T.G.F.B!
Butter-Poached Egg | Candied Ham | Grits with Mushroom & Parmesan
SOMEWHERE IN THE BACK OF ever-active mind, I hold this dream of opening up a few restaurants. One, named Harvey, after my dad, dedicated to bringing real "country"-style southern home cooking—including items such as chitlin's, country pudding and turtle soup—to the Northeast. Another, called Verlene, after my mom, would be a kind of soul fusion kind of eatery, would feature items such us southern sushi (pulled pork, fresh okra, dirty rice wrapped in collard greens and sliced sushi-style.
A third—no name yet—would be dedicated to new takes on breakfast, and every once in a while, an idea stirs some creativity in me. Nothing too outré, put I figured since I had butter-poached seafood and some duck in previous food preps, why not an egg?
I greased the inside of a miniature glass bowl with some butter, and cracked an egg into it. I brought several cups of water to bowl in a high-edged pan and placed the mini-bowl in it. I chopped up some thick-sliced deli ham, tossed it with some cider vinegar, ground cloves, cayenne pepper, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and brown sugar, then put them in a skillet and put them in the oven which is on broil. I stir sliced mushrooms and grated parmesan cheese into some grits started with water and chicken stock.
Long short, after covering the pan with the egg with a lid during the last minute of cooking, occasionally mixing up the ham to keep it from sticking but letting it get a good crust on the tips, and letting the grits set while stirring in some salt, pepper and a small handful of more parmesan cheese, I put the food together on a plate and enjoy.
Eggs are very hard to cook properly, and the timing with poached eggs is trickier still. So you can imagine how happy I was that this egg came out so well! the white had fully set (and separated quite easily out of the mini-bowl with a mere tap), and the yolk was warm and opaque with a nice, smooth, slow run, perfect for dipping my rye toast strips into.
The candied ham had the aroma of a nice dinner ham, and had a nice spicy, sticky glaze to it without overwhelming the hot, fat-rendered pork inside. The grits were creamy, cheesy and not too tight, with nice firm bites of earthy mushrooms.
Breakfast, indeed, the most important meal of the day, and not just for it's nutritional value. The positive disposition generated from a great, tasty meal, well executed, makes me look forward to getting the rest of my client work done in good time and finally make it up to 117th Street to check out the shiny new Costco!
So, my fellow PHUDE-ies, TGIF and TGFB (Thank God For Breakfast—and, no, that won't be the name of the restaurant)!!
Bun Apple Tea!
.kac.
Butter-Poached Egg | Candied Ham | Grits with Mushroom & Parmesan
