Pan-fried broccoli

I like broccoli. I never understood why kids weren't supposed to like it, although I've always been more curious than picky about food, and ate pretty much whatever was put in front of me. Because of that curiosity, I look for ways to make things more interesting, especially for holiday meals. This add smokiness and spiciness to an old friend.

1 bunch broccoli (1.5 to 2 lbs/680 to 900g)
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 large garlic clove, thinly sliced
¼ tsp red pepper flakes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
3 Tbsps water

1. Trim and peel the broccoli stems. Cut the florets into 1" pieces.
2. In a 10" fry pan over medium heat, cook the garlic until just golden, stirring constantly, about 1 minute. Remove from the oil and set aside.
3. Increase the heat and add the broccoli and red pepper flakes, and season with salt and pepper. Pour in the water. Cover and steam for about 3 minutes. 
4. Uncover, stir and continue to cook until the broccoli is lightly browned and crisp-tender and the water has evaporated, 1 to 2 minute more. 
5. Scatter the garlic on top and serve immediately.

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!

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

1 cup coffee cream OR 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.
9. To keep the quiche warm, cover it with aluminum foil and bake it in a preheated oven at 200-250F.