Steamy Kitchen» Tofu & Eggs

Foolproof & Super-Easy Cheese Souffle

SteamyKitchen — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 12:46:53 +0000

I’m a firm believer that if you want to learn something, find a pro and ask them to teach you. Of course, you’ve got to find a nice pro who’s willing to share.

For eight years now, I wanted to learn how to make a savory breakfast-y cheese soufflé, but never really found the right person to ask. I was seeking something easy, fool-proof and a method that didn’t deal with delicately folding egg whites.

It’s breakfast, it shouldn’t be complicated and I certainly don’t do “delicate” anything early in the mornings. After all these years, I finally found my Cheese Souffle pro in Mount Dora.

We took a family trip to the very charming historic village last month and stayed at the quaint Tremain Street Cottages owned by friends Brian and Rachelle:

Oh, before I go on, don’t be fooled the town’s name, as there isn’t really a mountain at all. The town is 184 feet above sea level, and in flat Florida’s record books, that counts as a mountain.

Brian introduced us to Jim, innkeeper of the Mount Dora Historic Inn who invited us over for breakfast and cooking lesson. Eureka! Jim is a gourmet chef and lavishes his inn guests with homemade breakfast every morning.

The best part about his method is that there’s no stiff peaks, no delicate folding and Jim’s method only uses one mixing bowl. And it works, I witnessed the quick making of and the rise of the savory Three Cheese Soufflé.

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How to Make Cheese Souffle

Really, only one mixing bowl. All of it comes together so quickly and effortlessly! This foolproof method only works for savory cheese souffle – not the chocolately sweet souffle.

Basically, shredded cheese goes into the bottom of the souffle dish, eggs are cracked into a mixing bowl, beaten. Then spices are added to the mixture and beaten one more time. Pour that egg mixture into the souffle dish and bake!

After 55-60 minutes in the oven at 350F….this is what comes out:

Guys, I doubt you can find an easier method of making cheese souffle…totally easy.

Three-Cheese Soufflé Recipe

Recipe by Jim Tuttle of Mount Dora Historic Inn

makes one souffle (serves 4)

7 large eggs
4 ounces sour cream
1/3 cup whole milk
freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dry mustard
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon Tabasco (or other hot sauce)
1 tablespoon butter, softened
1 ounce grated cheddar cheese
1 ounce grated muenster cheese
1 ounce grated gruyere cheese

equipment needed: one medium soufflé dish (holds approximately 22 ounces, for Williams Sonoma brand, it’s the #4 size)

Pre-heat your oven to 350F.

Using an electric blender, blend together the eggs, sour cream and milk for 30 seconds. Blend in the black pepper, dry mustard, nutmeg and Tabasco.

Brush the butter all over the inside of the soufflé dish. Layer the cheese in the soufflé dish, then pour the egg mixture gently over the top. Leaving 1-inch of space at the top to prevent spillage as you carry it to the oven.

Place the soufflé dish in the oven, then carefully pour the remaining egg mixture to fill to the tippy top of the dish.

Bake for 55 to 60 minutes—the soufflé will be golden brown, puffy like a balloon, and will have risen up to three inches above the ramekin.

Present immediately to guests, as this dish will begin to fall in about 45 seconds. (if the soufflé does not fall, then the second law of thermal dynamics, does not exist in your home—if this occurs, call NASA right away)

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Mount Dora, Florida

If you’re in Florida, I highly recommend taking a visit to Mount Dora, we stayed for the weekend and just had one of the best mini-vacations ever.

Quiet, quaint and small-town. The downtown area is packed with fantastic eats – including some of the best sushi I’ve had in Florida at Mount Dora Sushi

Uni Shot with Quail Egg, Ponzu Sauce and Sriracha Chili Sauce:

Crusty, fresh pizzas at Pizza Amore

A dog-lovin’ town…we happened to crash the “Yappy Hour” in downtown (yes, they really do have a Yappy Hour!)

But most importantly, good karma. Rock on, Buddha…rock on.

More information on Mount Dora at What To Do In Mount Dora.

The Ultimate Breakfast Pancake

SteamyKitchen — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 17:47:17 +0000

Looking at this photo, you can only come to two conclusions. Either I had way too much to drink the night before, and this was my hangover cure… or I must be pregnant. Sadly, neither are true. I was just hungry. They say never to go grocery shopping with an empty stomach, and I’d like to add to that rule. Never go blog surfing with an empty stomach.

I was looking around for some inspiration, a dish to cook for live television segment shot at my home. I asked my Twitter friends for some ideas and promised to make one of their dishes. The moment I saw Alice’s Breakfast Pancake, I knew instantly that I had to make it. How can you not resist layers upon layers of fluffy pancake, stuffed with ALL of my favorite breakfast foods?

If you can’t decide what to make for breakfast, why not just make all? I say it solves many problems, as I’m sure each of your family members like different things. Plus, this is a show-stoppin’ breakfast for realz.

The Fox 13 television crew arrived at my home at 6:00am. That early in the morning, I’m not pretty nor am I completely functional. But one thing I knew for sure – I’d be the gossip topic of the block. I love stumping my neighbors.

We were broadcasting live, so they brought out the big news van with a 60 foot tall satellite thingy. So my neighbors either thought something scandalous happened at the Steamy household or I finally got arrested for posing as Rachel Ray.

The Ultimate Breakfast Pancake Segment

How to make the Ultimate Breakfast Pancake

It’s best to make all the layers fillings ahead of time. In fact, you can make EVERYTHING ahead of time, use the microwave or oven to warm up and assemble all at once.

The first layer is the roasted potatoes – it’s a nice solid base.

Because I’m a dork and I paid attention during underwater basket weaving class in high school, I weaved my bacon when I made the cake for the photoshoot. Totally unnecessary, because only YOU will know that the a bacon has a beautiful basket weave. To make straight bacon, lay the bacon slices on a rack, then on a baking sheet. You’ll cook them 10-15 minutes in the oven and they stay pretty flat. Plus much of the grease drips down into the pan (the rest just blot off) which makes it easier to pour the grease out into a little bowl.

Not for health reasons.

I save my bacon grease.

To dip pretzels in.

You know you’re totally going to try it.

Then use a pair of kitchen shears to cut the bacon nice and neat if you’re anal like me. But watch out for little hands who come swooping by and stealing the little bacon pieces. Andrew likes bacon too.

Then after the bacon, is the egg layer:

Then whipped cream, and an assortment of fresh fruits:

The Photography

This was a hard one. I wanted to take the photo outside to get the beautiful natural light hitting the fruit. But I was using fresh whipped cream, so I only had 5 minutes to quickly shoot. Here are more photos of the final product, with some photo commentary…which is your favorite?

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Picture 1 of 10

Floating pancake. Hmm..I like to have some of the plate showing so it doesn't look like pancake floating in the clouds

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Picture 1 of 10

Floating pancake. Hmm..I like to have some of the plate showing so it doesn't look like pancake floating in the clouds

The Ultimate Breakfast Pancake Recipe

recipe adapted from Savory Sweet Life

4 – 8? pancakes
1.5 cups of roasted potatoes
3 eggs, scrambled
1 lb. of cooked bacon
1 cup of whipped cream
1 cup of sliced strawberries
1/2 cup fresh blueberries
2 kiwi fruit, sliced
1 bunch fresh mint leaves
maple syrup, for serving

Instructions:
Lay the first pancake down on a plate or serving platter. Add a layer of roasted potatoes all the way to the edge. Add another pancake and add the scrambled eggs. Add the third pancake and add your bacon. Add the final pancake. At this point if everything is cold, you will want to microwave everything for 3 minutes right before serving. Spread a layer of whipped cream, arrange strawberries, kiwi, blueberries and mint. Serve with maple syrup on the side.

To make the pancakes:
recipe from Mark Bittman, NY Times

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar, optional
2 eggs
1 1/2 to 2 cups milk
2 tablespoons melted and cooled butter (optional), plus unmelted butter for cooking, or use neutral oil
Preparation
1. Heat an 8-inch frying pan over medium-low heat. In a bowl, mix together dry ingredients. Beat eggs into 1 1/2 cups milk, then stir in 2 tablespoons melted cooled butter, if using it. Gently stir this mixture into dry ingredients, mixing only enough to moisten flour; don’t worry about a few lumps. If batter seems thick, add a little more milk.
2. Place a teaspoon of butter or oil on griddle or skillet. When butter foam subsides or oil shimmers, ladle batter onto griddle or skillet, making 8-inch pancakes. For this Breakfast Pan”cake” recipe, we’ll be making 4 pancakes) Adjust heat as necessary; usually, first batch will require higher heat than subsequent batches. Flip pancakes after bubbles rise to surface and bottoms brown, after 2 to 4 minutes.
3. Cook until second side is lightly browned. Serve, or hold on an ovenproof plate in a 200-degree oven for up to 15 minutes.

To make the roasted potatoes:
1 pound of small red potatoes, cut in 1/2-inch cubes
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 teaspoons freshly minced parsley
generous pinch of salt
freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 425F. Scatter the potatoes onto a baking sheet. With your hands, toss with the olive oil, garlic and parsley. Sprinkle salt and pepper. Spread out the potatoes so that they are in a single, even layer. Roast for 35-40 minutes, or until the potatoes are cooked through and browned.

To make the scrambled eggs:
3 extra-large eggs
salt and pepper
1 tablespoon butter

Beat the eggs in a large bowl and season with salt and pepper. Heat a large frying pan over medium heat with the butter. When the butter is bubbling, swirl to coat the pan. Add the eggs and using a spatula, gently stir to scramble. Once the eggs are set, immediately remove from the heat.

To make the bacon:
1 pound uncooked bacon

Preheat your oven to 400F. Lay a baking rack on top of a baking sheet. Lay the bacon slices on top of the rack and cook for 10-15 minutes until crispy.

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A big thanks to Miss Attitude for making this whole thing happen and to Alice of Savory Sweet Life for the inspiration!

Tofu and Soba Noodles with Lemon Ginger Dressing

SteamyKitchen — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 02:45:21 +0000

If Heidi Swanson, cookbook author – Super Natural Cooking: Five Ways To Incorporate Whole and Natural Ingredients into Your Cooking and food blogger of www.101cookbooks.com says that this is one of the very best recipes, you’d better believe it. In fact, you might as well cut this article out and make it this week. Heidi specializes in whole, natural foods, the good-for-you recipes that you probably can use more of. The original version of this recipe is from a quaint restaurant in San Francisco called Pomelo. “Otsu” is the name of this dish on their menu, and it means ” strange; quaint; stylish; chic; spicy; witty; tasty.”

If you don’t like tofu, this recipe is also great with shrimp. Season the shrimp with salt and pepper, grill two minutes each side or until cooked through.

I could also tell you that I made this again last night and tossed in leftover, KFC cold fried chicken, but then I think Heidi would be kinda upset at me.

Tofu and Soba Noodles with Lemon Ginger Dressing

(a.k.a. Otsu)

Recipe adapted from Heidi Swanson www.101cookbooks.com who adapted it from Culture & Cuisine Magazine who got it from Pomelo Restaurant. I love how recipes evolve and get passed on! I’ve changed the recipe slightly…enjoy!

You’ll want to get firm or extra-firm tofu for this recipe – any softer will just crumble in the frying pan.

For the dressing:
Grated zest of 1 lemon
1 inch section of ginger, peeled and grated
1 tablespoon honey
3/4 teaspoon Asian chilli powder (or cayenne)
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1/3 cup soy sauce
3 tablespoons grapeseed oil (or olive oil)
1 tablespoons toasted sesame oil

12 ounces dried soba noodles
1 tablespoon cooking oil (whatever oil you use above in the dressing is fine)
12 ounces extra-firm nigari tofu
1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds

To make the dressing, combine all the ingredients except for the oils in a food processor or hand blender. Run the blender for a few seconds, until all ingredients are combined. With the machine running, drizzle in the oils.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the soba noodles until just tender, then drain.

While the noodles are cooking, drain the tofu, pat very dry and cut into 1-inch cubes. Heat a nonstick frying pan over medium high heat and when hot, pour in the cooking oil. Add the tofu cubes in one layer. Cook for 1 minute until browned, toss gently and continue cooking until all sides are golden brown and firm.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the soba with about 2/3 cup of the dressing and the sesame seeds. Toss until well combined. Add the tofu and toss again gently.

Serves 4 for lunch or as part of multi-course meal

Chinese Tea Egg Recipe

SteamyKitchen — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 02:35:56 +0000

I know it’s a bit early to start thinking about Chinese New Year, but I wanted to start a week ahead and post several recipes that would make perfect dishes for the upcoming Chinese New Year, such as this Chinese Marbled Tea Egg recipe.

Isn’t the shell of the Tea Egg absolutely gorgeous? The best part (other than eating) is to peel back the egg shell to see what kind of marbled design you end up with!

We generally eat these at room temperature or just slightly warm. In Northern China, Chinese Tea Eggs symbolize golden nuggets for the Chinese New Year feast – so if you’re lookin’ for a little more prosperity this coming year of the Ox, my Mama says you’d better make this recipe!

My friend Diana, author of Appetite For China recently was vacationing here in Tampa, Florida and I got to meet her! (yeah – we got a pic together too! at the end of the post.) She includes dried orange peel in her recipe and I’m sure she’ll be enjoying Chinese Tea Eggs with her parents in China.

Continue reading CHINESE MARBLED TEA EGG RECIPE

For Chinese Marbled Tea Eggs, you’ll want to hard boil eggs first, and after they cool off, use a back of a teaspoon to gently crack the eggshell all over. Keep the eggshell intact, but the more you crack, the more intricate the design of the marble will be. Make those crack pretty deep, as that is how the tea/soy mixture will seep into the egg.

I was gentle at first, but after seeing that the eggshell stayed intact, I cracked the next egg a bit harder…and what a difference that made!

Chinese Marbled Tea Egg Recipe

This recipe is a combination of one from my mama and one from Appetite For China.

6 eggs
3/4 cup soy sauce
2 star anise
2 tablespoons black tea (or 2 tea bags)
1 cinnamon stick
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon Sichuan peppercorn (optional)
2 strips dried tangerine or mandarin orange peel (optional)

Gently place the eggs in a medium pot and fill with water to cover the eggs by 1-inch. Bring the pot to a boil, lower the heat and let simmer for 3 minutes. Remove the eggs (leaving the water in the pot) and let cool under running cool water. Using the back of the teaspoon, gently tap the eggshell to crack the shell all over. The more you tap, the more intricate the design. Do this with a delicate hand to keep the shell intact. To the same pot with the boiling water, return the eggs and add in the remaining ingredients. Bring the mixture to a boil and immediately turn the heat to low. Simmer for 40 minutes, cover with lid and let eggs steep for a few hours to overnight. The longer you steep, the more flavorful and deeply marbled the tea eggs will be. In the photos above, I steeped for 5 hours. Mom likes to steep overnight.

Serves 4-6

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And as I promised, here is the lovely Diana! We took it with my brand spankin’ new iPhone. Guess I didn’t know how to turn on flash, huh?

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Great Chinese New Year book for kids

If you want to teach your kids about Chinese New Year, this book called Dragon Dance is great!

Fried Egg with Oyster Sauce and Chili: 3am Haiku

SteamyKitchen — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 07:11:03 +0000

working late all week
too hungry to be fancy
five minute dish yay

much past midnight
crispy, crunchy, runny, sweet.
spicy egg porn.

gobbled eggs all up
perfect, it sure hit the spot
zzz zzzz zz zzzzzz burp

Fried Egg with Oyster Sauce & Chili

from Simple Chinese Cooking by Kylie Kwong

4 free range eggs
2 tbls oyster sauce + 1 tbl water, mixed
pinch ground pepper
1/2 cup finely chopped scallions
1-2 chilies, finely sliced
3 tbl cooking oil

Carefully crack eggs into a bowl. Heat oil in wok on high heat until surface seems to shimmer slightly. Pour eggs into hot oil. After 1 minute, reduce heat to medium, allowng the underside of the egg to become firm and crisp. The yolks should still be runny at this point. Cook 1 more minute. Gently slide eggs off plate, trying to keep excess oil in wok. Drizzle eggs with oyster sauce. Season with pepper. Garnish with chili and scallions. Serve immediately.

I’m an amateur egg pornographer

…compared to this guy. Here’s the real grand-daddy of egg porn – from the movie Tampopo (thanks Nate!)

Dude. I think I’m gonna hurl.