg in the container.

Do all your drop tests from a set height such as six to eight feet. Also drop the container on the same surface each time to keep your results consistent. As always with any science project, keep records of what you did and the results of each drop test.

The Crushing Strength Egg Science Project

One very interesting feature of eggs is their strength. That strength though is very dependent on the orientation of the egg to the force or weight that is applied to it.

So for this experiment you will determine if eggs are stronger lying flat or standing upright. You may also get an idea of how much stronger they are in one position than the other. I think you will find this very surprising just how much a difference the position of the egg makes.

What you will need for this egg science project:
1. An empty egg carton
2. Some books
3. A couple of small trash bags
4. Some tape
5. A scale to weigh the books(optional)

Remove the top from the carton and place four eggs toward the center and in a rectangular arrangement. Leave a space between them on each row. Place a plastic bag on the table under the carton. Place the other bag over the eggs.

Now start placing books on the eggs one at a time. Make sure they are even and don’t tip over. See how many you can place before an egg breaks. Weigh all the books used if you have a scale. You now have an idea of their strength end-to-end.

Test their strength lying flat:

Place a bag on the table and make four loops of tape with the sticky side out. Place the tape on the bag in about the same arrangement as the eggs were in the carton. This is to keep the eggs from rolling around.

Place another bag over the eggs and then start placing books. How many books did it take before an egg broke. Weigh the books if you have a scale. You now know whether eggs are stronger upright or lying flat. And you have an idea how much stronger they are in that one position than the other.

I hope you enjoyed these experiments and use your imagination to develop even more interesting egg science projects you can do at home.