Recipe Test -- Food and Wine

Omelet Soufflé

After months of reading Food & Wine magazine in passing, finally a recipe simple enough to try -- who says molecular gastronomy has to be tricky -- it was so fluffy not to mention fast (and a free arm workout beating the egg whites).

I substituted a sharp white cheddar for the gruyere.

Aki Kamozawa and H. Alexander Talbot, of the food science blog ideasinfood.com, are beloved by chefs like Richard Blais for culinary innovations. Here, they share their method for creating a fluffy omelet from their new book, Ideas in Food.

1. 3 large eggs, separated
2. Pinch of sea salt
3. 1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
4. 1/2 cup shredded Gruyère cheese

1. Preheat the broiler and position a rack in the center of the oven. In a large bowl, using a whisk or a handheld electric mixer, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form.
2. In a small bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the salt and one-fourth of the beaten egg whites. Fold the yolk mixture into the remaining beaten whites until no streaks remain.
3. In an 8-inch ovenproof skillet, melt the butter. Scrape the omelet mixture into the skillet and shake gently to evenly distribute the eggs. Sprinkle the cheese all over and transfer the skillet to the oven. Broil the omelet for about 3 minutes, until lightly browned and very puffy. Carefully slide the omelet onto a plate, folding it in half. Serve right away.

Hash Browns

Love these, and with a few quick techniques, I can whip up a batch in around 30 min, which honestly is at the far end of how long Brunch should take to cook.

Ingredients:
- 4 red skinned potatoes (these are way more filling than they look, so this will make 3, or two large, servings)
- 1/2 onion
- 1/4c bell pepper (diced)
- butter
- salt
- garlic powder
- oil

Toppings:
- Sour Cream
- Scallions

1. Wash potatoes and chop into quarters. Put them in a small pot and fill just until covered with cold water. Add 2 tbs salt and bring to a boil (10-12 min).
2. Once boiling, lower heat and cook for an additional 10 minutes or until fork tender. (You can taste them as they cook, they should be well cooked, but not mushy).
3. Once cooked, remove from heat and rinse with cold water.
4. Cut potatoes into 1/4" slices. Set aside.
5. In a large flat pan, heat 4 tbs oil.
6. Saute onions and bell peppers until peppers are soft and onions are browned. (You may need to set the onions aside as the peppers continue to cook)
7. Once cooked, season with salt & garlic powder, turn up heat and add potatoes (drizzle with extra oil).
8. Toss potatoes around to ensure they are well mixed with onions & peppers and cook turning periodically until potatoes have a sear on all sides and are crispy and brown.
9. Season with salt, pepper, garlic powder.
10. Serve with ketchup, sour cream, chopped scallions.

Chilaquiles

Despite all the supermarket frustrations of East Harlem (don't get me started on finding a good balsamic vinegar without sounding like a complete yuppie foodie), there is an abundance of awesome items for delicious mexican dishes (could be all the mexican restaurant workers...).

Anyways, here's a dish I read on a menu and could literally hear it going straight to my ass, so here's my pared down version:

Two corn tortillas (diced into 2 in x 1 in strips)
2 Eggs (cracked and whipped)
Shredded Cheese (Cheddar or Mexican Mix)
Diced chilies
Hot Sauce
Sour Cream

Spray pan with Pam toss corn tortillas and cook until soft (might need a few more sprays). Once tortillas are fairly cooked pour in eggs and scramble in pan. Once eggs are nearly set, sprinkle with a handful of shredded cheese and diced chilies. Scramble until its all dispersed. Season with salt and pepper. Top with a dollop of sour cream and shake on some hot sauce.