Fried Egg Sandwich

Be prepared with napkins and access to soap and water after eating this delicious, gooey, goopy mess of a meal. You could cook the egg to rubbery solidity, but I prefer the yolk saucy and runny. Simple and quick and delicious!

1 large egg
salt and pepper
1 thin slice cheese (Asiago strongly recommended)
1 of your favorite buns (sliced bread works, too)
Butter
Dijon mustard

1. Fry the egg sunny-side down until whites are solid but yolk is still gooey.
2. Salt and pepper to taste.
3. Turn off heat and put the slice of cheese on top; it will melt a little.
4. Meanwhile toast the bread lightly.
5. Spread the butter on one side of the bun and mustard on the other.
6. Place the egg between them and enjoy!

Damson Gin

You will need a scale to do this. Or, conversely, just put in fruit until about an inch below the lid, a few spoonfuls of sugar (to taste), and fill to cover with the gin or vodka; the only risk here is that the sugar content will be off, so add less sugar than you think, then add more at the before-last step.

400g damson plums
75g white sugar
Gin enough to cover, approx. 750mL

1. Using a fork, pierce the skin of the plums and place in a jar with a close-fitting top (you'll be shaking it periodically and don't want the precious liquid to escape).
2. Add the sugar and then pour over the spirit. Shake well.
3. Over the next few days, shake periodically, until the sugar has completely dissolved.
4. Store in a dark cupboard for 3 months.
5. Strain the liqueur through a muslin cloth and check the sweetness - add more sugar if needed.
6. Store for another month or more before drinking.

Rolled Oat Porridge

It seems strange to put down a recipe to make what we always called plain old 'oatmeal', but like with all things, there are ways of preparing a meal that is 'ok', and other ways that make it a bit special. I've tried to provide both volume and mass measurements, but they will always be a bit off since it all depends on the kind of oatmeal you use.

⅔ cup (about 3oz) oatmeal (quick cook or rolled oats)
2 cups milk (or cream, for the decadent)
¼ tsp salt

1. Dry heat a saucepan on the stove top to very lightly toast the oats.
2. While stirring, pour in the milk. Bring to just before boiling point. Turn down the heat to the lowest point (if you have a diffuser, use it to avoid scorching the milk). Sprinkle in the salt and stir it in
3. Leave to cook for 10 to 20 minutes.
4. Put in bowls and serve with sweetener and cream on the side.

Oeufs brouillés (Gourmet scrambled eggs)

The real star of this dish are the scrambled eggs. The croutons and everything else are optional, but to elevate the eggs even more, are a great addition. When I make this it's always to great acclaim. The idea for the recipe come from Monet's Kitchen; I often find in the recipes from this book that there's some important detail missing. It just so happened that I was also looking at egg recipes in Anne Willan's Country Cooking of France, an author whose recipes I also find miss important details. In this instance, the two complimented each other famously. Fried croutons instead of dry croutons are the perfect accompaniment to the eggs - when I make the whole recipe, I doubt it would elicit the same levels of enthusiasm from my diners.

Butter Croutons
2 slices of crusty bread (about 1 cup)
2 Tbsps (1oz/28gr) butter
Scrambled eggs
8 eggs
½ tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
¼ to ½ cup butter, cubed (55 to 114gr)
OPTIONS
2 Tbsps minced fresh herb OR
2 Tbsps minced truffles OR
½ cup chanterelle OR morel OR oyster mushrooms sautéed in butter for about 10 minutes WHICH YOU MUST DO FIRST (read instructions)

1. Cube the bread to make croutons.
2. Over medium heat melt the 2 Tbsps of butter in a small pan (level of butter should be 1/4 inch) and allow it to heat up completely so that when a cube of bread is put in, it will quietly sizzle.
3. Add the bread cubes and fry, stirring constantly so they brown evenly, about 30 seconds to 1 minutes. 
4. Burns easily!
5. Strain off the extra fat. 
6. With a slotted spoon remove the croutons and divide croutons between two plates.
7. If using mushrooms, use the remaining butter to cook them and set them aside.
8. NOTE: A bain-marie is the usual way of preparing this dish, but a fry pan can be used - it should take about 5 minutes until the eggs just begin to thicken. If using the fry pan, it is VERY IMPORTANT that it be cool before putting in the eggs - if the pan is too hot, the eggs will start to scramble before you can incorporate the butter and it will not be as creamy. The secret is not the bain-marie but to cook the eggs very slowly, therefore a heavy fry pan over very low heat will work as well, but the eggs will likely be a bit chunky instead of creamy, which is just different.
9. If using a bain-marie, bring the water to boil.
10. Break the eggs into a bowl, and carefully remove the threads of the whites without mixing the eggs too much. Add the salt and pepper and beat lightly, as for an omelet. 
11. Grease the inside of the bain-marie with a cube of butter before pouring in the eggs (or, if using, a cool fry pan, which can be the fry pan you've used before but cooled enough to touch). 
12. Beat the eggs well with a wooden spoon for 2 minutes, until the mixture begins to thicken.
13. Add the remaining cubes of butter, beating constantly after each addition. When the eggs are on the point of setting, you may add your optional ingredient.
14. As soon as the mixture becomes grainy, remove the saucepan from the heat and pour the contents over the croutons and serve.

Potato Quiche

It sounds boring. It sounds plain. It's nothing short of surprisingly delicious! So few ingredients, and so simple, yet it makes a lovely, surprisingly light quiche.

1 blind baked pie crust, completely cooled
2 Tbsps (1oz/28gr) butter (or ham fat for a bit of a smoked flavor)
8 to 10 oz potatoes, skin-on, grated
1 bunch chives, chopped fine (about 1 oz or 40 to 50 grams)
8 oz sharp cheddar cheese, grated (optional, substitute 1.5 oz of the cheddar for parmesan for an added kick)
3 large eggs
½ cup heavy cream
½ cup milk
1 tsp Dijon mustard

1. Blind bake the pie crust if it isn't already.
2. Pre-heat the oven to 375°F.
3. In a non-stick pan melt the butter and fry the grated potato over medium heat until just al dente. VARIATIONS - you can gently cook the potato and avoid browning it which will make for a very light quiche, OR cook the potato at a higher temperature to whichever degree of browning you want for a deeper flavour, a little like hash-browns.
4. Add the chives and turn off the heat, only slightly cooking the chives. Set aside.
5. In a bowl, whisk the eggs then add the cream, milk and mustards. Mix well.
6. Put the potato at the bottom of the crust. Make sure the potato is in small pieces so that the custard can seep into it; it may have glommed together into masses while pre-cooking. 
7. Following the potato is a layer of the grated cheese, and finally pour the egg mixture over all.
8. Bake in the oven for 40 to 50 minutes, or until the center is set, the custard is puffed up and browned.

Egg and Chips

This is such a simple recipe, so few ingredients, and so very delicious. If you have a wood stove, the heat it makes is perfect. If you're looking for more greens in your diet, this is not the recipe for you! Lard is the fat of choice for making this, too. The runny egg yolks are all the sauce you need to flavour the potatoes, I swear. At least, that's how we eat this dish.

¼ to ⅓ cup lard
1 lbs potatoes, diced (optional - peeled)
6 eggs
Salt and pepper

1. Melt the lard in a cast-iron pan at least 10" wide. Turn the heat down to low-to-medium-low.
2. Spread the potatoes in one layer in the melted oil, powder with salt and pepper, and turn frequently until golden brown. Remove and set aside.
3. In the remaining oil slowly fry the egg, powdering them with salt and pepper - cooking the egg at low temperatures allow the whites to remain softer and custard-like. If you prefer the crispy edging, turn up the heat. Flip the eggs for a couple of second if you want to.
4. Pile the eggs on top of the potatoes and serve immediately.

Types of Oats

I'm starting to experiment with recipes based on oats, inspired by the discovery that a little oatmeal in split pea soup makes for a smooth, unctuous texture (with no oatey flavour or texture). Turns out there are loads of grinds for oats that make a big impact on what you can do with them. I need a list of definitions to refer to until I become more familiar with the different kinds.

Oat groats are simply the whole grain, unprocessed except to have the tough outer skin removed. Think of brown rice.

Pinhead oats, Steel-cut oats, Coarse oatmeal, or Irish oatmeal, cracked groats, milled to varying coarseness: Pinhead (coarse or rough oatmeal, Low GI); Medium (most common in Scottland, 1 to 2mm in diameter, Low GI); Fine oatmeal or Oatmeal flour (not exactly interchangeable as the former still has the bran, Medium GI).

Rolled Oats, Jumbo, Old fashioned, Porridge oats, Flaked oats, (sometimes Quick oats or Quick Cook), where the groat is steamed then rolled flat to make a flake. Medium GI.

Instant Oats have been cooked longer and, because of the extra processing, is considered High GI.