What do you do with all of those leftover eggs? Make Scotch Eggs!

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Posted on April 7, 2012

It’s that time of year again…the time when my fridge contains two dozen hard-boiled white eggs. (OK, they’re dyed, but they started out white, which means they are not the extra-yummy eggs from our local farm.) And let’s face it, there are only so many egg-salad sandwiches a girl can eat.

What to do….what to do….HEY! I KNOW! Make Scotch eggs like at the Rose and Crown in EPCOT!

Scotch egg, Rose and Crown Pub, UK Pavilion - EPCOT

Scotch egg, Rose & Crown

So after the Easter festivities tomorrow, I’m going to give it a try. Here’s the recipe I plan to use, from Bon Appetit. Note that the eggs are soft boiled, so that they don’t overcook. If you haven’t yet boiled all of your eggs, set 4 aside for the recipe.

Ingredients

6 large eggs
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup finely crushed corn flakes
7 ounces (3/4 cup) fresh breakfast sausage, casings removed (if necessary)
Vegetable oil (for frying)
Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
Mustard

Special Equipment:

A deep-fry thermometer

Preparation

Place 4 eggs in a small saucepan; add cold water to cover. Bring to a boil; remove from heat, cover, and let stand for 3 minutes. Carefully drain, then fill pan with ice water to cool eggs. Gently crack shells and carefully peel under cold running water. Place eggs in a bowl of cold water; cover and chill until cold. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Keep chilled.
Place flour in a wide shallow bowl and crushed corn flakes in another wide shallow bowl. Divide sausage into 4 equal portions. Pat 1 portion of sausage into a thin patty over the length of your palm. Lay 1 soft-boiled egg on top of sausage and wrap sausage around egg, sealing to completely enclose. Repeat with remaining sausage and eggs.
Whisk remaining 2 eggs in a medium bowl to blend. Working gently with 1 sausage-wrapped egg at a time, dip eggs into flour, shaking off excess, then coat in egg wash. Roll in corn flakes to coat. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Keep refrigerated, uncovered.
Attach a deep-fry thermometer to side of a large heavy pot. Pour in oil to a depth of 2” and heat over medium heat to 375°. Fry eggs, turning occasionally and maintaining oil temperature of 350°, until sausage is cooked through and breading is golden brown and crisp, 5–6 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer eggs to paper towels to drain. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Serve warm with mustard.

And here’s the mustard sauce recipe I’m planning to use, from SeriousEats.com.

1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
Pinch salt
A few grinds freshly ground black pepper

I’ll post pictures of my handiwork when done. So who’s in?

Epilogue (2 days after Easter, 2012)

I did it – I made Scotch eggs. Here’s what I found:

1. Unless you’re very practiced, you will need more sausage than the recipe calls for above. It’s not easy to wrap in a thin layer (which means they will need a slightly longer cooking time, also.)

2. Sausage is sticky. Wet your hands as you work.

3. Next time I won’t use breakfast sausage, but will instead buy ground pork and spice it myself. I didn’t like the sage flavor – way too breakfast-y. I think it would be better with 5-spice powder or garam masala.

And yet, the verdict from my family was “supercalifragilisticexpialdelicious.”

Home made Scotch eggs like the Rose & Crown

MouseChow's Scotch Eggs attempt

Holidays Around WDW part 2 – Epcot Celebrations Around the World

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Posted on January 18, 2012

EPCOT’s World Showcase is magical at any time of the year, but during the holidays it is completely mind-blowing. (Part 1 – Resorts, is here.)

First, there are the storytellers.

In Italy, La Befana flies through the air on her broomstick and visits children on the eve of the Epiphany and leaves children gifts, just in case they are in fact the Gesu Bambino. The storyteller we saw was riveting.

La Befana, Italy Pavilion, EPCOT

In Japan, a traditional New Year’s gift is the Daruma doll. From what I could gather, it’s basically a way to stick to your New Years resolution. The dolls have no eyes when you first receive them. When you make your resolution, or set a goal, you paint one eye on the doll. When you achieve your goal, you can paint on the other eye. It’s keeping its eye on you! Creepy…

Daruma doll vendor, Japan Pavilion, EPCOT

Not an official Storyteller, but if she’s there, make sure to see Miyuki, the “Candy Lady”! She is one of only 15 artists in the world who still practice the art of Amezaiku, and the only woman. She makes incredibly detailed animal lollypops out of corn syrup. She is absolutely mesmerizing. And the lollypops get donated to kids at a local hospital.

Miyuki, Japan Pavilion, EPCOT

In Norway, your hosts are Sigrid and the trixter gnome Julenissen. Julenissen watches over the family’s animals, so the kids leave him porridge in the barn. It’s a charming story, and pretty funny.

Sigrid, Norway Pavilion, EPCOT

Julenissen, Norway Pavilion, EPCOT

Yet another jolly rotund fellow with a white beard is Father Christmas in the United Kingdom. Truth be told, he was a little long-winded. Plus, he wouldn’t stand still so that I could get a non-blurry picture. It is entirely possible that even surrounded by magic and wonderment, I started to get a little tired and grumpy toward the end of the night.

Father Christmas, United Kingdom Pavilion, EPCOT

After you visit the Storytellers, (Yes there are more, but man, it really takes a lot of time to get to each of them. So we didn’t.) you must, must, must see the Candlelight Processional. And you must, must, must have advanced reservations so that you don’t have to stand in line for two to three hours. It’s not difficult to get the reservations, it just takes a little planning. The Candlelight Processional package includes a three-course dinner at a restaurant in EPCOT. When you pay for dinner, you are given a badge. At your appointed time, you stick your badge to your shirt and stand in the special “shorter” line. Don’t worry if it looks ridiculously long. Once the gate opens it moves very quickly.

And why is it worth the effort and wait? It’s a spectacular show featuring a large orchestra and chorus, with a celebrity narrator who tells the story of Christmas. And we had the BEST narrator ever. What up, NPH?!

Neil Patrick Harris, Candlelight Processional, EPCOT

OK, honestly, my kid was whiny and bored. It was cold, and she was tired, and listening to an hour of the Christmas story and choral music was a little too much like being forced to go to church while at EPCOT. But I LOVED it.