Photo: tina negus/Flickr

Week II: Eggs
(Here’s the backstory to Sarah’s “Foray” series)

Eggs can do a lot more than just breakfast, and until this week’s lesson at CSCA, I hadn’t been utilizing their full potential. I had barely ventured beyond omelets, scrambled, or Sunny Side Up (and I’ll bet I’m not the only one).

At the beginning of class we were given a packet of how-to’s and recipes: how to coddle an egg, how to make mayonnaise, etc. After a short lecture on egg safety (which sounds silly, but did you know you should crack an egg on a flat surface, like a countertop, rather than on the side of a bowl? This is to prevent any bacteria that may be on the shell from getting inside the egg), we split up to work individually on our own dishes.

Some tackled deviled eggs, others quiche or frittata, but I scanned the packet for my favorite, a go-to order at any brunch outing: Eggs Benedict. I’d never taken the time to poach an egg or make Hollandaise sauce, partly from laziness and partly from the disconcerting things I’d heard–even my friend in culinary school had warned me of her poaching failures.

A few things I learned that may help: 1. The eggs should be cold. 2. Instead of a saucepan, the chef recommended using a large skillet because there is more room to work with and the low brim makes the egg transfer much smoother. 3. The egg transfer should be smooth. No plopping the eggs in the water. 4. The water should be just below boiling. You don’t want any bubbles moving the eggs around. 4. It’s important to put a couple teaspoons of vinegar into the water to help coagulate the eggs (to keep them from breaking). 5. Hot poached eggs are better than cold poached eggs, so if you’re making them ahead of time, just put the already poached egg into simmering water for 1-2 minutes. 6. No poached egg is perfectly round, so use a knife to trim off the flyaway whites.

Following the chef’s instructions and the “fool proof” Hollandaise recipe, I successfully made Eggs Benedict for the group. Though the first batch of eggs was a little less lively and puffed up than the rest, I was nevertheless happy with the results and with the knowledge I could bring back to my own kitchen (could be a good thing or a very bad thing, as Hollandaise isn’t shy on butter).

But the real triumph came later. One of the other students, a woman who is only just starting to cook after the birth of her first baby, braved what I thought to be the scariest item in our packet: the cheese soufflé. (Why is it that French words are so intimidating to my inexperienced ears?) Inspired by her poufy and delicious soufflé, I decided that would be my task of the week.

And what a satisfying endeavor it was, both to my palette and to my culinary confidence. Here’s the tried-and-true recipe that yielded a cheesy yet super light and fluffy soufflé (don’t be scared, it was so easy!):

Cheese Soufflé
3 egg yolks
4 egg whites
2 TBS butter, softened (to grease the soufflé bowl)
2 TBS grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
½ cup grated Gruyere (my favorite, therefore the one I picked), cheddar or other cheese

Béchamel Sauce
3 TBS unsalted butter
3 TBS flour
1 cup of milk
½ tsp. of salt
½ tsp. of ground white pepper
Dash of nutmeg
Pinch of cayenne (didn’t have, so didn’t use)

Preheat oven 350 F.

Butter soufflé dish. Add the grated Parmesan and roll around the dish to cover the sides.

To make the Béchamel:
In a saucepan, scald the milk. In another saucepan, make a roux by first melting the butter. When foam subsides, remove from the heat and add the flour, mixing well with a whisk. Return the pot to the heat and cook the roux for about 2 minutes while whisking. Add the scalded milk in two additions, whisking after each addition. Bring to a boil while stirring, reduce to a simmer and cook until thickened. Turn off the heat. Season with salt and pepper, dash of nutmeg, and pinch of cayenne.

To prepare the soufflé base:
To the béchamel, add the egg yolks, one at a time, and mix well after each addition. Stir in the grated cheese. In a copper bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff and glossy. Stir in ¼ of the egg whites into the béchamel mixture with a wooden spoon to lighten it. With a rubber spatula, fold in the remaining egg whites and immediately spoon the soufflé mixture gently into the prepared soufflé dish. Fill the dish to about ½ inch from the top. Bake on bottom rack until a skewer comes out clean, about 30 minutes (though mine took 40).

(Roberta L. Dowling © 2003)

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For all cooks, not just the newbies, eggs are cheap and simple, yet they do great, sophisticated things. They lay the foundation for dishes that seem to be a lot more complicated than they actually are. Let these little ones flex their muscles in your kitchen!