In Michael Symon’s blog today, he asked what we as readers/viewers love and hate about cook books and cooking shows. I won’t reiterate what I posted as a response, but it got me in the mood to just get in the kitchen and create something good for breakfast.
I asked Renée what she wanted and she said, “Something eggy!” I opened the fridge and pulled out the eggs, some bacon, a leek (if I had shallots on hand I probably would have used them), a layer of fennel, and some Robusto cheese. The bacon went into my trusty Griswold No. 9 cast iron skillet and began to crisp while I chopped the leek and fennel and whisked the eggs.
My plan was to pour off the excess bacon fat and use the remaining fat to sauté the leeks and fennel. Then I would add the eggs and crushed bacon bits and cook it like a scramble. But I wanted to add a little extra flavor to the dish, so after adding the leeks and fennel and seasoning with kosher salt, I dropped in four cubes of frozen chicken stock. The cubes melted quickly in the hot pan and combined with the moisture already being pulled from the leeks and fennel. In hindsight, it probably would have been better to add the stock at room temperature, but I was making it up as I went, so I just added it the way I had it.
After the stock reduced a bit, in went the eggs and bacon bits and the scramble was under way. I consider eggs to be the perfect food. They’re delicious, nutritious, and versatile and I’ve always been a little particular about scrambled eggs. Hardly anyone undercooks eggs, but if you’re going to take the time to cook the perfect food, why ruin it by overcooking. They should be cooked but moist, not dry. You have to get them off the heat before you think they’re done and let carry over do the rest. The added moisture in this dish meant that it would take a little longer than normal to set up, but it was worth the wait. After I plated the eggs, I grated a little Robusto cheese on top, and along with the English muffins Renée had toasted, breakfast was ready.
Granted, this dish is hardly revolutionary. But it was fun to create and it hit the spot. Isn’t that what good cooking is all about?
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I’ll pass on the bacon bits but it looks like something I might like to play around with!
That’s the best thing about this kind of dish, Brenda, you can have fun with it by trying different ingredients! If I had mushrooms, I probably would have thrown them in as well. A little prosciutto instead of the bacon, maybe? Maybe some sun-dried tomato and a little Serrano pepper…