The $16,000 Egg

Never put all your eggs in one basket

Shortly after I returned home from San Francisco, having completed cooking school, my dad asked me to boil him an egg. "I don't know how to boil an egg", I replied. "How about if I make you an omelet?" To which my dad replied, "I just sent you to cooking school for 16 months and you don't know how to boil an egg?" "I know! How about a souffle!?" You can imagine how the conversation continued. I learned how to boil an egg pretty darn quick! Ok, that's a funny, yet true story, but hard boiling an egg IS a science. There is nothing worse than a hard boiled egg with that greyish-green cast surrounding the yolk. A perfect hard boiled egg will have a yolk that's just cooked and pale yellow all the way through. From there you can make egg salad for sandwiches or deviled eggs. 

Perfect Hard Boiled Eggs
In a saucepan, cover eggs with about 1 inch of water. Bring to the boil. Remove from heat. Cover and let stand between 12 and 15 minutes depending on the size of your eggs. I cooked these large eggs for exactly 15 minutes.
Drain and run ice cold water over to stop cooking. Allow to cool completely before peeling.

Egg Salad
4 eggs, peeled, (did I need to say that?) 
1 tsp. dry mustard, I use Coleman's
2/3 cup mayonnaise
1 tsp. fresh or dried dill
Kosher salt and pepper to taste.
I use pastry blender to cut the eggs into small pieces.
Blend.   

The omelet seems more tricky than it really is. The secret is a well greased or non-stick pan. The eggs must be able to cook without ever sticking to the bottom of the pan. It's also important to have all the fillings chopped and ready to add once the eggs have begun to set up.

A perfect French omelet should be pale golden, not brown.

Omelet
Eggs, I use 2 for myself, 3 if I'm making one for my husband, lightly beaten in a bowl, seasoned with kosher salt and pepper.
Butter
Whatever ingredients you want to put in your omelet, pre-cooked and/or chopped. I'm using mushrooms, spinach and cheese.

1. Over a medium heat, put a little butter in omelet pan, making sure it's well coated. 
2. Add eggs, stirring constantly with a spatula.
3. The eggs will begin to set up, continue pulling away the eggs from the sides and bottom of pan.

Quickly stir the eggs until they begin to set up.

When they are nearly done, add fillings along the center of the omelet, in a line.

Using a spatula, carefully pull up sides of omelet to enclose filling.

Continue rolling away from the handle of the pan, until it's folded into thirds. When it's at the edge of the pan, you should be able easily slide it onto a plate.

Spinach, mushroom and cheese omelet.