Scotch Eggs with Dijon Sauce on Mixed Greens
Serves 6

To prepare the eggs: Dredge peeled eggs in flour to coat. Divide sausage into 6 equal portions and pat out each into 4-inch circle. Mold each sausage portion around an egg to encase it completely. Dip sausage covered eggs in beaten egg, then roll in the dry bread crumbs to coat. Place on a baking sheet and refrigerate 30 minutes. Heat oil (a depth of 3 inches) to 375˚in a saucepan or deep skillet. Deep fry a few eggs at a time until dark golden brown and sausage is cooked through. Drain eggs on a rack over paper towels. When cool enough to handle, slice eggs in half, lengthwise, place on top of greens, and drizzle with the Dijon sauce (the eggs may be served warm or at room temperature).

To prepare the Dijon Sauce: Stir together the sour cream, mayonnaise, and whole grain mustard. Chill until serving time.

Make Ahead Tip: Fry eggs the day before, but do not slice. After cooling to room temperature, refrigerate until completely chilled, then cover. The morning of the brunch, remove eggs from the refrigerator about 45 minutes before serving time.  Warm eggs on a baking sheet in a 300° oven for 15 minutes. Slice, place on greens, and drizzle with sauce. Prepare the sauce a day or two in advance.    

How to… Hard Cook an Egg
Here’s a burning question that has plagued cooks forever:  “How do you hard cook an egg and have it easy to peel and no ugly gray-green ring around the yolk?”

The eggs will peel best if they are older. The discoloration around the yolk occurs less often in fresh eggs and in eggs not cooked at excessively high temperatures. This means you must plan in advance and buy your eggs about a week before you cook them. This is just about the right timeframe for the egg to peel easily but still be fresh enough not to get the ring around the yolk.

Ok…here’s what I do. Place eggs in a saucepan in a single layer, not overly crowded, and cover with cold water. Place the saucepan on the stove and heat, uncovered, over medium high heat until the water just begins to boil. Immediately turn down the heat to a very gentle simmer and continue to cook uncovered for 9 minutes. Immediately drain and plunge the eggs into ice water until cool enough to handle.

Ricotta Tart with Leeks and Tomatoes
Serves 8

Preheat oven to 350˚. Line a 9-inch pie plate with the crust and flute the edges. You may use a 9-inch removable bottom tart pan if you prefer.

In a small skillet, sauté the leek in butter until tender (about 3 minutes). Set aside to cool slightly. In a medium bowl, stir together the remaining ingredients except tomatoes. Add leeks and any remaining butter in the pan. Spread into the crust, top with the sliced tomatoes, and sprinkle with additional cheese. Bake 40-50 minutes until the tart is golden and set. Garnish each slice with additional minced parsley or basil. Serve warm or cold.

Make Ahead Tip: The day before, line pan with pie crust, cover, and refrigerate. Prepare the leek and ricotta filling and refrigerate. About an hour before serving, fill crust, top with tomatoes, and bake.

How to… Buy and prepare leeks

Leeks are related to garlic and onions and look like giant scallions (green onions). They have a mild taste and are used often in European kitchens. Their dark green leaves are tough and fibrous, so the best part to use is the base, or bulb, but only the white and pale green parts. The leek’s growth habit often traps dirt between its layers. Slice leeks in half lengthwise and rinse thoroughly to remove all the grit.  Use in cooking as you would an onion.

Green Beans with Herbed Crumb Topping
Serves 6-8

To prepare the crumbs: Melt the butter in a large skillet or sauté pan over medium-high heat. Stir in garlic, parsley, chives, bread crumbs, lemon zest, and salt and pepper.  Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until the crumbs are crisp and golden. 

To serve: Spoon hot crumb mixture over hot cooked green beans and serve at once.

Variation: Substitute fresh asparagus for the green beans.

Make Ahead Tip: The day before, cook beans tender-crisp. Plunge into ice water to stop the cooking. Drain, pat dry, and refrigerate. An hour before serving, remove beans from refrigerator. Prepare the bread crumb mixture. Set skillet aside on stovetop. When ready to serve, heat bread crumbs, add green beans, and stir to warm through.

How to…Make Soft, Fresh Bread Crumbs

Remove the crust from a loaf of “sturdy” bread – like French or Italian. You want bread that has a firm texture, NOT “gloppy sandwich bread”, as my mom would say (you know, that soft, squishy bread that sticks to the roof of your mouth)!  Tear the bread into small pieces and place in the bowl of a food processor.  It’s best to do this in small batches.  Pulse until you get uniform crumbs.  Any unused crumbs can be frozen in a zip-top bag. 

Molly's Bread Pudding with Whiskey Sauce
(Oh Baby! Oh Baby!)
Serves 12

Preheat oven to 350°. Butter a 9 X 13 baking dish and fill it with torn bread. In a large bowl combine the eggs, Half & Half, sugar, salt and vanilla. Pour over the bread. Bake for 1 hour. Remove from oven, dot top with butter and sprinkle with brown sugar. Put back into oven for about 5 minutes, until butter is melted and the brown sugar is saturated. Remove and cool slightly before serving.

Prepare the sauce in a medium saucepan on top of the stove. In the saucepan, before placing over heat, stir together the sugar, evaporated milk, butter, and eggs. Stir to blend thoroughly. Place pan over medium-low heat and stir constantly. Mixture will begin to boil and thicken.  Remove from heat and add vanilla and bourbon.  Chill sauce. Serve bread pudding warm with cold sauce and top with a dollop of whipped cream.