QUICKIE, Tracy got an AirFyer... the Power Air Fryer Oven Pro...

QUICK, egg and toast in the air fryer

Get a ramekin, throw some butter in it and crack an xl large egg in.  My eggs are room temperature.  Split one of my homemade griddle breads, or an english muffin or grab some bread

PUT the egg in the back and the bread in the front, middle rack.

Set temp to 365 (no, we don't preheat, we're not that awful Instantpot Vortex machine)
Set time to 7 minutes.

Make coffee, think about your day, that's about all you have time for.

DING

Done

 

  

seriously, THAT easy

enjoy/

Tracy

*** I had, tried and HATED the Instantpot Vortex oven, so so many reasons. if you're thinking about getting one, don't, just trust me on this one. 

I HIGHLY recommend the Power Air Fryer Oven Pro.  I've had the Elite and the Pro and love them both.  They're loud, sure, but it's air but (so far) they heat, cook evenly and I've made the most delicious rotisserie chickens in my LIFE in this thing.

Poached eggs, perfect every single time, this is a method, not a recipe, c'mon, you can do it

       

TRACY'S POACHED EGGS

THIS is my method for making poached eggs... they're perfect every single time, you an make one or a bunch for a crowd.  SO easy and completely foolproof, seriously, trust me

in  pan of boiling water at least 1 1/2 inched deep, transfer an egg from a small dish, remove from heat immediately and time for 3 minutes.  remove with slotted spoon, leat.

BUT I couldn't leave it alone, so I made toast, added some of the salmon I hot smoked yesterday (yes, recipe on the blog) and put the egg on top then draped some of my cheater hollandaise (yes, on the blog) over it and ate it.  it was so crazy delicious.

IF you like a firmer egg, add 30 second increments till you hit your sweet spot.  MINE is a cooked through but still tender white and a custard runny yolk.

Go make some poached eggs...  then tart them up!

Here's the howto:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iaBbwt1Llo0

My easiest ever (enriched) cream scrambled eggs

I don't like to post silly small things I cook BUT a friend asked, so here it is.  My eggs. This pic is the eggs with a little hollandaise drizzled on, seriously, c'mon,

I like to bake eggs, I put some cream in a shallow small dish and crack a couple of eggs on/in the cream, I add salt and pepper and bake in a 450 oven for 12 minutes, for me it results in a set white and creamy yolk and of course, the warm cream all around.  I wondered, a few years ago, if I could do the same with scrambled eggs and if I could do it on the stove, just for me. I learned I can and I do and I did... here ya go, you're going to thank me later.

TRACY'S EASY CREAM SCRAMBLED EGGS

2-3 TB heavy cream
2 eggs
salt, pepper
butter
toast, you MUST have hot buttered toast.

Ok, here's the youtube video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gVQlSxk_l9Q

Here's some pics, c'mon, eggs, cream and butter? 

  

go

do it

/enjoy

My soft boiled eggs, doesn't make sense but it's super easy and always perfect

So, let's be clear, I didn't invent this method, I found it in some ancient cookbook that I had when I was living in Canada, 25? years ago? I love discovering odd ways to cook then doing it and finding it works beautifully.  This is one of those methods.

There's a hundred thousand ways to make soft boiled eggs, in the oven, pressure cooker, toaster oven, microwave and on the stove in lots of water, no water and just a little water.  I'm on team 1/2 inch.  I've been doing soft boiled eggs this way for as long as I can remember, in two different countries, actually three because I made them like this when I lived in England.

This isn't a recipe, it's a method.  Don't blink seriously it's that fast.

Put 1/2 inch of water in any pan you own with a lid.
Bring the water to a boil, no, no salt or anything.
Add as many eggs as you want, I usually want one or two.
Put eggs in wildly boiling water, cover, set timer for 6 1/2 minutes, that's six and a half.

Make toast or whatever you want to eat with your eggs.

Remove eggs from water after timer goes off and peel under room temperature water, cool enough so you can handle the eggs.

Place on plate, toast or sandwich or however you're going to eat them.

Devour with greed and love.

Here's the silly video I made to go along :)

  make eggs, they're delicious and perfect every.single.time.

xox

/enjoy

Mini crustless quiche in those little jars, so easy, so handy, so delicious, did i mention so easy?

I like little quiches and I can never ever be bothered to deal with pastry in the morning.  I have been making little mini quiches in little mini muffin tins for about a hundred years.  when I got my pressure cookers a few years ago, I went through a phase of seeing what I could cook in little jars in the pressure cooker.  The list was LONG and basically I haven't had any failures yet.  I started making quiche in these little jars a few years back and never thought they were particularly recipe worthy or video worthy.  A friend asked me if I would please do a recipe and a video so here it is.

You don't need any fancy equipment.  I use these little 4 oz jars but you can use ramekins or whatever little vessels you have  NO need for any high ticket items.  I do own some silicone mini holder things that work fine but I think I actually prefer the little jars for cooking, storing, cleaning and just I may be a card carrying little jar addict.

  

Here's the

TRACY'S MINI CRUST-LESS QUICHE 

IN LITTLE JARS; IN THE PRESSURE COOKER

INGREDIENTS

eggs
milk
salt, pepper, herbs if you like
green onions
any other item you like in a quiche
peppers
onions
garlic
bacon
cheese
cooked vegetables
tomatoes
anything from the garden
anything from the freezer
anything from the pantry

truly, the list is endless, use what you like.

METHOD

Butter jars or ramekins well.  Half fill them loosely with whatever filling you like.  Fill the jars with eggs (one per jar/ramekin) and some milk mixed with salt, pepper and herbs if you like.

Place jars, uncovered, on trivet in pressure cooker over TWO CUPS of water.
LOCK AND LOAD on HIGH pressure for 8 minutes, leave for 3 minutes after timer stops.
Release remaining pressure, remove to rack (with tongs!) and allow to cool before covering and storing.  OR run a knife around the edge, and tip out onto a plate and eat eat eat

Here's the video, these are so easy, seriously, just go make these

DRIVE BY RECIPE; Scotch Eggs with itty bitty Quail egg, yes I did

I ended up with some peeled quail eggs, yeah, and thought to myself, "myself what shall we do with these little darlings?"  Reminder:  I get mine at Texas Quail Farms in Lockhart, Texas... www.texquail.com

((EPIPHANY MOMENT))

Scotch eggs!

I'll write out detailed instructions with amounts, but for those of you who cook...  check it out:

DRIVE BY RECIPE:  TRACY'S QUAIL SCOTCH EGGS

*NO, I don't have pics of the play by play, I didn't know they'd turn out so amazing.  I will upload more pics when I make the next batch which will be soon!!!!!


Take some boiled, peeled, quail eggs you know my trick, do it.
http://www.tracycooksinaustin.com/2016/06/quail-eggs-how-to-cook-them-how-to-peel.html

Dry them and roll them lightly in flour, pat most of it off, just no wet spots.

Roll the eggs in some sausage meat.  I press a palm sized piece in my hand, thin, and lay the egg in the middle and wrap.  Be sure there's no egg peeking through, roll it around in your hands to seal pretty well.

Dip the sausage wrapped eggs in beaten egg

Dip the egg coated, sausage wrapped egg in bread crumbs.

Preheat oil in shallow pan to medium heat.  Place the bread crumb coated, egg coated, sausage wrapped, hard boiled quail eggs.

Fry on medium heat till each side is brown.  Transfer to a preheated 350 oven for about 10 minutes.

Drain, salt, eat eat eat

   

  

you are NOT going to be disappointed and no, it wasn't fussy or fiddly, go, now, make some!

/enjoy

tracy

PS:  Ok, I don't want to brag or anything but Robert came by to test and he liked 'em!  Yeah, that's high praise indeed

QUAIL EGGS, how to cook them, how to peel them and the best trick you will ever know, seriously, you're so welcome

I have a friend, here in Texas, his name is Robert and he's 84 years old and a recent widower,  I met him about 4 years ago, at a rifle club, where my son shoots precision pellets, but that's another story.

Robert has been adopted by my family, along with another couple whom I simply adore, but I'll embarrass them another time.  Back to Robert.

He loves quail eggs and asked if I would go with him to south Lockhart to get some.  He'd brought me eggs he'd pickled before and they were yummy.

We drove to Texas Quail, www.TexQuail.com , a wonderfully modern, clean yet way out in the country place to get our eggs.

**No, they didn't pay me or offer me free eggs or quail.  I just wanted to share with you where I got the eggs.  I did tell them I had a food blog, I did ask for a card but that's the extent.  I was tickled when we walked in to hear one of the wrangler wearing dudes rush out with an eager hand to greet Robert back, things like country charm and manners and politeness simply delight me and on that basis alone, I'd give them my business.**

I found out that TexQuail supplies HEB with these, boxed, frozen quail and while I have your attention, you need to go buy it, I have bought the whole quail and roasted them to absolute deliciousness, that's another post, but before I get it up, go and try any of these products, you will not be disappointed and you're buying local.  I didn't buy them before because I thought they were prepared cooked seasoned but they're not, it's just beautiful packaging  Try them, you'll like them. I promise.

Back to my gobsmacked moment...

While we drove to Lockhart from Austin, I drove, Robert and I talked about, amongst other things, quail and quail eggs.  I love them, I told him but they're a pain to peel if you want to boil them for anything.  He looked over at me and started to laugh, in a deep, low, back country, genuine laugh.  You just don't know how't'do'it. He used to raise quail so I had a reasonable amount of faith in his insights. This was yet another moment in time where I was absolutely and totally at the mercy of an old worlder who knew long ago common sense stuff that I needed to know.  I'm going to share with you now exactly how to do it.  I tested, twice, three times, to be sure it wasn't a fluke,  how on earth did I live this long and NOT know how to peel a quail egg...  seriously, thanks Robert, you've rocked my world

THIS is how to do it, there's no recipe, this is a method:

TRACY PEELS QUAIL EGGS

yep, that's the title we're going with

Step one, obtain quail eggs. If you're local, go down to TexasQuail (www.texquail.com) and head into the office, you can tell them you saw this post but you're not getting anything free because of me, just sayin'.  They are $3/dozen.

Bring enough water to generously cover the eggs to a boil, I add a little salt.  I put the eggs into a dry ladle to transfer them to the boiling water, set timer for 5 minutes.  You want a gentle boil, not a witch cauldron boil

    

DING!  after 5 minutes, drain quickly and put the eggs in a jar, cover with plain vinegar.  SERIOUSLY, you have to trust me... 

   

YES, the vinegar looks like it's boiling, it's not, YES the color is coming off the eggs, it's freaking me out  and does every single time.

   

I skim the brown every little bit and they're turning WHITE?! The dots fall off??  WHAT?
Robert told me to just leave them on the counter, covered in vinegar but an open jar and just forget about them. He said he usually leaves them over night, (because he cooks them then goes to bed) so the shell disintegrates completely and you just have to peel the membrane.

 

At 4 hours, I couldn't stand it and picked one out... (OH NO WAY)  ITS like LEATHER!?!?!  Robert told me to pinch the fat end and pop the small air bubble and the "shell" will fall away with a gentle pull.  So, pull I do...

   

NO WAY!  It's peeled, perfectly, smoothly, no digs or pully bits, no divots, no holes, just smooth and clean.  Wow, did I mention wow? I rinsed it quickly in clear water, and now to get in there

  

PERFECT, the white is tender, the yolk perfectly hard cooked, I like to sprinkle it with salt and pepper and pop them in my mouth,  Fully expecting the egg to wreak like and taste like vinegar, nope, nuts, nothing.  Doesn't taste like anything except quail egg.  Robert told me the membrane protects the egg from tasting like vinegar, I didn't believe him, I was SO wrong.

I still simply do not believe it worked and I still do not believe they don't taste like vinegar.  How on earth did I get this old and not know this trick?  

Share this with everyone you know but be sure to credit Robert, through me, because I wouldn't have believed this method would work or even try it if it had come from anyone else. 

There you go, now you can pickle, eat, devil or slice quail eggs to your heart's content

Wow, Robert... got any more culinary secrets you thought "everyone with sense" knew?   I'm going to walk around with a pad and paper to steal the tidbits from now on!!  THANKS !

/enjoy 

Tracy

DRIVE BY baked eggs with mashed potatoes and hollandaise (if you have it) and hard, crunchy toast

When I was a kid, the number one thing I got when I was sick was a bowl of mashed potatoes with a poached egg on top.  The runny yolk would turn the potatoes a bright marigold yellow and the firm and tender white with the soft sweet mashed potatoes, well, it was culinary nirvana to me.

SO, when mum emailed me about a :new" mashed potato egg dish she'd seen on TV and we laughed about the fact she'd been making it for EONS,  There's no new ideas people, just versions of the same revolving in space.  So, in light of the "new" combination, I had to throw it together, in trendy form, what my mother had made us for YEARS, to share.  It goes quickly so pay attention:

DRIVE BY RECIPE:  BAKED (ON THE STOVETOP) EGGS IN MASHED POTATO WITH HOLLANDAISE

1.  Obtain little pots, use any cocotte you can get your hands on.  i have two sizes of these little lidded pots, I have red minis which are great for an egg with a little cream but to add potatoes, MY new personal favorite is the 8 oz Sur la Table oven to table STONEWARE MINI COCOTTES (I have yellow!)  NO, I am NOT paid to recommend an item

http://www.surlatable.com/product/PRO-2303337/?affsrcid=AFF0005&adpos=1o3&creative=45091875941&device=c&matchtype=&network=g&gclid=Cj0KEQjwzq63BRCrtIuGjImRoIIBEiQAGLHdYbGtSv3ysklzHbhfLN-yRLxpq51viiqadPz5R7QSeUYaAutD8P8HAQ

butter the little pots and line then with left over mashed potatoes.  I use a fork to 'grate' the cold potatoes in so they don't clump and stay fluffy when they're reheated

2.  break an egg over the potatoes, into the pot.

3.  Put pot in a pan with room temperature water that comes about half way up the outside of the cocotte.

4.  Put a lid on the sauce pan and turn it on HIGH, when it comes to a boil, turn to low to simmer until the egg is cooked to your liking.  *I* like firm white and runny yellow.  You can lift the lid on the saucepan to look, just jiggle it to see how loose the egg is :)

5.  Make toast, crunchy toast, use homemade bread.  Butter it liberally and cut it into strips (soldiers!) to use to dip through the egg and into the potato, yeah, it's that good.

6.  when the egg is done to your liking drizzle a little hollandaise over it, if you have any, and shove toast in an eat with abandon, joyfully

SIDE DRIVE BY RECIPE:  EASY HOLLANDAISE

I make this recipe and put it in a small mason jar and keep it in the fridge up to a week.  Easily.  Take the lid off the jar and nuke gently to bring to room temperature or slightly warmer as many times as you can in the week.  Trust me, I do it all the time and we have not been poisoned.

I use a stick blender to make this version of a quickie hollandaise and it's indistinguishable from the 'classic' stirred over a water bath version.

IN a tall bottle, jar, vessel just slightly wider than the head of a stick blender put:

1 egg yolk (XL or the largest of the eggs you have)
1 Tablespoon water
2 tsp lemon juice (or more if you want it more tart)
salt

Put your stick blender in and whip like crazy

SLOWLY drizzle in one stick of melted butter while you blend continously.

DONE, season to taste with cayenne or paprika or herbs or whatever floats your boat.  Keep on counter to use same day other than that, store it in the fridge and heat GENTLY to loosen to use through the week.

Here are a few pics...  driveby recipes are result only :)

 

grab leftovers, throw them in a pot, crack an egg over and steam bake till they're done