The High-Protein Cookbook - Linda West Eckhardt [43]
Madras Deviled Eggs
When the English went to India, they combined their favorite foods with those of the natives to create a splendid fusion of East meets West. These hot, frisky deviled eggs can be your Passage to India.
MAKES 2 SERVINGS
Preparation time: 20 minutes
6 large eggs
FILLING
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1½ tablespoons 2% fat small curd cottage cheese (or ricotta)
1½ teaspoons Madras curry powder
⅛ teaspoon cayenne, or to taste
¼ teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon minced Major Grey’s chutney
1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
Juice of ½ lime
Paprika for dusting the tops of the eggs
½ medium cucumber, peeled
¼ cup rice wine vinegar
½ teaspoon kosher salt
Place the eggs in a medium saucepan and add cold water to cover by at least 1 inch. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and cook 12 minutes. Run cold water over the eggs to cool, then peel and cut in half.
While the eggs are cooking, mix together the filling ingredients. Mash with the back of a spoon to make a rough puree. Mash the egg yolks into the mixture; then, using a tablespoon or a pastry sleeve, fill the egg whites. Dust with paprika, cover, and refrigerate.
Make a quick pickle by slicing thin ribbons from the cucumber with a potato peeler. Place the cucumber ribbons in a small bowl with rice vinegar, salt, and a few ice cubes. Refrigerate.
Arrange filled eggs on a handsome plate. Drain the cucumbers. Lay cucumber ribbons on top, making accordion ribbons of them for a colorful yellow, green, and white bite.
Nutritional Analysis: 389 calories, FAT 27 g, PROTEIN 22 g, CARB 14 g, FIBER 3 g, CHOL 646 mg, IRON 4 mg, SODIUM 944 mg, CALC 129 mg
Alsatian Cabbage Custard with Country Ham and Goat Cheese
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 35 minutes
In the South, genteel cooks called this dish “Ladies’ Cabbage” because it was considered more refined than the plain, boiled version. In old Texas, the Eckhardt family referred to a particular version of it as Kohl Kopf, which translates to “cabbage head.” The flavor profile comes from Alsace, that blessed zone between France and Germany which takes the simplest ingredients—including ham, cabbage, eggs, and local cheeses—and forges them into haute cuisine, or at least “faux Haute.”
Call it what you will, this multilayered dish gives you plenty of flavor and texture. We call this Saturday cooking because it takes 30 minutes just to bake the cabbage custard, but it’s worth the wait. You could double this recipe and serve it to guests, who would drop their forks. It’s that good.
Don’t be put off by the long list of ingredients and the work instructions. It’s not that difficult. First prepare and bake the cabbage. While it’s baking, wrap thin ham slices around goat cheese disks, slather with mustard, and wait. All you’re going to do with them is place them atop the cabbage to heat through. During that same 30 minutes, make the sauce, which will add a four-star finish to this lovely dinner. You’ll get an explosion of pleasing tastes and textures, and an aroma that will set your mouth watering before you’ve taken the first bite.
MAKES 2 SERVINGS
2 cups shredded green cabbage
2 teaspoons unsalted butter
¼ cup shredded shallots
½ cup milk
1 large egg plus 2 egg yolks
⅛ teaspoon Tabasco sauce
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly milled black pepper
3 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto or country ham
2 ounces goat cheese cut into 4 disks
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
SAUCE
2 tablespoons chopped celery
1 tablespoon Madeira
2 tablespoons water or chicken broth
2 tablespoons cream
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly milled black pepper, or to taste
Place a baking pan half full of water in the oven for a water bath. Heat the oven to 325°F. Butter a 3-cup baking dish. Fill a medium saucepan with water and bring to a boil. Butter a piece of wax paper large enough to cover the baking dish.
Drop the cabbage into the boiling water and blanch for 1 minute, then drain. Heat 1 teaspoon of the butter in a medium skillet, then add 1 tablespoon of the shallots