Huevos con queso - Eggs with Cheese, a Pinedo recipe

It's time for a Pinedo recipe!  If you are new to this blog, I translated Encarnación Pinedo's 1898 cookbook, El Cocinero Español (The Spanish Cook) and am attempting to get it published.  In the meantime, I cook from it and post the attempts here on the 15th of the month.  I also publish them on my Pinedo-only blog, "The Spanish Cook Without Equal", found here:  https://pinedo1898.blogspot.com/ 

Today's recipe is on page 127, "Huevos con queso" or "Eggs with Cheese."

My Translation

Keeping in mind that she was cooking over fire; the idea of browning with a hot fire is equivalent to broiling in an oven.

My Redaction

Per serving:

butter

1 slice bread

1/4 to 1/3 cup shredded cheese

1 egg

ground pepper

ground nutmeg

The butter asked politely to be included.

Melt butter in frying pan.  Add slice of bread, sprinkle most of the shredded cheese on the bread, break open the egg, and gently let it sit on top of the cheese.  Sprinkle the egg with the rest of the cheese and then with pepper and nutmeg to taste.

Set heat to low, cover the pan, let cook for 6 to 10 minutes or until egg is cooked almost to your liking.  When the egg is nearly cooked, place pan under the broiler for a minute or two to finish melting the cheese and brown it a little.

My Notes

She didn't say to use butter on the pan, but I did anyway.

I used mozzarella cheese, although I think a stronger flavored cheese would be good, too.

I tried this twice.  The first time the heat was 2 of 10, I did not cover the pan, and after nearly 45 minutes, the egg was not cooked and the bread was toasted too much.  I put a lid on it and let it cook a few minutes more before broiling it.  The result was an egg that was overcooked (I like runny yolks) and dry toast.  Not exciting.  My guest taster didn't realize that there were any spices on it, and I had trouble tasting them even though I knew they were there.

Build the bread stack in the pan.

Bread and cheese

Bread cheese egg.

Bread cheese egg cheese spices.  Use more spices.

After about 30 minutes of cooking.  The cheese melting but the egg is still uncooked.

After cooking under the lid for about 10 minutes.  Egg is cooked.

Under the broiler for less than two minutes.

Overcooked, in my opinion.

The Verdict

The second time the heat was set a little higher, 4 of 10, and I covered the pan.  After 8 minutes the egg was nearly done but the toast was burnt (ugh).  I didn't broil it because I didn't want to cook the toast any further.

I also used more spices, but not too much.  

What I got was an egg that was cooked just right and toast that was blackened on the bottom and not tasty.  I could taste the spices, which I liked.

Attempt #2, after about 8 minutes cooked under the lid.

Egg is just right.  Toast is burnt.

My conclusion:  use the lower heat and cover the pan.  No one wants to wait 45 minutes or more to eat their egg and toast.

So success?  Almost but I'm not sure I can really count it as such yet.  With a little practice I could get the timing just right and really enjoy it.

I think this would be a good meal to serve a crowd with these modifications:  Heat the oven to 350 degrees F, use a cookie sheet and set up each serving on the sheet so you can cook a bunch at a time.  You might not need to broil them but the broiler is right there if you do.  While one batch is cooking, set up the next.  

This also seems like a good camping recipe, since you get toast and an egg with one pan (and a lid!) and one cooking run.

Eggs Bourgeoise - An American Civil War recipe

Recently I participated in a Civil War reenactment as a cook.  I did my homework and found a cookbook from 1833, which was clearly still in use 30 years later.  How did I know that?  I had been sifting through Godey's Lady's Book, a popular magazine at the time, for relevant recipes (they called them "receipts") and realized that some of them were copied directly from the 1833 book.

It is also reasonable to believe that recipes from 30 years previous could still be in use when considering how people passed cookbooks through generations and how favorite recipes are recalled even without a written reminder.  

The book I used is called The Cook's Own Book, written by Mrs. N. K. M. Lee.  Click here to see an 1854 reprint of her book.  It is quite complete with advice on food items and their health benefits (or detriments) as well as a focus on confectionery and extra recipes from Eliza Leslie, born in the late 1700s and wrote many cookbooks and other works.  Click here to see Project Gutenberg's list of her books.

The recipe I tried is on page 70, called Eggs Bourgeoise.  It seemed like just the right thing to cook over charcoal to add to the group breakfast menu.

For this blog post, I tried it at home in a modern kitchen.  In my notes below, I'll comment on the changes I made for the reenactment.

My Redaction

1 tablespoon butter (more is okay)

4 large slices of sourdough bread

4 slices of swiss cheese

10 eggs, beaten with

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

(I forgot to use nutmeg)

Alas, no nutmeg.

Using a 9-inch diameter cast iron skillet, warm the butter over low heat until it melts.  Coat the bottom and the sides of the pan with the butter.   Having some extra butter in the bottom of the pan is a benefit.

Arrange the bread to cover the bottom of the pan, tearing the pieces as needed to fit.

Arrange the cheese to cover the layer of bread, tearing the pieces to fit.

Pour the eggs, salt, and pepper mixture over the bread and cheese.

Set the pan over low heat (I started at 3 of 10).  Allow to cook until eggs are puffed and firm and they pull away from the pan's sides, about 25 to 30 minutes.  

If the eggs smell "done" but are not fully set, turn the heat down to finish cooking.  Tilt the pan as needed to move the liquid eggs from the center to the sides.  

The eggs might settle after removing them from the heat.

Slice and serve (or use a big spoon to scoop out what you want instead of slicing into wedges).

Bread and butter

With cheese.

And eggs.  Notice how the cheese is floating.

My Notes

At the reenactment, I removed the crusts from the bread in case someone didn't like that.  I also used shredded mozzarella cheese instead of sliced swiss.  

At first I used 8 eggs but that did not look like enough, so I added 4 more eggs.  That was too much!  At first it fit in the pan but when the eggs started to puff, they almost overflowed the pan.  That is why I used 10 eggs at home.  

My charcoal was gentle enough at the reenactment.  At home, the stove setting of 3 seemed too high after 15 minutes, so I put it down to 1 of 10 to finish cooking.  I think 1 or 2 from the beginning would have been fine, although it might have taken longer to cook.  I don't know how long it took over charcoal.

Pretty!

The Verdict

I served it for breakfast, but honestly, it can be served as a luncheon or supper dish.

In both cases, it was good.  As in, "Wow, this tastes great!  I want more!" as a reaction from all who tried it in both locations.  

I noticed the bread and cheese floated in the eggs when I poured in the eggs at home than what I recall at the reenactment.  Not that it mattered or made any difference in the final product, just an observation.

It looked like the bread formed a sort of crust, which I believe protected the eggs from overcooking.  At the least it added bulk and a lovely chewy aspect to the dish.  (Except for the very middle of the home version, where something overcooked a little and it was harder to cut through the crust.)

The mozzarella cheese melted into the eggs as they cooked.  The swiss floated on top and melted across the cooked eggs.  Both worthwhile results.  

The amount of salt and pepper was just right.  I wish I had remembered the nutmeg!

It was a robust main dish, creamy and chewy and savory.  Success, both times.

The leftovers (at home) were good reheated, too.

If I didn't want quite so much, I would use a smaller pan to achieve the same results.  Just use enough bread to cover the bottom, a generous helping of cheese (shredded was easier, I thought), and fewer eggs.  Reduce the amount of seasoning.  Leave enough room for the eggs to puff.

You could also bake it in the oven, like a fritatta.

This is clearly a good meal for camping.

I think a fresh salsa would be good over the top.  Try it!

Eggs Baked in Whole Tomatoes -- a recipe from the The Egg Basket of the World

In 1879 Lyman Byce and Isaac Dias invented the first reliably working incubator for hatching eggs in Petaluma, California.  This sparked the creation of egg ranches in the area and, by 1917, Petaluma was considered the "undisputed" world leader of the chicken and egg industry.

The town embraced this and unabashedly promoted itself and its industry as "The Egg Basket of the World", offering a National Egg Day which included a parade with an Egg Queen and her court of attendant chicks, and decorating the town with giant plaster egg baskets and roosters.  In 1918, Petaluma reported producing 16 million dozen eggs.

In 1927, the Petaluma High School Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) published The Egg Basket Cook Book to help finance the PTA activities as well as promote the industry and share their egg-cooking knowledge.

The book is basically what I call a "ladies' group" cookbook because most (if not all) the recipes were submitted by Petaluma locals.  I value these recipes because no one is going to submit a recipe that they think is subpar, knowing their neighbors might try them.  The recipes are tried and true.

I chose the "Eggs Baked in Whole Tomatoes" recipe in the "From the Egg Basket" section on page 27.  This section also addresses the food value of eggs and methods of cooking them.  What is amusing about the entire book is that no recipe has "eggs" in them -- the word is always written as "EGGS".

Eggs Baked in Whole Tomatoes  -- M.P.

3 tomatoes

3 EGGS

salt and pepper

3 tablespoons buttered crumbs

3 slices of bacon

Breakfast!

Scoop out centers of large ripe tomatoes.  Break an EGG into each, season and cover with crumbs and lay a slice of bacon on each.  Bake in a moderate oven.  Turn bacon once while cooking.  Place under broiler to brown bacon.

My Notes

I noticed the pattern of one egg and one slice of bacon per tomato.  I only needed two servings, so I reduced everything down to enough for two.

The oven was set to 350 degrees F.  

I sliced the top of the tomatoes off with a knife then used a spoon to scoop out the centers.

Each tomato was set in a glass baking dish before I put the egg inside.

I didn't bother with buttered crumbs as I figured the bacon would drop grease onto them.  I cut the bacon slice in half and put the pieces as an "X" over the top.

I baked the tomatoes for 25 minutes.  See comments below.

Halfway through.  Time to turn the bacon.

Done. (Almost)

The Verdict

I served it with toast and juice.

A tidy breakfast.

Twenty-five mintues was not enough time.  The tomato was somewhat cooked, but the egg was raw.  

So I tried again, turning the temperature down to 325 degrees and cooking for 45 minutes.  The tomatoes were cooked through (skin split and the rest was soft) and the eggs were cooked.  But the yolks were solid, and I really wanted runny yolks.

I kept trying through several attempts.  I kept getting either raw eggs (325 degrees and 35 minutes) or solid yolks.

My observation is that the timing depends on the thickness of the tomato.  If the walls are thin, everything cooks quickly.  Thick walls take more time for the heat to get to the egg.  Don't be fooled by the top of the egg looking cooked!

Success, but it took a while.  The last time I tried it was with thick-walled tomatoes.  They cooked for 45 minutes at 325 degrees.  This gave basically soft-cooked eggs.  The whites were cooked but not hard and the yolks were soft but not runny.  The tomato was cooked through and soft.

I served it in bowls because the tomato released a lot of juice when it was cut.  Tasty!

It is not necessary to turn the bacon.  Just broil it for a minute or two at the end of the cooking cycle and it is done.  (I like chewy bacon.)

A large tomato can be scooped out so much that two eggs will fit inside it.  This takes longer to cook.

Make sure the tomato is shaped to stand upright when the stem end is removed.  Roma tomatoes are not very good for this.

If you want to read more about the history of Petaluma, see this book:

Heig, Adair.  History of Petaluma:  A California River Town.  Scottwall Associates.  Petaluma. 1982,

which you can access online by clicking here:  Heig.

Harvey Girl Special Little Thin Orange Pancakes

**See the bottom of this post for an update!

My most favorite guest taster, WB, has quite a collection of books relating to trains:  their history, their construction, the personalities that influenced their expansion, and much more.  He is the reason my cookbook collection has train-related recipes.  

The other day I was looking at one of his books about one of those personalities:  Fred Harvey, restauranteur extraordinaire.  

Image credit

I think this picture shows a man of pleasant character; he is someone I would like to meet.

Click here to see his article in Wikipedia:

Fred Harvey is credited with creating the first restaurant chain in the United States. He was also a leader in promoting tourism in the American Southwest in the late 19th century. Fred Harvey and his employees successfully brought new higher standards of both civility and dining to a region widely regarded in the era as "the Wild West."

The restaurant chain was the Fred Harvey Company, and was comprised primarily of "Harvey Houses", eating places associated and coordinated with the railroads.  He created it because "Harvey traveled frequently while working for the railroads and found himself deeply dissatisfied with the food served to travelers."

Along with good food and reasonable prices, 

Harvey also gained a boost in business with his incorporation of the "Harvey Girl". He hired women between the ages of 18 and 30 and did not permit them to marry until they had put in a full year of work. Harvey Girls resided in housing adjacent to the restaurants, where they were supervised by the most senior Girl, who enforced curfews and chaperoned male visits. Roughly 5000 Harvey Girls moved out West to work and ultimately marry.

My guest taster had this book in his collection:

No ISBN to be had...

Written by James David Henderson, Meals by Fred Harvey was first published in 1969.  This is a reprinting from 1985.  It chronicles the accomplishments of Mr. Harvey from his arrival in the United States through his development of his company.  It includes correspondence, menus, poetry about the Harvey Girls, and lists of all the businesses associated with the company.  There are also photographs of buildings and china patterns the company used.

What caught my attention was two pages of recipes, found in the photograph section, pages "n" and "o".  There are six recipes listed:  Braised Duck Cumberland, Curry of Lamb, Harvey Girl Special Little Thin Orange Pancakes, Chicken Cacciatore, Lobster Americaine, and Guacamole Monterey.

My orange tree is loaded with fruit so I was inspired to recreate the pancake recipe, from page "n".

Harvey Girl Special Little Thin Orange Pancakes

1/4 cup diced orange sections and juice (1/2 orange)

1 teaspoon grated orange peel (1/2 orange)

1 cup pancake mix

1 cup orange juice (about)

Combine all ingredients.  Bake small pancakes on hot griddle, using 1 tablespoon batter for each pancake.  Serve with maple syrup, honey or jelly.  Yield:  12 servings, 3 (2 3/4-inch diameter) pancakes per serving.

Fred Harvey Restaurants
St. Louis Union Station
Henry Stovall

Don't judge the premade biscuit mix...

My Notes

It took four oranges at about the size you see in the picture to make one cup of juice (about).  The pancake mix called for milk, so I decided to use the canned milk in my cupboard instead of buying fresh.

The griddle was preheated over a low fire on the stove.

First I mixed up the pancake batter, with 8 ounces of milk, 2 eggs, and 2 cups of the premade mix.  Once that was hydrating, I got the zest from the orange.  Yes, it took about 1/2 orange to get the 1 teaspoon zest.

Then I found it took two oranges to get 1/4 cup of diced orange sections.  I cut them fairly small because I thought that thin pancakes would not want thick chunks of orange in them.  Here is what I had:

Note that I had two cups of batter, not one.

Next, I put all the orange components into the batter.  At that point I realized I was supposed to use only half of the batter I had mixed up, but it was too late to change direction.  I decided to keep going and to see how this ratio would taste.

The pancake batter was very thick before I added the orange juice.  I thought it was thinned out by the orange juice to just right.  

After stirring the mixture well, I let it sit while I greased the griddle with a tiny amount of butter and turned up the fire to about 3 on a scale of 10.  I noticed the batter was getting bubbly when I was ready to make the pancakes.

I estimated a tablespoon of batter for each pancake, instead of measuring.  I aimed for small pancakes, 2 to 3 inches in diameter.

Maybe not so many at once.

The diced orange sections were distinguishable chunks but didn't seem to cause a problem with pouring the batter or cooking the pancakes.

The fire under the griddle should have been around 3 1/2 or 4 instead of 3 to get even cooking, but level 3 worked for the first few batches.  I noticed the pancakes were ready to turn when they looked orange and dry on the surface.

Turn them!

After some experimenting with the fire level, I got some good coloring on the pancakes.

Dark but not burnt

Honestly, not burnt!

The Verdict

We had them with butter and our choice of maple syrup or cinnamon sugar.  I tried both toppings, but not both together.

They were little.  They were thin.  They were orangey!  

Really, the pancakes were tasty.  The orange flavor came shining through, and the bits of orange section were a nice texture change as well as a little burst of orange juice flavor when I bit into them.  My guest taster and I thoroughly enjoyed them.  We did not limit ourselves to a serving of three pancakes, though.  

I liked them with the toppings, and just with butter, and, when the extras were cooling off, just plain.  The orange flavor was dominant and just right.  

I have to wonder how strong the orange flavor would be had I not inadvertently doubled the amount of pancake batter.  I also wonder how thin the batter would have been, and how that would have affected the texture of the pancakes.  Well, I still have a little canned milk left over.  Perhaps I should try again.

I deem it a success!  Worth making again, especially for a break in the "usual" pancake routine.

Update, 2024:  I realized that I had misinterpreted the recipe in that I started with pancake batter when I should have used pancake mix that was rehydrated with orange juice.  I tried it again and the pancakes were even better.  Be sure to cut the orange into tiny pieces since these pancakes are so thin.

Melt in Your Mouth Blueberry Cake

In 1999 I visited Mt. Vernon, the home of George Washington.  It was a good year to go as it was the 200th anniversary of his death and the docents had set up special tours to commemorate President Washington's accomplishments.  There was also a "funeral" tour where we read passages of news articles and accounts of the nation's shock when his death was announced.  I felt like I was there in the moment, and was genuinely moved and saddened.  

While there I also purchased The Mount Vernon Cookbook, which is a collection of recipes from the members of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association.  All the proceeds from the sale went to restoration and preservation of the estate and gardens.  Well worth it!

This is a ladies' group cookbook, and I love them because the women who contribute send over their best recipes.  There are reputations to maintain!  

I was perusing the book the other day and came across this recipe for a blueberry cake.  My notes said I had made it in July of 2001, and I had added, "This is incredible.  Wonderful.  Wow."  My thought was that it had been much too long since I had made it!  It needed to be documented in my blog.

It is in the dessert section, but to me, blueberry cake just shouts that it is a coffee cake and could be served as part of a brunch.  Don't tell my guest taster that I served cake for breakfast!  

Melt in Your Mouth Blueberry Cake

2 eggs, separated

1 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

8 tablespoons margarine, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/2 cups sifted flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/3 cup milk

1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries

Sugar to sprinkle on batter

Beat egg whites until stiff, adding about 1/4 cup of the sugar called for in the receipt.  Set aside.  Cream margarine; add salt and vanilla.  Add remaining sugar gradually.  Add unbeaten egg yolks and beat until mixture is light and creamy.  Sift 1 1/4 cups of flour and baking powder together.  Add to creamed mixture alternately with the milk.  Fold in beaten egg whites.  Fold in fresh blueberries, which have been gently shaken in 1/4 cup flour so they won't settle.  Turn into greased 8-inch pan.  Sprinkle granulated sugar on top.  Bake at 350 degrees for 50 to 60 minutes.

My Notes

Start preheating the oven.  Choose your pan -- I used a rectangular pan instead of an 8-inch round.  It was glass, so I lowered the temperature to 325 degrees.

This recipe used a lot of bowls!  At least the way I mixed it; I had to do some planning.  

Also, note that the sugar is divided into 1/4 cup and 3/4 cups, and the flour is divided into 1 1/4 cups and 1/4 cups.  

I chose to use butter instead of margarine.

My notes from 2001 suggested putting a "good layer" of sugar on top of the batter.  I had a vague recollection that it formed a crust that was tasty.

I used the mixer to beat the egg whites.  All the rest of the mixing I did by hand.  The pictures show the sequencing as I worked my way through the steps.  The captions help you see the connections.

Bowl #1:  Whipped egg whites with the sugar.

Bowl #2:  Creamed butter with salt and vanilla.

Creamed butter mixture with the yolks mixed in.  (Bowl #3 held the yolks)

Now the flour and milk have been added.  (Bowl #4 held the sifted flour and baking powder)

The whipped egg whites have been folded in.

Bowl #5:  I love how flour acts as little anchors on the blueberries!

Blueberries have been folded in.  I did not add the excess dusting flour.

Gently spread in the pan.

This looks like a good layer.

It went into the oven for 50 minutes.  I checked it at 40 minutes and it was browning but didn't look cooked enough.  At 50 minutes, it was golden brown and a pick inserted into the middle came out clean.  I let it cool about 15 minutes before cutting and serving.

The Verdict

Beautiful to put on the table for serving!

I called it "coffee cake" and served it with fried eggs, coffee, and juice.  

The blueberries were marvelous:  giant, flavorful, and juicy.  They cooked up beautifully.  They made each bite luscious.  

The cake itself was truly melt in your mouth:  delicate, moist, lightly sweet, with a soft vanilla scent.  It was strong enough to support the berries, and tender enough to be a joy to eat.  The sugar crust was good and added a bit of crunch to whole experience.

My guest taster declared that he was considering adding "gluttony" as a new hobby!  

Yes, it was that good.  We managed to restrain ourselves and not eat the whole thing.  We are looking forward to having it again for breakfast.  

I recommend it highly.  Try it!  Plan your bowls and decide if you want to use a mixer for the batter after using it for the whites.  

You can serve this as a dessert, too!  I think it would be a surprising flavor to give to guests.  Not everyone expects blueberry cake for dessert.

I also think it would be good with raspberries or blackberries or cherries.  If you try them, drop me a note!

Success, again!  Good to know it worked then and now, nearly 20 years later.

P.S.

I have written of two other recipes from this book:

Easy Spoon Bread

Sweet Potato-Apple Souffle