Thursday, July 29, 2010

Put an Egg on It, and Call it Delicious

I love eggs.  I'm picky about my eggs too.  I like them to be local and grass-fed.  They're so simple that quality is obvious and therefore paramount.  A well-raised egg is nutritious and lends deliciousness to most foods.  Particularly it is the runny yolk that I love.  As bright as sunshine, its viscous richness oozes into all the nooks and crannies of whatever you're eating, and only makes it more delicious.  I have played with yolks in numerous ways, mostly poached, and on top of salads, bean dishes, waffles, rice.  All are excellent.

Recently on a menu I saw a pizza with egg, and of course was intrigued. We decided to try it at home.  We made our crust, topped it lightly with tomato sauce, sauteed spinach, fresh mozzarella, and pecorino romano.  We put the whole thing on the grill and when it was close to being done cracked the eggs on top.  We broke the yolks slightly so they would cook more evenly, and pulled it off the heat while they were still slightly runny.

The pizza was delightful.  The saltiness of the pecorino balanced the richness of the yolk.  Together the flavor was intriguing with a slightly rich, meaty quality.  I highly recommend breaking an egg the next time you have pizza.

Monday, July 26, 2010

Greetings From a Long Lost Baker: Resurfacing

It has been a really long time.  And I have no respectable excuses except to say that moving, starting a new job, acquainting myself with Ann Arbor, and planning a wedding have kept me very busy.

I love fruit tarts, particularly mid summer when the bounty is rich.  This one is inspired by a pistachio grapefruit tart I had in Paris.  It is pistachio pastry cream with fresh plums from the farmer's market.  The plums had great flavor, though texturally they were disappointing.  A little too mushy.  My original idea was to combine the pistachio cream with cherries.  The cherries aren't in season yet in Michigan so plums stood in.   

The pistachio pastry cream was delicious.  Salty yet sweet, a perfect blend of flavors.  The plum combination, satisfactory, though cherries decidedly would be better.  Overall it made for a pleasing summer treat both aesthetically and gastronomically.