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Here isw an old family recipe, and others I would guess, that my Mother made on a regular basis. I believe that she got the recipe from her mother. Nothing was written down, but it was good and still is, It is an easy recipe; quick and fast. All it takes is hard cooked eggs, whole milk, roux and fresh grated nutmeg, salt and pepper. I do hope you try it as written or with your own versions. ie, try adding chopped spinach or corn to the white sauce.
Creamed Eggs on Toast
Ingredients: 1 T unsalted Butter, 1 T All Purpose Flour, 1 c whole Milk, 4 Hard Cooked Eggs, chopped – 1 Yolk reserved, 1 t fresh grated Nutmeg, Salt and Pepper to taste, 6 slices Bread toasted, Thyme
Directions: Add butter to a medium pan and melt, but do not brown. Add the flour and mix well. Add the milk, chopped eggs, fresh grated nutmeg, salt and pepper and mix well. If the sauce gets to thick, add a little milk. Serve on the toast. Grate the egg yolk over each serving along with a pinch of the thyme. Serves about 3.
Note: When you add the eggs to the white sauce, you can also add chopped spinach or corn or anything you like. Great on toasted sourdough toast or toasted English Muffins.
I must apologize for the delay in posting. It’s been a while. However, I lost the internet connection and it took CenturyLink a while to determine the problem was in their modem. They let me know it was working on Labor Day at 9:30pm, but at least now it is working.
I was lucky enough to work on two recipes that are really good. One is for Instant Pot (IP) BBQ Ribs. Don’t fret. You can adjust it to your own liking. Make it more “smoky” or BBQ’d if you want. The other one came from a good friend, Scot Beseman, RN (Ret). It is for a Potato Salad that is really terrific.
These are the BBQ Ribs done in an IP. They are spare ribs, which I do not prefer but were all I could get.(https://www.rockinrs.com/CS-IP-Ribs.pdf) The recipe is rather easy, although you should really try to follow the it pretty closely. Feel free to adjust to your liking. I served it for Labor Day with Orange Jello with Carrots and Beseman Potato Salad, recipe to follow.
This is the Beseman Potato Salad (https://www.rockinrs.com/CS-Beseman-Potato-Salad.pdf) and it is really good. Love to add flowers to a salad like this for presentation. I used red potatoes, or you can use Yukon Gold potatoes, but I would not use Russet potatoes. Their water content is high and you can end up with mashed potato salad. Also, I did not peel the potatoes.. I also added some Dijon mustard to the recipe, I like the subtle flavor it gives dishes. Be sure, too, to use sweet pickles to add another flavor level.
If you have any questions or comments, please let us know.Hope you enjoy these recipes. Most of the products used in both recipes came from the Boise Farmers Market (BFM).
An Instant Pot is diverse and fun to use. It cooks many styles and methods. I love ribs done on a grill, but this method is quick and somewhat easy. The recipe is a little involved, but if you follow it, your ribs will come out great. Especially at the end where you caramelize them under a broiler. Here is the recipe we use. I like Baby Back Rib, but you can use any ribs. A good gameday treat. https://www.rockinrs.com/CS-IP-Ribs.pdf . In the photo below, we served them with fresh off the cob corn, or you can leave it on the cob, and doctored Bush’s Beans.
Just watch your time in the Instant Pot. 23 minutes should be enough. I went 25 minutes and that was a little long. The ribs fell off the bone when I got them out to go under the broiler. Let us know what you think and if you liked them.
If you ar e in the Boise or plan to visit Boise, I highly recommend you go to Alyonka Russian Cuisine for a delightful and delicious meal. It is well worth the trip, time and experience and that is why I rate it a 5-Star restaurant. Their website and other information can be found at https://alyonkarussiancuisine.com/. Robin and I went there the other day, we have been there before, and the following photos are what we had for lunch. I do hope you enjoy these photos.
Let’s start with an Apfelwein Hard Cider. This one is really good. Sweet. Not sour or sharp.
Shuba. Layered salad – smoked salmon, potatoes, carrots, beets, with mayo touch
Borscht. Traditional Russian soup made of beets and garden vegetables served with sour cream and toast
Pelmeni. Handmade Russian style dumplings with seasoned ground beef filling, served with sour cream
Salmon Benedict on a Spinach Bed and Fresh Idaho BFM Fruit – Israli Melon
There are several differednt types of Eggs Benedict that one can make. In fact, You can really make them any way you want. The key is in the Hollandaise Sauce, not the eggs combinations. Here are the 3 basic types.
BasIC Eggs Benedict is with ham’ Canadian Bacon or pancetta. Eggs Florentine is with sauteed spinach. Eggs Royale is with smoked salmon. All three breakfasts are created the same, starting with a toasted English muffin, poached eggs and topped with hollandaise sauce. Here is the recipe for Hollandaiuse Sauce that I make from scratch and we love. https://www.rockinrs.com/CIA-Basic-Hollandaise.pdf It may take some practice, but it’s worth it. Just don’t let the temperature get above 130 degrees F.
I have received many requests for my recipes for CS Bread Braid (Challah) and CS Pot Roast. (https://www.rockinrs.com/CS-Bread-Braid.pdf and https://www.rockinrs.com/CS-Pot-Roast.pdf) The bread braid I added a little sourdough starter, but you don’t have to0, just add the amount of starter you would as water to the water amount in the recipe. But we liked the slight tinge of sourdough in the breade. And to the pot roast I added some button mushrooms quartered. You can use any mushrooms you want.These recipes were fun to develop and are very good, IMNSHO (In My Not So Humble Opinion).If you try them, let us know what you think, or what you changed. And it is perfectly OK to say that you didn’t like it, just tell my why. Here are the photos of the final products.
CS Bread Braid. Great toasted or as French Toast.
French Toast using the Bread Braid I made
CS Pot Roast on Black Truffle Oil Mashed Potatoes and a Fresh Green Salad with Grapes and Mic5ro Greens
It isn’t often that I write about a new restaurant and the By Invite Only dinner – pre opening – to “show off” their menu. But Coa Del-Mar, 2121 E Riverside Dr, Eagle, Idaho is one that I feel compelled to write about. It is well worth it. From their website, “… The nearly 10,000-square-foot restaurant includes a large patio that overlooks a pond.The restaurant will welcome customers on Monday, April 15. It has started to accept reservations on the Resy platform… The Latin and seafood-inspired restaurant will share similarities to both Barbacoa and co-owner Nikolai Castoro’s other restaurant in downtown Boise Coa De Jima. We’re going to bring hot rocks and icetinis and steak options, but the focus is on ceviches and fish options. We’re working to get seafood flown in fresh daily from Hawaii…In addition to its stunning artwork, Coa Del Mar boasts an impressive menu curated by Chef Enrique Martinez, featuring fresh seafood flown in daily and innovative takes on Latin-inspired dishes. From signature ceviches to Barbacoa’s famous “hot rock steak,” there’s something to delight every palate.”
It is large, spacy and can be rather loud due to the crowds of people. The art in the restaurant is all by local artists and it is beautiful. Prices are definitely high end but definitely worth it, and it would be a perfect place for that special dinner, for that special event, for that special person. Here are some photos of the restaurant. Thank you Joe Levitch for letting me join you for this event. I greatly appreciate it.
When you enter the restaurant, this is the artwork that greets you, less Joe Levitch.
The main dining room will keep you in awe with this beautiful Chihuly style glass work. It is huge and beautiful. That’s the inside. Now for some of the food and how each plate is presented.
Making guacamole at your table.
Fresh made guacamole
The Beef Taco plate is beautiful and the meat is extremely tender and well prepared.
The Seafood Platter has lobster, scallops and shrimp on a Truffle Whipped Potato bed. Delicious! Some of the other entrees follow.
The folks sitting at the next table, were kind enough to let me photograph their dinners. These are Crab Cakes and they look delicious and not over stuffed with filler.
Coconut Shrimp
Lobster and Mussels
Seafood Paella
Key Lime Dessert
Creme Brule
So there you have a small sample of the dishes they offer. They are delicious. I hope if you are in the area, you call for reservations starting Monday April 15. You may not get a seat if you don’t call. There is a complete wine and liquor menu.
I do like pork! But I really need to change my preparation of the meat. If not the preparation, then the plating of it. What to serve with it? Sauerkraut is a pretty standard plating. But I wanted to change that, And o I came up with this. I used red cabbage, snow peas and carrot rounds, to sweeten it a little, and a little balsamic glaze to soften the cabbage flavor. I brazed it with just a little Aleppo pepper. The combination worked well and folks enjoyed it. Then I took parsnips and chunk diced them and braised them also.
The pork. Braised it over medium heat so not to burn it. Initially and before cooking I used our Pork Rub, (https://www.rockinrs.com/CS-Pork-Rub.pdf) all over the tenderloin and did not “skimp” on the amount. Then pat it into the meat and let it sit for about 30 minutes. The 2020 Parma Ridge Winery Boys Blend was superb with this dinner!
After braising the pork, I removed them from the heat and deglazed the pan (cast-iron skillet) with about 2 ounces of Tarragon Vinegar that we made a while back.Then a little butter in the drippings and some flour. Brought the roux together and added whole milk and about 2 T of Plochman’s mustard and stirred to combine and thicken. I then returned the tenderloin to the pan and spooned some of the sauce over it. After plating, I added a little more if it was needed. Everyone seemed to enjoy it – there is none left!
I love a good Shepard’s (Shepherd’s) Pie! Much better than a Cottage Pie. Maybe that’s because I do like good lamb. And as a side point, lamb is one year old or younger, while mutton is older than a year, just in case you were wondering. But also, it intrigues me as to the origin of these dishes. I always thought it originated in the Basque country of Spain. But after researching for this article, I am wrong!
Shepherd’s Pie: This dish is believed to have originated in Scotland or northern England (Ireland) during the late 1700s to early 1800s. It was initially made with leftover roasted lamb or mutton, and the term “shepherd” in its name reflects the traditional use of lamb meat.
Cottage Pie is thought to have originated in England, particularly in the Midlands or northern regions, around the same time period as shepherd’s pie. It traditionally uses minced beef, and the term “cottage” likely refers to the modest dwellings of the rural working class, who would have commonly prepared this dish. The cottage pie was the precursor to shepherd’s pie, which was coined in the middle of the 19th century. For a while it was used interchangeably with cottage pie. However, as time went on, a distinction was made: shepherd’s pie referred to a dish made with lamb (because sheep are tended to by shepherds!), and cottage pie referred to a dish made with beef.
This is a Shepherd’s Pie that I made this past week. And I think it was really good. Good robust herb and vegetable flavors. And the ground lamb was awesome with no “wild” taste that you can get with mutton. And it was from a very local farmer. Meadowlark Farms in Nampa, Idaho to be exact. The crust was a combination of Russet (Idaho) potato and Red Potato. I did not have and Harvest Gold potatoes so I made my own! The browning on the top was from a combination of the potatoes and Parmesan cheese. So, if you are interested, here is the recipe I came up with. Feel free to try it. Just let me know how it came out and how much you loved it! https://www.rockinrs.com/CS-Shepards-Pie.pdf
The flowers here are some I bought Robin (my wife) a few days ago. They are springy, and we all know we can’t wait until Spring! I hate to throw away food with a passion. And if there is anything Robin has taught me over the past 40 years, is to use the leftovers, She was a magician with les restes, leftovers. So, a week ago I made a Tarragon Roasted Chicken (https://www.rockinrs.com/CS-Tarragon-Roasted-Chicken.pdf) that was awesome. We had some left over, so I thought about what to make. How about a Chicken Salad? And I’m glad I did. It was differently good with the addition of the tarragon and the cream sauce that went with it. Add un-peeled shredded carrot, diced celery, a little mayo and serve over chopped iceberg lettuce.
To the plate add some sliced tomato, corn on the cob and grapes and a wonderful dinner. Well, it’s almost Spring. Why not rush the season? I’m all for that! Voila!