Monday, January 12, 2009

Eggs Grandmere

Many years ago I read The Apprentice: My Life in the Kitchen, by Jacques Pepin. I had thought I didn't like him personally, but the book really drew me in. I loved it.
I don't know where my copy of the book is now. Poo.
But I remember one dish he described, cooked by his mother I think. It was stuffed eggs, fried stuff-side down.
M. Pepin said he couldn't recall anyone, anywhere, doing this treatment. It was singular to his family, he believed; a humble, rustic meal.
It's really rather logical, actually, and I wouldn't be surprised if other home cooks also use this technique to elevate a simple egg dish.
But I didn't have the book, so I didn't have the recipe.
For Cranky's birthday month, he suddenly blurted that he'd like to have the fried stuffed eggs.
I stepped up to the stove.
No, Cranky stepped up first. He is a master at hard-cooked eggs.
Then I took over and made a melange of the yolks. Just on instinct, I chopped a scallion, a few olives, and some parsley leaves. A crack of pepper. A squirt of olive oil. Nope, still not unctuous enough. I added a spoonful of mayonnaise.
Stuffed this mess back into the egg whites.
In an oiled, non-stick skillet, I gently fried the eggs, stuffing side down, until they browned slightly. Doesn't take long. If your eggs are cold, or even just cool room temp, you can warm them through by putting a lid on the skillet briefly.
Wow. Charming, with a crunchy, wintry salad of lettuce and orange segments.

30 comments:

Ms Brown Mouse said...

Unctuous - wonderful word is it not?
Nice cackleberries!

Elizabeth said...

And here I just boiled six eggs last night, and was wondering what to do with them, as the usual pickle-relish-and-horseradish filling wasn't quite as appealing as usual, this cold January day. Thanks for the suggestion!

cookiecrumb said...

Morgan: I spelled it right? :)

Elizabeth: Just think of flavorings that you'd like to eat warm, and then warm the cold eggs. Perfect.

Zoomie said...

A very interesting preparation - fried, hard-cooked eggs! Another one I'd never have thought of but will enjoy trying. I like the idea of serving them with a salad, too. Youse so cool, Cookie!

Ms Brown Mouse said...

Of course you did!

cookiecrumb said...

Morgan: I know. Why do I have a food blog, when I'd be much happier having a word blog. xoxo

cookiecrumb said...

Zoomie: I truly do believe you'll give this a try. It's rather "tapas," kind of "bistro."

Kailyn said...

Yum.

And yes, Cranky is indeed the master of the hard boiled egg. Whenever I follow his directions, mine come out perfect. (My goof is in usually forgetting how long it has been since I first put them on. Who has time for those pesky kind of details?)

Nancy Ewart said...

Yum yum yum...What an inspiration! I just bought a flat of range free eggs and have been having a lot of fun with fixing them in various ways. Guess what's for dinner tomorrow?

Catherine said...

Let's date at Vin Antico. They have a fab egg dish.

happy birthday month!

Kevin said...

CC,
I don't recall the recipe, but I too was quite taken by Pepin after reading the book.

westendchris said...

That does it! I can lurk no longer! Your page is the BEST! I read that same recipe a few years back. I made a mental note of it, but that's where it ended. We've got boiled eggs in the fridge, so guess what we're having for dinner?

Laura said...

I kind of love it...the dish has sort of a comforting, southern feel about it. Despite the french origins!

Heather said...

Amazing what we can crank out (no pun intended) when we cook by instinct.

I love LOVE deviled eggs and might need to see how this tastes. Seriously, I could hurt myself on fried deviled eggs.

cookiecrumb said...

Kailyn: Ever heard of an egg timer? DING! :)

Nancy: I'm glad our good timing -- my post and your purchase -- coincided.

Catherine: Yes! That's it! I want to.

Kevin: He's led a very ambitious life; deserves all he's earned. (I wonder if I lent that book to my mom...)

WestEndChris: Out of the closet at last. Welcome. Glad I jogged your memory.
Yeah, these little warm eggs are kind of suppery.

Laura: And I think that for Pepin, they always evoked memories of mother and home. Nice.

Heather: Well, if you're going to call them "fried deviled eggs"! It just occurred to me that you'll probably jazz up the filling with Korean flavors, and that really turns me on. Let us know.

The Spiteful Chef said...

What do you think would happen if you deep fried a whole hard-cooked egg? I was just thinking about that the other day.

pea said...

spiteful chef- they are called 'scottish eggs.' and they are yummy.

pea said...

whoops- jumping the gun a little bit...minus the sausage. thats what we called 'em, with or without the extra encasing.

cookiecrumb said...

Spiteful: You'd get a Scotch egg. Especially if you pack sausage and breadcrumbs all around it first, in a roughly egg-shaped shape.

Pea: Hah! Thanks. I had never heard of a naked Scotch egg.

Monkey Wrangler said...

"He is a master at hard-cooked eggs".........ouef that could be interpreted a few ways!

Yeah, I read that book too and simply fell in love with the man. Way to go remembering the outlines of the dish and pulling it off. Simply awesome.

MrSound said...

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cookiecrumb said...

Monkey Wrangler: Thanks for the props! Too kind. It was an easy figure-out.
How are the monkeys? You gonna buy them some sea monkeys? :D

Mr. and Mrs. Sound: Huh, yeah, right.

Christine said...

This recipe of Jacques has shown up through many of his writings, and in some of his shows. I have one of his early books, and he has this recipe there. And in one of his later books too, Chez Jacques. It seems to be a common thread in his life, going back to the cooking of his mother.

cookiecrumb said...

Christine: Thank you for that information. It makes the recipe even more dear. Wow, what a sentimentalist he is. xoxo

Anonymous said...

Funny, I don't like M. Pepin personally, but that's from one-on-one experience.

I do, however, greatly respect his know-how and his teaching skills.

cookiecrumb said...

Michael: Mine's from one-on-one, too. Twice. Dick.
The book's charming (and I like his recipes). But I still don't like him personally. :)

Anonymous said...

I am making these with the dozen fresh eggs my friend sent my way. (Raised them himself, he did.)I will report back only if complaints are in order.

cookiecrumb said...

AHiker: Where you been? :)
You'll find them easy and comforting.
I wish I had a neighbor with an abundance of fresh yard eggs.

Anonymous said...

She's mad and she has good recipes.

I said I'd only report back if it didn't work, but I lied. My ingredients were what I had around -- mayo, a little dry mustard, balsamic vinegar, swiss chard, peppers, and onion from the garden (just a little of those three & finely chopped). Short fry. Well, wow. I'm going to impress the hell out of some visitors this Wednesday. Thanks!

cookiecrumb said...

aHiker: How cool. Such clever improvisation (and thanks for giving me the courage to explore new versions). I'm so glad you liked it. :-)