Soft Scrambled Eggs

This is one of my favorite lazy Sunday brunch treats. The combo of soft eggs and pesto remind me of the Sunday brunches my husband and I use to have at Noho Star just about every weekend (I dont know why, we just love that place!). Please note: this is not an everyday egg dish since its hardly low in calories. Its a decadent and delicious way to celebrate breakfast every once and awhile.

Eggs:

4 eggs

1/4 cup of heavy cream

1 pinch of salt

1 pinch of ground black pepper

1 ts of unsalted butter

Pesto:

1 cup of fresh basil

2 tbs of pignoli nuts

1 clove of garlic

1/4 cup of olive oil

1/4 cup of parmesean

Loaf of Italian bread or baguette

goat cheese

*Make the pesto first since this can easily be made a head of  time and you dont want to get distracted while cooking the eggs.*

Grind pignoli nuts in food processor first. Add the basil, garlic, and salt to the mix and process until it  forms a paste.  Slowly drizzle in the olive oil, then add the Parmigiano 1 tablespoon at a time – until thick. Set aside covered.

 Heat up butter in a pan on low heat while whipping eggs and cream together in a bowl. Once combined and butter foams, add egg and cream mixture to the pan. Slowly stir the eggs from the outside of the pan to the center with a rubber spatula until the eggs form soft little pillows.This will take about 10 minutes.

Cut the bread up in thin slices and toast. Slather a good amount of goat cheese on each slice after toast, then pesto, then top with scrambled eggs. Delicious.

The Post Cereal Challenge

Last week I was invited to a Post Cereal making challenge and to say I was excited was an understatement. Not only would I learn HOW to make Grape Nuts and Shredded Wheat but the winner for best product won a $500 gift certificate to Williams Sonoma. Momma needed a new pair of cooper pots so I was seriously gearing up for this event. Big money, big money, big money NO WHAMMY!

I arrived early to the Natural Gourmet Institute (a fantastic vegetarian cooking school – more on that in a later blog) and was greeted by the very friendly Post Cereal staff with the most adorable light blue apron I had seen in a long time. For me? Why THANK YOU Post Cereal.  Guests were treated to a delightful healthy breakfast and a brief presentation by the Diet Doctor herself; Dr. Melina Jampolis. Dr. Jampolis spoke about her life mantra “food is medicine” and the health benefits of Post Cereal Shredded Wheat. You might not know this ladies and gentlemen but Shredded Wheat is made solely of wheat berries. Don’t feel bad, I was totally shocked when I heard that too. I mean, I knew Shredded Wheat was good for me but I never realized it was that good for me. How could I have been eating this cereal for years and not know what was really in it? I felt like a total goose…

How nutritious are wheat berries? Unlike many other types of grains, wheat berries retain nearly all of their nutrients after being cooked. Wheat berries are packed with fiber, protein and iron. They are also loaded with vitamin E, a cell-protecting antioxidant, and magnesium, which are needed to maintain healthy bones and muscles. Talk about Healthy!!! Also, Dr. Jampolis went on to point out that unlike most cereal brands today trying to first incorporate whole grains into their products, Post Cereal Shredded Wheat has always been composed of naturally occurring grain.

Although I am not allowed to tell everyone the recipe for Shredded Wheat, I will simply say: it is easy, healthy, and delicious. Go out and get yourself a box this weekend because it will surely help you with any kind of diet/health program you have laid out for yourself.  I know I bought a box during my grocery trip this weekend.

Oh…and in case you were wondering, I lost the competition. There go my plans for two new Ruffoni monogrammed copper pots…

Breakfast at Benjamins Steakhouse

I walked into this place one day for breakfast at approx. 11:30am. Everything felt rushed. Their breakfast buffet had apparently just closed for the day and the waiters were bussling to fix the floor. It was rather empty – about 3 tables full including myself. The service in the beginning ws abrupt but it didnt surprise me. Everyone dismisses you when you arrive in a hoodie with sunglasses and wet jeans (it was raining, gimme a break). I wasnt getting a great vibe so I sat there and sipped my Lady Earl Grey and awaited what I thought was going to be a horrendous breakfast.

Then the food came out and it was delicious. The eggs were poached to perfection and the potatoes were soft on the inside, crispy on the outside, and seasoned well - nothing soggy/overly hard/ or tasteless. That aside, the homemade roast beef hash was the main focus of the dish and it was delightful. It had full chunks of freshly made/diced beef and potatoes. Straightforward and gosh darn amazing. The only mystery on the plate was the sorta citrusy hollandise that was served in a cup and put to the side. The menu didnt mention the inclusion of this item and frankly it was necessary…but it was still yummy and light.  Also, I didnt receive toast. Did the chef decide to give me hollandise instead of toast with my breakfast? Why add on the extra calories of the hollandise but not include toaste. Poached eggs without toast? It wasnt a big deal…just puzzling.

Review conclusion: the roast beef hash is so delicious I plan on eating it again and again even with the lack of toast and hurried service.

Egg: A Brooklyn Staple

First I want everyone know, I didnt just want to like Egg – I wanted to love it. It has all the makings of a ‘Vicky Top Ten’. Breakfast is one of my favorite meals of the day (and theyspecialize in it), most of their ingredients are from local farms, and the foods got southern flair. Unfortunately it didnt live up to the hype.

It was around 2pm on a Saturday and the hubs and I were more than peckish. We originally planned to eat at Relish but of course they were filming a movie IN the diner for the entire day. So we wander around Berry and saw Egg…and thought why not.

We didnt really wait to be seated since it was already past 2. We did however wait for the food. I ordered the Grits and Eggs with a side of homemade sausage. My husband went for the pulled pork sandwich because he wasn’t in the mood for breakfast. We waited almost an hour for our food and we were STARVING when it arrived so we started scarfing it down. After the first few bits it hit me – the sausage was bitter and dry and the grits were bland. Not to mention the fact that my eggs were runny. Ugh. I was so sad. My husbands sandwich was also dry. Seriously? This was the famous Egg??

Once again – since I love Egg in theory I promise to give it another chance.