Huevos rancheros

From Cook's Illustrated

Serves 2 to 4. Published January 1, 2006.

To save time in the morning, make the salsa the day before and store it overnight in the refrigerator. For extra-spicy salsa, add some of the reserved jalapeño ribs and seeds to taste. If you need to hold the tortillas for a short time, cover the baking sheet with foil. If you like, serve with refried beans (see related recipe).

Ingredients

3	medium jalapeño chiles , halved, seeds and ribs removed (see note above)
1 1/2	pounds plum tomatoes (about 8 medium), cored and halved
1/2	medium yellow onion , cut into 1/2-inch wedges
2	medium cloves garlic , peeled
1	tablespoon tomato paste
	Table salt
3	tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2	teaspoon ground cumin
1/8	teaspoon cayenne pepper
3	tablespoons minced fresh cilantro leaves
	Ground black pepper
1 - 2	tablespoons fresh lime juice from 1 or 2 limes, plus additional lime cut into wedges for serving
4	corn tortillas
4	large eggs

Instructions

1. 1. FOR THE SALSA: Adjust oven rack to middle position; heat oven to 375 degrees. Mince one jalapeño and set aside. In medium bowl, combine tomatoes, remaining jalapeños, onion, garlic, tomato paste, 1 teaspoon salt, 2 tablespoons oil, cumin, and cayenne; toss to mix thoroughly. Place vegetables cut side down on rimmed baking sheet. Roast until tomatoes are tender and skins begin to shrivel and brown, 35 to 45 minutes; cool on baking sheet for 10 minutes. Increase oven heat to 450 degrees. Using tongs, transfer roasted onions, garlic, and jalapeños to bowl of food processor. Process until almost completely broken down, about 10 seconds, pausing halfway through to scrape sides of bowl with rubber spatula. Add tomatoes and process until salsa is slightly chunky, about 10 seconds more. Add 2 tablespoons cilantro, reserved minced jalapeño, salt, pepper, and lime juice to taste.

2. 2. FOR THE TORTILLAS: Brush both sides of each tortilla lightly with remaining tablespoon oil, sprinkle both sides with salt, and place on clean baking sheet. Bake until tops just begin to color, 5 to 7 minutes; flip tortillas and continue to bake until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes more.

3. 3. FOR THE EGGS: Meanwhile, bring salsa to gentle simmer in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. Remove from heat and make four shallow wells in salsa with back of large spoon. Break 1 egg into cup, then carefully pour egg into well in salsa; repeat with remaining eggs. Season each egg with salt and pepper to taste, then cover skillet and place over medium-low heat. Cook until desired doneness: 4 to 5 minutes for runny yolks, 6 to 7 minutes for set yolks.

4. 4. TO SERVE: Place tortillas on serving plates; gently scoop one egg onto each tortilla. Spoon salsa around each egg, covering tortillas, but leaving portion of eggs exposed. Sprinkle with remaining cilantro and serve with lime wedges.

Three Steps to Better Huevos Rancheros

ROAST: Slow-roasting improved the flavor of supermarket tomatoes while intensifying the other salsa ingredients.

TOAST: Crisping store-bought tortillas in the oven yielded the best texture -- light and crispy, not tough or greasy.

POACH: Poaching the eggs in small wells made in the salsa improved their flavor and left us with just one pot to watch.

Lime meringue tart

From David Lebovitz

I once asked a restaurateur, who owns restaurants in European and in America, what he thought was the main difference between the food in American and the food in Europe.

"Everything's very sweet," he replied, right away.

I thought about it for a moment, and considering everyone's got their panties in a knot about all the sweeteners that are dumped into everything from tomato sauce, bottled salad dressings, to supermarket bread, he's got a point. A lot of stuff that doesn't need to be sweetened, is. But one thing that we Americans do like is tart citrus desserts. The tangier, the more mouth-puckering, the better.

Backing up his claim, though, we do tend to pile ours up to the moon with whipped cream or sweet meringue. So he does have a point.

Although I like a super-tart filling underneath all those billows of fluff.

The French are famous for their tarte au Citron, but it's hard to find one a tarte that's very tart. Jacques Genin, who makes a pretty zippy one, is considered one of the best of the lot in Paris. And he uses limes.

Try to find limes that are actually golden-yellow in color when shopping. The dark green limes you see are limes that have been picked unripe then gassed to guard that color. When limes are yellow and ripe, they have a softer flavor, with a hint of citrusy sweetness. Ethnic markets, especially those catering to Asians and Latinos, are great places to look for them. Key Limes, if you can find them, are the classic.

Reluctantly I'm the unofficial dessert ambassador around here, and there, so for the Lime Tart I made for a recent birthday picnic here in Paris, I chose to add ring of meringue around the perimeter of the tart, which pleased everyone.

Lime Meringue Tart

One 9-inch (22cm) tart; 8 servings

Ripe limes will yield a lot more juice than hard, underripe specimens. Like all citrus, when choosing them at the market, heft as many as you can (which in Paris, is normally interdit, although I try to sneak and do it anyways); the heaviest ones have the most juice. And be sure to squeeze limes that are at room temperature, rolling them firmly on the counter beforehand to rupture the juice sacs within to get as much juice out as possible.

Lemon-lovers can substitute lemon juice for the lime juice and reduce the sugar by 1 tablespoon.

8 tablespoons (115g) butter, salted or unsalted, cut into pieces
3/4 cup (180ml) freshly-squeezed lime juice (from about 5-6 limes)
3/4 cups (150g) sugar
zest of two limes, unsprayed (see Note)
pinch of salt
3 large egg yolks
3 large eggs

2 large egg whites
5 tablespoons (75g) sugar
pinch of salt
a few drops vanilla extract

One recipe French tart dough, pre-baked, or another favorite tart dough

Preheat the oven to 375º (180ºC.)

1. In a medium-sized saucepan, warm the butter, lime juice, sugar, zest, and salt.

2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs and the yolks.

3. When the butter has melted and the mixture is warm, gradually pour some of the warm lime juice mixture into the eggs, whisking constantly. Scrape the warmed eggs back into the saucepan and cook the mixture over low heat.

4. Stir the mixture constantly over low heat, using the whisk, until the filling thickens and begins to resemble soft jelly. Do not let it boil.

(For the intrepid, you can do this step in a large bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water instead of over direct heat.)

5. Remove from heat and scrape the filling into the pre-baked tart shell.

6. Bake for 10 minutes.

7. To make the meringue (see Note for alternative method), whisk together the egg whites, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer. Set the bowl over a pan of simmering water, and whisk it as it heats, checking it with an instant-read thermometer.

8. Once it reaches 140F (60C), transfer the bowl to the standing mixer and beat at high speed until cool, scraping down the sides once of the mixer bowl, midway during mixing, and add the vanilla. Whip until the meringue is light and fluffy.

9. Heat the broiler and move the oven rack to the top third of the oven.

10. Scraped the meringue into a pasty bag fitted with a star tip and pipe a ring around the perimeter of the tart. Or spread in a ring around the tart with a spatula.

11. Pop the tart under the broiler, watching carefully, as it will brown quickly. When the top begins to darken, remove the tart from the oven and cool completely before slicing.

Storage: The tart is best eaten the day it's made. You can refrigerate any leftovers. If you wish to make the lime filling in advance, you can make it and store it in the refrigerator for up to five days.

Notes: If you'd like to make a standard meringue, you can simply whip the whites on high speed to soft peaks. Gradually add the sugar and the salt, while whipping on high speed, until the meringue is shiny and stiff. Beat in the vanilla, then pipe or spread over the tart.

A few people have inquired what I mean by "unsprayed" when referring to limes, and other citrus fruits. That means that the fruit is either organic, or grown in a manner where the outside hasn't been sprayed with pesticides. Because you're using the zest of the fruit, I think it's a good idea to choose fruits that haven't been treated in that manner.

Depending on where you live, fruit may not be designated 'organic', because of the cost of certification, but may be labeled with another term: transitional, unsprayed, pesticide-free, and untreated. When in doubt, ask the produce supplier.

Individual fresh berry gratins with zabaglione topping

From Cook's Illustrated

Serves 4. Published July 1, 2009. From Cook's Illustrated.

When making the zabaglione, make sure to cook the egg mixture in a glass bowl over water that is barely simmering. Glass conducts heat more evenly and gently than metal. If the heat is too high, the yolks around the edges of the bowl will start to scramble. Constant whisking is required. Although we prefer to make this recipe with a mixture of raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, and strawberries, you can use 3 cups of just one type of berry. Do not use frozen berries. A broilerproof pie plate or gratin dish can be used in place of the individual gratin dishes. To prevent scorching, pay close attention to the gratins when broiling.

Ingredients

Berry Mixture
3	cups mixed berries (raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, and strawberries; strawberries stemmed and halved lengthwise if small, quartered if large), room temperature (see note)
2	teaspoons granulated sugar
	Pinch table salt
Zabaglione Topping
3	large egg yolks
3	tablespoons granulated sugar
3	tablespoons dry white wine such as Sauvignon Blanc
2	teaspoons light brown sugar
3	tablespoons heavy cream , chilled

Instructions

1. 1. FOR THE BERRY MIXTURE: Toss berries, sugar, and salt together in medium nonreactive bowl. Divide berry mixture evenly among 4 shallow 6-ounce gratin dishes set on rimmed baking sheet. Set berries aside to release juices while preparing zabaglione.

2. 2. FOR THE ZABAGLIONE: Whisk egg yolks, 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon granulated sugar, and wine in medium glass bowl until sugar is dissolved, about 1 minute. Set bowl over saucepan of barely simmering water (water should not touch bottom of bowl) and cook, whisking constantly, until mixture is frothy. Following photos below, continue to cook, whisking constantly, until mixture is slightly thickened, creamy, and glossy, 5 to 10 minutes (mixture will resemble hollandaise and form loose mounds when dripped from whisk). Remove bowl from saucepan and whisk constantly for 30 seconds to cool slightly. Transfer bowl to refrigerator and chill until egg mixture is completely cool, about 10 minutes.

3. 3. Meanwhile, adjust oven rack 6 to 7 inches from heating element and heat broiler. Combine light brown sugar and remaining 2 teaspoons granulated sugar in small bowl.

4. 4. In large bowl, whisk heavy cream until it holds soft peaks, 30 to 90 seconds. Using rubber spatula, gently fold whipped cream into cooled egg mixture. Spoon zabaglione over berries and sprinkle sugar mixture evenly over zabaglione; let stand at room temperature for 10 minutes, until sugar dissolves into zabaglione.

5. 5. Broil until sugar is bubbly and caramelized, 1 to 4 minutes. Serve immediately.

Stages of Zabaglione

1. LIQUID BEGINNING
Mixture starts out fluid and loose. Whisking develops foamy air bubbles, which lighten mixture as it heats.

2. DEVELOPING VOLUME
With further whisking and cooking, mixture expands, thickens, and begins to turn creamy.

3. SHINY AND THICK
Zabaglione is ready when glossy and creamy, with consistency resembling hollandaise sauce.

Lemon zabaglione topping
3	large egg yolks
3	tablespoons granulated sugar
2	tablespoons dry white wine such as Sauvignon Blanc
1	tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1	teaspoon lemon zest , finely grated
2	teaspoons light brown sugar
3	tablespoons heavy cream , chilled

Honey-lavender zabaglione topping
1/4	cup dry white wine such as Sauvignon Blanc
2	teaspoons dried lavender blossom
3	large egg yolks
2	tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
2	teaspoon honey
2	teaspoons light brown sugar
3	tablespoons heavy cream , chilled

Avgolemono (Greek egg-lemon soup)

From Cook's Illustrated

Makes about 8 cups, serving 6 to 8. Published March 1, 2000.

Homemade chicken stock gives this soup the best flavor and body; in a pinch, use low-sodium canned chicken broth. The longer the final soup cooks after the eggs have been added, the thicker it becomes. About 5 minutes of heating produces a soft, velvety texture; any longer and the soup begins to turn pasty. Scallions and fresh mint, individually or together, make simple and flavorful garnishes. Serve the soup immediately; it thickens to a gravylike consistency when reheated.

Ingredients

2	quarts chicken stock , preferably homemade (see related recipe)
1/2	cup long grain white rice
1	bay leaf
4	green cardamom pods , crushed, or 2 whole cloves
12	lemon zest strips , about 1-inch x 4-inch pieces), from 1 1/2 medium lemons (see illustration below)
1 1/2	teaspoons table salt
2	large eggs , preferably at room temperature
2	large egg yolks , preferably at room temperature
1/4	cup lemon juice from zested lemons
1	large scallion , sliced thin, and/or 3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint leaves

Instructions

1. 1. Bring chicken stock to boil in medium nonreactive saucepan over high heat. Add rice, bay leaf, cloves or cardamom, lemon zest, and salt; reduce heat to medium and simmer until rice is tender and stock is aromatic from lemon zest, 16 to 20 minutes. With slotted spoon, remove and discard bay leaf, cloves or cardamom, and zest strips; increase heat to high and return stock to boil, then reduce heat to low.
   

2. 2. Whisk eggs, yolks, and lemon juice lightly in medium nonreactive bowl until combined. Whisking constantly, slowly ladle about 2 cups hot stock into egg mixture; whisk until combined. Pour egg-stock mixture back into saucepan; cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until soup is slightly thickened and wisps of steam appear, 4 to 5 minutes. Do not simmer or boil. Divide soup among serving bowls, sprinkle with scallion and/or mint; serve immediately.