Stovetop Scalloped Potatoes

A very quick hot dish, it's full of creamy starchiness. And you only need one stovetop element while making something else to go with. As a main dish, accompany with a pilaf.

3 Tbsps. butter (1½ oz/42gr)

1 small onion, chopped (4oz/115g)

4 medium potatoes, sliced thin (1lb 12oz or 800 grams)

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 cup milk

1 cup grated sharp cheddar (4 oz/115g) (Old English very good)

OPTIONAL - 1 - 2 tsps minced herbs (chives or thyme or rosemary)

1. In a sauté pan, fry the onion in butter until they are lightly browned and soft. 
2. Add the potatoes, salt and milk. 
3. Cover and cook slowly, approximately 20 minutes, or until potatoes are tender. 
4. Remove cover and sprinkle with cheese. Stir in very gently. Serve at once. 

Chicken Omelette for Two

Dorothy Hartley, in her book Food in England, calls an omelette a 'friendly dish', easy to make quickly for unexpected guests. I like this very much, and I think of it a lot. While the following recipe is a large omelette meant to feed to healthy appetites, it can easily extend to three people for a light lunch. I like to make it in a stainless steel pan (now that I've learned how to cook eggs in one without sticking).

1 Tbsp (½ oz/14gr) butter
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
5 eggs
A pinch of salt
A pinch of pepper
1 tsp minced fresh herb such as tarragon, thyme
OPTIONAL
- a small handful of chives, minced
- ¼ cup minced fresh lovage (or ¼ tsp celery seed)
10 oz cubed cooked chicken
4 oz gruyere cheese, grated OR 4 oz chèvre cheese OR any cheese you like, really

1. Melt the butter with the oil in a 10" oven-proof fry pan or omelette pan, and let it heat up for 5 minutes at medium-low (in a stainless steel pan, this will prevent sticking).
2. Whisk the eggs with the addition of the salt and pepper until they are frothy.
3. Pour the eggs into the hot pan; you may want to increase the heat to medium. Sprinkle the chopped herbs over the liquid egg. As the egg cooks, lift the edges and tilt the pan to let uncooked egg get underneath.
4. With the oven rack in the middle, turn on the broiler to heat up (or use a salamander if you're so lucky to have one).
5. When the egg has half cooked, spread the chicken evenly over it. While the egg is still a little under-cooked on the surface, (not just slithery but actually jiggly), spread the cheese and slip the pan into the oven to broil
6. When the egg is set and the edges puff up a little, take it out of the oven and carefully fold the omelette, plate and serve as you will.

La Pescajoune Savoureuse au lardons

A peasant recipe from the Languedoc region of France, the records I found are all for a sweet apple dish. I reasoned that, since one of the essential ingredients for the real deal recipe was lard, that it would lend itself to a savory version. And we quite like it. Loads of variations are possible, but this is the basic recipe for the savory version. Parmesan is an important ingredient, for its strong, sharp flavor that gives the dish the spike of flavor that ignites the rest.

¾ cups flour
2 tsps baking powder
1 tsp salt
¾ cups milk
6 eggs
1½ cups (total 6oz) grated cheese (a mix of ⅓ Parmesan and ⅔ Gruyere is very nice)
3 slices bacon (115 g), cut into lardons
1 onion ((6oz/170gr) sliced thin

1. Mix together the flour, salt, baking powder and cheese. In a large bowl whisk the eggs; add the flour mix and combine until there are no lumps, then add milk and mix until perfectly smooth. Let the batter sit for at least the time it takes for you to prepare and cook the rest of the ingredient.
2. Heat an 8 to 10" pan and add the bacon. Just when it starts to release its oil, add the onion and cook together over medium low heat until the onion becomes quite soft and brown. The browning is very important - the more caramelized, the better.
3. Once cooked, drain from the oil and add to the batter; mix thoroughly. 
4. Pour the batter into the oily pan (you can remove all but about 2 tsps of the oil if you want, or leave it all in). Cook, covered, over incredibly low heat until the underside lightly browns and the top becomes firm.
5. Meanwhile, lightly grease a dinner plate for the next step.
6. Upturn the plate on top of the pancake, hold firm with your hand, grab the handle of the pan and flip the pancake onto the plate. Set the pan back on the stove-top and slide the pancake back into the pan to finish cooking, just enough to lightly brown.
7. Once browned on both sides, flip back onto the plate and serve immediately.

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!

Turkey Burgers (the secret is Cheese)

Ground turkey tends to be sort of bland, and I've searched for a good turkey burger recipe. I think I'm in pretty good form here, and have Frankensteined a number of recipes including ideas from plain old regular burger patty recipes.

1 lb ground turkey
¼ cup bread crumbs or quick cook oatmeal
1 egg, lightly beaten
3 green onions, chopped (45 to 60g)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 to 2 tsps fresh sage, minced (optional)
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp ground pepper
1 to 2 Tbsps cheese (whatever you have bits of, cheddar, mozzarella, gruyere, parmesan, blue, doesn't matter except to your taste)

1. I like to cook the garlic in a little oil first, and I save the oil to cook the patties in.
2. Mix all ingredients together and form into 4 patties.
3. Cook the patties in a medium skillet over medium heat, turning once, to an internal temperature of 165°F.

Cheese Soufflé

Although this is another fabulous Laura Calder recipe I've removed and changed a few things. Instead of putting in herbs, I just depend on using fabulous, flavorful cheeses - this is an excellent recipe, by the way, to use up the little left-over heels from your cheese board or just what's in your cheese box. The key to a light, flavorful cheese soufflé is to remember that the quantity of cheese is important - you need just enough cheese for flavour, because too much will make for a heavy soufflé that won't rise properly. I also tend to be judicious with my use of salt, depending on the types of cheese I'm using - the saltier the cheese, the less salt I'll add.

1 cup milk

1 bay leaf

half of a small onion, peeled

pinch of paprika

Parmesan, grated, for dusting the dish (optional)

1 1⁄2 Tbsps (23gr) butter 

1 1⁄2 Tbsps flour

3 eggs, separated + 1 egg white

3 oz cheese, grated or mashed

1 Tbsp chopped fresh herbs (optional)

1 pinch Salt and pepper

1. Put the milk with the bay leaf, onion, and pinch of paprika in a saucepan and bring just to the boil. Turn off the heat, cover, and set aside to infuse 10 minutes. Heat the oven to 400°F. Butter 8 1⁄2 cup/125 ml ramekins or a 4 cup/1 litre soufflé dish, and dust with the grated Parmesan.
2. In a clean saucepan, melt the butter. Whisk in the flour and cook one minute. Gradually whisk over the milk, and cook, stirring, until thick, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and beat in the yolks. Stir through the cheese and herbs. Season with salt (remember, the saltier the cheese, less salt here) and pepper.
3. Beat the whites to stiff peaks with a pinch of salt. Stir a spoonful into the yolk mixture, then pour the yolk mixture onto the remaining whites and gently fold together. Pour into the soufflé dish and run your finger through the mix in a circle about a half inch from the edge. This creates the lovely top-hat appearance of the soufflé. Bake until risen and set, but still slightly creamy in the centre, about 30 minutes, depending on the size of the soufflé dishes. Serve immediately before it slumps.

Potato-crusted Chicken Breast Pie

There are as many kinds of this pie as there are cheeses. You can substitute whichever kind of cheese you like for the "1 cup grated cheese"; blue or gruyere or cheddar etc.

2 potatoes, sliced 1⁄4 inch thick
4 eggs
1 cup cottage cheese
1 Tbsp flour (wheat or rice)
1⁄8 tsp black pepper
1⁄2 tsp hot sauce
1 cup grated cheese
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and diced
2 green onions, chopped

1. Pre-heat oven to 375F.
2. Bring a bot of water to boil, and blanch the potatoes; about 10 minutes. Drain the potatoes and allow them to cool.
3. Whisk together the eggs, cottage cheese, flour, pepper, and hot sauce. Stir in the cheese, the chicken, and the green onions.
4. Butter a pie dish and arrange the slices in a single layer to cover the bottom and the sides of the dish.
5. Pour the egg mixture into the potato bowl.
6. Bake for 40-45 minutes. Allow it to cool at room temperature for 5-10 minutes before serving, otherwise it'll be too hot!