Welsh Rarebit for Summer Days

This weekend brought some hot and steamy weather Michigan.  It was the perfect time to power wash the house (we are down to THREE weeks before the graduation party), make a giant bowl of Gazpacho, start a new novel and attend a Memorial Day parade.

Pierre was the happiest to go to the farm and play with his friends. 

The food highlight of the weekend was the Welsh Rarebit!  Basically an open faced grilled cheese, English style!

WELSH RAREBIT

1 Pound Cheddar Cheese, chopped (I used 1/2 Cantal and 1/2 Mature English Cheddar)
1/2 cup Sour Cream
1 teaspoon Coleman's Dry Mustard
Salt & Pepper to taste
2 Egg Yolks

8 Slices good Artisan Bread (I used a Cibatta)
Worcestershire Sauce

Under the broiler, toast bread until lightly browned.  Remove from oven and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine cheese, sour cream, mustard, salt, pepper and egg yolks.  Mix until combined.

Place an even layer of the cheese mixture over the toasted bread and return to the broiler until melted and a deep golden brown.  Sprinkle with a few drops of Worcestershire Sauce and enjoy!  The drops of sauce really MAKE this combo, please don't omit it!

We really loved this dish and I see it becoming a year-round affair!  

 

Baked Eggs

Growing up on the farm and collecting eggs everyday did not turn me into a lover of chickens.  The chickens were always my job, cleaning the coop (ugh) pouring boiling water into their frozen troughs, getting hen pecked and tossing kitchen scraps into the pen.  There was always a beautiful, nasty-tempered rooster to avoid (maybe that's why I love Coq au Vin so much!)  { insert evil chuckle } and they are filthy animals.  Don't get me wrong, I love all the lovely hued eggs and roasted chickens are amazing, so you have to dig through the dirt to get to the gold.  I actually had a passing thought last week how nice it would be to have some little banny hens running around the yard...until Pierre came in covered in bird droppings that he had rolled in.  Nice.  "Non" on the chicken idea.  Moving on to my point...   


I have been seeing baked eggs all over the place!  Magazines, favorite food sites, farm to table cookbooks and even newspapers.  I decided to see for myself what all the fuss is about!  I also bought these great crocks in France and haven't used them nearly enough!  Perfect for 2 baked eggs per person!  I looked at many different recipes....plus what was available in the fridge and came up with this recipe:

Baked Eggs for 2

4 large eggs
6 Tablespoons Heavy Cream
2 Tablespoons Fresh Chives, minced
1/4 lb. Cantal cheese, grated or chopped
Salt & Pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and put a kettle of water on to boil.

Pour 3 T of cream into bottom of ramekin, sprinkle in with a tablespoon of chives.  Break 2 eggs into each dish (or one egg if using smaller ramekins) dust with salt & pepper and top with a few bits of cheese.  Place ramekins into a 9X13 baking dish and pour boiling water to reach at least halfway up the sides of the ramekins.
Bake about 12 minutes until whites are set and yolks are still soft.

 

Pommes Dauphinoise

Cantal cheese

I am in the charming French midst of "A Table in the Tarn" written by Orlando Murrin.  The food, the ambiance, the decor, the countryside....it's all here in detail!  It's been my private escape this week!  I may just need to take a jaunt to visit "Le Manoir de Raynaudes" in the future, business research for our Inn On Evans of course!  (As long as my CPA doesn't read this blog!)

Pommes Dauphinoise is a dish that I've had on my to do list for some time and tonight was perfect.  I had all the ingredients and the appetite!  It was totally worth waiting for...rich cheese sauce, potatoes cooked through, but with a firm bite, a tiny bit if garlic goodness and crispy "crust" on top!!  Thank you Orlando Murrin for making my Tuesday night!  I'm topping the evening off with a decaf Cafe au Lait (even though no self respecting European would ever drink one past 10am!) and finishing the rest of the book.

POMMES DAUPHINOISE
recipe by Orlando Murrin

1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup milk
1 cup cream
1 teaspoon salt
plenty of freshly ground pepper, grated nutmeg & pinch of cayenne
2 pounds potatoes, sliced super thin
1 cup Cantal cheese, grated

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large saucepan combine garlic, milk, cream, potatoes and seasonings.  Bring to a boil, stirring constantly, simmer for a minute or 2 until mixture is noticably thicker then remove from heat and add 1/2 of the cheese.  Stir until cheese is melted, pour into a well buttered quiche pan, making sure all potatoes are covered with liquid and sprinkle with remaining cheese.  I baked about 40 minutes but depending on the depth of your dish you may need to add a few more minutes.  The cheese should be a deep golden brown and a bit bubbly.

I served with a lovely green salad lightly dressed with vinaigrette and some baked chicken. 

Bon Appetite!

PS  I googled Le Manoir de Raynaudes and it's FOR SALE!!!