1: Uova in Cocotte ai Porri - Eggs en Cocotte with Leeks & 2: Broccoli Fantasia - Fabulous Broccoli

Tonight starts my exciting and possibly weary jaunt through the Silver Spoon cookbook! My hope is that this cookbook will expand my culinary scope. Actually, my book hasn't even come in yet but I couldn't wait any longer so I found these two SS recipes online :-) 

Each post will include the recipe, a summary of my experience with it, pictures and an overall rating. I hope you will enjoy reading it!

The kickoff night was a huge success, and it gave 'eggs for dinner' a new twist!

Eggs en Cocotte with Leeks:

3 eggs
3 leeks
3 tbsp butter
salt
pepper
pinch of nutmeg
2 tbsp water

WHOA. This dish was incredible, and the fact that it's served in a cute little ramekin makes it a beautifully presented dish that will impress just about anyone. First I cut the leeks in half lengthwise and thinly sliced them.

By the way, here's a couple leeks in case you've never cooked with them before. They're like giant green onions. The spoon is for size comparison.

I melted 2 tbsps of butter in a large pan, threw the leeks in and sauteed for about 5 minutes until it gets a nice caramelized look.

I added 2 tbsps of water, salt and pepper, a dash of nutmeg, and combined well. Then I let it simmer for about 15-20 minutes covered. Here comes the fun part! Seperate leeks into 3 small ramekins and break an egg over each. I made the mistake of using too large a ramekin, so the egg didn't cover the whole dish, but I didn't have any smaller ones. So number 1 on my to-do list tomorrow: invest in smaller ramekins.

I put them in the preheated oven at 350˚ for about 12 minutes. This is about the time I lost my patience. The recipe says to cook it for 4 minutes, but unless you like your egg whites to be completely translucent, cook them longer! But in SS's defense, 12 minutes was too long because my yoke was completely done by then. So if you want the egg whites cooked and the yoke runny, I would think 8-9 minutes should do the job. Keep in mind that it continues to cook a couple minutes when you take it out of the oven.

Here's the finished product. Like I said, it would be prettier with a smaller ramekin. The egg should fill the whole dish. But still equally as tasty! The egg combines perfectly with the soft, caramelized leeks. The two were meant to be!

Taste factor: A+
Ease of preparation: A
Modifications: longer cooking time for eggs


Fantasia Broccoli - Fabulous Broccoli
The side dish I served with this was Fabulous Broccoli... and that's exactly what it is -- fabulous! This was, hands down, the most delicious broccoli I have ever put in my mouth. It was so creamy and rich and yummy.

1 head of broccoli
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp minced garlic (I doubled this)
1 tbsp flour
1/2 cup heavy cream (I used fat free half & half)
1/2 cup white wine
4 tbsp freshly grated parmesan
1 tbsp butter

First I cut the broccoli into bite size pieces and cooked them in the microwave for 7-9 minutes (until tender) in a dish covered with plastic wrap. Actually, my sous chef did this part for me. Thanks mom :-)

While she was doing that, I put the olive oil and minced garlic in a large pan and sauteed for a few minutes. Next I stirred in the flour and cooked the for another minute until lightly brown. Then I added the half & half and seasoned with salt and pepper. Lastly, I added the cooked broccoli and white wine and allowed it to simmer a few minutes. This sauce is to die for!

I transfered this to an oven-proof dish and added the parmesan and butter and set it in the preheated oven at 400˚ until bubbly (about 6-8 minutes).

If anyone is wondering how to take a healthy vegetable like broccoli and transform it into a creamy, rich, delicious delicacy, wonder no more!! But I like to tell myself that it's not too unhealthy. After all, I did substitute fat free half & half for heavy cream.

Taste factor: A+
Ease of preparation: A
Modifications: substituted half & half for heavy cream and doubled the garlic

But seriously, this was a very tasty meal. And I'm generally not a fan of meatless meals. I will definitely be making both of these again.

Hooray for my first Silver Spoon meal!