Eggs Ponce De Leon Recipes

GRANDMA CONSTATINE'S CAJUN PONCE

Steps:

• With your fingers, pick off and discard any bits of fat clinging to the lining of surface of the pig's stomach. Then place the stomach in a deep pot, pour in enough cold water to cover it by at least 1 inch and let it soak for about 2 hours. Rinse the stomach briefly under cold running water and pat it completely dry, inside and out, with paper towels.
• Meanwhile, prepare the stuffing in the following manner: Combine the slices of bread and the milk in a bowl and let them stand at room temperature until all the liquid has been absorbed. Place the bread in a sieve and, with the back of a large spoon, press out any excess milk. Discard the milk and set the bread aside.
• In a heavy 10-inch skillet, melt the butter over moderate heat. When the foam begins to subside, add the onions, green peppers, scallions and garlic and, stirring frequently, cook for about 5 minutes, or until the vegetables are soft but not brown. With a rubber spatula, scrape the entire contents of the skillet into a deep bowl and let the vegetables cool to room temperature.
• When the vegetables are cool, add the reserved bread, the ground pork, yams, egg, red pepper and salt. Knead vigorously with both hands, then beat with a large spoon until the mixture is light and fluffy.
• Because the stuffing contains raw pork, fry a spoonful of it in a skillet before tasting it for seasoning. With a large needle and strong white thread, sew up one of the openings of the stomach. Then fill the stomach cavity with the stuffing and sew the other opening securely shut.
• Heat the oil over moderate heat in a heavy casserole just large enough to hold the stomach comfortably. Add the stuffed ponce and turn it over with two wooden spoons until it is lightly browned on all sides. Pour in 1 cup of the water and, when it comes to a boil, cover the casserole tightly.
• Reduce the heat to moderate and steam the ponce for 3 hours, regulating the heat to keep the water at a simmer. Check the casserole every 20 minutes or so and add boiling water as necessary to keep the liquid at a depth of about ½ inch.
• Transfer the stuffed ponce to a heated platter and let it rest for at least 10 minutes for easier carving. Meanwhile, boil the liquid remaining in the casserole until it is reduced to thin gravy with the intensity of flavor you desire. Pour the gravy into a bowl and serve it separately. At the table, carve the ponce crosswise into ¼-inch-thick slices.

EGGS BENEDICT

Steps:

• First, bring a pot of water to a boil. While the water's boiling, place the English muffin halves and an equal number of Canadian bacon slices on a cookie sheet. Lightly butter the English muffins and place the sheet under the broiler for just a few minutes, or until the English muffins are very lightly golden. Be careful not to dry out the Canadian bacon.
• Now if you do not have an egg poacher you can poach your eggs by doing the following: With a spoon, begin stirring the boiling water in a large, circular motion. When the tornado's really twisting crack in an egg. The reason for the swirling is so the egg will wrap around itself as it cooks, keeping it together. Cook for about 2 ½ to 3 minutes. Repeat with the remaining eggs.
• In a small saucepan, melt 2 sticks of butter until sizzling. But don't let it burn! Separate three eggs and place the yolks into a blender. Turn the blender on low to allow the yolks to combine, then begin pouring the very hot butter in a thin stream into the blender. The blender should remain on the whole time, and you should be careful to pour in the butter very slowly. Keep pouring butter until it's all gone, then immediately begin squeezing lemon juice into the blender. If you are going to add cayenne pepper, this is the point at which you would do that.
• Place the English muffins on the plate, face up. Next, place a slice of Canadian bacon on each half. Place an egg on top of the bacon and then top with a generous helping of Hollandaise sauce. Vegetarian variation: you can omit the Canadian bacon altogether, or you can wilt fresh spinach and place it on the muffins for Eggs Florentine, which is divine in its own right. Top with more cayenne, or a sprinkle of paprika, and chopped chives if you like.

EGGS PONCE DE LEON

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400F and butter a casserole dish.
• Chop whites of eggs and mash yolks.
• Saute onion in butter until translucent; add flour and blend.
• Add tomato juice, celery and bell pepper and bring to a boil, stirring constantly.
• Simmer until celery and pepper are tender.
• Add mushrooms, seasoning and Worcestershire sauce; blend well.
• Add white sauce, egg whites and mashed egg yolks.
• Place in prepared casserole and sprinkle with cracker crumbs; dot with butter.
• Bake until golden brown and bubbly.