#Chive Hollandaise Sauce

[thehappysorceress]

Happy National Eggs Benedict Day!

[askwhatsforlunch]

Lemon and Garden Herb Asparagus

These bright, fragrant and delightfully buttery Lemon and Garden Herb Asparagus make a delicious May Day lunch! Have a good one!

Ingredients (serves 2):

about 2 dozens green asparagus, rinsed

1 teaspoon coarse sea salt

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1/2 tablespoon olive oil

1 lemon

3 fluffy sprigs Garden Chervil 

a small bunch Garden Chives 

half a dozen leaves fresh mint

a pinch of fleur de sel or sea salt flakes

Chervil Hollandaise Sauce, warmed, to serve

Trim the bottoms of the asparagus.

Bring a large, deep pan of water to a boil over medium-high heat. Stir in coarse salt, and add the asparagus. Cook, 5 minutes.

Once cooked, immediately plunge the asparagus in a bowl of ice water, to stop cooking. Drain thoroughly.

In a large frying pan, melt butter with olive oil over a medium flame. Once the butter is just foaming, grate in the zest of the whole lemon. Cook, 1 minute.

Finely chop Chervil, Chives and mint, and add half of the chopped herbs to the pan. Cook, 1 minute more.

Add asparagus to the pan, shaking gently to coat them in herbs and butter. Cook, shaking often, about 5 to 7 minutes until just browning. Sprinkle with fleur de sel. Add remaining chopped Chervil, Chives and mint, and toss, to coat.

Serve Lemon and Garden Herb Asparagus immediately, with warm Chervil Hollandaise Sauce, buttered Sourdough toasts and chilled dry white wine, like a Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc.

[what-marsha-eats]

[foodcravings]

Eggs Benedict on a mashed potato waffle with center cut bacon, a poached egg, hollandaise sauce and chives (via Instagram)

[askwhatsforlunch]

Garden Herb Mousseline Sauce

This Garden Herb Mousseline Sauce, light as air and fragrant with chives and parsley, will beautifully coat your cold fish or poached eggs, like a delightfully decadent cloud! Happy Sunday!

Ingredients (makes about 1 ¾ cup):

half a large lemon

2 large egg yolks

1 ½ heaped teaspoons Dijon Mustard

2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small chunks

a small bunch Garden Chives

1 or 2 fluffy sprigs Garden Parsley

½ cup very cold double cream

½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper

Thoroughly squeeze the juice of the lemon.

Fit a small bowl over simmering water, and whisk mustard, egg yolks and lemon juice to blend. Without stopping whisking, gradually add butter chunks to the yolk mixture, one at a time. Whisk until butter is fully incorporated and Hollandaise is smooth, shiny and slightly thickened. Remove from the heat.

Finely chop Garden Chives and Parsley, and stir into the Hollandaise sauce; set aside.

Pour cold double cream in a medium bowl, and beat with an electric beater, gradually increasing speed, until soft peaks just form. Add black pepper, and continue beating on high speed, until just stiff.

Gently fold pepper whipped cream into the Herb Hollandaise. until no white streak remains.

Serve Garden Herb Mousseline Sauce, garnished with Garden Chives and Parsley  if you wish, immediately with cold fish or poached eggs.

[yellowharrington]

jaded -- chapter 3, carmy berzatto x reader

pairing + fandom: carmen “carmy” berzatto x fem!reader (she/her pronouns used), the bear fx

warnings: smoking as usual. angsty!!! minors dni with this story please.

word count: 2k

a/n: sorry for the kinda late posting, was at the lake this weekend hehe. v angsty chapter but i hope u love it!!

summary: feelings get involved.

masterlist | chapter 2 | chapter 4

When the morning light filters through your curtains that morning, it’s disappointing to see that he’s not there laying with you. Not an abnormal offence, sure, but it was beginning to hurt more and more when he would sneak off in the middle of the night. The closer you got with him, the more it hurt to wake up alone, knowing he didn’t want to spend the night with you afterwards. 

When you finally did make it out of bed, you opened your bedroom door to a very not-empty kitchen. Carmy had his back turned, slightly hunched over the stove with a two pans on the burners, soft sizzling coming from his general direction. You were surprised to see him there, dipping a spoon in the sauce he was making before turning around and seeing you standing there. “Good morning. Did I wake you?”

This was certainly becoming something else entirely.

“No, not at all. Hi.” He looked a little disheveled and sleepy still, white t-shirt now pulled over his chest, slightly riding up in the front and exposing his lower stomach. You did make a mental note that he hadn’t worn his boxers to bed last night. “Hi,” he does a little skip out of the kitchen, coming towards you, leaning in for a warm kiss planted right on your lips. He tasted of butter and slightly of toothpaste. “I made you an omelette,” he goes back to his pan and grabs you a plate, but not before looking through a few cupboards to find where the plates actually are. He puts up a perfect orange-yellow French omelette, sprinkling a few fresh chives overtop. “What has gotten into you?” you laugh, taking the breakfast from him and cutting off a small piece. He looked a little flustered, watching you take the first bite. “Good?” He asked excitedly. “Delicious. Don’t dodge the question. Why are you being like this? What… happened?” 

He seemed a little nervous, before leaning over the counter across from you and clasping his hands together. “I’m bad at this,” he starts, drawing his eyes down and attempting not to make eye contact with you. “I’m so bad at all of this shit, and, I feel fuckin’… I feel bad.” your heart sank a little, as you placed the fork on the side of your plate and listened. “Y’know, I was with Claire for a little while, as you, well, as you know it didn’t end well, so I’m kinda scared of all this shit.” You nodded along, not being able to avoid taking another small bite of the food in front of you. Shit, he really did know how to fuckin’ cook.

“But I like you. And I kept leaving in the middle of the night because I was scared you were gonna wake up and regret it, and regret me, and all this,” he’s so awkwardly sincere, it almost makes your stomach hurt. “But at the restaurant yesterday, and last night, I just felt…” he stops for a moment, trying so hard not to self-sabotage for once, “I felt like you just really wanted me here. And I haven’t felt like that maybe, maybe fuckin’, maybe ever.” the silence that was laid over the kitchen was loud as you let yourself stare at him a little. “Please say something,” he pleaded, his smirk curling up on the left corner of his mouth. 

“Carmen, every second I get to be with you is fucking… awesome,” you start, getting up from your seat and letting your hands press against his chest. “I don’t know how to do this either. I just… I’m really happy you’re here too.” 

“And, well, I just feel, just fucking stop me if I’m being insane-” you let your lips attach to his then, closing the gap between you two and forcing him to just be in the moment. “Shut up,” and it’s eager against his lips. “Don’t burn your hollandaise.” And when he pulls away to turn the heat off on the pans, he laughs at his own clumsiness. 

“Thanks.”

“Yeah.”

—

The only problem now is that there is a secret looming over everyone at The Bear. It’s like the mood shifted when you walked into work on Monday morning, and not just because you had a little pep in your step, but it almost felt like everyone knew.

You’re sure they didn’t, there was no way to know, truly, but it felt like it. There wasn’t even really anything to know, because you hadn’t done a lot of talking about anything after that morning, and instead had chosen to spend the day tangled up in your sheets and trying new recipes in the kitchen. There was no label, no conversation, no anything, so there was really nothing to know.

But it felt like everyone knew.

So when Carmy waltzed in at noon and put his bag away in his locker, hanging up his wool jacket that now smelled of your vanilla perfume, it took every bone in your body not to act like he was your boyfriend. Or, whatever this was now.

But he breezed by you easily, barely even giving you a nod of acknowledgment, and you guess it kinda made sense. Workplace relationships were generally frowned upon by, well, everyone, and the mess that Carmy had gotten into with Claire certainly didn’t paint him as the nicest person to be involved with. He was always going a mile a minute at work anyways, back and forth from office to prep to expo, and you knew he wouldn’t be giving you any special treatment.

What you weren’t expecting was his completed ignorance of your presence, as if you weren’t even in the building. He didn’t want to make anything obvious, sure, but he was at the point where it was honestly kind of funny how much he had switched up.

“Is Carmy mad at you or something?” Sydney asked, pulling you out of your coconut macaroon trance. “I don’t think so, why?” She leaned against your station and watched as he fingered through paper in the office, making a few small notes into a notebook. He was oblivious to the fact that Sydney was staring daggers at him. “He just seems like, annoyed, I guess.” “Isn’t Carmy always annoyed?” she giggled a little at that. “Yeah. He is. I heard Claire was trying to get a hold of him, from Richie,” she whispered. “Like a few nights ago. I guess she wants to give it another chance and like, forgave him or whatever.” You felt your cheeks start to get hot. “Oh, yeah? She, uh, - she told him that?”

She looked at you, seemingly right through your eyes and into your soul. “Does that mean something to you if she did?” You suddenly felt very on the spot, not knowing what to say. “Look, you’re not the first person to have a little crush on your boss okay? But don’t… don’t do it with him. He’s got something going on with Claire that’s just… something else. That’s old family shit, you don’t wanna get involved with that. He’s never gonna get over her.”

“Thanks for the heads up, Syd,” and it all felt a little wrong because now your mouth was dry and your head was spinning a little, because deep down, maybe there was some truth to that. Maybe if Claire was gonna come running back and forgive Carmy, maybe you didn’t stand a chance.

So you made your macaroons, and iced your cakes, and tried not to think about it.

- 

It’s the beginning of the end when he starts just coming over to your place after work, instead of asking. 

It’s a routine now - you’d stay late together, watching every last one of them leave, before hopping into Carmy’s passenger side and letting his rough hands find the top of your thigh as he drove the familiar way back to your place. You’d share a bowl of chips and salsa, or sometimes a grilled cheese if you were feeling particularly fancy. On Sundays, if he hadn’t stayed the night before, you’d order takeout and watch each other’s favourite movies, no matter how many times you’d seen them before. 

It was becoming harder to ignore the looming cloud of Claire. You knew you needed to ask, like, what the fuck was going on, because the problem with dating Carmy and no one knowing was that you were still in on all of the kitchen gossip. Richie was the perpetrator of it all, which made it mostly questionable, but it had some merit nonetheless.

“I heard she called him crying on the phone and was begging for him back, and he was all like, “Claire no, you’re drunk, you’ll regret calling me, or some shit,” Richie had started, and your interest was piqued. “I doubt that happened,” Sydney added, talking just loud enough for you to eavesdrop. “He’s just never gonna get over what an ass wipe he is, beat himself up about it forever, and never properly love again. I think.” And even though the small giggles that erupted from the group were low and gentle, it didn’t hurt any less that everyone seemed to collectively agree that Carmy had fucked her over so bad that he would probably be broken forever. Ergo, you were just a rebound. Nothing more.

When you’re being eerily silent on the couch one night, he seems to notice. “What’s up?” He’s so innocent when he asks, eyes still on the TV in front of him, a spoon stuck into a pint of Ben & Jerry’s in his lap. “What really happened with you and Claire, anyways? What’s the story?”

He looked a little jarred by the question, suddenly feeling like the room was too small and the breeze was too cold and it all felt a little weird. 

“What do you wanna know? Like, from the beginning?”

“Yeah. Whatever you wanna tell me. However deep this goes.”

He can tell you’ve already overthought this to shit, and this was something he would have to navigate fairly carefully, lest there be a landmine.

“Uh, well, um, she was - like a family friend, while we are growin’ up, y’know. And I had a big crush on her then and I, um, well I didn’t see her for a long time and then she was just, like, in the grocery store that day, when I was buying veal stock?”

You nodded along attentively, watching as he slid his palms down his clothed thighs nervously.

“And uh, we started talking after that, rekindling old shit and just reminiscing, y’know? And it felt really nice. I hadn’t really had like, a real girlfriend before that, like a few hookups in New York and whatever but not like a partner,” he let his tongue dart in between his lips, a pause. “I guess I’m kinda outing myself as a loser, first real girlfriend at this age, but, I trusted her a lot and it felt kinda right.”

You don’t know if you were prepared for this conversation, but it was too late to take back the question.

“So we went out for a bit, and I really liked her, I guess I loved her, I don’t know. But when I was locked in the fridge on opening night and shit was going wrong I just, went on this tirade about how much I regretted being with her and spending so much time and energy on her when I should’ve been dealing with my fuckin’ restaurant. And shit was falling apart and I was so upset about it all, and I just broke.” The silence was palpable.

“And she called me a few nights ago and she was drunk and yelling at me, and I never intended to be such a fucking asshole but I was. And then I kinda heard through the grapevine that she wanted to talk to me again, and explain, but I just felt… like I can’t fix it. So what’s the point, ya know? And- and she told me that she wanted to fix it, and she would forgive me, and stuff, but it’ll never be the same.”

“Would you fix it with her if you could? If it could go back to the way it was?”

There’s silence, again. And this time, there’s an answer hidden under it, one that is better left unsaid. Suddenly there’s an awkwardness, and Carmy’s looking at you with his usually warm blue eyes, but they look icy tonight. You know he feels bad, but not bad enough to be over her completely, and the blanket of sadness that is laid over the room suddenly feels rather overwhelming.

The words hang on the tip of his tongue, as you grab the dishes in front of you and step over him to go to the kitchen, putting them in the sink to soak. You let the hot water run over the porcelain, letting a few small tears fall from the sides of your eyes, into the murky water below. The long sleeve you’re wearing gets pulled up over your hands to wipe the tears away, taking a few shallow breaths to hopefully stop them from staining your cheeks.

He’s beside you in the kitchen now, an apologetic look on his face, watching as you turn to face him. “Maybe you should just go home tonight,” you finally say. “I could use a night to myself.” “Don’t, I didn’t mean-“ “It’s okay, Carmen, really. I’d just rather be alone.” He looks down at his socked feet on your kitchen floor, nodded silently before grabbing his keys and his coat, slipping on his shoes, and walking out.

You watch him from the front window, arms crossed over your chest. He lets a fist hit the roof of his car, and you can hear his “Fuck!” Ring out into the night sky. The orange tip of his cigarette creates a faint glow by his face as he gets in. The tears well up in your eyes as he drives off, leaving you alone in your apartment, before you turn away and let yourself collapse into bed.

[faegoddessog]

Day 22: what happens when it's daylight

January's DDof AB @dailydoseofaustinbutler

Warnings: Mature Content 18+, nudity and pondering fellatio

Peeps who may want to know! , @purejasmine, @slowsweetlove, @richardslady121, @austinbutlerslovers, @tadpoleteef, @allittakesisoneflight @thisworldisntrealhoney,  @1nho,  @megangovier, @briaandthephantoms, @andro-inherdreamworld @callumsgirl @blombardo  @fefeisastar @hacunamy @nestito702 @denised916 @jayydep @r0m4nitcl0v3r @heyidc03, @secondchild-2, @flander42 @natural-born-rebel-spirit @lecosymood @kathrynzaragoza @bsunshinexo @jayydep @ifyouloveweedletsgosmoke @peggyao3

I woke up tangled in sheets with Austin pressed close to my back. The wet spot, and there was a wet spot, pushed away from our entwined bodies. The sun was diffused by the sheer curtains, so mid morning at best.

“MMM good morning Pussycat,” his raspy voice was soft in my ear. My body prickled, tingling with sleepy activation.  I’m telling you, not a dry moment when I’m around him. 

I stretched one of those big, full body, kitty cat stretches, rolled over in his arms, then ran my hand around his snatched little waist. 

For such a tall man, his waist was slutty as fuck. I loved touching it, licking and kissing my way down his belly to take him into my mouth. I loved the way he felt against my tongue, how he filled my mouth and rubbed against the roof. When he came and it dribbled from the corners of my mouth I felt like a cat who got into the best kind of cream. It’s part of why he called me Pussycat. In fact I was pondering such a sequence of events when his stomach growled and mine answered with a similar rumble.

“Hungry?” he asked, pulling me close, “I can whip up some breakfast,” he clarified, practically reading my mind. 

“Yes please,” my throat only slightly dry from sleeping, “After last night, I need sustenance and a quick shower,” I said, “besides you need a tour, you distracted me last night.” 

“I’ve half a mind to distract you again,” he pulled me close. Then his stomach chimed in with one of those loud empty growls. 

We both giggled, agreeing on a rain-check. 

I started the hot water for coffee or tea. I only kept the best of both here. He went to start the shower. 

We realized we were both too hungry to fuck around much in the shower. I mean, we did wash each other's backs and fronts… I mean why not. 

Wrapped in my sarong, I put myself in charge of coffee and he went to town making eggs benedict, fucking eggs benedict?!  Who does that and calls it ‘whipping something up’. I figured it’d be eggs and toast, not perfect hollandaise sauce and chives with perfectly cooked bacon and poached eggs that oozed yolk. It was delicious and so was he.

I sipped my coffee and watched him from the other side of the counter. You haven’t lived until you’ve had Austin ‘whip up something’ in the kitchen wearing your own bathrobe. Sexy mother fucker, even in purple fuff with stars on it. 

I showed him around the house, which consisted mostly of me standing in the living room and pointing. It was a one story house with two big bedrooms each with an ensuite. The eat in kitchen was airy and decent sized, the living room had a wood burning stove next to a huge picture window that looked out onto the only meadow on the property.  There was a mudroom by the back door with a washer and dryer, into which I shoved the soiled sheets. Hey, they might get dirty again, but clean sheets are one of Hygiea’s more delightful gifts to us lowly mortals. 

“This is more of a cottage than a cabin” he said definitively, looking around.

“You think? How so?” I asked.

“Well, it isn’t really rustic like I expect a cabin to be. It has a washer and dryer and like, heated floors and wifi… It’s comfortable,” he shrugged.

“What, you expected an outhouse and dirt floors?” I jested. “C’mon Austin, you know how I like my creature comforts.”

“Yeah, that’s what I mean,  way more cottage than cabin,” he argued.

“C’mon,” I walked to the door, “I’ll show you why it’s a cabin.” 

I slipped my feet into a pair of ugly crocs and opened the door. 

“Wait, don't we need clothes?” he stood there concerned.

“No, that’s part of why it's a cabin,” I nodded to another pair of crocs. 

“If I get  papped in this, they’ll think I’m auditioning for Baz again.” 

he reluctantly pushed his bare feet into the shoes.

“Babe, have a little faith,” I grabbed his arm and led him out the back door. The rain from last night made it smell loamy and the air had that chilly in the shade but warm in the sun vibe. 

The only sounds were the chirping of birds and the occasional twitter of squirrels. We walked down the path about 10 meters,  fingers intertwined. 

“There isn’t a house for a mile in any direction,” I explained to him,”and the closest neighbor that lives here year round is two miles east. She’s a really nice lady, maybe we’ll go have tea with her tomorrow afternoon. She’d love you.” 

Austin was nodding, getting the gist of just how secluded we were here. 

“AAAAND,” I turned around and made a ‘ta da’ gesture to the house. “Cabin.”

It was literally lincoln logs on the outside with a foundation of stone. 

I didn’t blame him, it had been dark when we got here and after the two hour tease with his hand playing all kinds of games up my skirt on the drive up here, neither of us were inclined to notice cladding. 

“Ok, ok, I stand corrected,”  he smiled that shy boyish grin that made me want to pinch his cheeks. “Not a cottage, a cabin.” 

“Thank you sir,” I curtsied. “I shan't hold it against you ,unless you ask nicely.”

“Shall we get clothes on and take a walk,” he nodded to the waiting forest.

“No,” I said, tightening my fingers in his and continuing down the path. 

“But...” he began. 

“Trust me Austin,” I undid the knot on my sarong, letting it unwind from my body. The look back I gave him as I draped it over my shoulder was pure mischief. 

“Um… but what about, like, mosquitos… and um… stuff,” he was trying real hard to focus on his concerns.

“No mosquitos here, and ‘stuff’ has never bothered me,” and I kept walking.

[najia-cooks]

[ID: A sandwich on an English muffin with cheese, a sausage patty, bacon, egg, Hollandaise sauce, and chopped chives. End ID]

Vegan 'sausage' and 'egg' breakfast sandwiches

Soy sauce, maple syrup, liquid smoke, and fresh herbs and spices give savor, depth, and sweetness to these TVP-based sausage patties. A combination of rice flour, all-purpose flour, and coconut milk, inspired by Vietnamese bánh xèo, makes the batter for the egg patties; they are subtly flavored with kala namak, fenugreek, and white pepper to form a perfect complement for the sausage.

A slow cook in an egg ring followed by a quick fry makes the 'eggs' fluffy on the inside and crispy on the outside—a superior solution to tofu, which never quite has the right texture.

This is a delicious, filling option for a weekend breakfast or breakfast-for-dinner; or, make the TVP patties and 'egg' batter the night before and fry them in the morning for a quick breakfast option.

Recipe under the cut!

Patreon | Tip jar

Makes 6-8 small sandwiches.

Ingredients:

English muffins, buns, bagels, or rolls

Hollandaise sauce (optional)

Tomato, tempeh, avocado, spinach, and/or hot sauce as desired

For the sausage patties:

1 cup TVP

1 cup water

1 tsp vegetarian beef stock concentrate or beef pho seasoning

1 1/2 Tbsp ground dried shiitake mushrooms

2 Tbsp total fresh minced sage, rosemary, and thyme, or 2 tsp dried

1 1/2 tsp onion powder

1 1/2 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp smoked paprika

1/2 tsp sumac (optional)

1/2 tsp fennel seeds, toasted and ground

1/4 tsp ground ginger

1/4 tsp black peppercorns, toasted and ground

5 cloves, toasted and ground

Large pinch MSG (optional)

1/4 cup vegan mayo (substitute any neutral oil)

1 Tbsp aged soy sauce (substitute any soy sauce)

1 Tbsp vegetarian oyster sauce

1 Tbsp Caribbean burnt sugar (or substitute molasses)

1-2 Tbsp maple syrup or brown sugar

1/2 tsp liquid smoke

2 Tbsp ground flaxseed

1/4 cup (30g) chickpea flour (or all-purpose flour)

2 Tbsp potato starch (if needed)

1 Tbsp cooking oil, to fry

You could also make these patties with Impossible or Beyond ground beef. Use 2 cups (350g) ground beef; omit the water and stock concentrate; halve the soy sauce, oyster sauce, burnt sugar, and liquid smoke.

For the egg patties:

1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp (60g) white rice flour

3 Tbsp (22.5g) all-purpose flour (substitute more rice flour for a gluten-free version)

1 tsp ground turmeric

About 1 1/4 cup (295mL) coconut milk (canned or boxed; the kind for cooking, not drinking)

1/4 tsp kala namak (black salt), or substitute table salt

1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds, toasted and ground (optional)

1/4 tsp white peppercorns, toasted and ground (optional)

Cooking oil, to fry

Instructions:

For the egg patties:

1. Whisk all ingredients except coconut milk together in a medium mixing bowl.

2. Add coconut milk while stirring until a batter forms, about the consistency of pancake batter. It should be thin enough to flow, but thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.

3. Cover and allow to rest at room temperature while you prepare the TVP patties.

For the TVP patties:

1. If using whole spices: toast each spice for a few minutes in a dry skillet on medium heat until very fragrant. Remove skillet from heat and toast ground spices, stirring constantly, for 30 seconds. Grind all spices in a mortar and pestle or in a spice mill.

2. Whisk 1 tsp of vegetarian beef stock concentrate with 1 cup of just-boiled water in a large bowl until just combined. Add spices, soy sauce, oyster sauce, maple syrup, burnt sugar, maple syrup, liquid smoke, and TVP and mix well. Allow TVP to rehydrate for about 10 minutes.

3. Stir in herbs, flaxseed, and flour and mix until well-combined. Add breadcrumbs 1/4 cup at a time until patties hold together.

4. Form TVP mixture into patties about 4" in diameter (or as desired) and place on a plate. Refrigerate for about 10 minutes to allow to set.

To cook:

1. Heat a cast-iron or nonstick pan on medium-high with a couple teaspoons of oil. Place egg rings (or mason jar rings) in the pan, and pour enough batter in each one to make a patty about 1/2" (1cm) thick. Allow to brown for a minute or two.

2. Turn the heat down to low and continue cooking until the top of the egg patties have mostly solidified and are a shade darker.

3. Carefully flip each patty and remove the egg ring. Pour another couple teaspoons of oil in the pan and return the heat to medium-high. Fry, flipping if necessary, until each side of the patty is golden-brown and crispy.

4. Meanwhile, heat a Tbsp of oil in another large skillet on medium-low. Place patties in the skillet and flatten gently with the back of a spatula. Allow to cook for about 5 minutes on each side, until browned, crispy, and cooked through.

5. Assemble breakfast sandwiches with TVP patties, egg patties, and vegetables and sauces of your choice. Serve warm.

[myculinaryblogtx]

Day 1: The New Job

Hello readers, it has been an eventful week...

I'm sleep-deprived, and my body is sore, but I feel fulfilled.

For the last month, I have been working at a second job at a bakery/brunch spot downtown.

I initially applied for a baking position to gain experience before graduating. But they needed someone to help expedite and run food, which is no problem as I have been a food runner at a fine-dining steakhouse for the last two years. I thought it would be similar, but I was wrong.

In my first week, I had to learn how each dish on the menu was plated correctly. The kitchen is small, but it can make fantastic food. Thankfully, the menu was new, so everyone, including me, was learning how the dishes were supposed to look, and I caught on quickly. If anything can catch my attention, it's food. Learning about the different garnishes or sauces that went with each dish was stressful but informative.

For example, we are doing a Japanese Omurice with spam fried rice. This is a typical Japanese dish, but we add hollandaise on top, a citrusy, dark soy sauce on the side, and garnish with pork floss and seaweed. It is one of my favorite things on the menu!

I don't get to garnish the dishes often at the steakhouse as most of the kitchen does it behind the line. My main objective there is to put the food in the correct order before it goes out to the guests. The most I do is ask for compound butter and sauces or pour some ketchup for fries.

But at the bakery, I get to make the plates look beautiful, and knowing I was the one who did them drives me further to pursue my studies at school.

For my latest development at the Bakery, one of my managers called me when I was visiting some family and asked if I was still interested in working on the actual bakery side, as they needed some help.

Eagerly, I accepted. They asked about my school schedule and what day I would be available for training, and the only day I was available was Halloween. I knew it was going to be an early morning, so I planned to sleep in on Friday, but fate had other plans.

A few days later, on Sunday, they posted the schedule, and my heart sank.

I had to train 4am-7am on Wednesday and Thursday.

I am not a morning person, and my usual shifts start at 9am on Saturday and Sunday. This was going to pose a challenge for me.

But I knew what I was getting into, so I sucked it up and braced myself for the hectic week ahead. On Monday, when I drove home, I promised myself that on Tuesday night, I would go to bed and wake up at 2am, as I don't live close to the city and get there early to make a good impression.

Well, long story short, I failed.

Instead of waking up at 3:30am, I woke up at 7am!

Pissed, I got dressed and ran out the door, hoping I could get to the bakery and see if I could do anything, but my manager texted me about it, and. I explained what had happened, and he told me to not come in, but he would move that training shift to Friday... Great.So, no sleeping for me then. I drove back home and went to right back to sleep. Later in the day after talking to my mom, dad, and my boyfriend, I had a plan.

I would just stay up all night.

I am a night owl so it was not that hard. I played video games and chatted with friends, and then an hour before the shift, I washed my face, changed my clothes, and left the house at 3:30am.

After waiting for someone to open, I eventually began training! I was mainly taught how to fulfill the orders we had for someone who was going to pick them up at 6 a.m. I also learned how to finish off the baked goods, such as adding chives to the bagels, powdered sugar on Danishes, and how the fruit was to be cut and presented on the pastry.

Then, I learned how to prep the next order for the later shift to bake. I would Pull dough out from the freezer and set the number we needed aside to proof. On my first day after all of that, I helped make butter pats.

Essentially, we took parchment paper and folded it into a kind of envelope. Then we had huge blocks of butter, which I used and sliced lengthways. I aligned them in the folds of the parchment and closed it back up before pounding it with a rolling pin so it would come together for my trainer to make sheets of dough for croissants.

On the second day after doing the same thing but solo, I prepped out some cookies and brownies before I was let go and drove straight home to pass out before going to my other job at 3:30pm.

I know baking is a lot, and I know it will take me a lot of drive to work out the kinks in my plans, but I feel good about this.

Next week is not as hectic. I still have to get up early, but only at 9am on Thursday and 7am on Friday. Much better. They plan to train me in actual baking and proofing. At least, that's what the note said. I am going to go check on my chicken thawing in the kitchen and think of what I am going to eat, as all I had today was coffee, 2 pieces of bacon, and a bowl of buttered noodles. They are not the healthiest choices, but I'm a broke college student, and beggars can't be choosers.

Till next time, my friends! And if you want to stay notified, follow and tag yourself below, and I'll add you next time I post!

[vanweezer]

inspired by this post bc originality is fake. oc bagel orders

this post ended up being a lot longer than i thought it would be and these arent even all of my ocs so. if you dont wanna read me rambling about the breakfast lives of these freaks scroll on by

arnie: look up tyra banks bagel on youtube for the answer to this.

courtney: toasted cinnamon raisin with grape jelly.

ghost: she wouldnt have a preference for bagel flavors and would not care for topping but she would eat them by toasting them ripping up the bagel into pieces putting the pieces into a pile and then eating them one by one.

kianna: onion bagel with butter and the rest of her toppings (nova lox/capers/chives/jalapeños/etc) on the side.

lance: everything bagel with cream cheese & pepper & a touch of lime.

leyla: donut.

lou: would pick off of kianna's sides and cram them all in between a sesame seed bagel, sometimes has bacon & cheese or just cc w the toppings, lots of hot sauce dreeeeenched in hot sauce, kianna's jalapeños are not safe around him.

lyra: wheat bagel with butter.

prudence: she would eat my bagel order which is everything bagel with whipped savory-flavored cream cheese and Lots Of It and she would be picky in choosing where the bagel comes from.

rashida: i once saw something called a 'cinnamon sugar' bagel where one of the spread options was straight up frosting so probably something like that OR a for a savory vibe a plain bagel w sausig egg whites and some typa hollandaise or mayo.

rosalia: this is a kingsley creation but if it is not sound off in the comments but my girl's getting an everything bagel with plain cream cheese and homemade strawberry jam/strawberries & honey on top, she might do salt i think she would do salt.

snyder: toasted wheat bagel, egg whites, turkey bacon, hot sauce.

velouria: onion bagel with nothing on it. sometimes they will dunk it into various sauces tho. tyler (their bf) will try to make them eat his order (basically similar to snyders but w cheese and fried egg & regular bacon) as a prank and they would scratch at him

FUCK I REALLY WANT A BAGEL.

[rickchung]

Arc Restaurant x Fairmont Waterfront.

"Waterfront Gin" launch from Wayward Distillery

Weekend bottomless brunch buffet service

Buttermilk fried chicken and waffle with habanero maple syrup

Smoked salmon Benedict with pickled onions and chive hollandaise sauce

Lobster mac and cheese with Mornay sauce

Beef shortrib poutine: fries, cheese curds, foie, and beef gravy

Avocado croissant with mixed greens, tomatoes, and lemon-caper dressing

Bone marrow with gruyère, scrambled eggs, and chives

[splungecoyote]

TMI Tuesday: What is your favorite pizza toppings?

Sausage and green bell peppers. I like the crunch of the pepper- not to mention sneaking vegetable in a meal- and the chewy, savory sausage.

Pesto and margarita pizzas are good too!

Also, breakfast pizza with ham, scrambled eggs, cheese, hollandaise sauce and chives is pretty darn delicious too.

[pollybert]

Eggs Benedict in Vienna (Part 8)

Eggs Benedict are nothing special in Vienna anymore, lots of places offer list this breakfast staple on their menu. Just check out the other posts for Vienna below.  Meanwhile, here are the latest places I visited and ate eggs Benedict. Yours, Pollybert Donnersmarkt: The eggs Benedict looked perfect, with the rich, buttery sauce Hollandaise and sprinkles of chive on top. The muffin had been…

[dearfabel]

Delicious vegan crepes stuffed with sautéed asparagus and drizzled with a creamy hollandaise sauce. Perfect for a savory brunch or breakfast!

Ingredients: 1 cup chickpea flour. 1 cup almond milk. 1/2 cup water. 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast. 1/2 teaspoon turmeric. Salt and pepper to taste. 1 bunch fresh asparagus spears, trimmed. 1 tablespoon olive oil. 1/2 cup diced onion. 2 cloves garlic, minced. 1/2 cup silken tofu. 2 tablespoons lemon juice. 1 teaspoon dijon mustard. 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast. 1/4 teaspoon turmeric. Salt and pepper to taste. Chopped fresh chives for garnish.

Instructions: Use a whisk to mix chickpea flour, almond milk, water, 1/2 teaspoon turmeric, salt, and pepper in a bowl. This will make the crepe batter. Take a 10-minute break. Put a nonstick skillet on medium heat and add a few drops of olive oil. Add a little crepe batter to the pan and swirl it around to make a thin crepe. Flip the food over and cook for another two minutes. After two to three minutes, the edges should start to come off. Do it again with the rest of the batter, adding more oil if needed. Put away. Put 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a different pan and heat it over medium-low heat. Add the diced onion and saut until it turns clear. Next, add the garlic and cook for one more minute. Trim the asparagus spears and put them in the pan. Saut for five minutes, until they are soft but still have some crunch. Add pepper and salt. Put silken tofu, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast, 1/4 teaspoon turmeric, salt, and pepper in a blender. Blend until smooth. This is the hollandaise sauce. Put a crepe on a plate and add some of the asparagus mixture in the middle. Then, fold the sides of the crepe over the filling. Do it again with the rest of the asparagus and crepes. Spread the hollandaise sauce on top of the stuffed crepes. Add chopped chives on top, and serve hot.

[askwhatsforlunch]

Salmon and Leek Cassolettes with Mussel Hollandaise

Simple ingredients --some dug up in the Kitchen Garden-- make a special dish with these Salmon and Leek Cassolette with Mussel Hollandaise, something you can serve on grand occasions or on a date night! Happy Friday!

Ingredients (serves 4):

1 1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened

1 large Garden Leek

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

450 grams/1 pound fresh salmon fillets

fleur de sel and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste

3 large egg yolks

2 heaped teaspoons Dijon Mustard

1 1/2 lemons

1 1/3 cup unsalted butter, cut into small chunks

1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper

a small bunch Garden Chives 

1/4 cup good dry white wine (like New Zealand's Tora Bay Martinborough Sauvignon Blanc)

1 cup beautiful mussels, thawed and thoroughly drained

Preheat oven to 165°C/330°F.

Generously butter 4 individual cassolettes or baking tins. Set aside.

Thoroughly rinse Garden Leek under cold water, removing any dirt.

Melt butter with olive oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Cut Leek into thin slices and add them to the skillet. Cook, 5 minutes, until just softened.

Spoon a small bed of Leeks into each cassolette.

Remove the skin from the salmon fillets, and cut them into large cubes.

Arrange salmon cubes onto the bed of Leeks into each cassolette. Season, to taste, with fleur de sel and black pepper. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine egg yolks and Dijon Mustard. Thoroughly squeeze in the juice of the whole lemon and the lemon halve. Stir energetically with a whisk, to mix.

Fit the bowl over a small saucepan of simmering water (the bottom of the bowl should not touch the water.)

Without stopping whisking, gradually add butter chunks to the yolk mixture, one at a time. Whisk until butter is fully incorporated and Hollandaise is smooth, shiny and thickened. Season with black pepper.

Finely chop Garden Chives, and stir into the Hollandaise. Gradually whisk in Sauvignon Blanc. Finally, gently fold in the mussels. Remove from the heat.

Spoon Mussel Hollandaise generously onto the salmon and bed of Leeks into each cassolette.

Place them in the middle of the warm oven, and bake, at 165°C/330°F, for 25 minutes.

Serve Salmon and Leek Cassolette with Mussel Hollandaise hot, with a glass of chilled dry white, like Aotearoa New Zealand's Tora Bay Sauvignon Blanc.