I know I have blogged about this cookbook before but I’m doing it again in case you have not yet purchased it. The cookbook is titled “Vegetarian Suppers” and the author is Deborah Madison who has authored several other cookbooks. The “Eggs” recipe makes the 14th recipe from this cookbook that I have made and really, really enjoyed. I think that Deborah Madison has a knack for knowing how to combine just the right flavors. I am hooked on her style of cooking.
As I was flipping through my cookbook looking for something new to try I came across this recipe called “Eggs baked on a bed of sauteed mushrooms and croutons”. The picture looked enticing. I have not eaten a real egg in…..I cannot remember when. (Normally I eat eggbeaters.) And I thought….it looks so good I’m going for it. Here is the picture from the cookbook.
Here is what mine looked like. Instead of making each one in a individual container I made it all in one large pie plate. I think the only thing I would do differently, because I did not think of it at the time, was to put 4 indentations in the base so the eggs went into those nicely placed indentations instead of just anywhere. It certainly would not affect the taste but the appearance might have been just a little nicer.
If what I made above looks good to you here is the recipe.
Eggs baked on a bed of sauteed mushrooms and croutons. Serves 2
2 tablespoons of butter (I substituted “You Cannot Believer It’s Not Butter” to cut down on the fat)
2 slices of bread, cut into small cubes (I used a multi-grain wheat bread)
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1/3 cut finely diced shallot or onion
6 large brown mushrooms, cremini or portobello, thickly sliced ( about 1/2 pound)
1 tablespoon of chopped fresh parsley (I used cilantro because I like it better than parsley)
2 teaspoons chopped marjoram or rosemary
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
2 generous teaspoons tomato paste
1/4 cup red wine, preferably the wine you’ll be drinking (I substituted red cooking wine)
2 or 4 eggs
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Lightly butter 2 shallow baking dishes and set them on a sheet pan. (I substituted one large backing dish). On a side note the author recommends not using the convention setting on the oven because the moving air will blow on the yolks and cook them unevenly.)
2. Melt half the butter in a medium skillet, add the cubed bread, and toss it about the pan. Cook over low heat, stirring frequently, until it’s golden and crisp, about 8 to 10 minutes, but not hard. Divide the croutons between the dishes if using 2 baking dishes
3. Heat the oil and remaining butter in a wide skillet over medium heat. Add the shallot and cook, stirring frequently, for about 3 minutes. Raise the heat, then add the mushrooms, most of the herbs, and a few pinches of salt. Saute until the mushrooms have started to brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste, then add the wine and immediately scrape the pan to release the juicy bits. Lower the heat and simmer until a few tablespoons of juice remain. Season with salt and pepper and divide the mushrooms between the dishes.
4. Break one egg or two eggs over the croutons and mushrooms and add a pinch of salt and some pepper. Bake until the whites are set, about 15 minutes, and the yolks are as firm as you like. Remove, sprinkle the rest of the herbs over the top and serve.
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Sine the new Karen Kay Buckley’s Perfect Scissors hit the market I’ve heard from just a handful of you who has lost your plastic protective cover. I was able to procure just a few from my manufacturer to sell on the website. So, in case you lost yours or should you lose it in the future, you can go to the site for a new one. I’m sorry to say the shipping will cost more than the cover. The covers are only $1.00.
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My pendant lights for the studio are back ordered until the middle of September. When they come in and are hung I’ll share them with you. And I just ordered a different chair for my drafting table. The first one did not look like the picture on the Internet so I returned it.
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On another note….last week I got notice to serve on Federal jury duty for the month of October. October is one of my busiest months for teaching. I told Joe he had to help me explain why I could not serve because all the guilds where I am going have already advertised, airfares are booked, etc. I was a little freaked out. I am not opposed to serving on jury duty because I do feel it is my civic duty, but not in October please. So, Joe sent the info along with my calendar from my website. I got a letter on Friday saying I was excused from jury duty for October but after looking at my schedule they booked me to serve in January because I had nothing booked in January. I’m thinking the guilds where I am scheduled to teach in October will be very happy about this.
That’s all for now. Talk to you next week.
