Simple Pleasures
Eggs with Smoked Cheddar
Its just that simple, take an egg, beat it, thinly sliced good quality smoked cheddar, a touch of olive oil in a good pan, and some freshly ground pepper.
This is why with an absolute amount of astonishment I am perplexed on why this simple yet so delicious dish is never really perfected and almost certainly screwed up by most line cooks.
I mean eggs, cheese, ground pepper... 3 ingredients so how can you go wrong ? Simply because the perfect egg is a balance of time, heat and observation.
The Pan, here a good quality pan is a must, one that distributes the heat evenly. Hot and cold spots on a pan create an egg that is burnt on one part while just cooked on the other side. All clad , Le Crueset and Staub make exceptional cookware that is worth the initial investment.
The Egg, bring it to room temperature before cooking, this creates less of a shock on the egg when it hits the pan. But most importantly a cold egg will burn on the bottom before the top is cooked.
The Heat, too hot you burn the egg and too cold you burn the egg ! HUH !, yes you see if the pan is too hot the bottom of the egg will burn before the top gets heated through. Too cold the bottom gets burned while waiting for the top to cook. This is a matter of experience and observation, knowing when the pan is not hot enough and when its too hot. Keeping a keen eye and knowing when to adjust the temperature is what its all about.
The Cheese, whats the big deal here, just dump some cheese in. Well put the cheese in and let her cook, but put it in too soon before the bottom of the eggs are 'set' and the cheese will melt at the bottom of the pan creating an oily mess of burnt cheese and eggs. Too late and guess what that oh so good ooeey gooey melted cheesiness will not happen as the cheese has not melted. Don't forget depending on the size of the eggs that determines the thickness of the cheese slices to go in.
The Pepper, well the right grind of fresh ground pepper accent the egg and cheese, too course and the subtle pleasure of the egg and cheese is lost in spiciness and chunks of pepper causing a bitterness. Done towards the end of the cooking and it gently melds in the cheese and egg elevating the taste.
This is why many a chef in a job interview is simply asked to cook an egg as part of their selection process.
Achieving a perfect balance like these peppers.
Its just that simple, take an egg, beat it, thinly sliced good quality smoked cheddar, a touch of olive oil in a good pan, and some freshly ground pepper.
This is why with an absolute amount of astonishment I am perplexed on why this simple yet so delicious dish is never really perfected and almost certainly screwed up by most line cooks.I mean eggs, cheese, ground pepper... 3 ingredients so how can you go wrong ? Simply because the perfect egg is a balance of time, heat and observation.
The Pan, here a good quality pan is a must, one that distributes the heat evenly. Hot and cold spots on a pan create an egg that is burnt on one part while just cooked on the other side. All clad , Le Crueset and Staub make exceptional cookware that is worth the initial investment.
The Egg, bring it to room temperature before cooking, this creates less of a shock on the egg when it hits the pan. But most importantly a cold egg will burn on the bottom before the top is cooked.
The Heat, too hot you burn the egg and too cold you burn the egg ! HUH !, yes you see if the pan is too hot the bottom of the egg will burn before the top gets heated through. Too cold the bottom gets burned while waiting for the top to cook. This is a matter of experience and observation, knowing when the pan is not hot enough and when its too hot. Keeping a keen eye and knowing when to adjust the temperature is what its all about.
The Cheese, whats the big deal here, just dump some cheese in. Well put the cheese in and let her cook, but put it in too soon before the bottom of the eggs are 'set' and the cheese will melt at the bottom of the pan creating an oily mess of burnt cheese and eggs. Too late and guess what that oh so good ooeey gooey melted cheesiness will not happen as the cheese has not melted. Don't forget depending on the size of the eggs that determines the thickness of the cheese slices to go in.
The Pepper, well the right grind of fresh ground pepper accent the egg and cheese, too course and the subtle pleasure of the egg and cheese is lost in spiciness and chunks of pepper causing a bitterness. Done towards the end of the cooking and it gently melds in the cheese and egg elevating the taste.
This is why many a chef in a job interview is simply asked to cook an egg as part of their selection process.
Achieving a perfect balance like these peppers.
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