Gayle Pirie & John Clark’s National Egg Month Recipes (Access Hollywood Live)

January is National Egg Month! Here are a few egg recipes from chefs Gayle Pirie and John Clark — owners of San Francisco’s Foreign Cinema — to celebrate.

EGGS WITH GRUYERE, MUSTARD, AND CHAMPAGNE

1 / 2 baguette

1 Tablespoon melted unsalted butter

1 Tablespoon cold unsalted butter

1 / 4 cup dry Champagne

1 1 / 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

1/3 cup grated Gruyere cheese

4 eggs

Salt to taste

1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley or chives, for garnish

Preheat the over to 300 degrees F.

Slice the baguette into 1 / 3-inch slices. Place on a baking sheet and brush with the melted unsalted butter. Bake for 10 minutes, or until golden brown. Keep the croutons warm.

Combine the cold butter and Champagne in a skillet and cook over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the Champagne is reduced by half. Remove from the heat. Add the mustard and cheese and stir until the cheese is melted.

Crack the eggs into a bowl and whip lightly. Season with salt and add the eggs to the pan. Use a wooden spoon to gently scramble the eggs into large, soft curds. Cook for 1 1 / 2 minutes, or less if you want softer curds.

Spoon the eggs quickly onto warm plates and serve them with the warm croutons, or insert thin croutons into the eggs for visual flair.

Sprinkle with the chopped parsley or chives.

Season to Taste

BALSAMIC FRIED EGGS

Serves 2

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons good-quality extra virgin olive oil

2 eggs

1 1 / 2 tablespoons aged balsamic vinegar

Spicy lettuce (red mustard greens, watercress, or arugula), for garnish

In a nonstick or seasoned egg pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat.

When the oil is hot but not quite at the smoking point, crack open the eggs into the pan and cook for about 25 seconds, keeping the heat medium.

As they puff up, baste the top of the yolks with the hot oil to help them cook.

After the eggs set, slide them onto a warm plate. Pour off any excess oil.

Add the balsamic vinegar to the pan, and let it sizzle and reduce slightly for a moment or two.

Drizzle the vinegar over the eggs.

Season to Taste

DUNGENESS CRAB FRITTATA

Serves 2

Ingredients:

1 T butter or olive oil

1 / 4 cup pre-roasted potatoes

1 / 4 cup picked Dungeness crab

3 T fresh ricotta

salt to taste

3 whole eggs

1 T chopped chives

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Over medium heat melt the butter or olive oil in an ovenproof nonstick skillet. (The pan should measure about 9 or 10 inches in diameter.)

Saute the potatoes for 1 minute

Beat the eggs in a bowl, season lightly with salt, and add to the pan.

Turn the heat to low, stir in the crab meat, and ricotta.

Place in oven on middle rack and cook for 6-7 minutes or until the frittata has gently risen.

The frittata should be gently cooked throughout, but not dry.

Allow the frittata to rest for 1 minute, and then carefully slide it onto a warm plate.

Garnish with chopped chives.

*These recipes are from Gayle Pirie and John Clark’s “Country Egg, City Egg” Cookbook. All the recipes in this book have been tested using kosher salt, an additive-free, mild, and clean-tasting salt. The size of the flakes gives you more control as you rub small pinches between your fingers. Kosher salt is not as strong as regular table salt and dissolves quickly into foods.