Make This: How To Boil An Egg
I took Monday off from writing this newsletter. I hope you don’t mind. All the same, I want to share a few notions on this Sunday.
In Charleston, it is wet and grey, which makes for a brilliant excuse to stay in after all action of a busy holiday week. In our house we’ve leaned fully into Christmas nostalgia: today we bought a tree, toted it home, decorated it, placed the garland on the mantles and the front porch, played a favorite Christmas album on repeat, and perfumed the air with freshly baked chocolate chip cookies. I’ve had five and my slouchy fit 501’s are feeling slimmer than I recall.
The weeks leading up to Thanksgiving are a real fiesta for those of us who like to share recipes. I love food and drink - it’s how I pay my bills - but I find the cacophony of recipe pushers reaches an unbearable fever pitch around this time of year. There are loads of great resources providing a guiding light to those seeking holiday cooking enlightenment, but to be honest, the good ones get lost in the fray and I usually retreat. I guess I don’t want to add to the noise.
This year I was so fatigued with turkey how-to’s I ran the other way. We opted for a small guest list and no turkey. We cooked a concise vegetarian Thanksgiving. Something small and simple. We ran the Turkey Trot. We drank Fergronis and watched The Big Lebowski with captions. It was perhaps the best Thanksgiving of recent memory.
Some of you may be exhausted as you stare down the next month. There’s a lot that happens between now and January 1st. A lot of parties, a lot of work to be done, presents to wrap. It’s a delightful time, and it can whip you if you’re not careful. It’s important to eat well.
To that end I wanted to remind you that a simply boiled egg provides a brilliant starting point for a good meal. In my last home I had the image below (from Bon Appetit) taped to the inside of a kitchen cabinet. It was reassuring.
Bring some water to boil, and when it’s rocking, gently lower your eggs in and start a timer. Take it out at the time that matches your ideal boiled egg. I like a 7 minute egg.
The finished eggs are great as a simple snack, with only a pinch of salt. They’re great halved and spread with a robust Dijon. Chopped up they can be easily converted into a gribiche or an egg salad. At my old cafe we used to make a great egg sandwich with sliced boiled eggs, shingled and sandwiched between two slices of bread slathered with a chunky mayo studded with minced shallot, parsley, lots of dill, and chopped cornichons. You can do that, too.
A few other things of note:
We just launched the first product from Teamwork - a gorgeous apron made in NYC from deadstock Japanese denim. This makes a stellar gift for the cook in your life. Or for yourself.
I am in love with the mission of Happy Medium. I’m already planning a trip to their Art Cafe, where you order an art experience instead of food.
Tulip Shades and Alice Palmer lampshades.
You heard it here first: I think cassettes are going to have a major renaissance in the next decade, much in the same way nostalgia has driven renewed interest in vinyl and Polaroid cameras. You can cop one of these beauties, or to get ahead of the fray, a vintage Sony Walkman.
Can there be a Part II on how to peel the eggs smoothly and easily so that one isn’t waging war on poor incident egg (and compromising one’s mental health)