Summer is rapidly vanishing, but we still have plenty of company on the horizon. In spite of all the muffins, breads, and pancake options we've discovered over the years, occasionally we have a desire to fix eggs for breakfast. When we have guests who also eat eggs, at least on an occasional basis, it's nice to find something new to make for them. Both the baked eggs and the ham ramekins are quick to make and can be expanded to additional individual servings.
And, since we're talking cholesterol, we'll throw in two new beef favorites. The filets with blue cheese are from the April issue of Southern Living magazine. The recipe is credited to Rebecca Gulledge, the second place winner in the 1993 Georgia Beef Cookoff contest. A bonus in the article was the telephone number at Clemson for anyone wishing to order blue cheese directly from the school.
After seeing the Shaking Beef recipe in a Williams-Sonoma catalog, we tried it and enjoyed it so much that we have fixed it several times recently. It is a great combination of flavors and textures and takes little time to prepare.
This recipe comes from Mustards, a Williams-Sonoma Essentials publication (1994).
Ingredients:
Preheat oven to 350°. Butter 2 ramekins and set aside. In a medium-size bowl, mix together the chopped ham, lightly beaten egg yolk, milk, mustard and pepper. In a separate bowl, whip the egg white until stiff. Fold the egg white into the ham mixture and pour into the ramekins. Bake 20 minutes and serve immediately. 2 servings.
Ingredients:
Preheat oven to 450°. Place the melted butter in the ramekin and add 4 tsp cream. Carefully break two eggs into the ramekin. Dot with goat cheese and top with remaining 2 tsp cream. Place ramekin in a baking dish and fill with boiling water to reach halfway up the sides of the ramekin. Bake until the egg white is milky and the yolk has begun to set (8-10 minutes). Serve immediately. 1 serving.
As we mentioned, the formula for this recipe can be expanded to serve any number of people. After trying the recipe, we would suggest putting the ramekins into the baking dish, placing the dish in the oven and then adding the boiling water. Trying to carry the dish, once it was filled, was tricky.
Vinaigrette:
Ingredients:
Place cubed beef in a plastic zipper bag with the garlic, sugar, salt and pepper. Shake well and refrigerate for 1-2 hours. Mix vinaigrette ingredients and set aside.
Heat wok or large non-stick pan over high heat. Add 2 TBS oil. When the oil begins to smoke, add the beef. Cook beef, stirring constantly. When beef is cooked to desired doneness, add 2 TBS vinaigrette and shake pan to thoroughly coat. Spoon the beef over lettuce and add vinaigrette as desired.
Ingredients:
Snap off tough ends of asparagus and remove scales, if desired. Cut the spears in half and place in a steamer basket over boiling water. Cover and steam just until crisp-tender. Blanch with cold water and drain on paper towels.
Rub the steaks with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the steaks and cook 3-5 minutes on each side, or to desired degree of doneness. Remove steaks, and keep warm; reserve drippings in pan. Preheat broiler. Stir wine and consomme into the drippings and increase heat to high. Cook, stirring often, until reduced to 1/2 cup. Add half-and-half and cook, stirring constantly until reduced to desired consistency.
Place steaks on broiler pan and top with steamed asparagus. Crumble blue cheese over the steaks and broil just until the cheese melts. Serve immediately with sauce. 4 servings.
When we made this recipe initially, asparagus was not readily available, so we substituted steamed broccoli. Our other substitutions were whipping cream for the half-and-half and beef broth for the consomme. We finally decided that we preferred the vegetables served on the side rather than on top of the steak. If you have had problems finding Clemson's blue cheese, it can be ordered directly by calling 864-656-3242. The cheese is shipped overnight and the cost for a wheel, 28 oz., (including shipping) is $16.50. Smaller amounts can be ordered as well.
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