Eggs In a Basket

Among the majority of expats in Shanghai, brunches are usually spent outside the home as it is more convenient to access a wider range of Western brunch dishes. A big group brunch at a home on a weekend and on a budget means something has to be cooked up with a few cheap ingredients in ample time. The first idea that came to mind was eggs in a basket. Pancakes or French toast would have been a nice thought, but maple syrup is overpriced and sold primarily in expat-oriented stores. Using an oven was out of the picture considering it is a rarity in China. In Shanghai, eggs, butter, and bread are readily and cheaply available, so something involving those three ingredients meant eggs in a basket would be the brunch contribution.

After toasting the bread in butter in a pan, the egg is cracked into the hole and cooked until the whites are no longer raw, but the yolk is still runny. This takes about 7-10 minutes per serving. It seemed even longer as the egg cooked from the bottom up and you have to be careful about not turning up the heat too high, which would burn the bottom of the bread and egg. Most things do tend to taste better heavily browned and not charred. With one pan, one burner, many people cooking, and more people, it was only possible to make one egg in a basket at a time. Something had to be done to speed up the process. The idea to cover the pan while the egg was cooking came to mind and tested. After a few minutes, the whites were cooked all the way through and the egg was still runny. Success! This process only took half of the original cooking time. Just be mindful to remove the egg in a basket immediately after the whites are done because the convection heat created by using the lid will cause the yolks to solidify as well.

The resulting egg in a basket is buttery and nicely browned. A simple, delicious start to the day!

Eggs In A Basket (serves 2)
2 bread slices
2 eggs
4-6 Tablespoons butter
Salt and black pepper to taste

Using a biscuit cutter or other sharp, round object, cut a hole in the center of the bread slice about 1 1/2 to 2 inches in diameter. On the stove, heat the pan to medium. Put 1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons of butter in the pan to melt. Swirl butter to cover the bottom of the pan and immediately put the bread slice and its hole until golden brown, about a minute and a half. Remove the half-toasted bread and melt another tablespoon to tablespoon and a half of butter in the pan. Put the uncooked side of the bread down to lightly brown. Immediately turn the heat down to low and crack the egg in the "basket" or hole. Cover the pan and wait about 3-4 minutes until the egg whites have cooked all the way through. If you prefer your yolks more cooked, leave on the burner for a bit longer. By this point, the bottom of the toast and egg is also nicely browned and can be removed from the pan. Sprinkle coarse salt and freshly-ground black pepper over the egg. Repeat with second egg and slice.

Huevos Brunch at Maya

Most brunches in Shanghai run closer to the range of 100RMB per person. Maya advertises a "Huevos Brunch" with everything listed on the brunch menu under 50RMB. The deal sounds really good, especially if you are not in the mood for a pricey brunch buffet.

The free-range egg dish selected for this brunch was the Pan de Maiz Huevos Benedictos (50RMB) or poached runny eggs over chorizo with a corn muffin and red pepper hollandaise. The eggs had perfectly cooked egg whites and yolks that slowly oozed out. The corn muffin was an excellent vehicle to soak up the red pepper hollandaise sauce and egg yolks. The hollandaise sauce had a bit of a smoked tinge of flavor from the red pepper making it a good match for the chorizo and the heavy, filling texture of the corn muffin. The roasted potatoes were also a great match for the dish as its cut edges were caramelized, soft on the inside, and nicely seasoned overall. The dish looked small, but was incredibly filling.

The best looking dish - at least for value - on the brunch menu was the Huevos Divorciados, a vegetarian dish, with green and red chili sauce, refried beans, cheese quesadilla, sour cream and salsa (45RMB). The Maya Mary (50RMB) was served in a low ball glass with plenty of rice and little kick. The brunch also includes bottomless sangria and margaritas for 125RMB and 150RMB, respectively (to be sampled). Advertising menu items as 50RMB or lower is the hook, but with all the other brunch items such as drinks and perhaps even an appetizer of guacamole and chips (50 RMB) while you wait, the bill adds up fast.

Maya. 2/F, Grand Plaza Club House, 568 Julu Lu (near Shaanxi Nan Lu), Shanghai, People's Republic of China. 巨鹿路568弄 四方新城俱乐部2楼，近陕西南路. www.casanova.com.cn/maya.

Rotiboy

The smell is captivating. Warm, fresh from the oven baked goodness tickles and tempts olfactory glands. The sweet aroma makes your stomach growl and the queues at the stand for the buns pulled directly from the oven show reflect how tasty it is. Rotiboy is a bakery chain that serves only one thing: Rotiboy. There are other variations to choose from, but you can only get the original Rotiboy bun hot from the oven about any time of day. The Rotiboy chain also offers other types of pastries and sandwiches, but what made it famous is the Signature Rotiboy Original Bun, which is also likened to the "Mexican Bun." Butter, milk, flour, water, sugar, salt, and coffee are combined and baked resulting in a sweetly divine, round bun with a hint of coffee and an artery clogging buttery center. Rotiboy was founded in Penang, Malaysia and has expanded to stores in Indonesia, South Korea, and Thailand.


I stood in line patiently as the bakers expertly removed the buns from the oven in pairs putting one each into a bag. There are directions on the bag on how to enjoy your Rotiboy at home like it was fresh from the oven (pre-heat oven to about 180°C and heat for about 10 minutes) and where else to find it in Indonesia. Each bun cost 7000Rp. The smell was thrilling and comforting at the same time. The first bite was warm and the spongy, sweet cake melts along your tongue as you chew. The crust is barely firm and hints of coffee linger along your taste buds and nostrils. Reaching the center, you bite into a sinfully buttery middle that is slightly gooey. It is fabulously doughy. Yum. What a great start to the day. What a great part of the day for my stomach!

If you are looking for a recipe, try this one from House of Annie or this one. I do not recall seeing a topping (someone commented about this in the posts) piped onto the dough, but rather the dough resting and waiting for baking in temperature-controlled storage units. Maybe this was added right before baking.

Rotiboy. Multiple locations. www.rotiboy.com

Breakfast Sandwich at Boulange

Early morning walking through Hayes Valley in the conflicting state of breakfast or sandwich, I walked into La Boulange. From the street you could see several diners inside reading the morning paper or working remotely and people queueing for a breakfast order, coffee, or pastry to go. Relatively large numbers of patrons in one place is promising. It turns out that La Boulange is actually a chain bakery in San Francisco, but this fact did not seem to deter regular customers.

The menu on the wall had the perfect breakfast sandwich to appease cravings for an American breakfast and a sandwich. It was hard to choose when the healthier yogurt options and tempting The egg and cheese sandwich (US$7.00) comes with tomato and a choice of bacon, ham, smoked salmon, or avocado on crossaint, plain or multigrain country bread with fresh fruit. My order had bacon with multigrain bread. If only the order could have come with all the options because I would have liked to try them all (without paying extra)...at least the avocado. It was hearty, but the bread was a little on the dry side causing slight abrasion in my mouth whilst chewing. There was not enough fluffy egg to balance the dryness or the addition of avocado could have helped. As much as I enjoyed eating this breakfast with the residents of Hayes Valley, this is something to try to recreate at home.

La Boulange Bakery. 500 Hayes Street (by Octavia), San Francisco, CA 94102, United States.

Kabb Revisited

Newly appointed head chef, Greg Gilvison, originally from the San Francisco Bay area in the United States, has taken on the challenge of the badly needed reform and refinement of Kabb's menu. The rather poor reviews of the quality and inconsistency of the food at Kabb means that Gilvison has a tough road ahead. He is up for the challenge. Already, he is revamping the seasonal menus before fleshing out the standard menu.


Saturday brunch time is still busy until about 15:00 packed with patrons for the weekend brunch or for the drinks. I asked Gilvison to make me whatever he wanted and let him have free range on my palate. For my brunch, he served eggs benedict on smoked salmon over dark bread, which was accompanied by a citrus salad and grilled tomatoes. The eggs were perfectly poached and the hollandaise sauce was not extremely acidic. The grilled tomatoes had nice grill marks and caramelization. This was quite promising compared to the disaster that was my first visit to Kabb.


Another highlight of the Kabb menu is the DIY Bloody Mary. The pint glass receives a generous pour of Skyy vodka and a row of horseradish, Worcestershire sauce, pepper, and Tabasco sauce. Each bloody mary can be tailor-made by you to fit your personal taste. Now you cannot blame the bartender if the bloody mary is not up to your standards.

I am feeling quite optimistic for the new head chef. The character that Gilvison carries is open and bright, looking to keep negativity out of the kitchen. Discipline and firmness - yes. Negativity - no. The fare at Kabb is already looking up.

Kabb. Xintiandi North Block, Lane 181 Taicang Lu (near Madang Lu). 太仓路181号，新天地北里, 近马当路 Shanghai, China

Light and Fluffy Buckwheat Breakfast Pancakes

Using buckwheat instead of regular flour results in a taste that is more earthy. It is also valued because it can be used as a gluten-free alternative. The model pancake for comparison are the homemade ones fresh from the griddle from an American diner. Several buckwheat pancake recipes have been tested in vain resulting to dense discs of buckwheat dough. The tried and tested trick to making anything lighter is to separate the eggs and whip the egg whites to soft peaks and folding into the mixture.

The buckwheat pancakes are incredibly light and fluffy. After eating two, the stomach does not feel weighed down by a rich pancake and you are left feeling very satisfied. A light drizzle of the best maple syrup is the perfect way to top off the pancakes.

Blueberry Buckwheat Pancakes
1¼ cups milk
4 large
eggs, separated
1 cup
buckwheat flour
dash of salt
3 Tbsp granulated sugar
1½ tsp baking powder
Butter or canola oil as needed for greasing pan
Small carton of blueberries

Separate eggs. Beat together milk and egg yolks. In a separate bowl, beat egg whites with a whisk or electric mixer until stiff but not dry.

Combine dry ingredients and milk-yolk mixture, stirring to blend. Gently fold in the beaten egg whites; they should remain somewhat distinct in the batter.

Add about 1 tsp. butter or oil to a preheated griddle or skillet. Add batter by heaping Tablespoon, making sure to include some of the egg whites in each spoonful. Sprinkle with blueberries. Cook until lightly browned on the bottom, 3 to 5 minutes, then turn and cook until second side is brown. Serve, or hold in a 200° oven for up to 15 minutes.

The Mission - SoMA

Quickly becoming a brunch institution in San Diego is The Mission, whose good name is spread mainly by word of mouth. “Oooh. My friend/brother/sister’s friend’s boyfriend went there and said it was awesome. And I heard you have to order those strawberry banana pancakes or that French toast.” The Mission sounded too good to resist on a beautiful weekend morning.

The specific restaurant visited (there are three – Mission Beach, North Park, and Downtown) is located on J Street in the East Village right next to the home of the Padres. The restored vintage structure is light and airy with exposed beams and original art flushing the room with bright color. Immediately upon entering, the aromas screaming “tasty, (relatively) healthy, simple breakfast” hit the olfactory system flooding the mind with memories of childhood comfort food. The room is already full of people having leisurely breakfast with sounds of delight as patron’s orders arrive or neighbors glance over and see what gastronomic excitement is in store for them.


Jumping the local bandwagon, the recommended breakfast staples do make an impression. Large slices of strawberries and bananas decorate the triple pancake stack surrounded by a blueberry purée. The optional sides of rosemary potatoes and bacon are another generous meal in itself. Thick slices of cinnamon bread used in the French toast are decadently cinnamon flavored with perfect caramalization. Other highlights include the Huevos Rancheros Verdes served on a generous portion of beans soaking up the salsa verde. The only disappointment was the chicken apple sausage, which could have found greater satisfaction from a fatter cut.


Do not hesitate to indulge at The Mission to fuel yourself for a sunny weekend in San Diego.

The Mission - SoMa. 1250 J Street, San Diego, CA 92101