Cooking San Francisco

Wild Greens Salad with Hard Boiled Eggs

This simple salad makes for a delightful lunch (especially if it accompanies a glass of chilled white wine). Use the freshest, wildest greens you can find (Real Foods and Whole Foods tend to have the best selection). We used meyer lemon olive oil from DaVero, in the vinaigrette, because it is one of our favorite products, and brightens any food it touches. Our technique here is great if you want to make just enough vinaigrette for a large bowl of salad. You can, of course,  prepare the vinaigrette in a separate container if you don't want to use all of it at once. For a crunchy, salty touch you can add 2 ounces of crisped pancetta. Click here for tips on hard-boiling eggs.

1 clove garlic, chopped
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 Tbsp champagne vinegar
4 Tbsp meyer lemon olive oil (regular olive oil can be substituted)
12 cups greens, such as arugula, spinach and frisee
4 hard-boiled eggs, cut into quarters

1. Place chopped garlic into a wooden salad bowl. Add a pinch of salt and freshly ground pepper. Use the back of a spoon to grind them into a coarse paste. Add the mustard and the vinegar and mix to combine. Add the olive oil and stir again.

2. Add the salad greens just before salad is to be served. Toss to coat leaves with the vinaigrette. Arrange hard-boiled eggs on top and serve.

Serves: 4-6

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 0 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes

Hard Boiled Eggs

A hard boiled egg is hardly new or exotic, but we have to occasionally remind ourselves that it is one of the best and easiest breakfast items around.  It is important to get the cooking method right because nobody likes a gray-tinged yolk. We often cook up a half-dozen or more on Sunday night to use throughout the week.

1.  Place eggs in a large saucepan. Cover them with cool water by 1 inch. Slowly bring water to a boil over medium heat; when the water has reached a boil, cover and remove from heat. Let sit 11 minutes. Alternatively, you can use an egg timer like this one and watch the eggs, uncovered, while they are boiling.

2.    Transfer eggs to a colander; place under cool running water to stop the cooking. Eggs can be peeled and served immediately. Remaining eggs, with shells on, may be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Prep Time: 1 minute
Cook Time: 11 minutes
Total Time: 12 minutes

Local Source:
Glaum's Organic Brown Eggs, Aptos, CA, http://www.glaumeggranch.com

Yogurt Cake with Marmalade Glaze

 
This lovely yogurt cake from Bon Appetit's February 2005 issue is very popular with family and friends alike. In this version, we used white whole wheat flour because we like the earthy flavor. The fact that the recipe uses yogurt and oil instead of butter makes us feel just a bit healthier as we gulp down this tasty dessert. We like to use Meyer lemons from our backyard for the zest, and imported marmalade for the glaze, but standard Eureka lemons from the grocery store are also wonderful. This cake freezes well, though we recommend freezing before glazing and then brushing on the warmed marmalade after the cake has thawed.

1 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt (greek is fine, too)
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon peel
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup lemon or orange marmalade
1 teaspoon water

1. Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F. Generously butter 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 x 2 1/2-inch metal loaf pan.

2. Sift flour, baking powder, and salt into medium bowl. Combine yogurt, sugar, eggs, lemon peel, and vanilla in large bowl; whisk until well blended. Gradually whisk in dry ingredients. Using rubber spatula, fold in oil. Transfer batter to prepared pan. Place pan on baking sheet.

3. Place cake on baking sheet in oven and bake until cake begins to pull away from sides of pan and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 50 minutes.

4. Cool cake in pan on rack 5 minutes. Cut around pan sides to loosen cake. Turn cake out onto rack. Turn cake upright on rack and cool completely. (At this point you can wrap the cake tightly and store at room temperature for 1 day).

5. Stir marmalade and 1 teaspoon water in small saucepan over medium heat until marmalade melts. Brush hot mixture over top of cake. Let glaze cool and set.

Serves: 8

Prep Time: 20
Cook Time: 50
Total Time: 1 hr, 10 min