poach that thing

Someone once told me that the egg was one of the most perfectly, succinctly nutritious foods on earth. Being a wannabe nutritionist and total foodie, I was eager to graduate from the scrambled egg phase of my cooking ability, and what could be more elegant than a poached egg? To the common cook they seem intimidating, something you treat yourself to at a pricey brunch, definitely not something you prepare Rachel Ray style—30 minutes or less. However, thanks to a fine cookbook called How to Boil Water (or more aptly “how to poach to perfection”), I am now a master of the poached egg. A delicate, gorgeous, melt-in-your-mouth treat, the poached egg is easily royalty cuisine for the commoner.

The how to:

3 tbsp cider vinegar
2 large eggs

• Fill a nonstick skillet with 2” of water, barely brought to a simmer
• Add the vinegar
• Gently crack the eggs (one at a time) into a wide mug and slide into the water
• Cook until the whites are set but the yolks are still runny (about 4 min)
• Lift eggs from the water with a slatted spoon and place on a paper towel before transferring to the plate

My favorite poached egg dish is what I call the healthy eggs benedict. Take a toasted whole wheat English muffin, top it with tomato slices and the poached eggs. Season with a little salt and pepper. Dress it up with a balsamic vinaigrette (1 part EVOO, 1 part balsamic). Hands down this dressing beats hollandaise sauce in the calorie AND flavor category.

*Fun Food Fact (FFF): Peewee is an official grade of egg denoting an egg that is 1.25-1.5 oz.

table side guacamole: a bougie mistake

My food politic is local and organic, when affordable, but my guilty pleasure is avocados. I know they don't come from as far away as Costa Rica to my DC grocery store this time of year, but they still travel from Mexico or California- about 3000 miles away. On occasion (and especially in the summer time) I make guacamole. It is so fresh and so good that I make a lot of it to share with friends.

My recipe includes:
2 fresh avocados
Salt to taste
Raw garlic to taste
Lemon/lime juice to taste

You can smash the avocados with a fork or leave them chunky...slap it on anything (including your finger) and you're good to go. I'm a purist but you may prefer to add some raw red onion, cilantro or tomatoes.

This recipe may cost you up to 7 bucks and a low as $2.50 if you get your avocados on sale or at that Latin market. All told, its worth the dough.

Another guilty pleasure is eating outside on a humid day at one of the many great Mexican restaurants in DC. But I never get the table side guacamole. Avocados are expensive (up to $2.99 each) but the price tag for table side guac is re-dick. If you go to Oyamel, which I highly recommend, you're looking at $13 for table side guac, which is crazy. As you can see in the picture, the cost must be to cover the fake grass they put the bowl on and the very expensive or hard-to-clean bowls they put it in (read: sarcasm). Of course, the elbow grease of the cute server making your overpriced pleasure may be worth it, too. Nonetheless, if you're in to making bougie mistakes, this is definitely the one for you.

Cunningham Farms sweet potato butter

It all started when my partner's parents were visiting for Christmas one year. They are methodist missionaries in rural Tennessee and focus on building leadership among youth and economic development with farmers who can't sell their tobacco anymore. They started the Clinch Powell Community Kitchen and the Applicacian Springs Coop to support farmers who were making value added food products (i.e. jams, jellies, salsas, etc.) to generate income. Every time they visted they'd bring me a box of the products the farmers were making and every time I'd request sweet potato butter.

About three years ago I asked for a case of sweet potato butter and I was told that the farmer stopped making the product but I could buy the expired jars. I started asking questions and the last question I asked was can I buy the business. To my surprise the Coop owned the rights to a sweet potato butter recipe, which I bought. Then I grabbed two trusted friends to start this business and social enterprise.

Cunninghams Farms isn't a farm in the proper sense of the term farm. Our mission is to create jobs in rural Tennessee, where there aren't many by producing sweet potato butter. Every few months we hire people my mother-in-law identifies as really needing a job and pay them a living wage to cook up so good old sweet potato butter. I also get my hands dirty and one of my faviorate expereinces was peeling 600 lbs of organic beauregard sweet potatoes. It is a farm in the sense that we create community by meeting needs with friends, family and around the table.

There is so much to tell about this project. Suffice it to say that Ben Olsen of DC United is a fan of the butter (see picture below) and Zingerman's will be carrying the butter in their holiday catalog. Check us out on Facebook or our website for a pie recipe and let me know if you'd like to come down and help cook up a batch!

(Ben Olsen autographed jar!)

a delectible summer dinner...

Do you love crab cakes but are discouraged by their prep?

Fret no more! Crab cakes are easier than you think.

As a mid-westerner, I have always been intimidated by preparing seafood. But, thanks to my friends Google and The Food Network, I have constructed my own spicy crab cake. Quick and easy, with just a little zip!

Recipe:

• 1 pound crab meat, picked free of shells
• 1/3 cup crushed crackers (recommended: Ritz)
• 1 red onion, chopped
• 1-2 tablespoons of Dijon Mustard
• 1 tablespoons hot sauce
• 2 teaspoons of Old Bay
• 3 eggs
• 3-6 tablespoons of vegetable oil
  

(you can add in peppers for additional flavor)

Mix crab, crackers, and onion together in a large bowl. Then add in mustard, hot sauce, and Old Bay. Finally, add 3 eggs, one at a time to make the mixture sticky, but be sure not to overwork.

Make into patties and refrigerate for 1 hr. For best results, refrigerate overnight. You can also keep frozen for up to one week.

When ready to cook:
Heat oil in a skillet and fry crab cake for 3-5 minutes on each side. Should make 10 crab cakes, depending on how large you make the patties.

Stay tuned for a light and sweet Mediterranean salad to go along side your spicy crab cake. A perfect summer dinner that will leave you wanting more!