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Northcoast Life Del Norte eats: Incredible Eggs
Del Norte eats: Incredible Eggs
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Use fresh ones for classic Eggs Benedict, Potato Torta
 Butter simmers in a sauce pan. (The Daily Triplicate/Bryant Anderson)
These dishes are great for a weekend brunch or just a late breakfast, said Devon and Michelle Morgante, the owners of Vita Cucina in Crescent City. Eggs Benedict is “one of the those special treats,” Devon said. A warm meal made of protein-rich eggs is especially great during the type of weather Del Norters have been experiencing lately. “On a cold, rainy day, brunch food is nice to have,” Devon said. Eggs Benedict and Potato Torta can work on their own. The Morgantes paired them with bacon glazed with mustard, honey and brown sugar. And they added local touches. They used Alexandre Kids eggs, which come from the family’s farm in Fort Dick and are free-range and organic. They are available by the dozen at Harvest Natural Foods, Ray’s Food Place and Rumiano Cheese Store. Unless there are chickens in your yard, these are probably the freshest eggs available in local stores. For cooking, fresh eggs are the best to use, the Morgantes said, because the yolks and whites are not as runny as older eggs. As Devon cracked the eggs open, the yolks came out plump and a deep yellow — almost orange — and the whites were thick and clung to the yolk. A slice of breakfast Potato Torta is not a classic dish like Eggs Benedict. “It’s a neat, different, unique dish,” Devon said. “Plus, it’s got a good flip to it,” Michelle said about how to cook the torta. Torta is Italian for pie, cake or tart, but that doesn’t mean it has be sweet. With layers of sliced potatoes and an eggy crust, it makes brunch. “This is shaped like a cake or a pie,” Michelle said about what the Potato Torta would soon look like. Devon peeled the potatoes and sliced them with a slicer so the disks would be uniform. “If it looks the same, it cooks the same,” he said. He put the potato slices in a sauce pan with diced onions and added enough canola oil to cover the potatoes. Using cold oil allows the potatoes to cook slowly and not become crisp, Devon said. Meanwhile, Michelle clarified a hunk of unsalted butter in a small sauce pan and let it simmer for a while. As the butter simmers, the water evaporates and the milky solids separate, leaving pure liquid butter. The potatoes slices had turned almost translucent and were left to cool as Devon whisked five eggs. He added the potatoes and diced red pepper to the eggs, coating everything thoroughly, and stirred in thyme, salt and pepper. In a large skillet already heated with butter, Devon added the potato mixture and pushed the vegetables down into the pan. “You want it to cook from the bottom up,” he said. “And you don’t want it to be loosy-goosy when you flip it.” After letting it cook, Devon put a plate over the top of the pan and carefully flipped the torta onto the plate. The bottom was a crisp brown. He slid the torta back into the pan (top side down) to finish cooking. Once the torta was finished cooking, Devon cut it into slices to serve alongside the Eggs Benedict.
A key component to Eggs Benedict, is Hollandaise sauce, but it also matches well with the torta This classic French sauce is an emulsion of butter, lemon and/or vinegar and eggs yolks. It’s a mother sauce and can be used as a base for other sauces, such as Béarnaise. To make the Hollandaise sauce, Michelle heated a few tablespoons of cider apple vinegar to a low simmer to extract the whole peppercorns and sliced shallots she had added. After the vinegar had reduced until the pan was almost dry, she added a little water and strained the peppercorns and shallots. Devon added a little salt and three egg yolks to the liquid in a large mixing bowl and whisked it over a pot of simmering water on the stovetop. The yolks need to be heated ever so slightly so they don’t scramble. After several minutes of whisking, the creamy sauce took form. “The eggs will get foamy,” Devon said, and leave “trails” on the bottom of the bowl. Michelle slowly drizzled the clarified butter into the sauce as Devon continued to whisk. A little lemon juice keeps the sauce from being too thick; a few drops of hot sauce adds a little flavor. “You’re adding so much butter fat, you need the lemon juice to balance it out,” Devon said. As the English muffins toasted in the oven, Devon poached the remaining eggs in a pot of simmering water with about a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar. “The eggs’ freshness helps,” he said as the eggs formed soft balls. An older egg’s whites would have separated out in the water, but these immediately encapsulated the yolks. Devon placed a tomato and avocado on half of the English muffins, topping each with a poached egg and a spoonful of Hollandaise sauce. But a classic dish like Eggs Benedict doesn’t have to stop there. Canadian bacon, smoked salmon, crab — almost anything, the Morgantes said — could also serve as a layer.
 (The Daily Triplicate/Bryant Anderson)
8 eggs 1 quart water 1 teaspoon salt 2 teaspoons white vinegar 4 English muffins 8 pieces Canadian bacon as needed Hollandaise Sauce
 Clarified butter is slowly drizzled into Hollandaise sauce. (The Daily Triplicate/Bryant Anderson) Method:
 Poached eggs top a tomato slice on an English muffin to make Eggs Benedict. (The Daily Triplicate/Bryant Anderson) 1. Bring the water, salt and vinegar to a very low simmer. 2. Separate and toast the English muffin halves in a toaster or oven. 3. Crack an egg into small cup, and then gently pour into the simmering water. Repeat with remaining eggs. You may need to poach the eggs in batches so you do not over crowd the pan. Poach eggs to desired doneness, about 2-4 minutes. 3. Heat a non-stick pan and cook the Canadian bacon. When done, place a slice of the Canadian bacon on each English muffin half. 4. Gently remove eggs from poaching liquid with a slotted spoon , drain well. 5. Set one poached egg on each Canadian bacon-lined English muffin. 6. Top each egg with 1-2 tablespoons hollandaise sauce and serve immediately.
 Eggs are poached individually in simmering water with a little vinegar. (The Daily Triplicate/Bryant Anderson)
1 ounce apple cider vinegar 1/4 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper 2 ounces water 4-6 egg yolks 1 pint clarified butter 1 tablespoon lemon juice As needed Tabasco or your favorite hot sauce
 Plump egg yolks from a local farm get ready to be whisked. (The Daily Triplicate/Bryant Anderson) Method: 1. Combine the vinegar and peppercorns in a small saucepan; reduce until sec (almost dry). 2. Add the water to the reduction. You can strain the peppercorns from reduction at this point if you like. 3. Add the reduction to the egg yolks. Whip over a double boiler with low simmering water. Whip until the yolks ribbon. 4. Slowly add the warm clarified butter, while whipping. If sauce looks like it is getting too thick, add a teaspoon of water to thin it down. 5. Add the lemon juice and adjust the seasoning with salt and Tabasco or preferred hot sauce. 6. Strain and serve.
6 Yukon potatoes, peeled and sliced 1/4-inch 1 onion, sliced as needed canola oil 5 eggs 1 red bell pepper, diced 2 tablespoons butter as needed salt as needed freshly ground black pepper
1. Preheat oven to 350° 2. Place a small amount of oil in a sauce pan and add the sliced potatoes and onions. Add enough oil to just cover the potatoes. 3. Slowly cook potatoes over medium heat until just cooked. 4. Carefully strain the potatoes and cool. 5. In a large bowl, whip the eggs until well blended. 6. Add the cooled potatoes, red bell pepper, salt and pepper. Gently combine. 7. Heat a non-stick pan and add 1 tablespoon of butter. Once the butter has melted and the pan is hot, add the potato and egg mixture. Press the potatoes down to remove any air pockets. 8. Once the bottom of the torta has cooked, place a dinner plate over the torta and carefully turn it out onto the plate. 9. Return the pan to the burner and melt the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter. 10. Slide the potato torta back to the hot pan with the cooked side up. 11. Cook for 5 minutes on medium-low heat. Cook for 10 minutes at 350˚. 12. Remove from the oven and turn out onto a dinner plate; cool and serve.
 It's worth breaking out the freshest of eggs for classic dishes such as Eggs Benedict, left, and Potato Torta. (The Daily Triplicate/Bryant Anderson) Glazed Bacon
1/4 cup Dijon mustard 1/2 cup honey 1/2 cup brown sugar 1 pound bacon
1. Preheat the oven to 350°. 2. Combine the whole grain mustard, Dijon mustard, honey and brown sugar; mix well. 3. Place a rack on a sheet pan and lay out the bacon. Place the bacon in the oven and cook about three-fourths of the way through. 4. Remove the bacon and brush on the glaze. Return to the oven and cook another 4 minutes. 5. Remove the bacon from the oven and turn over to glaze the other side. 6. Return the bacon to the oven and cook for a final 4 minutes. 7. Once the bacon has been sufficiently glazed, remove from oven and serve.
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