Month: February 2024

Eggs Benedict 2.0

I happen to love eggs benedict especially with high quality home raised eggs and my homemade hollandaise sauce. plus decent Canadian bacon and good gf English Muffins. I give my mom’s easy and foolproof hollandaise sauce recipe below. It is far superior to those weird blender recipes I see out there. and is really easy. Your welcome!

Recently I found a new recipe that I really prefer for the muffins. I have posted about this meal before not not with this particular recipe for English muffins. These are gf sourdough muffins. I used Mock Better Batter flour in mine. The recipe can be found at welcometomyglutenfreejourney.blospot.com

The ingredients are:

2 cups gf flour

1 tsp. xanthan gum (I used 1/2 tsp as my blend has some xanthan gum)

1 tsp. ground chia seeds

2 tsp. sugar

1.5 tsp salt

1/2 cup gf sourdough starter, active (no substitutions will work)

1 tsp. yeast (my insurance policy for no fail muffins)

1 cup warm filtered water; divided in half

1/2 cup room temp butermilk

1 large egg room temp

1 tbsp. sunflower oil or melted butter; I used oil

yellow cornmeal for sprinkling in rings before and after a big dollop of the dough which you spread with your fingers before more cornmeal sprinkles on top.

Go to that site mentioned earlier for specific recipe directions. I added a full cup of water plus a bit more by time I got the dough to be like thick cake batter. Then I let my dough bulk rise in warmed oven for 2 hours. I used cooking spray to grease the rings and a 10 inch cast iron pan which was a bit of a tight fit. I actually had to remove the rings from most during the flipping process. I think they turned out great but mulling over a bigger pan for next time. I got 11 muffins but I think I want them slightly thicker; going for 10 next time. Definitely will be a next time as these had a superior texture and were less work.

My Mom’s Perfect Hollandaise Sauce

Makes about ¾ cup.

1 stick salted butter
2 egg yolks (from large eggs)
Juice of ½ a lemon

Please, no substitutions of any kind will work for this recipe and you MUST make it in a Pyrex measuring cup placed in a pan of hot water; just below the boil and going no more than ½ the way up the sides of the glass measuring cup. The glass insulates the contents and allows for a slow measured melting of the butter and an equally slow and almost alchemical blending of these three ingredients into a smooth sauce. Unsalted butter gives a pale unbalanced sauce and not enough lemon makes the flavor insipid. Any leftover sauce can be gently reheated in a microwave or over water; stir a lot and you can add ¼ tsp. hot water if it separates. Beat it with a spoon until it comes back together.

Anyway, back to the recipe! Cut the stick of butter into 8 chunks and place in a Pyrex glass measuring cup; one cup size please. Add the yolks and the lemon juice, no pits either! Place in a sauce pan half full of hot water. Do not let the water boil or go more than half way up the measuring cup. Stir often with a long handled ice tea spoon; I leave the spoon right in the cup. It will be hard to stir at first as the butter is still solid but the stirring will get easier. Stir almost constantly until the sauce thickens to coat the spoon and then continue stirring it to an almost custard like thickness. Take the cup of sauce out of the water bath and cover it with aluminum foil while you poach the eggs.

Egg Directions:

4 eggs
2 English muffins
4 slices Canadian bacon (round thin slices)

Eggs: get the best and freshest quality eggs possible. Old eggs spread out as they poach and you will have the perfect shaped poached eggs with really fresh ones. I got mine from a friend who raises chickens; far superior in flavor and freshness to anything from a store.

Spray a sauce pan with cooking spray, for two eggs I use a 1 quart pan; use a bigger one for more eggs. Fill it with warm water. Bring the water to an active bubble, add a tbsp. white vinegar. Break each egg into a short cup and use a fork to swirl the bubbling water into a tiny whirlpool then gently tip the egg into the hot water. Do not boil the water. Poach them 3 minutes for a soft squishy egg and 4-5 for firmer eggs. Some like lots of egg yolk liquid and others like a firmer textured egg. Do not overcook them or they are just hard boiled eggs. They should not be firm when you remove them. Lift out with a slotted spoon and drain briefly on a paper towel.

While those eggs were poaching gently heat the bacon in a small frying pan with a tsp of butter. Cook on low about 2 minutes and flip, cook 1 more minutes.

Muffins; split each open with a dinner fork and toast in toaster; pale tan; not really browned.

Assembly: place two hot muffin halves on each plate. Top with a slice of Canadian bacon and then a poached egg. Pour a big dollop of sauce on top. We like them served with briefly steamed asparagus spears in the spring and either green beans or steamed broccoli spears the rest of the year.  Dig in!

Drip is Delish!

The other evening we decided to try out a local eatery, Drip The Flavor Lab Restaurant on Main Street in Hellertown. It is a burger and fried chicken joint and much of the menu can be made gluten free for those who need to eat gf. We got there at peak time around 5:40 on a Saturday evening. The place was packed! All seats taken, people still coming in. We ordered using a fun printed menu that you fill out with a pencil and turn in at the counter. We stood around sharing a snifter class of classic hard cider while we waited for a table to open up. the cider was a classic apple (no sugar added) cider and had a lovely, bubbliness, yet quite crisp and oh-so drinkable. We people watched, and just enjoyed the vibe. Our food got out in decent time and by then we had secured seating at a high top table.

I had the classic Drip burger with slaw and Joe ordered his with all sorts of additions like jalapeno pepper slices, lettuce, tomato and bacon which he swore to me he didn’t order! Plus an order of fries. He ate the whole burger! And some slaw they accidentally gave him as well as fries. I confess I ate a fair amount of the fries; they were in a wire basket and were hot and so crispy. They stayed warm a long time which I loved. My classic burger had just katsup and cheddar cheese. These are smash-burgers which someone eating there told me that they add butter as they fry so they have a rich flavor and a crispy exterior. Mine was perfect; just pink inside and it was so juicy yet crisp. The fresh gluten free bun was smaller than my meat patty but that was no problem. I loved every bite of this awesome burger. The slaw was nice although I like it with lots of green; it was all white pieces of cabbage; ate every bit. 

We shared a second glass of the hard cider; there was a large selection of beers on tap and some hard tea and mojitos. My guy was wishing for a lager but seemed quite content with the bubbly cider. They messed up the add-ons to his burger a little bit but honestly he loved it just as it came out. Prices are not far off other burger joints, not cheap but I feel we got great quality and we enjoyed the hopping atmosphere in this small eatery! That said, it was a bit crowded; the waitress said that Saturdays are their most busy nights. Folks came in and picked up take-outs, meals were rapidly coming out of the kitchen and tables were reset and more folks seated. You might want to try it on another night when it isn’t quite so jammed. Also, I didn’t know they had ice tea and lemonade until we were done. and cold water in a cooler. The front staff is very friendly and accommodating. I simply loved my burger; now I want to go back for the fried chicken! They also have floats and milkshakes…

I didn’t have my phone on me; left in the car so no meal pictures. Look them up on line at https://www.driptheflavorlab.com/  so you can view the menu and hours; they close at 8; a bit early and on Sundays; its 7 pm so don’t turn up late…. I definitely felt they cater quite nicely to those who need to eat gf, I didn’t feel deprived or end up eating bland, sad food as some places do for gf meals. If you live in the Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania this is a great burger place!

Tuna Noodle Casserole, 2.0

I never make tuna noodle casserole; too blah but I had some new pasta shapes so I attempted it and made a scratch gluten free sauce. What a difference that made! So delicious, a delicate flavor and a huge improvement over bought cans of mushroom soup or cream of chicken soup which are generally not gf anyway. This was as good a tuna casserole if not better than any I have tasted so I plan to make it again for sure. It really isn’t that much work to make a scratch sauce and it makes all the difference in the world in terms of flavor. Just don’t boil the sauce or it may separate.

Notes: you can use any kind of gf pasta or noodles. I used Jovial bowties; just cook them 2-3 minutes less than package says, great look and good flavor. Don’t leave out anything in the sauce; the celery/onions/peas give it such a fresh taste, like early spring! Use the tuna you like; suggest water packed white for this. I find albacore kind of dry so the solid white tastes better to my taste buds; totally your call what tuna you use. Be sure to drain it; your critters will love the juice in their suppers! I served mine with baby carrots cooked with maple syrup. A salad would be nice too!

Angie’s Tuna Noodle Casserole with Crumb Topping

Ingredients:

4 Tbsp. butter, divided

1 rib of celery, diced finely

as1/3-1/2 cup finely diced onion

1 Tsp (1 clove) minced fresh garlic

2/3 cup frozen peas

7 ounces dry pasta; cook it while you cook the sauce; undercook by 2-3 minutes.

4 Tbsp. white rice flour

14 ounces chicken broth; low sodium preferably

7/8-1 cup of milk; I warmed it 1 minute in my microwave

1/4 tsp. sea salt

1/8 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1/4 tsp. dried dill weed

2 tsp. fresh lemon juice

1-2 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh Italian parsley

1/2 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese

2 cans tuna, (5 oz cans) drained

Topping 1/2-3/4 cup crushed gf Schar Company Crackers and 1-2 Tbsp. melted butter; mix in small dish and sprinkle it over before baking the casserole.

Directions: Melt 1 Tbsp. butter in medium frying pan, medium heat. Add onions and celery; cook 4-5 minutes, add garlic and peas, cook one more minute. While they cook, butter a 9×12 glass baking dish and put those hot veggies on a plate while you whip up the nummy good sauce.

Start oven heating to 350 degrees. Melt rest of the butter in the same frying pan, add the flour when it is hot; stir it while the flour blends in, cooking it 30-60 seconds. Add in the broth and then the warm milk, stirring constantly with a whisk. Add the salt, dill, parsley and lemon juice. keep stirring; after a minute or two it should be thick and bubbly. Stir in the parmesan cheese as it bubbles; not at a boil. Taste and adjust sauce as needed. I thought it was perfect with no changes but up to you. Dump back in those veggies; stir; add the tuna and the hot noodles, stir gently and after it looks somewhat blended carefully pour it all into the baking dish. Top with the cheddar cheese and then the buttery crumbs and bake about 25 or 30 minutes until it is bubbling.

It keeps in the fridge for 5-6 days; I added a touch of half and half to my serving before microwaving it; like a couple teaspoons; helps it stay moist when reheated.