Hard-cooked Egg and Prosciutto Sandwich with Avocado and Basil, and Giveaway

Few days ago, I've got beautiful homegrown, range-free organic eggs as a present from our dear neighbors, and I decided to make an Egg Sandwich.

I truly love this regal and scrumptious sandwich with its medley of hot and cold filling ingredients. You can vary the ingredients - substitute hot bacon or the ell for the Prosciutto for example.



Ingredients:

• 4 Ciabatta Rolls
• 2/3 cup homemade mayonnaise or use ready-made
• 20 leaves of basil
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• 4 Tbsp butter
• salt and freshly ground pepper

For the filling:

• 2 oz baby spinach, shredded
• 4 oz Prosciutto, thinly sliced
• 1 avocado, pitted, peeled, and thinly sliced
• 4 hard-cooked eggs, sliced
• 4 oz cucumber, peeled and sliced
• 4 oz Rosenborg Danish Blue, creamy cheese

Directions:

Using a food processor simply mix the mayonnaise with the basil, garlic and lemon juice. Put the ciabatta rolls on the board and slice them lengthwise with a serrated knife.
Preheat the broiler. Spread the softened butter all over the inside of the ciabatta rolls and season lightly with salt and pepper.




Broil the base and lid until almost golden. Layer all the filling ingredients into the base, in order listed above or in order of your desire. Spread half the mayonnaise/pesto mixture over the spinach layer, and the rest over the eggs. Finish with a layer of Rosenborg Danish Blue creamy cheese.

Place the filled ciabatta rolls bas under the broiler for 4 minutes. Reheat the cut side of the lid for 2 minutes. Replace the lid on the roll base, pressing down with your fingertips.


Have a good lunch!


Free case of Cascal goes to comment #7 by Jaimee.

And for the GIVEAWAY
From my childhood, I remember beverage called Kvass - strong, sometimes sweet, sometimes bitter, it always helps during hot summer day. It was made by fermentation of bread. And we called it Kvassik (diminutive form of Kvass) when it was flavored with fruits or berries.

I was glad to find a soft drink which has similar taste, it is made using natural juices and also fermented.

Friends from Cascal offered to send a case of their new soft-drink to one of my dear reader.
So, here how you could get it:

• Visit Cascal website cheerscascal.com and pick a flavor you like the most.
• By midnight of Friday April 13, 2012 write a comment to this post with your name and favorite Cascal flavor.
• Increase your chance by following me on Facebook, following me on Twitter, or do the same for Cascal (Facebook, Twitter). Please add an extra comment after each Facebook or Twitter entry.

Good luck!

Crab Cakes and Dragon Egg

There are so many different crab cake recipes that it boggles my mind. It's impossible to improve a good crab cake, and sometimes simple is better. This is standard delicious crab cake that can be dressed any way you might feel like eating it. For the occasions when you need to go a little fancier, you may dress your crab cakes with the poached egg or cherry tomatoes with herbs and the dressing of your desire.



Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 pounds crabmeat
• 2 cups panko bread crumbs
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup finely diced celery
• 1/2 finely diced onion
• canola or olive oil for frying

Directions:

Working with your hands, blend the crabmeat and 1 cup of the panko in a large mixing bowl. Add eggs, mayonnaise, celery, and onion, and mix with your hands until well blended. The mixture should be quite moist, but not runny. Form patties about the size of hockey pucks, adding more panko if needed to obtain the desired consistency. Press the patties into the remaining panko, coating both sides, and place them on waxed paper. The patties may be refrigerated at this point for up to 1 day.

Heat the oil in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Place the patties in the hot skillet in batches, being careful not to crowd the pan. Cook until crisp and brown on both sides, turning once.Remove from the pan and keep hot on a baking sheet in 200F oven until serving.



The Guardian of the Dragon Egg

Purple Deviled Eggs

Brunch (breakfast and lunch combined) is American in origin, and the English have adopted it because it fits in well with the modern way of life without upsetting their traditional eating habits too much. Morning tea, breakfast, luncheon, tea and dinner cut up the day too much. Brunch is a good idea for a quick synthesis of two main meals.

Brunch is an ideal Sunday formula for those who like to lie abed, or for week-ends and holidays in the country. It can be served like breakfast from ten onwards and enables the hostess to receive a number of friends almost without effort. As it can nearly all be prepared the day before, the hostess is free of too much preparation in the kitchen and, being substantial, it allows guest time to enjoy their day in the sun, by the sea or in the country, without returning for lunch. Here is a perfect brunch dish - Purple Deviled Eggs. Perhaps for the Easter? -))



Ingredients:

• 6 peeled, hard-boiled eggs
• the juice from a jar of picked beets (store-bought or homemade)
• 1/4 cup of mayo (I like homemade mayonnaise and it's easy to make)
• 2 tsp dijon mustard
• salt and pepper to taste
• paprika to taste
• cilantro, minced

Directions:

Soak hard-boiled eggs in beet juice for 30 mints (if you like your eggs be perplex a lot, leave it for a few hours or overnight). Remove and drain, then slice the eggs in half and gently remove yolks. Combine yolks in a bowl with mayo, mustard, minced cilantro, season with salt and pepper. Then stir until mixture is smooth.



Scoop the mixture into the plastic bag, then snip off a bottom corner and pipe the spiced yolks into the whites.



Sprinkle the eggs with paprika and garnish with cilantro or slice of beet.