VIETNAMESE EGG COFFEE

Egg Coffee in all its delicious glory.

Jodi Ettenberg is sharing her new discovery: egg coffee from Hanoi - Vietnam

It sounds fairly strange, no? I had heard of putting eggs in coffee before, mostly from Scandinavian countries where it was used to clarify the brew and generate an amber-coloured cup of coffee with a milder taste. Says Martin Lersch in his post about Norwegian egg coffee:

The addition of proteins while preparing the coffee serves two purposes: 1) it helps the coffee grounds to flocculate, allowing them to sink faster to the bottom of the pot (this effect is probably more pronounced when using eggs) and 2) the proteins bind irreversibly to astringent and bitter tasting polyphenols in coffee to form insoluble complexes that will precipitate. The end result is a clearer coffee with a pleasant and mild taste. The bitterness is only barely noticeable, but the coffee still has enough “body” so it doesn’t feel too thin!

In contrast, Vietnamese egg coffee (Cà Phê Trứng) is anything but a clearer coffee with a mild taste. As it appears in the photo above, it is essentially a Cadbury Creme Egg with a hint of mocha. So the recipe below isn’t the healthiest, but it’s most definitely a satisfying snack on a cold day.

The recipe also sounds quite strange because you are whisking an egg yolk to frothy goodness with sweetened condensed milk (not straight sugar), but it was the one given to me by my host family and more importantly I’ve tried it here at my apartment and it works. Egg coffee for all!

Ingredients

• 1 egg
• 3 teaspoons of Vietnamese coffee powder (Vietnamese coffee is available on Amazon here)
• 2 teaspoons of sweetened condensed milk
• Boiling water

Directions

• Brew a small cup of Vietnamese coffee. (Vietnamese coffee filters available on Amazon here. Also, for visual step-by-step of the brew process, there is a good set of photos explaining how to here.)
• Crack an egg and discard the whites.
• Put the yolk and the sweetened condensed milk in a small, deep bowl and whisk vigorously until you end up with a frothy, fluffy mixture like the one above. Add a tablespoon of the brewed coffee and whisk it in.
• In a clear coffee cup (we’re going for aesthetics here), pour in your brewed coffee, then add the fluffy egg mixture on top.
• Presto. Egg coffee.

P.S www.legalnomads.com . 

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PROTEIN BREAKFAST - EGGS , TOFU , SCALLION

Protein-Packed Breakfast Scramble

MarthA STEWART

• Prep Time10 minutes
• Total Time10 minutes
• Serves4

Ingredients

• • 1 large egg, plus 3 large egg whites
  • 4 ounces soft silken tofu, drained
  • Coarse salt and ground pepper
  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • 1 bell pepper (ribs and seeds removed), chopped
  • 1 scallion, white and green parts separated and thinly sliced

Directions

1. In a bowl, whisk together egg, egg whites, and tofu; season with salt and pepper.
2. In a small nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium-high; add bell pepper and scallion whites. Cook until scallion has browned, 3 to 5 minutes; transfer to a plate. Add egg mixture to skillet; cook, stirring occasionally with a rubber spatula, just until set, 2 to 3 minutes. Top with bell-pepper mixture and scallion greens.

BAKED EGGS - CREAMY

Creamy Baked Eggs with Asparagus and Pecorino

Time: About 1 hour. Serve these smooth, rich-tasting eggs as soon as they come out of the oven, with toast.

• Yield: Serves 2

Ingredients

• Butter for ramekins
• 6 thin asparagus spears, ends trimmed
• 4 large eggs
• 1/4 cup milk

• 1/4 cup lightly packed shredded pecorino
• Pinch of sea salt or kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 275°. Lightly butter two 4-oz. (1/2-cup) ramekins or ovenproof bowls and set in a baking pan just big enough to hold ramekins.

2. Slice asparagus thinly on the diagonal. Bring a small pot of water to a boil. Add asparagus; cook until just tender-crisp, 1 to 2 minutes, and scoop out into a colander. Keep water boiling, covered.

3. In a bowl, beat eggs with milk until smooth. Stir in cheese and salt. Divide mixture between prepared ramekins. Top each with half the asparagus and sprinkle with pepper.

4. Set ramekins in baking pan and put in oven. With oven door open, carefully pour hot water into baking pan up to the level of the eggs in ramekins. Bake until eggs are set in centers (touch to test), about 45 minutes. To remove ramekins, carefully pull oven rack out partway; lift ramekins from pan with tongs and set aside. Push rack with pan back into the oven to cool. Serve eggs immediately.

FANCY EGG RECIPE - EGGS in OVERCOATS

Eggs in Overcoats

Here we stuff scrambled eggs into their shells for a fancy presentation, though it is optional. For a silky texture, stop cooking eggs when they resemble thickened custard with small curds, as the eggs will continue to thicken in the pan's heat. If you don't have an egg topper for Step 1, tap the top of an egg with kitchen shears to create a small opening, then snip away a portion of the top part of the shell.

Cooking Light MAY 2009

• Yield: 4 servings (serving size: about 1 1/2 eggs, 1/2 teaspoon crème fraîche, and 1/2 teaspoon caviar)
• 
  

Ingredients

• 6 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons chilled butter, cut into small pieces
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons crème fraîche
• 2 teaspoons caviar

Preparation

1. Using an egg topper, carefully cut a lid from each egg. Empty eggs into a bowl, reserving 4 shells. Bring a small pan of water to a boil. Rinse reserved egg shells; carefully lower them into the boiling water. Simmer 3 minutes. Remove shells, and let them dry upside down on a towel.

2. Combine butter and eggs in a medium nonstick saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring eggs constantly with a flexible heatproof spatula or wooden spoon until they start to thicken (about 3 minutes). The eggs will start to coagulate suddenly, often around the sides or base of the pan. Lift pan off the heat, and stir rapidly so that any cooked egg dissolves back into the liquid part, stirring for about 30 seconds. Return pan to heat; cook about 3 minutes or until eggs thicken slightly, stirring constantly. Remove pan from heat, and stir 30 seconds. Continue placing the eggs over heat for about 3-minute intervals and removing for 30 seconds, stirring constantly until desired degree of doneness (repeat procedure about 5 times total). Sprinkle eggs evenly with salt and black pepper.

3. Divide egg mixture evenly, and carefully spoon into 4 prepared egg shells. Top each serving with 1/2 teaspoon crème fraîche and 1/2 teaspoon caviar. Set the eggs in egg cups, and serve at once.

Courtesy www.myrecipes.com

OMELET - MARTHA STEWART's FAMILY STYLE ROLLED OMELET

INGREDIENTS

• Olive oil, for pan
• 1 cup milk
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
• 8 large eggs
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 2 packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
• 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar (6 ounces)

DIRECTIONS

1. STEP 1

   Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brush a 10-by-15-inch rimmed baking sheet or jelly-roll pan with oil. Line bottom of pan with parchment, leaving a 1-inch overhang on the two shorter sides. Brush parchment with oil.
   

2. STEP 2

   In a bowl, whisk together milk and flour. Add eggs, mustard, 1 teaspoon salt, and teaspoon pepper; whisk to combine. Pour into pan. Sprinkle spinach over top in an even layer.
   

3. STEP 3

   Bake until edges of omelet are set, 10 to 12 minutes. Sprinkle with cheddar; bake until cheese has melted, 2 to 4 minutes. Beginning at one shorter end, lift parchment, and roll up omelet tightly, peeling back parchment as you go. Slice and serve.
   

HOW to BLANCH VEGETABLES

                                        
Blanching may be used to preserve color and texture, to prepare ingredients ahead of time, and to prepare vegetables for freezing.

Blanching  brings out the flavor in vegetables while preserving nutrients and improving tenderness.  Use seasonal vegetables such as asparagus in spring, green beans in late summer or cauliflower in early fall.  You can store blanched vegetables in the refrigerator and quickly add them to soups, curries or salads or serve them as a snack with your favorite dip.

1 cup broccoli flowerettes
1 cup cauliflower flowerettes
1 cup carrot slices

Bring a large pot of water to boil.  Cut vegetables in pieces that would be easy to dip.  Prepare a large bowl or sink full of ice cold water.

///Just before blanching the vegetables, add couple of tablespoons of salt to the boiling water. Salt helps to maintain color and improve flavor, but it may be omitted if you wish.

Drop vegetables into boiling water.  Let boil until color brightens and vegetables become tender (a minute or two).  Drain water off and immediately plunge vegetables into cold water until they are cool.(This is called "shocking.")
Remove from cold water.  Toss with a splash of lemon juice or vinegar if desired or refrigerate for later use.
P.S Contrary to Conventional wisdom Leaving the Lid off does not affect the nutrients of the vegetables being cooked.

Courtesy - www.cookusinterruptus.com and www.thekitchn.com