Not sure if you watch news or look out your window, but in case no one’s told you: there’s a blizzard right now in New York.
As far as blizzards go, this is my first. I am enjoying it thoroughly. Mostly, I’ve stayed indoors—but at one point I walked to Whole Foods and there was a LINE OUTSIDE in the freaking snow, because they didn’t want to let too many people in. Crazy! But they let us in pretty quickly.
Anyway, snowy blizzard weather is excellent cooking weather. And yesterday morning I woke up and felt the need to cook myself breakfast. So I took three eggs and beat them with a whisk, put butter in the frying pan and then added the eggs.
I recalled the Martha Stewart episode where she made omelletes. She said: “Pour it into the pan and then wait a bit for it to harden underneath and then flip it.”
I recalled what Mario Batali said about flipping: “It’s all about confidence. You just have to know it’s going to go over and it will.” I recalled Julia child suggesting that we practice with beans.
Finally, the time came. I shoved my wrist forward. The eggs slid forward. This was not a flip.
I lifted the pan rapidly in the air. The eggs hopped up and back down. But no flip.
I pushed and I lifted and they spilled a bit over the edge. I pushed them back.
Then inspiring music began to play and in slow motion I thrusted the pan forward and up in an arch and WHOOOSH—the eggs flipped! It was a miracle!
I added cheese and folded it up. I made Quaker Oats (using the slow method) and this was my expert genius breakfast:
Blizzards bring out the egg-flippers in all of us.
When we have a real winter like this (with snow and arctic winds!) I am so happy to be from the East coast and to still be living here. It is magical, and I agree, makes for some of the best cooking weather ever.
I don’t know about COOKING weather, but a good storm is always EATING weather here in the south. Surely you remember from your days in Atlanta that the mere hint of snow or ice caused people to line up at the grocery store for milk and bread. In our house we add coffee, chips, and candy to that list. I have to admit, though, that this windy day has given me the desire to make a pot of soup instead of my usual Sunday meal of frozen lasagna.
I’ve never done a flip. You’ve inspired me!
Yoda!