Deviled Eggs with Anchovies and Basil

It seems like Easter was decades ago, but if I don’t see another deviled egg for another 4 decades, it will be too soon. I kid! Love these little monsters, ever since I was a wee one. And I’ve been wanting to try these decidedly adult deviled eggs since I read about them in Cook’s Illustrated. I love basil and I love anchovies, so why not bring them together in a creamy filling for a tender egg white?

Admittedly, I added roughly half as many anchovies as the recipe called for – 8 whole fillets just scared me, even though I love the fishy bodies, bones and all. But what I put in was perfect – it added a salty background, but wasn’t the main flavor, which I appreciated. The basil added a nice brightness that you normally don’t get from this popular pot luck food.

Deviled Eggs with Anchovies and Basil (Adapted from Cook’s Illustrated)

Ingredients:

• 7 large eggs
• 3/4 tsp whole-grain mustard
• 3 T mayo
• 1 1/2 tsp cider vinegar
• 1/4 tsp Worcestershire saurce
• salt and ground black pepper
• 4 anchovy fillets, rinsed, dried and finely chopped
• 4 tsp minced basil leaves

Place eggs in medium saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil, remove from heat, cover and let stand 15 minutes. Transfer eggs to ice bath to cool for 5 minutes.

When eggs are cool enough to handle, peel away shell and slice in half.

Remove yolks to a small bowl. Add mustard, mayo, vinegar, Worcestershire, anchovies, 2 tsp minced basil and salt and pepper to taste. Mix so there are no yellow lumps left. Fill pastry bag or Ziplock bag with yolk mixture, snipping the end to pipe the yolk mixture into the empty egg whites, mounding the filling 1/2 inch above the surface.

Sprinkle eggs with remaining basil. I also like to add a dash of paprika for color and heat.

Enjoy, friends! xoxo

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Ham and Asparagus Toasts

Happy Easter! Just kidding – I made these last spring and then totally forgot about blogging. Even though asparagus is seasonal, you could still splurge on a little late-season veggies to make these fun little toasts that include the winning combination or Dijon mustard, ham, asparagus and fontina cheese.

I like to pull these toasts out when I attend a spring brunch or any kind of Easter-themed potluck. Grant and I also have had them by themselves as a nice lunch or light dinner, no matter the season.

My own spin on an old Rachael Ray recipe…

Ham and Asparagus Toasts

Ingredients:

• 6 slices of crusty bread of your choice (I always choose sourdough)
• 1 lb. hamsteak (just buy thick-sliced cured ham that looks like it will be enough to fit on one slice of bread)
• 1 bunch asparagus, trimmed
• 1 c. fontina cheese, shredded
• Dijon mustard
• Cracked black pepper

Heat broiler and place oven rack in center position. Spread 1 T dijon (or less) on each slice of bread and place on baking sheet. Set aside.

Cut asparagus into 4-inch pieces and blanch in salted boiling water for 3-4 min, until tender but still firm in the middle. Shock in ice water. Set aside.

Heat medium skillet over medium-high heat and sear ham on both sides until you get a nice browning in spots. Five min. per side. Set aside.

To assemble, place 1 piece of ham on each slice of bread, then a few pieces of asparagus and finish with sprinkling of fontina cheese. Finish with a few cracks of black pepper, then slide into the oven.

Broil until the cheese is all bubbly on top, 5-7 min (watch them!).

The fontina cheese is really warm and nutty tasting, yummy with the peppery mustard, salty ham and sweet asparagus.

Enjoy, friends! xoxo

Cinnamon-Swirl French Toast

The only logical thing to do with an aging loaf of cinnamon-swirl brioche is to make French toast. So we did, on Easter morning.

I’m not one to follow recipes for things like French toast – didn’t everyone grow up helping parents make this? – so I just whisked 2 eggs with a few splashes of cream, orange juice, pinch of salt, pinch of nutmeg and a pinch of cinnamon. I dipped thick slices of bread into the batter and then fried in butter until browned.

I topped it with a little powdered sugar and real maple syrup. Enjoyed in the garden with some fresh fruit and a cup of coffee – fabulous!

Hope everyone had a delicious Easter. xoxo

Breakfast Salad

I know I should eat more salad, but I don’t. It’s not that it’s hard to make, or bad tasting, but I usually feel like it comes between me and what I really want – my entree. I realize that one way around this is to make the salad the entree.

The idea of a breakfast salad is yet another excuse to lightly fry an egg and serve it over colorful things that can absorb its goodness. I made this breakfast salad for a weekend lunch, tossing ripe tomatoes with avocado, prosciutto, basil, olive oil, salt and pepper and Parm-Reg cheese. I finished it with an egg fried over easy, and more seasonings on top.

Need a recipe? No you don’t:

Breakfast Salad

Layer together:

• Handful chopped tomatoes
• Half avocado, sliced
• 3 thin slices prosciutto di parma
• 1 T torn basil leaves

Then drizzle with EVOO and sprinkle with S&P and grated Parmesan cheese. Toss lightly so as not to break up the avocado. Top with a fried, or poached, egg. Voila!

Happy Easter, friends! xoxo