Monday, February 27, 2012

Oeuff Mollet and Lemon Brunch Cake


I was contacted by Eggland's Best Eggs and asked if they could sponsor a brunch using Eggland's Best Eggs eggs to spread the news about heart health during "Heart Health Month" in February. 


Eggland’s Best eggs contain more than 2 times the heart healthy Omega-3 fatty acids than ordinary eggs, 2 times more Vitamin D and 10 times more Vitamin E, a vitamin associated with reducing the risk of heart disease.  I love eggs and am so glad they have regained their health grade! 

One of the highlights of my brunch was this breaded, soft boiled egg over frisee salad with mushrooms and truffle oil!


This salad is on the menu at my favorite French restaurant here in Milwaukee. Whenever I'm lucky enough to dine there I always order it.  It's so delicious and I was thrilled when I found a video of our James Beard-Awarding Winning Chef showing how to prepare it!  A version of the popular French salad, Frisee et Lardons, this one gets it's earthiness from mushrooms rather than bacon and also from a nice drizzle of truffle oil.

The egg is briefly boiled in its shell, peeled, coated with panko crumbs and then fried to a crispy, crunchy outer goodness while keeping the center soft enough to help 'dress' the greens when broken.  Oh my! 


In this recipe, the frissee is briefly sauteed along with the mushrooms which softens and flavors it deliciously.   The crispy coating on the egg, the mushrooms, and the drizzle of truffle oil make this a delicious and unique salad (and one that I dream about!). Recipe below.

The finale to my brunch was this exceptionally delicious Lemon Breakfast Cake.


It isn't often that a recipe makes me want to do a handspring (if I could do handspring, that is). This cake has the consistency of a muffin - dense and almost chewy and comes to you by way of Ilke's Kitchen .  Thank you, Ilke, I am so grateful I found your blog and this recipe. 

I'm not a big fan of overly-sweet sweets so I love that this cake is delicious just by itself without any 'dressing up'. If you want to make it pretty for company, just a light sprinkle of powdered sugar is all it needs.



Here are the recipes - Enjoy (and enjoy your eggs!).  

Oeuff Moleet (Breaded, Soft Boiled Egg over Frisee with Mushrooms and Truffle Oil)

Adapted from This Recipe
Printable Recipe

Serves 4 people

5 eggs, extra large
1 lb crimini mushrooms, washed and sliced thin
8 oz frisee (curly endive) lettuce, washed and spun
1 tsp chives, minced
1 cup Japanese (panko) breadcrumbs, ground fine
1 oz sherry vinegar
2 oz extra virgin olive oil
6 oz butter, unsalted
to taste sea salt
1 oz black or white truffle oil
Salt and Pepper to taste
Olive oil for frying *See note for alternative to deep frying below.
4 slices brioche or baguette (optional)

Put the oil into a deep pot and heat to about 350 degrees. *See note below for alternative to deep frying.

Bring a covered pot of salted water to a boil over high heat.

Fill a medium bowl with ice water.

Place four eggs into the boiling water, cover and cook for exactly 5 minutes and 45 seconds. Remove the eggs and submerge into the bowl of ice water. This will stop the eggs from cooking any further, resulting in eggs that have cooked whites and raw yolks.

While the eggs are cooling, take the remaining raw egg and crack into a small bowl. Add a teaspoon of water and salt to taste, whisk together.

Place the breadcrumbs into a separate bowl.

Start to peel the eggs carefully, placing them on a paper towel to drain some of the water.

Begin breading the eggs by taking them one at a time and placing first into the breadcrumbs, then place into the egg wash, then back into the breadcrumbs. Place the eggs in the refrigerator until needed.

Place a medium-sized sauté pan over high heat, add the butter, melt, add the mushrooms and sauté. Season with salt and pepper to taste and sauté until golden brown. Add the chives and half of the frisee, vinegar and olive oil. Stir until frissee is warmed.

Put the remaining half of frisee into a medium sized mixing bowl. Pour the mushrooms/frisee mixture into the bowl and toss together.

Fry the eggs in the oil for about 45 seconds.

Divide the salad into four salad bowls, top with a fried egg. Drizzle truffle oil over the egg and then season with the sea salt. Serve with toasted brioche or baguette.

*Note: You could use a soft poached egg and sprinkle toasted panko crumbs over the top of the salad rather than deep frying the egg, if desired.

Lemon Brunch Cake

Adapted from Lemon Cake by Ilke's Kitchen
Printable Recipe

3 eggs
Zest from 2 lemons
200 gr (14 tablespoons) unsalted butter (softened at room temperature)
250 gr (9 oz or 1-1/4 cups) sugar
125 gr (4-1/2 oz or 1 cup) unbleached all purpose flour
125 gr (4-1/2 oz or 1 cup) Bob's Red Mill Brown Rice Flour
2 teaspoons baking powder

Lemon juice from 2 lemons (about 1/2 cup).  I used Meyer Lemons which are in season right now.
4-5 tablespoons powdered sugar

Grease a 9-inch round cake pan and line with a parchment paper and place on a baking sheet. I decided to use a 9" tube springform pan which I buttered and then sprayed with Baker's Joy (great for good cake release).

In a mixing bowl, beat the softened butter with lemon zest for about 30 seconds on medium speed. Add sugar, continue beating until combined. Add the eggs, one at a time and beat until combined. 

In a small bowl, combine the flour, rice flour and baking powder.

Add the flour mixture and mix until it is incorporated and you have a smooth batter.

Put the cake in a cold oven, then turn the oven on to 325 degrees. Bake for about one hour or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.  I turned my cake over onto a cooling rack placed over a baking sheet right away after taking it out of the oven. 

Add the lemon juice to the powdered sugar a little at a time so no lumps form and whisk together. Pour over the hot cake. Once the cake is cool, you can sprinkle with powdered sugar, if you like. 

69 comments:

  1. Oh yes...you had me when you said you loved a fried egg on whole wheat bread as a sandwich. Perfectly great. I love the look of the lemon cake. We make a French salad with a poached egg on frisee with a bacon dressing. Will be trying the mushrooms.

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  2. oh my goodness...I have never seen a salad look so beautiful! A crunchy soft boiled egg sounds amazing.

    I had to smile about the fried egg sandwich - it is our "go to lunch" when there is nothing else in the house as well. J didn't grow up with them at all but has found a love for them when he married me. When I was young growing up on a farm, we had to walk the bean field rows and pull all the weeds for weeks in June. Our lunch was always a cold fried egg sandwiches on white bread - soggy, room temp and extremely tasty. Mom would fry enough sandwiches to use a loaf of bread and then put them all back in the bread bag for dad & us kids to share - your post brought up such a fun memory for me today.

    As always your photography is amazing and I look forward to seeing what you share...Thank you :)

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  3. wow that crunchy panko encrusted egg looks so WONDERFUl served on the salad bed. Love your book stand too.

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  4. Love eggs in this house as long as they're brown. The old "brown eggs are local eggs and local eggs are fresh" jingle still floats in my head. What a nice selection of recipes. I really was intrigued by the deep fried one.

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  5. These recipes look delish, we love our eggs but with the kids I'm mostly making scrambled!

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  6. Susan -- what WONDERFUL looking egg dishes!! As a low-carber, eggs are certainly my friend! I am always on the lookout for new ways of making them :)

    Great post!!

    Blessings!
    Gail

    P.S. I am doing a giveaway too -- come for a visit :)

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  7. When Eggland wanted to select a "good egg" they chose well! Your recipes look fabulous here Susan. I love the versatility of a fresh frittata and like you make them often. This one looks like my kind of treat...along with the fried egg sandwich idea. It's a great time of life! Congratulations...

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  8. Glad to see you back, you've been missed! Hope it was a great trip. Your egg dishes all look fantastic. I'd love to try the salad. But I can assure you mine will not be pretty :)
    My favorite way to have eggs is in a quiche or on a roll, over with bacon. Or a carbonara. Now I am getting really hungry. I wouldn't turn hard-boiled eggs sprinkled with salt and pepper down either.

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  9. Welcome back Susan! The egg recipes look fantastic. I would go for the soft egg over mushrooms! Both are favorites of mine!

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  10. Welcome back, Susan! Each dish here looks more delicious than the next. I love a salad with a poached egg on it. I pretty much live on eggs and egg whites. Count me in, please. I will hope to be checking in by March 8th. xo

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  11. welcome back dear!I love eggs and your amazing photos make my mouth watering...Thanks for sharing, have a good week, a warm hug from Italy...

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  12. My favorite egg dish is poached egg on whole grain toast that has a lot of seeds and nuts in it, with a dash of butter or margarine for the toast before the egg is put on it. Salt and pepper as well, of course. My husband is a whiz at poaching eggs, and loves doing it!

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  13. That's a very fancy salad Susan, and the cake sounds really good too! My favorite way to use eggs is in cookies:@) Thanks for the fun give-away!

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  14. Hope it was a great trip Susan. We buy this brand of eggs and I enjoy them fried with a side of my favorite Applegate hickory smoked turkey bacon. Thanks for the giveaway!

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  15. Susan, I "liked" Eggland on FB. I know I will be inspired by their meal suggestions.

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  16. Welcome back! Delicious recipes. I love all things eggs, frittatas, cakes, quiche! Thanks for the chance.

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  17. Welcome back, Susan!
    We use lots of eggs, if I can't get them my local farmer, I always buy EB's. Silly as it is, I love their cartons!
    That breakfast cake looks delish.

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  18. I am so impressed with all of these dishes but I think my favorite is that panko crusted poached egg over the frisée salad and with the mushrooms, I will have to give it a try!

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  19. I have been looking EGG-land's best for awhile - shall double up on efforts if I can make eggs like that - that first salad really wowed me and we are indeed egg lovers. All the recipes sing of egg goodness.

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  20. That crusted egg looks delicious. How long did you cook the egg prior to peeling the shell. I would like to make this but wonder about timing. I would want the egg to be exactly like yours. Can't wait to try it! Good post & great photos.

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  21. Eggs happen to be my favorite food...I cold eat breakfast for every meal! Thanks for the chance to win this fabulous giveaway and for sharing your wonderful recipes!

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  22. i love egg white omelets made with spicy peppers

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  23. We are EB fans~ our favorite way to enjoy them is in an omelet with spinach, mushrooms, prosciutto & Asiago cheese!

    Your brunch looks delicious~ I love your powdered sugar-snow drifting on your slice of handspring cake :) Thanks for the fun & heart healthy giveaway!

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  24. This is a delicious looking meal and I especially like the egg treatment for the salad.

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  25. You really outdid yourself with those photos... they are masterful this week. I am really eyeing that crispy egg dish. I have had a recipe for a deep-fried poached egg for ages and have never gotten the courage to try it. I couldn't figure out how they got the yolk to stay so perfect and molten... and there you did it!

    Perfect brunch food and I must say, so inexpensive for such a great result. These days it's nice to get so much for so little!! It looks like a million.

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  26. The panko crusted egg looks beautiful as well as delicious!
    Can't wait to try.

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  27. Your French salad looks awesome!

    I like Eggland's, but it's hard to find their cage-free eggs around here.

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  28. We also are egg lovers and they are often one of our favourite things to add to our evening meal. The eggs molet captivated me as well as that frittata that I will make tomorrow night; a great way to empty the fridge before we leave.
    I don;t think we have those products, but I do love to buy eggs that are heart healthy Omega-3. Looking for this book while on my holidays; I need to come home with a new book.
    Rita

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  29. We were wise enough to never give up eggs around here! They often provide a light supper for us. Deviled eggs are a must for picnics and Easter brunch! I can't wait to try your salad and the lemon cake.

    Welcome back!

    Best,
    Bonnie

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  30. Eggs...we love eggs. I love all the dishes that you featured in this post especially the fried one with the egg yolk running...I don't care how the egg is prepared, just want the yolk running :)
    Hope you are having a fabulous week Susan!

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  31. I am so glad I found your blog, I like your recipes, photos and style!! Will keep reading!

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  32. Oh my Susan, I couldn't live without eggs! I eat one every, single morning. All of your recipes & pictures are egg-cellent!

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  33. We eat a lot of eggs at our house. Eggs on spring greens with potatoes with a vinaigrette would be one of the adult favorites. My kids just like them fried over medium on toast.

    I would love to be entered in the Eggland giveaway.

    Velva

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  34. Welcome back! Egglands is quite good. I once attended a cooking class hosted by EB, and they highlighted the differences between their eggs. I was impressed. Everything in your brunch looks delicious. I especially like the frissee salad with the fried egg, it sounds so luxurious.

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  35. Oh wow! What a wonderful give away, Susan! Your fried scotch egg looked fantastic!


    I always buy Eggland's Best eggs -- their yolks are so think and delicous. I eat an egg fo breakfast two to three times a week, and very often my husband will make a delicious asparagus and sun dried tomato frittata for Sunday brunch.

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  36. wow those are really eggciting news and I was getting hungry while watching your photos specially with that panko coated egg I never thought I could do that

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  37. Susan, what a fun brunch and package to receive in the mail! I love the look and the sounds of the breakfast cake (think I will be making this one!). The frittata sounds good too. As usual, your photos are lovely! Joni

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  38. You returned with a bang, Susan! One super recipe after another. Frisee et Lardons is my fave salad...of course best ti eat it in Paris, but you've made a close second!
    The cake looks special too and a nice change from scones or coffeecake.
    You can't beat eggs...any meal.

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  39. Love this post, Susan. I often have poached eggs for a quick lunch or dinner and can't wait to try them panko coated and fried on a salad! The fritatta would make a lovely Sunday supper as well. I am excited to be a part of this great giveaway. I have my fingers crossed.

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  40. Love eggs! My favorite is the way my Grandmother used to make them when I was little. An "egg in a basket". Basically you fry an egg in a whole you cut into a piece of sandwich bread. Simple and delicious. Eggs are good morning, noon or night. Thanks for this post!

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  41. What a wonderful EB prize package. I love EB eggs and I love poached eggs. YUM! My kids are big fans for eggs, so good for them too. So, I always make sure I have plenty at home. :)

    amy [at] utry [dot] it

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  42. wow that egg on the mushrooms looks divine

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  43. What a great gift package. I buy EB eggs regularly and love them.

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  44. I am definitely hungry now! WE love eggs and often make an egg breakfast sandwich on bagels, or toast with egg, cheese and ham. All of your brunch items look so great. What a fun idea for the salad. Of course the cake has my mouth watering and I love your photo with the powdered sugar being sprinkled on. Enter me!

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  45. I am an egg lover and so happy to see these brand new recipes....not to mention those precious deviled egg chicks on your sidebar that I plan to make for my 2yr old granddaughter this Easter!!!!

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  46. You're back and with a vengeance! Everything at this brunch looks amazing! I'll definitely be trying that lemon cake.

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  47. Welcome back! Everything looks absolutely delicious! My family loves eggs, especially my kids! Great giveaway, wish everyone good luck! And the book looks fantastic, would definitely love to have a copy of it!
    Wish you a lovely weekend!

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  48. Thank you all and good luck!

    Dee, the cooking times are right in the recipe. Hope you enjoy it!

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  49. Your salad look beautiful and make me hungry!!! delicious dear!!

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  50. My-Oh-My, Scrumptious! What an amazing post, Susan. I really enjoyed reading about all the EB healthy benefits. And I have to say that crispy soft egg sitting on a bed of salad--is calling me..it saying; "Eat Me" :)

    Hugs <3

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  51. love this post - first time here. I love eggs and like u we eat eggs at least couple of times a week. I love the fried egg. awesome, it wld be great in a curry too

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  52. Hi Susan - so good to see you posting again. What a great giveaway. My favorite way to use EB's eggs would be when I make Italian Meringue Buttercream.... Mmmm.

    My favorite way to eat eggs is scrambled, with a little ketchup on the side (it's the only thing I like to eat with ketchup).

    I hope you have a lovely weekend.
    Patricia

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  53. That egg dish, quiche and cake look like a magnificent ! I'll spare you all the "egg" adjectives. :)
    I eat egg whites almost every day.
    You did a wonderful job for EB! I hope they appreciate your efforts!

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  54. What a beautiful brunch with lovely recipes! I have an Eggland's Best egg fried, on top of toast, every morning with a side of fruit, and it really does do a body good. Thanks for sharing this fabulous post!

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  55. This looks so delicious, particularly the frittata - I have to try that out sometime!

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  56. You made incredibly beautiful food. We have a chicken farm near our house so please make sure the eggs go to someone more deserving. I just had to leave a comment to tell you how sensational everything looks. Beautiful.

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  57. Frisee et Lardons is one of my all time favorite salads. You've made a lot of beautiful dishes for us today. I'm glad to learn more about these eggs. I've seen them for years but never tried them.
    Sam

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  58. I'm not eligible to join in the giveaway, but wanted you to know that I'm glad to see you back. The lemon breakfast cake looks and sounds wonderful!

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  59. Susan--all of these look so delicious. I'm especially excited to try the lemon brunch cake. Every year about this time I start going through a serious lemon phase. I don't know why. As per Eggland's eggs, I have used them for several years and really like them. When we first started using omega rich eggs, they tasted 'fishy' to me because of the feed for the chickens. After trying Eggland's, however, I was completely sold on them because they DON'T taste at all fishy. They have a clean, pure, true 'egg' taste.

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  60. What a wonderful gift package. They made a great decision in choosing you to showcase their eggs. I like their eggs since they are cage free. Was it difficult to peel the soft cooked eggs without any leakage? I can't wait to make this salad for guests.

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  61. Thanks, Karen. I didn't have any trouble at all with leakage but I was very gentle with them. I rolled them gently on the kitchen counter to loosen the shell rather than tapping them like I usually do.

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  62. One delicious looking recipe after another! I was particularly interested in the frittata since I have never made one, but always been very curious about them.

    I'd be hard pressed to come up with a favorite way to use eggs, because I happen to like them just about any way. At the moment I'm stalking a chocolate Guinness custard recipe that calls for 8 eggs, so this may be my new favorite way, who knows? I'll keep you posted.

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  63. I love eggs...sounds like you had an awesome brunch!

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  64. A freid creamy egg used to dress a salad..oh divine!! A wonderful brunch. The lemon breakfast cake is a perfect way to end this flavorful feast!

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  65. Whenever I need inspiration I turn to you! Great ideas for eggs... I love them! PS. Out of town old friends coming for dinner; what should I fix? I know nothing about their likes or dislikes!

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  66. I make eggs for the kids breakfast almost every morning! Scrambled or lightly fried, sometimes on a roll like you mentioned. Great source of protein. If it's not eggs it's Kashi Go Lean. love to make quiches and frittata. I'd love to be entered in this give away. I'm going to facebook now to like Egglands Best.

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  67. Looks like a fabulous brunch. My favorite way to use eggs is in baking of course :)

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  68. Hi, I am so honored that you picked something from my site and glad it turned out good. You added some good volume to that cake! Goodness!

    I love the salad but I am not sure if I am delicate enough to handle a soft boiled egg that way. Will give it a try for one of our simple dinners though. Looks good.

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