It was pretty mellow too, with gentle waves (although some bigger sets kept creeping in) and I paddled right out into the line-up without a thought. Didn't have much luck getting any good long rides, but I did notice it wasn't just me. These waves seemed tough to gauge and tough to catch. Also, it was super crowded, even though conditions weren't ideal. I'm still learning about right-of-way issues and so I'm always looking for a spot where I have some space. Here's something I have learned -- you don't want to get in a better surfer's way. You just don't. Anyway, like I said, conditions weren't ideal. Even if a better surfer would consider it a crappy day, I always give myself props when I get out there and try. If there's something you're trying to do, and you're not all that good at it yet, I highly recommend giving yourself a pat on the back. If you wait for somebody else to do it, it most likely won't happen.
But first there was breakfast, which kind of has a story behind it. It's a story about a loaf of bread. This loaf of bread, actually--
This is only part of a very large loaf of rustic country bread Sam picked up at the Silver Lake farmers' market on Saturday. It's actually from the Village Cafe and Bakery on Los Feliz Boulevard (www.thevillagebakeryandcafe.com) but they sell at the farmers' market too. Anyway, Sam had mentioned something about an Italian Sandwich for lunch Saturday. I've already talked about the best Italian sandwich in LA, which is the Godmother from Bay Cities Deli in Santa Monica, but you can also make a pretty good Italian sandwich at home. Here look:
Not bad, huh? Just get yourselves some good Mortadella, Genoa Salami, Provolone and roasted peppers, along with a bit of shredded lettuce and sliced tomato. Slice that bread in half, lay down some mayo and mustard, then layer the meats and peppers. Top with the lettuce and tomato, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and red wine vinegar, sprinkle on a little salt, pepper and garlic pepper and there you have it! (full disclosure: the Godmother still wins hands down, but the at-home version is pretty good too).
But as you can tell, that loaf of bread still had a lot of giving, and before the surf Sunday morning, breakfast was called for. We had planned on having something I've always called Toads in the Hole, but the real name of the dish, I've learned, is Eggs in a Basket. If you've seen the movie MOONSTRUCK (and you should if you haven't) you'll know what I'm talking about because Olympia Dukakis cooks this in the movie, and that was the inspiration for me to try them. (Toads in the Hole, btw, are sausages cooked inside a Yorkshire batter. Not bad sounding either. Might have to try that one day). Anyway, for Eggs in a basket, to serve two, you'll need
2-4 slices thick country bread (this depends on the size of the loaf as you'll see in pics. You want one piece for each egg, but this loaf was so large I could cut one slice in half)
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 large eggs
Salt and fresh ground pepper
Roasted peppers, optional
*note: this works much better in a non-stick skillet, so use it if you have one.
- Using a serrated knife, cut circles in the slices of bread, taking care not to tear the sides.
- Melt butter and olive oil in a large non-stick skillet.
- When butter and oil sizzle, place bread slices in skillet. Carefully crack open eggs and drop one egg in each hole. Sprinkle with salt and fresh ground pepper
- After about 2 minutes check the bottoms. They should be starting to brown. Carefully flip the slices of bread and cook another 2-3 minutes if you like your yolks runny, longer if you don't.
- Remove Eggs in Baskets to plates. Top with roasted peppers if you like.
Here's a bit of of breakfast making for you to look at, first the thick slices of the bread, then with the holes cut out, then in the pan, and finally on the plate!
Now that looks like a good breakfast to fortify a person for a surf session, doesn't it? But there's still more to this loaf of bread. It made toast this morning, and then tomorrow may serve as big croutons underneath Nancy Silverton's chopped Italian salads (pretty much what I always do with meats left over from the Italian sandwich and great for a summer night dinner -- that recipe is in Nancy Silverton's Sandwich book, by Nancy Silverton with Teri Gelber -- it's a great book to have on hand too).
So one more tidbit from the weekend. If you've been following along, you know I recently dug the ice cream machine out of the closet. Well, in Saturdays LA Times, in the food section, Irene Virbilia wrote about making ice cream, and she included a recipe for vanilla ice cream from David Lebovitz. So go to www.latimes.com and get the recipe if you're interested. It's pretty easy. You will need a vanilla bean, but most supermarkets carry them. Here's the ice cream churning away.
Virbilia included a recipe for a fudge sauce which I didn't make because it had too many things we didn't have on hand. What we did have, though, is a box of Hershey's unsweetened cocoa, and I found an easy chocolate sauce recipe that took about five minutes to put together. Here's a link to the source www.southernfood.about.com, and here's the recipe for five-minute chocolate sauce:2 1/4 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
*note: I halved this recipe and it made more than enough
- Place first four dry ingredients in a medium saucepan. Add 1/2 cup of milk and whisk to form a smooth paste.
- Add remaining milk and bring to boil, whisking until smooth. Reduce heat to low, simmer gently for five minutes, whisking often.
- Remove from heat. Add the vanilla and cool the sauce. Keep in the refrigerator, covered tightly, for up to a week.
So here's home churned vanilla ice cream with the chocolate sauce.
A pretty good send-off to a pretty nice weekend, wouldn't you say?
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