Here's the menu:
Grilled bacon and sausage
home fries
scrambled eggs with sauteed veggies
french toast
fresh papaya
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Back to Basics - Starting with Breakfast
Cook like a pro in an ordinary kitchen
by Zach Brown
Today I made breakfast for my roommates. I wanted to make something simple but delicious. I think its a good thing to get back to the basics of cooking before anyone gets too crazy with fancy dishes and advanced food preparation. Let's start with the basics for now, and next time we can move on to something more complicated like duck a l'orange or cassoulet; two of my favorite dishes that take days of preparation, but are easy and work well with one another.
One thing I notice about home cooks is their lack of attention to seasoning. Shown below is a pot of potatoes in cold water with Kosher salt being added. There are two ingredients that set restaurant food apart from home food; Kosher salt and shallots. No shallots were used today, but Kosher salt was used liberally. Why Kosher salt? Two major reasons, it's much easier to hold in your fingers, and you'll be able to grab the same amount every time. With practice, you'll be able to taste your product, and grab the right amount of salt with your fingers to make the salt content perfect in your product. Your palate and fingers will work together over time. The second reason for using Kosher salt is the flavor. It has a much more mellow flavor and won't leave you tasting salt. Salt is used to bring out the flavors in food, not as a flavor by itself. Nobody wants to taste salt.
What I Did:
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Even at home, I cook like it's a cooking show. This is what we in the culinary field call Mise en Place (MEEZ ahn plahs), which means "everything has its place". What this means in the kitchen is when you think you're ready to start actually cooking something, you're not running around for anything. It's all right where you need it. Be it your veggies cut up like the picture to the right, or your glass of wine.
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I'm beginning to cook the veggies for the scrambled eggs. The cool thing is, this can be done way in advance and set aside. Once you add them to the eggs on the stove, they'll heat up again. No need to rush around. If you have your Mise en Place, there's no need to.
Start to saute the garlic in leftover bacon grease until golden, followed by the other veggies. When the onions turn translucent, add those potatoes.When the onions turn translucent, add those potatoes. |
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Add the mushrooms, which of course you've already chopped. And that brings me to knife skills.
Where do I begin........? All I can say is, practice, practice, practice! Tuck those fingers back, and never put your knife down. Use your free hand to gather more veggies to be chopped up by your flailing knife!
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Always start potatoes in cold salted water. When potatoes cook in water, they will absorb whatever flavors are around them, and because water has no flavor we need to add some. One large finger full should do it. If you're unsure, taste the water. It should be about as salty as the ocean, well maybe not that salty, but you get the idea.
Look! the potatoes are almost fork tender. If I were to cook them any longer, they'd turn to mush in the next steps, so the idea is to undercook them sightly. Go ahead and taste one, good enough to eat as is. The potatoes are still hot, so after strained, dump them in an ice bath (1 part water, 1 part ice). This will stop the cooking process and the potatoes will be ready for the next step. When adequately chilled, strain once more and set aside. |
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| Over medium heat, just let the potatoes get some color, turning occasionally and making sure not to burn them. When they reach the desired color, throw the whole pan in a warm oven, about 180F until you're ready to assemble the plates. |
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Make sure you season as you go! It's very important to season every layer of whatever you're cooking. Here I'm adding fresh ground pepper and salt.
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To the potato mixture, I added some ketchup. The sugars in the ketchup will aid in the browning of the finished product, and will add a little acid to the product. It really rounds out the flavor, and eliminates the need for condiments at the table. Maybe I'm cocky, but I never put condiments or salt and pepper on the table when I cook. |
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Browning some sausage. |
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The better the bread, the better the French Toast. Choose something that will absorb the egg wash. This beautiful bread is going to make some outstanding french toast. |
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The egg wash that I soaked the bread in is 3 eggs beaten, 3 Cups of milk, 1 T cinnamon, and a capful of pure vanilla extract. Easy stuff right? Browning the french toast in some butter. You might have noticed my use of butter, and bacon grease. If that sort of fat content offends you, adjust it in your kitchen, or stop reading right now. I don't cut fat intentionally, ever. Maybe that's what keeps them coming back for more. Maybe it's the MSG.... just kidding. |
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Ooh....golden brown. Here I'm browning the french toast in some butter. When the toast is done, I put in the oven @ 180F just to sit until I'm ready to use it. The french toast works for me, not the other way around.
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The last thing is obviously the scrambled eggs. Heat up the pan, and add some butter and those sauteed veggies from before. When sufficiently hot again, add the eggs and stir. If the veggies were sufficiently seasoned, your eggs will be perfect! |
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Here it all is. Served with a slice of papaya and some lemon, which by the way is a great combination. |
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Chef Zachary Brown showed an interest in
food at an early age and has worked very hard to make it
his career. Classically trained at Johnson & Wales and
mentored by chefs in numerous fine dining restaurants, Zach
has immense talent and and a deep commitment to the culinary
field.
He currently serves in the US Navy, and just
finished his tour on the USS Pasadena (SSN 752) attack submarine.
In December, Zach will begin his new job as an Enlisted Aide
Private Quarters Culinary Specialist in Washington D.C.
One day he hopes to own a restaurant in the
Boston area with an undisclosed theme. You'll just have to
stop by and see it for yourself.
If you have questions or comments, you may
email Zach at zepicurean@comcast.net
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