Egg Medallion

Last time I went on vacation with my family, we bought these small cake tins with removable bottoms. I'm actually not sure whether they're for making cakes because the bottom is pretty loose, which will allow the batter to leak out easily. It could be for individual bread rolls, but they're only ~5 cm wide and 4 cm tall and I only have four of these, so it would be a very small bread recipe. This morning, I used these as egg moulds to make breakfast today, and it worked quite well. Take a look!

The removable bottom cake tins. I just put them upside down (as in the picture above) on a hot pan and slipped a raw egg with some cheese and pepper into the small whole at the top. 

One large egg fits perfectly into tins this size: 5 cm diameter, 4 cm height. Since I used a non-stick pan, I didn't use any oil. I was reminded to be careful not to scratch the non-stick coating with the tins by my mom, and the rounded edges of these tins were perfect. After removing the bottoms of these cake tins, I placed them upside down on a hot pan, and allowed 30 seconds for the cake tins to heat. In the meantime, I whisked an egg slightly with some black pepper and shredded cheese. Once I was sure the pan and cake tins were hot, I poured the whisked egg into the upside down cake tin and waited.

This is how it looked when I turned the tin onto a plate after a few minutes. The hot aluminum tin evenly distributes the heat from the pan to the sides of the egg medallion, which allowed the whole egg to get cooked. 

A sprinkle of very finely chopped red pepper, and some green fruit and veg (avocado and cucumber) makes a pretty and tasty breakfast. 

Fruit & Syrup Cornmeal Cake

It's that time of the year again, when everything and everyone is just starting to stir from a long winter's nap, and I am recovering from another traumatizing set of exams. As always, a few eager early crops of cherry tomatoes and strawberries from some warmer place spring up to the front shelves of supermarkets. I know it isn't peak season yet, so they aren't very flavourful, but I couldn't resist getting a small box of each. Anyhow, they'll do fine in these cakes because I concentrate their flavours by heating and reducing some of their water content in a pan before adding them into the batter. To complement the fruits, there are also streaks of silky Chinese black vinegar swirling through these cakes. The cornmeal and dark brown sugar gives this cake a heartiness. There's a bit of lingering winter and upcoming spring in this cake to reflect the current weather.

The Recipe:

Sift together dry ingredients: 

• 1 cup whole wheat cake/pastry flour
• 3/4 cup yellow coarse-grind cornmeal
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt

Wet ingredients: 

• 1 cup grape tomatoes
• 1 cup whole strawberries
• 1 cup black vinegar (AKA Chinese Chinkiang vinegar, available at Asian grocery stores)
• 1 cup plain yogurt (not Greek, any fat content is OK, as long as there is no gelatin or thickening starches)
• 3 whole eggs
• 1/2 cup (or half a 250 g block) light plain cream cheese
• 1/2 cup brown sugar

Dice tomatoes and strawberries and heat in a dry, non-stick pan until the fruit pieces look somewhat shrunken and shrivelled. Allow fruit to cool on a plate. Reduce vinegar in the same pan until it is the consistency of runny honey in the pan, or about a third to a quarter of the volume is left. Remove to a bowl to allow it to cool. In a large bowl, beat cream cheese, yogurt, and sugar until well mixed. Add eggs and continue to beat until mixture is smooth. Add sifted dry ingredients in three batches, stirring or blending partially between each batch. Gently stir in fruits until they are evenly distributed. Add reduced vinegar and stir a few times so that streaks of black from the vinegar are visible in the batter. 

Pour into non-stick cake tin of your choice (recipe fits well into a 12-inch round tin, or two 8-inch round tins, or six 4-inch mini-cake tins). Bake at 325°F or ~165°C until toothpick comes out clean. This takes about 25 minutes for the mini tins and 35 minutes for larger tins. Remove cakes from tins whenever they've cooled enough for you to handle them. Slice and enjoy!

Note: Feel free to substitute with any other fruit that taste good cooked. You can also use balsamic vinegar instead of black vinegar – just make sure to use the cheap kind. If you like your cake sweeter and think your fruits match the flavour, you can even drizzle in honey or thick molasses instead of vinegar. 

Strawberries.

Reducing vinegar. It's letting off a intensely sharp, but pleasant smell right now.

A rather thick cake batter with streaks of vinegar visible.

Hot cakes, just out of the oven. A yummy crispy top!

Time to have a slice!

Alternative Spring Rolls

It's Spring! That just means that I have some serious work to do in terms of completing all the term work and studying for the exams. I find that I'm approaching even the most tedious tasks with a brighter attitude these days. I think it has to do with the fact that the sun is already peeping up over the horizon when I wake up...

Anyway, this morning, I made these vegetarian rolls. They're made with vietnamese rice paper and vegetable strips. Halfway through making them, I realized these could be improved if the outside could have a touch of crispiness. So, I coated them with a thin layer of egg wash and seared them quickly in a non-stick pan. The outside crisps up to make the perfect texture. These rolls are fresh and light, and an excellent Spring lunch.

Ingredients:

• vietnamese rice paper
• egg (whole egg, egg whites, or liquid eggs)
• assorted crispy vegetable, such as carrots, cucumber, peppers (you can also use fruit)
• hot water
• large plate
• clean tea towel

Prepare vegetables by slicing into thin strips or slices. Fill the plate with a shallow layer of hot water. Drop a piece of rice paper in so that it floats. Gently prod it so that it becomes transparent and very pliable. Carefully lift it out and place it on the tea towel in one layer, keeping the number of folds to a minimum. It's sort of like spreading out a piece of cling wrap. Pile about a row of vegetables, about 2.5 cm or 1 inch in diameter and height. Stay at least 5 cm or 2 inches clear of the edge of the rice paper on all sides of the vegetable row, and wrap like a burrito. If you like, dip the roll in egg and "sear" them in a non-stick pan. Best eaten right away!

Vietnamese rice paper – will become almost transparent and sticky when dipped in hot water

Clockwise from top: english cucumber, fennel, red and yellow bell pepper

Liquid egg for coating

Finished Spring Rolls. Ones in front have egg coating; ones in back do not.

Sunny sides up!

This version of sunny side up will never have you worry about your waistline or cholesterol levels! The sweet filling, crispy edges and wonderful smell will surely bring a smile to your face. 

The recipe (if you haven't already guessed...): Crack 6 large eggs and separate whites and yolks. Add 1 egg yolk and 1/4 tsp cinnamon to 3/4 cup mashed, cooked pumpkin or acorn squash and stir to mix thoroughly. Preheat a non-stick skillet to medium-high heat. Use two spoons to drop six round dollops (2 tbsp each) of pumpkin mixture in the skillet, keeping the dollops evenly spaced. Let them cook on one side for one minute. Then pour all of the egg whites into the skillet over the pumpkin. Using two small spatulas, flip each pumpkin patty over. Lower the heat to a medium low, cover the lid and let it cook for five minutes. Use a spatula to transfer onto a plate. Season with salt and pepper to taste, divide, and enjoy! (serves 3)

Swept up a quiche

I had a variety of leftovers at the end of last week and a few bags of new groceries sitting patiently on my front porch waiting to be placed in the fridge. My family and I have been using the front porch as a giant walk-in refrigerator until last week, when the temperature finally started to drop below 0 degrees (Celsius). Now we use it as a giant freezer instead. So the little boxes of groceries and leftovers we'd been stashing in our 'natural fridge' had to move inside and while we refilled those boxes outside with frozen food. Of course, our indoor fridge wasn't nearly big enough to hold everything so we had a day of creative usage of leftovers. This quiche is one way to sweep many leftovers into one dish.

The quiche

The recipe (in case you were curious): I stirred a bowl (about a cup) of cooked brown rice, 2 tbsp of whole wheat flour, 1 tsp sugar, 1/4 tsp salt and 2 egg whites together and spread it in an even layer at the bottom of a 8 inch non-stick round pie tin. I baked that in a 325 F oven for about 30 minutes, until the surface has turned light brown. Meanwhile, I gather the rest of my leftovers: about a cup of sauteed onions, 1/2 of a bell pepper, and a handful of enoki mushrooms. I cut and sliced everything into similar sized pieces and tossed them together with half a carton of liquid eggs. Because it didn't look quite enough to fill the pie tin, I also sliced half an apple into thin slices and added those into the bowl as well. I added a dash of salt, a pinch of pepper and a sprinkle of dried thyme and gave it a stir. When the crust was baked, I lined it with a layer of fat free sandwich cheese and poured my leftover mixture over it. I slid the tin back into the oven and baked for another 30 minutes. I let the egg settle and cool for 10 minutes in the tin before slicing and serving.

This obviously isn't a strict recipe because you can use almost any leftovers (or fresh ingredients) in the filling as long as you think you'll like the combined flavours!