Potato and Egg Tartlets

So these are good. Really, really good. I completely cheated on the recipe from seven spoons with a shortcut on the potatoes, so I bet the actual recipe is even better. I simply couldn't wait any longer for these beautiful little tarts to be in my belly.




Potato and Egg Tartlets
Inspired by seven spoons

Ingredients:
1.5 tablespoons butter
2 medium potatoes
6 large eggs
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves
1.5 tablespoon minced fresh flat leaf parsley
2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 medium shallot, minced
2 teaspoon minced garlic
2 tbps heavy cream
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 450ºF.

Slice the potatoes very thinly. As thin as you can get them. The original recipe suggests that you use a mandoline or the blade of a food processor. I have neither of these things. Therefore, I know it's at least feasible with a knife, though probably much more of a pain in the ass.


Melt the tablespoon of butter in a large pan. Saute the potato slices with salt and pepper until the potatoes are just soft enough to be pliable, and transfer off the heat. While the potatoes are cooking, combine the herbs and Parmesan cheese in a small bowl. Set the mixture aside.


Using six small tart pans or ring moulds about 4" wide, arrange the potato slices in a concentric and overlapping circle to line the pans, beginning from the outside in to the center. Most of the bottom should be filled up, but small cracks are fine since the egg will seep through just a little bit and hold the whole tart together.

In a small sauté pan, melt the remaining butter and saute the shallot and garlic over low heat until translucent, about 10 minutes. Divide the shallot mixture evenly amongst the tart pans.

Carefully crack one egg into each pan. Sprinkle the herb and cheese mixture over each, and spoon a little bit of cream on top. Season well with salt and pepper.



Place tarts on a baking sheet and put in the oven for 12-15 minutes, until the whites are cooked and just set. They'll continue to cook a little more even after they've been taken out of the oven, so this should be taken into account when considering how done you like your eggs.

Allow the eggs to sit for a minute. Use the tip of a butter knife to loosen the tart and slide out onto plates. Delicious sprinkled a little bit of Tabasco for those who like it hot. Serve up immediately with some toast and mimosas for a light and lovely brunch.

Ghetto Asian Noodle Soup

Ingredients:
10-12 large shrimp, tail-off
beansprouts or any other veggies on hand
a big handful of soba noodles
2 stems of scallions, chopped
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup ketchup
2 tbsp rice vinegar
a dash of sesame oil
1/2 tsp fish sauce
4-5 cups water


Bring a large pot of water to a boil; simultaneous heat the 4-5 cups of water to a boil in a small pot, and then reduce to medium heat.

Add the soy sauce, ketchup, vinegar, and fish sauce into the small pot and stir thoroughly. Let simmer.

Cook the noodles in the large pot - soba noodles should only take a few minutes - and add the shrimp and veggies to the soup base. Transfer cooked noodles over, and season to desired taste. Add in a dash of sesame oil and the scallions at the very end.

Don't skip the ketchup, even if it sounds bizarre. Well, it is bizarre, but it makes a bizarrely awesome soup, like the kind that they serve at cheap Chinese restaurants made almost entirely of ketchup and cabbage.

Sweet Chili Shrimp

Ingredients:
1/2 pound frozen shrimp
1 pound squash & zucchini, cut into pieces
a handful of mini sweet peppers, sliced
3 large cloves of garlic, chopped
1 stem of scallions, sliced
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup water
2-3 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp black vinegar
2 tsp chili garlic sauce or sriracha
a splash of fish sauce
a couple tsp of oil
a tbsp of cornstarch and a little water

Thaw the shrimp under cold running water.

Heat the oil up in a large pan and add in the garlic and white part of the scallion. After a couple minutes, add in the the squash and bell peppers and saute until soft (a few minutes).


Add in all the various sauces with the sugar and water, and cook for another minute. Add the shrimp in with the remaining green part of the scallions, and cook until the shrimp are perfectly pink.

Make a slurry by stirring the cornstarch into a small amount of water; while stirring the dish, add the slurry in slowly and wait for the sauce to thicken. Adjust the sauce to taste, and serve up with some steamed sticky rice and a little more chili sauce. Quick and dericious.

Tomato Basil Soup

Remember those days when I used to take at least a single photo of everything I attempted in the kitchen? And ate foods besides bagelwiches and breakfast burritos? Me neither.


A single out-of-season recipe to represent the entire fall season.



Tomato Basil Soup




Tomato Basil Soup

Ingredients:
1/2 large onion, sliced
3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
pat of butter
3-4 medium tomatoes, petite diced
1/4 cup chopped basil
1 can Campbell's condensed tomato soup
2.5 cups chicken stock
splash of red wine (optional)
1 cup water
salt & pepper




Heat the butter over medium low and slowly saute the onions with the garlic until translucent and slightly caramelized. When the onions are ready, add in the chopped tomatoes and cook for an additional minute.

Add in the tomato soup with the chicken stock, water, and wine.

Let simmer for 20-30 minutes if you're paddling around the kitchen doing other things. Let simmer for "a bit" if you desperately want that soup now. At this point, you can puree in a food processor (and add in a little cream) for a creamy, smooth soup, but I like chunky.


Add in the chopped basil (I had sweet purple basil from the farmer's market and it worked lovely as well), and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve up with some crusty bread or toasted croutons.




Mmm, mmm... good.