Poached Egg

I love to read cookbooks before bed. I note recipes that I would like to try and soak in the plethora of culinary combinations. Cooking is a great hobby because I can always learn more, whether I explore a new ingredient, cuisine, or technique. The other night I was thumbing through Kitchen Sense because I am due to try another recipe. I have several recipes tabbed, mostly of the Mediterranean persuasion. I had visions of making Cranberry Johnnycakes with pure maple syrup for breakfast, but the next day was definitely a poached egg and toast with tea sort of morning. My mum said poached eggs should not count as “making a recipe”, but hey, it’s in the book and it counts.

Poached Egg:
My mum taught me to poach eggs in fry pans with some water. The results are okay, but can be a bit rubbery, especially on the edges. In Portland, I saw my mom-in-law poach an egg in a sauce pan with boiling water. Hmmm, which is the right way?

Mitchell Davis suggests the sauce pan method. Basically, you drop a cold egg into boiling water and simmer for about 3 minutes. The egg should have a soft yolk and cooked white; it is like boiling an egg without the shell. This method works well; I will make my poached egg this way in the future.

For thought: I have had poached eggs on salads in French restaurants, try it! Tasty!

Kitchen Sense - Southwestern Baked Beans and Buttermilk Polenta

First of all, I should say that I am still waiting to receive my new cookbooks, but I couldn't wait to start cooking! I found a few recipes online from various reviews of Kitchen Sense.

Southwestern Baked Beans with Chorizo, Poblano, and Orange: The small white beans cook all day; they are a nice combo of chiles, Mexican chorizo, onion, garlic, and orange. I dumped all the ingredients in a pot and baked it all day at 250 degrees.

All the ingredients were easy to find at Food 4 Less, which carries a decent selection of Latino foods. I used Pasilla and Serrano chiles, and spicy raw pork chorizo - the pork chorizo is more traditional than beef.

The beans are tasty!! I have been working with Randy and these beans were great to come home to after working all day. I served them with cornbread and garnished them with queso fresco (fresh Mexi cheese) and cilantro. We ate them for lunch the next day, and they are even better on day two. I doubled the recipe and have a back stock of beans for nachos, taco salad, and future dinners in the freezer.

I will definitely make these again.


Buttermilk Polenta with Fresh Corn:
The polenta contains fresh corn, fresh herbs, buttermilk and Parmigiano Reggiano cheese. It has a sour buttermilk flavor and the cheese is pretty strong. The fresh corn kernels add sweetness.

I received mixed reviews on this dish. I personally enjoyed it. I liked the creaminess of the polenta and sweet fresh corn, contrasting with the pungent cheese and buttermilk. Randy, the dear sweet boy, thought he was having mashed potatoes, until he took the first bite. Polenta neither looks nor tastes like potatoes. He was shocked and commented that the polenta (which he likes to call placenta...no wonder he didn't like it) was too rich and strong-flavored. My dearest sister-in-law, Alicia, found the texture disturbing, neither did the flavor of the cheese agree with her palate. However, Rob and Darrel liked the polenta. Wins:3 Losses:2

I probably won't make the polenta again. It takes almost an hour and the amount of effort is too great for a recipe with mixed reviews.