Fava Beans

My husband produced our first fava beans four years ago and I did an article on them; I was so impressed with how good they tasted. Well, four years later he has produced more. I am still impressed with how good they are but what happened in the intervening years? He did buy a book on vegetable gardening in Williamsburg last summer, Vegetable Gardening, The Colonial Williamsburg Way. Where most guides give a range of dates for planting, the author of this book gives planting guides as to what is actually happening in the garden. The advice for the planting of fava beans is to plant them when the last leaves fall in the autumn which is about the first of December here. That’s what he did. Maybe the secret. Despite our hard winter the favas produced.

While fava beans look a bit like lima beans, they are less starchy and fuller in flavor; nutty and slightly sweet with just a hint of bitterness and a discernible taste of cheese. Though popular in other parts of the world, especially the Middle East, where both fresh and dried fava beans are eaten, favas are still considered a specialty vegetable in North America. They are incredibly healthy and quite versatile. Cooked until tender, they turn buttery and can be added to soups, salads, or pastas, braised as a side dish, puréed for a dip, or eaten out of hand as a snack.

Fava beans are also called broad beans or horse beans. Grown in large fleshly pods that have a thick, cottony lining, each flat lava is encased in a pale, fairly thick skin, which becomes thicker and more bitter as the favas grow larger.

To shell and peel fava beans:

First break open the pods. Sometimes you can slide your finger along one side, opening the seam as you would a zipper, but other times you just have to break the pod apart in pieces.

Blanch the favas in boiling water for one minute and then cook under running water. Or transfer the favas to a bowl of ice water.

Favas have one wider, slightly flattened end with a scar where it was attached to the shell. Grasp the fava between your fingers with the scar facing up, and with the thumbnail of your other hand, tear into the scar end and peel back. Pinch gently and the fava will slide right out.’

You might substitute butter beans or peas in these recipes but if you can find them try the favas for an extra treat.

My favorite fava bean recipe is young favas with cream. This is from the French chef Roger Vergé. You cannot go wrong with this recipe.

Young Favas with Cream

4 servings

5 ½ pounds young fava beans

¾ cup heavy cream

A sprig of fresh savory (I used fresh thyme)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon chopped parsley

Shell the beans and slip each bean out of its tough skin.

Pour the cream into a shallow pan; add salt and the savory, and bring to a boil. Add the fava beans and boil, uncovered for 5 minutes.

Check that the beans are done; they should be tender but not falling apart. Remove the savory.

Add salt and pepper to taste and sprinkle with chopped parsley.

I had an appetizer at Bottega that consisted of tiny pasta shells with fava beans in a creamy cheese sauce. It was wonderful. This makes me think that fava beans would be great in a risotto. This recipe adds peas and asparagus with the fava beans in the risotto. All of these vegetables are in season now so it is a wonderful springtime dish.

Risotto with Fava Beans, Asparagus and Peas

Serves 8

1 ½ pounds fava beans in the pod

Salt

½ pound asparagus, trimmed, cut into 1-inch lengths

4 cups vegetable or chicken stock

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 small yellow onion, minced

3 ounces diced fresh ham

1 ½ cups Italian Arborio rice

1 cup dry white wine, such as Sauvignon Blanc

1 cup shelled fresh English peas

1 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano

Freshly ground black pepper

Peel the outer husk of the fava beans and discard. Bring a pot of water to boil, add the fava beans and boil for 30 seconds. Drain, cook the beans and peel the outer bright shell. Discard the shells and reserve the beans.

Bring 2 cups salted water to a boil, add the asparagus and boil until tender, 4 to 5 minutes. Drain and reserve the asparagus and water separately. Place the asparagus water, vegetable or chicken stock and 2 cups water in the saucepan over low heat.

In a large saucepan over medium heat, warm the olive oil and cook the onions and ham until the onions are soft, 10 minutes. Add the rice and stir until the rice is coated with oil and just begins to stick to the bottom of the pan, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the wine and cook, stirring constantly, until the wine is almost absorbed. Add a ladle of hot stock and continue to cook, stirring constantly, until the rice is just tender and not chalky, 18 to 22 minutes. Add the peas and continue to add the stock for an additional 2 minutes, until the rice is creamy and just beyond the chalky stage. If you run out of chicken or vegetable stock, use hot water.

Remove the pan from the heat, add another ladleful of stock, butter, cream, asparagus, fava beans, half of the Parmigiano, salt and pepper. Stir quickly, cover and let sit covered off the heat for 5 minutes.

After 5 minutes, stir the risotto. Serve immediately garnished with the remaining Parmigiano.

 

 

New Potatoes

Culinary historians venture that potatoes held no cachet on southern tables until Jefferson and Franklin served them after their well-known Paris sojourns. Potatoes fared better as immigrants from potato-loving cultures arrived in waves over the next century or so, bringing their favorite spud varieties, recipes, and foodways with them.

Today, home gardeners and small farms are the guardians of potato diversity, as are cooks who appreciate that different recipes require different kinds of potatoes, ranging from low-starch to high-starch varieties. Low-starch waxy potatoes hold their shape when cooked, making them good candidates for potato salad, for example. High-starch varieties have dry flesh that collapse when cooked, so they’re best for fluffy mashed potatoes. Round, brown potatoes are most common, but these tubers, particularly heirloom varieties, come in a range of shapes and colors, including white, gold, red, pink, purple, and blue.

Many people find comfort in the reliable familiarity of potatoes. This short verse by John Tyler sums up the sentiment.

         Pray for peace and grace and spiritual food.

         For wisdom and guidance, for all these are good.

         But don’t forget the potatoes.

Our new potatoes have come in so I have had potatoes on my mind. Nothing is as delicious as new little potatoes, cooked quickly with a little butter added at the end. We do take potatoes for granted and many are on their case for being full of starch, but what would the South be without some good old potato salad, mashed potatoes, potato cakes, and fries? I say eat those potatoes, maybe not at every meal!

Taken from June 2014 ‘Southern Living’

Parslied New Potatoes

2 Tbsp. Butter

2 Tbsp. canola oil

2Tbsp. all-purpose flour

2 ½ cups milk

2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

½ tsp. garlic powder

¼ tsp. sugar

Salt and black pepper

2 lb. new potatoes, quartered, boiled until tender and drained

¼ cup loosely packed fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Melt butter with oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Whisk in flour, and cook, whisking constantly, 1 minute. Whisk in milk and next 3 ingredients and cook, whisking constantly, 5 minutes or until mixture thickens. Add salt and pepper to taste. Pour over potatoes; toss to coat. Serves 8.

Taken from The New Southern Garden Cookbook by Sheri Castle.

Summer Vegetable Potato Salad

Makes 8 servings.

1 ½ lbs. small waxy potatoes, left whole or cut into large bite-sized chunks

3 tablespoons dry white wine

3 tablespoons white wine vinegar or rice vinegar

8 ounces slender green beans or yellow wax beans, ends trimmed

1 tablespoons whole-grain mustard

2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more to taste

1 teaspoon ground black pepper, plus more to taste

½ cup extra-virgin olive oil

½ cup thinly sliced red onion

1 cup whole miniature tomatoes as many colors as possible

¼ cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

¼ cup chopped fresh basil

Place the potatoes in a large pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil, add ½ teaspoon kosher salt per cup of water; reduce the heat, and cook at a low boil only until the potatoes are tender when pierced with the tip of a knife, about 15 minutes. Do not overcook them or they will start to fall apart and get waterlogged. Drain them in a colander and return them to the hot pot to let any remaining moisture evaporate away. Spread the hot potatoes in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle with wine and vinegar, and let cool to room temperature. The potatoes will absorb most of the liquid as they cool. Transfer the cooled potatoes and any standing liquid into a large bowl.

Fill a large bowl with ice water. Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil. Add ½ teaspoon kosher salt per cup of water. Add the beans and cook until barely tender, 5 to 8 minutes, depending on their size. Transfer with a slotted spoon into the ice water to stop the cooking and set the color. Drain well, pat dry, and set aside.

Whisk together the mustard, salt, pepper, and oil in a medium bowl. Pour over the potatoes and stir gently until the potatoes are coated. Stir in the beans, onion, and tomatoes. If the salad seems dry, drizzle in a little more olive oil. Season with additional salt and pepper. Just before serving, stir in the parsley and basil. Serve at room temperature.

 

 

 

Wilmington's Greek Festival '14

We were in Wilmington, North Carolina last week getting our beach house ready for summer rental. I always dread the week, since it is not really a week at the beach but lots of work! After 6 straight days of  cleaning, painting, and buying new things we had it organized again for another year.

The one nice thing about this week was the Greek Festival which went on for 3 days while we were there. I really like Greek food but do not cook it as often as I should. We ate there two days in a row and it was convenient since they now have a drive-through area by the church so you do not have to get out and park and fight the crowds.  We had a gyro sandwich for both days and then bought a dinner plate which included moussaka, green beans with a tomato sauce and rice. As we were driving through, one of the ladies helping to serve asked, “How do you say moussaka?” She must not be Greek we thought. I have given a recipe for moussaka in the past and most of us know it is a dish consisting of layers of ground lamb or beef and sliced eggplant topped with a cheese sauce. The gyro sandwich is lamb, beef, or chicken stuffed in a fat pita bread with tomatoes, onions and a cucumber-yogurt tzatziki sauce. The Greeks in Wilmington know how to do this well. I will say eating my gyro and watching the waves come in was a small pleasure for being at the beach!

On returning home I got out my trusty old Greek cookbook (bought in Charleston probably 30 years ago) and found a recipe which I have never done called pastichio with spinach. Pastichio is a macaroni pie baked with a center of ground beef. Well, I had some grass-fed ground beef and some macaroni so I was good to go. This is a good recipe and would be good for a crowd. Just add some good garlic bread and a Greek salad and you can have your own Greek festival at home.

Pastichio with Spinach

Makes 6 servings.

Meat layer:

1lb. grass-fed ground beef

½ cup chopped onions

1 clove garlic

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 teaspoon salt

Dash of pepper

Dash of allspice

 1 small can tomato sauce

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 cup water

Brown ground beef, onion, garlic, and seasonings in butter. Add tomato sauce, tomato paste, and water, and simmer until thickened, about 30 minutes.

Macaroni Layer:

8 oz. macaroni, cooked and drained (I used penne but any small pasta would do)

4 tablespoons melted unsalted butter

1 cup grated Romano cheese plus ¼ cup grated for topping the casserole

Toss cooked macaroni with melted butter and grated cheese until thoroughly blended.

Spinach Layer:

2 10oz. packages frozen chopped spinach

½  cup bread crumbs or 1 tablespoon flour

2 tablespoons melted unsalted butter

1 tablespoon grated onion

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper

2 eggs

¾ cup mashed Feta cheese

Defrost frozen spinach by allowing to stand at room temperature. Squeeze excess moisture from spinach, and combine with remaining ingredients. Correct seasoning, if necessary.

To Bake: In an 8”x12” greased casserole dish, arrange half of macaroni. Spread with spinach mixture, then remaining macaroni. Spread meat sauce evenly over all. Sprinkle with the ¼ cup grated cheese. Bake in a 350° oven for 30 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting in squares.

Kali orexi!

 

Virginia '14

We enjoyed the Historic Virginia Garden Tour last year so much we decided to do a repeat. This year, the 81^st, we drove to the Northern Neck. This is the peninsula between the Potomac and the Rappahannock Rivers and is the area where my husband’s family settled in the 1640’s. One branch had landed in Jamestown in 1624 but moved up to the Northern Neck. We even visited one old church, North Farnham, 1737, where an ancestor was probably baptized that year.

The Northern Neck tour this year centered in Richmond County on the Rappahannock, a very rural area even today. The treats of the tour were two 18^th century mansions that are still working farms lived in by the original families---Sabine Hall, built by Landon Carter in 1735, and Mt. Airy built by John Tayloe, 1748-1758. Both are set in parks next to their fields with smaller plantings near the house. Sabine Hall has a falling garden, i.e. terraced, which is still there but with diminished plantings. But even Landon Carter after a drought one year had the terraces plowed and planted in turnips.

Perhaps the best thing we saw was Stratford Hall and George Washington’s birth place. Stratford is the ancestral home of the Lees and best remembered as the birthplace of Robert E. Lee. We spent a long time there as there is a lot to see. They are re-interpreting parts of the house and the gardens. The plantation became a museum in the 1930’s but as more information is obtained the interpretation is improved.

George Washington was born nearby at his father’s Pope’s Creek farm. In the rush to provide a suitable memorial for the first President a colonial house was built only later to learn that the original house was located a short piece away and looked quite different. The site is run by the National Park Service and is free. The guide was quite informative. He saw my husband’s Red Devon cap and asked if we raised Devon. We knew that the site raised heritage breeds and that they used to have oxen on display which were Devon steers. Indeed there were four cows that he directed us to in one of the outer fields. The Devon bull was off site doing duty elsewhere. My husband was anxious to see the cemetery where, Jane Butler, Augustine Washington’s first wife is buried. (It was his second wife Mary Ball who became George Washington’s mother.) Jane Butler was a cousin to one of my husband’s ancestors.

There was not much in food offerings in this part of the world. We did have a nice lunch at a small restaurant called The Daily, probably because it was located beside a newspaper office. They have been in business for 5 years and offered variety of good things. We chose the roasted red pepper soup and a sandwich that tasted like a pizza with tomatoes and mozzarella. But perhaps the best was the soup, and in one of the local ‘House and Home’ magazines from Middlesex County was a very nice recipe. I came home and immediately did the recipe and it was a keeper. I found red peppers on sale at one of the local markets here (they are pricey at times), and after roasting them, the rest of the recipe came together fast. Also remember that red and orange peppers contain carotenoids helpful to eye health and the prevention of cataracts and macular degeneration. The fiber in these peppers helps lower cholesterol and promotes digestion.

 

Roasted Red Pepper Soup

Serves 4

2-2 ½ pounds red peppers (6-7)

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 ½ cups yellow onion, chopped

1 cup chicken broth

2 cups water

1 teaspoon salt, or to taste

Pinch of cayenne pepper

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

8-10 fresh basil leaves, shredded (My basil has come in.)

1/3 to ½ cup heavy cream

Cut peppers in half lengthwise; remove stems, ribs and seeds. Lay cut side down on baking sheet; place under broiler. Roast until skins blister and blacken, 15-20 minutes. Remove and cover with foil until cool. Peel off skins, chop into medium pieces. Set aside.

Warm oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until translucent. Add chicken broth, water, salt and cayenne pepper. Cover partially and bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 15-20 minutes.

Drain peppers and onion in colander, reserving liquid. Purée peppers and onion in food processor or blender and add reserved liquid as necessary to make a smooth soup.

Add cream at the end and decorate with basil leaves.

Serve hot or cold.

 

Peas 2014

Peas are the ultimate springtime treat. They are sweet and tender, quick to cook and incredibly versatile. What is great about tender young peas aside from their sweet, crunchy flavor is that they take only a few minutes to cook. The secret to maintaining their sweetness and bright-green color is to cook  them as little as possible, just enough to make them tender. They lend themselves to almost any cooking method, from boiling and steaming to sautéing, stir-frying, and quick-braising.

Peas’ mild sweetness pairs well with many different flavors. Cured meats like bacon, pancetta, prosciutto, smoked ham, and chorizo work wonderfully with peas, as their pronounced saltiness complements peas’ gentle flavor. Fresh mint if also a classic flavor partner, bringing peas to life in an instant. There’re also a natural with onions, scallions, and other alliums, and they go well with spring vegetables like asparagus, new potatoes, carrots, and fava beans.

Below are three pea recipes (a soup, pasta dish, and a salad) and remember that if you do not have a garden with fresh peas you can substitute frozen peas. Frozen peas are usually picked when they are young and immediately frozen, so they are often sweeter than fresh peas that have been hanging around too long. Our peas are a little late this year as has been everything in the garden.

From the Spring Issue of ‘Fine Cooking’ 2014.

Pea, Butter Lettuce, and Herb Salad

Serves 4

1 cup fresh shelled peas (about 1 lb. unshelled) or frozen peas

Kosher salt

3 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 Tablespoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

Freshly ground black pepper

1 small head butter lettuce, washed and dried, leaves town into bite-size pieces

6 medium radishes, thinly sliced

4 scallions (white and light-green parts) thinly sliced on the diagonal

¼ cup loosely packed fresh flat-leaf-parsley leaves

¼ cup loosely packed fresh chervil leaves

2 teaspoons very coarsely chopped fresh tarragon

2 tablespoons thinly sliced chives

3 oz. ricotta salata, shaved thinly with a vegetable peeler

Blanch peas in boiling salted water for 2-4 minutes. Drain and spread them on a baking sheet.

In a small bowl, whisk the oil with the lemon juice, lemon zest, and salt and pepper to taste.

Just before serving toss the peas in a small bowl with 1 tablespoon of the dressing. Toss the butter lettuce, radishes, scallions, and herbs in a large bowl with just enough of the remaining dressing to lightly coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

 

Peas and Spinach Soup with Coconut Milk

Serves 6

2 large leeks (or two cups chopped scallions or 2 cups thinly sliced white onions)

1 Tbs. unsalted butter

2 Tbs. white basmati rice

1 tsp. salt, more to taste

2 tsp. curry powder

4 sprigs fresh cilantro, more for garnish

4 cups vegetable stock

1 ½ to 2 lb. peas, shucked about 2 cups

4 cups lightly packed coarsely chopped spinach leaves, any thick stems removed

7 oz. coconut milk (about 1 cup)

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

In a soup pot over medium heat, melt the butter and stir in the rice. Scoop the clean leeks from the water, and add them to the pot along with the salt, curry powder, cilantro, and 1 cup of the broth. Cook over medium-low heat at a vigorous simmer for about 12 minutes, so the rice is almost done.

Add the remaining 3 cups stock, the peas, and the spinach and bring to a boil. Boil for about 3 minutes. Turn off the heat and stir in the coconut milk.

In a blender or food processor, purée the soup in batches until smooth. Taste for salt, season with white pepper and serve, garnished with fresh cilantro leaves.

Fusilli with Peas and Feta

Serves 4

Kosher salt

1 ½ cups lower-salt chicken broth

1 lb. fresh or frozen peas (about 3 cups)

2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil

Freshly ground black pepper

12 oz. dried fusilli pasta

4 oz. feta, finely crumbled (about 1 cup)

Lemon wedges for serving

Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil over high heat,

In a 3-quart saucepan, bring the chicken broth to a boil over high-heat. Add the peas and cook until crisp-tender, 2 to 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and using a slotted spoon, remove and reserve 1 cup of the peas. Transfer the broth and the remaining peas to a blender. Add the olive oil, all but 1 tsp. of the dill, 1 ¼ tsp. salt, and ½ tsp. pepper and blend until smooth. It is fine if the sauce looks thin at this point.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta until al dente. Drain and transfer to a large bowl. Toss with the pasta with the sauce, the reserved peas, and ¾ cup of the feta. Serve garnished with the remaining ¼ cup feta and 1  tsp. dill, with lemon wedges on the side.

 

Italian Food, Giada De Laurentiis

Everyone knows Giada De Laurentiis, if you watch any cooking shows at all. She is also the granddaughter of the director Dino De Laurentiis who once had a house down from ours on Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina. He is long gone, but Giada is pretty, perky, and has fans from her Food Network shows and seven cookbooks to her credit. I don’t watch her show or have her cookbooks, but I did see an article in the latest issue of Food and Wine that she is opening her first restaurant in Las Vegas in the new Caesars’ brand new boutique hotel. Enormous letters on the facade of The Cromwell spell out G-I-A-D-A for all to see.

The menu at Giada will feature many of the beloved Italian dishes the chef is known for, but with an ambitious twist. She said that chicken cacciatore had followed her around for years and she had always made a simple version for home cooks. Her restaurant will have “chicken cacciatore” with a wow factor. At the restaurant she will transform the braised cut up bird her fans love into a succulent whole bird, rubbed with red butter under the skin and roasted with fennel, cherry tomatoes, sweet peppers and other seasonal ingredients.

I especially loved her recipe in the magazine for lemon spaghetti with shrimp. I found it so good and refreshing. It had the lemony taste of spring and the fried capers were delicious added on top.

Below are the two recipes which I think are her best in the magazine. I would encourage you to try the shrimp dish. I am trying the chicken this week. Everyone generally loves Italian cooking so I don’t think you will go wrong with these recipes.

 

Recipes taken from the May, 2014 issue of ‘Food and Wine’

 

Lemon Spaghetti with Shrimp

Serves 6

Vegetable oil, for frying

¼ cup capers---rinsed, drained and patted dry

1 lb. spaghetti

2/3 cup plus 1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

1 Tbsp. finely grated lemon zest

½ cup fresh lemon juice (from 3 lemons)

1 lb. shrimp, shelled and deveined

Salt and pepper

½ cup chopped basil, plus more for garnish

In a skillet, heat ¼ inch of vegetable oil until shimmering. Add the capers and fry over moderately high heat, stirring until browned and crisp, 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the capers to paper towels to drain.

In a saucepan of salted boiling water, cook the spaghetti until al dente. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the cooking water.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk 2/3 cup of the olive oil with the grated cheese, lemon zest and lemon juice.

In a very large skillet, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil until shimmering. Season the shrimp with salt and pepper, add to the skillet and cook over moderately high heat, turning once, until just opaque, 4 minutes. Reduce the heat to moderate and add the pasta, lemon sauce, half of the reserved pasta water and the ½ cup of basil. Cook, tossing, until the pasta and shrimp are coated, 2 minutes, adding more of the pasta water if the spaghetti is dry; transfer to shallow bowls, garnish with basil and the fried capers and serve.

 

Roast Chicken Cacciatore with Red Wine Butter

Serves 4

One 3 ½ lb. chicken

Kosher salt

5 thyme leaves

1 cup red wine

2 Tbsp. tomato paste

2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, softened

4 basil sprigs, plus leaves for garnish

4 oregano sprigs

3 garlic cloves, crushed

1 small fennel bulb, cut into ¾-inch wedges through the core

1 cup cherry tomatoes

¾ cup pearl onions

8 jarred sweet Peppadew peppers, halved

6 baby bell peppers, halved lengthwise and seeded

1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

½ cup chicken stock

½ cup olives, pitted and chopped (green olives would probably be best)

Season the chicken with 2 teaspoons of salt and stuff the thyme sprigs in the cavity. Transfer the chicken to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and poke holes in the top; refrigerate overnight.

In a saucepan, boil the wine over moderately high heat until reduced to 2 tablespoons, 7 minutes. Off the heat, whisk in the tomato paste, butter and 1 teaspoon salt. Let cool slightly.

Preheat the oven to 400°. Loosen the breast and thigh skin of the chicken and spread three-fourths of the red wine butter under the skin. Stuff the basil sprigs, oregano sprigs, and garlic into the cavity and tie the legs with string. Rub the remaining butter over the chicken and let stand for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large, deep ovenproof skillet, toss the fennel, tomatoes, onions, both peppers and olive oil; season with salt. Set the chicken in the center of the vegetables. Pour in the stock. Roast for 1 hour and 10 minutes, until an instant read thermometer inserted in the inner thigh registers 155°.Transfer to  a carving board and let rest for 15 minutes.

Simmer the broth over moderately high heat until slightly reduced, 3 minutes. Stir in the olives and transfer to a platter. Carve the chicken and arrange on the platter. Garnish with basil leaves and serve.

 

Eggs for Easter

I would like to be in New Orleans doing a great New Orleans brunch for Easter but because of other commitments I will not be there this year. I had been thinking the past few weeks about all the wonderful restaurants and their great jazz brunches and thought I could at least do a famous egg dish at home.

One of the most renowned, as well as popular, offerings in the egg category is Eggs Benedict. I have a special affection for this dish since my husband proposed to me over Eggs Benedict. In New Orleans eggs were very popular in the evening and late night or after the theater. During carnival season, Eggs Benedict are often served as supper after the balls. But most popular, are Eggs Benedict served as part of the New Orleans brunch, that marvelous invention that ties together breakfast and lunch into one very scrumptious and often lavish meal.

Another brunch egg dish is Eggs Sardou. The story goes that the French playwright Victorien Sardou was feted in the city of New Orleans during a visit to mount a production of several of his plays in the French Opera House. A popular chef at this time, knowing of Sardou’s love for artichokes, served him this invention. Sardou was so delighted by the recipe that the chef named it after him. Soon all the major restaurants in the city placed it on their menu.

All these recipes call for Hollandaise Sauce which puts fear in many cooks. The recipe for the sauce will be given at the end of the recipes. Also, you need to know how to poach an egg. I went to Julia Child for that!

So if a brunch at a fancy restaurant is not on the agenda for this Easter, try one of these egg dishes on your own.

Eggs Benedict

(From Galatoire’s Cookbook, 1994)

Serves 4

2 cups Hollandaise Sauce

8 English muffins, split

2 tbsp. clarified butter

8 slices Canadian bacon

8 eggs, poached

8 truffle slices (This would be great but most of us just don’t have truffles.)

Prepare Hollandaise Sauce and set aside.

Toast English muffins, faces up, and place on serving plates, keeping warm. Sauté Canadian bacon slices in the clarified butter for 2 minutes. Place on slice on each muffin. Poach the eggs and place one atop each muffin.

Top with equal portions of Hollandaise and place a slice of truffle on each.

Eggs Sardou

Serves 4

1 cup Hollandaise Sauce

8 artichokes

Enough water to cover

4 cups water

2 tsp. vinegar

8 eggs

1 cup creamed spinach

2 pinches paprika

Prepare the Hollandaise Sauce.

Place artichokes into a medium-sized pot filled with enough water to cover. Put a lid on the pot and boil for 30 minutes over a medium heat setting. Remove and allow to cool. Peel the leaves from the artichokes. Remove artichoke bottom and using a spoon, remove and discard choke. Slice off remaining stem from bottoms.

Poach the eggs.

Spoon equal portions of creamed spinach onto each of 4 plates, then next place the artichoke bottoms. Using a slotted spoon, carefully remove eggs from the water and transfer 2 onto each bottom. Top with a spoonful of Hollandaise Sauce. Garnish with a light sprinkle of paprika.

Hollandaise Sauce

Makes 2 cups

6 egg yolks, beaten well

1 ¼ cups (2 ½ sticks) butter, melted

Salt, white pepper, and ground red pepper

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

In the top of a double boiler, combine the egg yolks and 1 ½ tablespoons water. Beat with a wire whisk over hot, but not boiling water. Slowly add the butter and whip until the sauce begins to thicken. Add the salt and white and red pepper. Then whisk in the lemon juice. You can hold this for a while, and can refrigerate and put over hot water again to reconstitute before serving.

To poach an egg: One can use egg cups to have a perfect poach size, but for those of us who do not have egg poachers, use this technique: Prick the large end of the eggs with an egg pricker or drafting pin, going down ¼ inch, so that the pocket of air in the shell may escape. Lower the eggs, no more than 4 at a time, into boiling water, submerging them completely, for exactly 10 seconds. This slightly coagulates a film of white around the body of the egg, and helps keep a reasonably fresh egg in shape. After the 10 second boil, carefully crack the eggs close to the water and poach for 4 minutes. (I do mine a bit longer since I don’t like runny eggs---a childhood leftover.) One can add vinegar to the water since it does seem to help the eggs coagulate.

Happy Easter!