The Good Egg: More Than 200 Fresh Approaches from Soup to Dessert

The egg is back. Stigmatized in the '70s and '80s for its "artery clogging" high cholesterol content (doctors now agree there's no link between food cholesterol and blood cholesterol levels), and more recently avoided as a potential source of salmonella (simple precautions can obviate danger), the egg has returned triumphant. Celebrating this happy state is Marie Simmons's The Good Egg, a collection of more than 200 easy recipes that showcase the egg in dishes from soup to dessert. Those who love this simple, delicious food will find the book a boon. In chapters such as "Artfully Scrambled and Fried," "Broths," "Stews and Braises," "Pasta and Eggs," and "Cookies, Cakes, Pies, and Tarts," Simmons presents a full range of satisfying egg dishes, many meals in themselves. There are classics, such as spaghetti carbonara, Caesar salad, omelets, and crème brûlée, as well as unfamiliar yet welcome specialties like Creamy Scrambled Eggs with Curry and Cardamom, Eggs Baked on Salmon Hash with Dill and Orange, and Fresh Pasta with Poached Eggs, Toasted Walnuts, and Parmesan. Desserts are well represented, and treats such as Coconut Macaroon Bread Pudding with Dried Cherries and Spiced Sponge Roll with Maple Cream Filling and Walnut Praline should provide enticing meal finales. With instructive sidebars and preparation tips ("Strata Strategies," for example, provides a detailed battle plan for strata success), the book offers an up-to-date and long-overdue exploration of this most versatile food. --Arthur Boehm

A collection of egg recipes re-introduces the nation the joys of this basic food, restoring such favorites as eggnog, lemon chiffon tort, and popovers to the American kitchen.

Pity the poor egg--in these cholesterol-conscious times it has fallen from grace. Simmons (a James Beard Award winner and Bon App?tit columnist) makes a valiant effort to rehabilitate the versatile ovum in this wide-ranging collection of recipes. Simmons provides a brief introduction (including a piece that explains that eggs are high in cholesterol but low in saturated fat, which is the substance that actually raises blood cholesterol in humans), but the bulk of this book consists of recipes for dishes satisfying yet simple enough to serve as last-minute suppers. A chapter on scrambled and fried eggs offers the basics, as well as variations such as Creamy Scrambled Eggs with Curry and Cardamom. Another focuses on omelets, moving from the Basic Omelette to predictable combinations, including a Feta, Spinach and Tomato Omelette, then on to the more adventurous Egg Fu Yung. It would have been easy enough to include almost anything in this cookbook, but Simmons stays true to her theme, including only dishes that feature eggs front and center, such as Carter House Potato "Risotto" with Poached Eggs (made by cutting the potatoes into small cubes and cooking them as one would a risotto) and Anna Teresa's Sensational Fried Stuffed Eggs, in which hard-cooked eggs are opened, stuffed with b?chamel, then reassembled and fried. An entire chapter on egg salads brims with innovation, and desserts such as Earl Grey Cr?me Br?l?e and Strawberry Jam Bread Pudding with Almond Streusel Topping are a treat. Simmons may not fully restore the egg to its previous status, but she's made a convincing start. (May)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

"...appealing, clearly written and unintimidating. Along with classic egg dishes...she offers fresh new ideas to try..." --Susan Puckett -- Review

MARIE SIMMONS, a popular cooking teacher and author who has won both a James Beard Award and a Julia Child Award, is the culinary director of Copia, a food and wine cultural center in Napa, California. She is a frequent contributor to Cooking Light, Prevention, Cottage Living, and Eating Well. Her books include Fresh & Fast, The Light Touch Cookbook, Rice: The Amazing Grain, Lighter Quicker Better, and 365 Ways to Cook Pasta.

Spaghetti alla Carbonara

Carbonara is a classic Roman dish of steaming-hot spaghetti, bits of crisp cooked pancetta (salt-cured unsmoked Italian bacon) and a delicate custardy coating of egg and cream. American bacon can be used, but because it is smoked, it will give the carbonara a different flavor. The traditional cheese for carbonara is Pecorino Romano, a sharp sheep's milk cheese from the region around Rome and the island of Sardinia. Parmigiano-Reggiano, a cow's milk cheese with a milder flavor, can be used, if preferred. Whatever way you make it, this is an especially easy dish for a quick supper.

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
4 slices pancetta or thick-cut bacon, cut into G-inch pieces
5 large eggs, at room temperature
2 tablespoons heavy cream, at room temperature
1 pound spaghetti
1/2 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese, plus extra for serving
Freshly ground black pepper
Finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley (optional)

1. Heat the oil in a large skillet. Add the pancetta or bacon and cook, stirring, until golden and crisp. Remove to a double layer of paper towels to drain.

2. Meanwhile, whisk the eggs and cream in a medium bowl until well blended. Set aside. Set a large colander in a serving bowl in the sink.

3. Cook the spaghetti in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente, 10 to 12 minutes. Drain the pasta in the colander and immediately lift it out of the bowl to drain off almost, but not quite, all the water.

4. Dump out the water from the warm bowl; blot dry. Immediately add the spaghetti, the egg mixture and cheese and toss vigorously so that the eggs cook through in the heat from the steaming pasta but do not scramble. Add a liberal grinding of pepper and top with the reserved pancetta or bacon and parsley, if desired. Serve at once with more cheese.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Eggs Baked in Fresh Tomato Salsa with Melted Cheese

Make your own fresh tomato salsa, or buy a good-quality refrigerated fresh salsa from the supermarket. The flavors are best if you prepare the salsa just before baking and serving. The entire dish, including preparation and cooking times, takes less than 30 minutes.

Extra-virgin olive oil
Tomato Salsa
2 1/2cups diced (G inch) tomatoes (2-3 large ripe tomatoes)
1/4cup finely chopped sweet onion
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro or basil
2 teaspoons fresh lime or lemon juice
1-2 teaspoons minced jalapeno
1/2teaspoon kosher salt
4 large eggs
1 cup grated Monterey Jack or mozzarella cheese (about 4 ounces)
Toasted bread

1. Preheat the oven to 400F. Brush four (8-ounce) ramekins or small gratin dishes (about 5 inches in diameter and 1 inch deep) with oil. Set the dishes on a baking sheet.

2. Make the salsa: Combine the tomatoes, onion, oil, cilantro or basil, lime or lemon juice, jalape-o and salt in a medium bowl and stir to blend.

3. Distribute the salsa evenly among the prepared dishes. Make an indention in the middle of the salsa in each dish. Break the eggs one at a time into a cup and slip an egg into each dish. Sprinkle with the cheese, dividing evenly.

4. Bake until the whites are set, about 8 minutes. Serve at once, with the toast.

Makes 4 servings

TIP: Vary the seasoning in the salsa depending on your preference. A little wine vinegar can be used instead of the lime or lemon juice. Red onion and a mix of red and yellow tomatoes are also good. -- Copyright (C) 2000 by Marie Simmons. All rights reserved. Reprinted by permission of Houghton Mifflin Company.