Simple Spring

This morning has been so lazy and amazing. Typically, I'm a busy little bee but for now I'm taking some time to enjoy things at a slower pace. My breakfast was had in two parts, with time for digestion between them. Both parts were very uncomplicated yet they elicited so much enjoyment, I had to share them.

Yesterday was the first day of the Allen Street Farmer's Market. Even though tomatoes aren't yet in season, one of the farmers has a greenhouse and he'd picked tomatoes that very morning. I had to have one, even though waiting would build anticipation, I just couldn't pass it up. There was an abundance of salad greens, so much so that when I bought lettuce I was given a free bag of arugula! I also bought a dozen fresh eggs (the only way I buy eggs: from local farmers). Putting them together this morning on a slice of toast was perfect, and so easy. Poaching eggs can be difficult at times and everyone seems to have their own little trick for doing it. Mine is to keep the water boiling and just deep enough so that the white of the egg is covered. A fresh egg yolk pops up and therefore won't cook at the same rate as what is under the boiling water. Peppery arugula, sweet juicy tomato and a rich creamy egg yolk atop a hearty slice of bread could hardly be improved upon.
In my last post, I told you about the yogurt I make based on a recommendation and recipe in the book "French Women Don't Get Fat". I'm telling you, this yogurt is the best. So simple. I rarely enjoy food more than when I take tiny bites of the smooth and tangy yogurt that melts on my tounge with a richness that surpasses that of any ice cream I have ever tasted (and certainly any store bought yogurt). This morning, I decided to dress it up with a drizzle of local honey... to die for!
Although summer is certainly calling me, I'm in no hurry to answer. Let the spring season lull you into a sweet contentment and you will simply stay well fed.

Poached Egg on Toast with Tomato and Arugula

Ingredients:
1 local egg (doesn't matter what color the shell is)
1 fresh slice of any variety beefsteak tomato (eaten as close to the time it's picked as possible)
1/4 cup arugula
1 slice any hearty bread (sourdough, hearty wheat or oat are good options)
sea salt and black pepper

1. Fill a small frying pan with water, about 1 inch high, bring water to a boil.
2. Crack egg on a flat surface and break it open over the boiling water.
3. With a slotted spoon or spatula, be sure the egg isn't touching the bottom of the pan but try to move it as little as possible so the egg white doesn't break apart too much.
4. Turn the heat down to medium-high and allow the water to simmer until the entire egg white is opaque.
5. While the egg is cooking:
cut a thick slice of the tomato
rinse off the arugula (cut off any long or thick stems)
toast the bread to desired crispiness
6. Top the toast with the arugula and tomato slice.
7. Once the egg white is fully cooked, scoop the egg out with the slotted spoon and allow all the water to drain off the egg.
8. Place the egg atop the tomato slice and top with freshly ground sea salt and black pepper.

Optional: Add a slice of swiss cheese to the toast before topping it with the vegetables.

For those of you who don't appreciate runny egg yolks, flip the egg while it's in the water and allow it to cook all the way through. Add a spread to the toast such as pesto, butter or greek yogurt before topping it with veggies since you won't have the moisture of the runny yolk from the original recipe.

Accomplishments

Yes, I am graduating tonight! Yesterday was my last day as a student at Michigan State University and although I'm going to stay here and work through the summer, I miss it already. However, the feeling I had this morning when I woke up and had no worries about any academic responsibilites was pretty damn good. I plan to enjoy it while it lasts. Come August, I will be moving to Dekalb IL to attend graduate school at NIU. I am excited but for now I am content.
This entry comes after many months of nothing, I know, and I hope you've stayed well fed in the meantime, as I have. I saw my friend Ron Clark last weekend and he urged me to write about food again. Since there is no culinary opinion I value more highly than his, here we are!
A while ago, I made these croissants from scratch. They turned out perfect! The day they came out of the oven, I couldn't help but eat two while they were still warm. Quite a few people asked for the recipe: here it is.
This recipe comes from one of my favorite books of all time: "French Women Don't Get Fat: The Secret of Eating for Pleasure" by Mireille Guiliano. I highly recommend this book to everyone who loves food and I'm guessing you wouldn't be reading this if you didn't. She includes a number of simple recipes that will keep you very well fed. Among them is a recipe for making your own yogurt, which I do. Once you begin making your own yogurt, you won't be able to go back to those highly packaged, highly sugared yogurts from the store that taste nothing like real yogurt. That recipe, like this one, takes very little actual preparation time. The real requirment for both recipes is patience. As you can see, making these buttery, flaky gems takes three days but it's hardly three days of hard labor. She recommends starting on a Friday evening when you'll be spending the weekend at home. Sunday morning, it may be the last day of your weekend but it'll be the first day of a delicious week! This recipe makes 12 so be sure you have someone to share with. I've learned that sometimes being well fed means feeding others well. When making this one remember: patience, pleasure and people make a great recipe. Bon Appetit.

Croissants
Makes 12

Ingredients

1 cup milk plus 2 Tbsp to brush over croissants
2 tsp active dry yeast
2 1/4 cups plus 3 Tbsp sifted all purpose flour
2 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
12 Tbsp sweet unsalted butter

For glaze: 1 egg yolk mixed with 1 Tbsp milk

Friday Evening (Day 1):

1. Heat 1 cup of the milk to lukewarm. Dissolve the yeast in 1/4 cup of the lukewarm milk. Stir in 2 Tbsp flour (from the 2 1/4 cups) and whisk until there are no lumps. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand at room temp until doubled in volume (about 20 mins).

2. Mix the sugar and salt into the 2 1/8 cups flour.

3. Heat the remaining milk. Transfer the raised dough to the bowl of an eletric mixer fitted with the dough hook, add the lukewarm milk, and with the mixer at high speed, start adding the sugar, salt and flour (from step 2), a little at a time, reducing the speed to low-medium until the dough is sticky and soft. **For this step I did not have a dough hook, I used a regular mixer and it worked fine, just messier.

4. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Saturday morning (Day 2):

1. Bring the butter to room temperature and work it with the heel of your hand to incorporate the remaining 3 Tbsps of flour until smooth. Shape into a square.

2. Sprinkle the work surface (a marble slab is ideal) with the flour, shape the cold dough into a 6 x 15- inch rectangle, and spread the butter square on the upper 2/3 of the rectangle, leaving a 1/2-inch border around the sides and top. Fold the dough like a letter into thirds. Turn the dough counterclockwise (it will look like a notebook with the open flap on your right), and then again roll out the dough into a 6 x 15-inch rectangle and fold as before.

3. Transfer the dough to a baking pan, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 6 hours.

Saturday afternoon (Day 2)

Roll the dough 2 more times, wrap, and refrigerate overnight.

Sunday morning (Day 3)

1. About 1 1/2 hours before baking time, remove the dough from the refrigerator and sprinkle flour on the work surface. Roll the dough into a 16-inch circle, working as quickly as possible. Using a knife, cut the dough into quarters and then cut each quarter into 3 triangles.

2. With both hands, roll the based of eah triangle toward the remaining corner. Do not curl the ends in a croissant shape. Transfer the croissants to a baking sheet and brush with 2 Tbsps milk. Let stand at room temp for about 45 mins, or until they have doubled in volume.

3. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Brush the croissants with the glaze and bake for 15 to 20 mins. If they brown too fast, cover them loosely with foil and continue baking. Let cool 20 mins before serving.