Recipes: egg roulade, bruschetta with eggs and lobster and more

Serves 6 to 7.

Note: This calls for a 10- by 15-inch jellyroll pan (a baking sheet with edges). If you have a different size, just shape the batter on the pan accordingly. I've made two of these at a time, for a group of 12 diners, and I made the batter individually for each. With two roulades, it's a little extra last-minute pressure, but if the rest of the meal is simple, this is doable. Keep in mind that you'll need the full oven if you're making two of these. Adapted from Sara Moulton.

• 5 tbsp. butter

• 6 tbsp. flour

• 1 1/4 c. milk

• 4 eggs, separated

• Freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line the 10- by 15-inch jellyroll pan with parchment paper; either butter or spray it with cooking oil.

Melt butter in a medium saucepan. Add the flour and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes. Increase heat to high, whisk in the milk and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring often.

Transfer flour mixture to a large bowl. Whisk in the egg yolks 1 at a time. Season with pepper.

Beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Stir a third of the whites into yolk mixture and fold in the rest.

Meanwhile, prepare any filling that needs to be warmed. Increase oven temperature to 375 degrees.

Cover the egg surface with another oiled or buttered piece of parchment. Invert onto the counter, and peel off the parchment on the top.

Sprinkle the egg surface with whatever filling is to be used. Starting on the long side of the egg surface, and using the parchment on the bottom to help, roll up the egg, jellyroll fashion. Place the roulade back on the jellyroll pan, with parchment underneath, and return it to the oven. Bake until any cheese in the filling has melted, about 10 minutes. To serve, cut into ½-inch slices.

Filling variations:

The filling must be prepared and hot (except for cheese) before it is placed on the cooked egg surface. Make sure any moisture in the vegetables is gone; heat in a sauté pan to assure it.

• Diced sautéed mushrooms and Gruyère cheese

• Cooked, chopped spinach (make sure it's thoroughly dry) and Parmesan cheese

• Slices of prosciutto and any grated cheese

• Black beans and diced roasted red peppers

• Diced ham and grated Cheddar cheese

• Cooked and crumbled bacon or sausage

Topping variations:

• Grated cheese or fresh, minced herbs

• Salsa

• Green chile sauce

Serves 8.

Note: Bruschetta (broo-SKEH-tah) is a traditional toasted bread topped with something tasty. If you cut the bread on the diagonal, you will get more surface. You can toast the bread an hour or so in advance, but the eggs and lobster need to be cooked right before serving. Each 5-ounce lobster tail will provide 4 ounces of meat. There are many alternatives to lobster (see below). Boursin is a creamy soft cheese with the texture of cream cheese, and it comes flavored with herbs. It's a tasty alternative to cream cheese. For large soft curds of eggs, keep your stirring to a minimum. Adapted from Bar La Grassa in Minneapolis.

• 1 baguette, cut in 16 (1/2 -in.) slices

• 1 garlic clove, peeled

• Butter

• 14 eggs, beaten until yolks and whites are well-combined

• 4 oz. cream cheese, cut into small cubes (or Boursin cheese, see Note)

• Fresh chives, chopped

• Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper

• Truffle oil, optional

Toast bread in oven or in toaster. Rub one side of each slice with garlic (if you don't like garlic, omit this). Butter and set aside.

Prepare the lobster: Do this before you start the eggs so there isn't too much going on at the same time. To remove meat from shell, use kitchen shears to make 2 cuts along the underside of tail (the softer side) and break away the shell. Once the meat is out of shell (before or after it is cooked), remove the black vein that runs along the tail (pull it out or make a cut along the meat, as you would to devein shrimp, and pull the vein out).

Choice of options for cooking lobster:

• Remove meat from shell and sauté whole in 2 tablespoons butter, basting it often, for about 5 to 8 minutes, until cooked through, then chop or slice for the eggs, or ...

• Remove uncooked meat from shell and chop into chunks and sauté in 2 tablespoons butter before adding to the eggs, or ...

To prepare eggs: In each of 2 nonstick pans (or 1 large pan), melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Add eggs and turn heat to medium-low. For the largest curds, cook eggs with little stirring, instead pushing cooked part aside with a spatula and allowing uncooked eggs to move into place. When almost done, add cream cheese and stir. Remove from heat. (Eggs will continue to cook.)

To serve: On each plate, overlap 2 slices of toasted bread. Divide eggs and place on toast. Top with lobster and sprinkle with chives, a little salt and pepper. Drizzle a bit of truffle oil over eggs, if using.

Variations (instead of lobster):

• Smoked salmon, topped with fresh dill instead of chives.

• Cooked crabmeat (not the fake stuff, please!).

• Cooked whitefish.

Nutrition information per serving:

Calories375 Fat 26 gSodium500 mg

Carbohydrates13 g Saturated fat13 g Calcium93 mg

Protein22 gCholesterol440 mg Dietary fiber0 g

Serves 2.

Note: Zest is the grated colored rind of citrus fruit. This recipe can easily be increased. Ramekins are individual baking dishes, about 3 to 4 inches in diameter. From "The Breakfast Book," by Marion Cunningham.

• Butter for the ramekins

• 4 tbsp. heavy cream, divided

• 1 tsp. lemon zest (see Note)

• 2 eggs

• Salt and pepper to taste

• 1 1/2 tsp. minced herbs (dried fines herbes or fresh parsley, oregano, tarragon, marjoram or thyme)

Directions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Butter 2 ramekins well and pour 1 tablespoon cream in each. Sprinkle ½ teaspoon lemon zest and 1 1/2 tablespoons cheese over the cream in each ramekin. Salt and pepper to taste.

Variations:

• Add lemon zest to the top of egg before it's cooked.

• Add salsa or Asian chile sauce over eggs when they come out of the oven.

• Prosciutto-wrapped: Place a paper-thin slice of prosciutto in each ramekin (cut to assure it fits the dish without overhanging) and bake for 10 minutes. Continue with recipe, first warming cream before adding it to ramekin. Add egg and seasoning.

• Ham (or prosciutto) and mushrooms: Finely chop ham, mushrooms and green onions. Toss with a little brie and place mixture in ramekins. Top with egg and additional cheese over egg and bake.

Nutrition information per serving:

Calories171Fat12 gSodium290 mg

Carbohydrates3 gSaturated fat6 gCalcium154 mg

Protein12 gCholesterol210 mgDietary fiber1 g

Diabetic exchanges per serving: 1 vegetable, 1 1/2 medium-fat meat, 1 fat.

Note: Need an easy egg dish? This quiche fits the bill. It does not have a crust. If you prefer one, roll out 2 prepared pie crusts and bake according to directions. Then add the egg mixture and bake as directed below. The more finely shredded the cheese is, the more it will melt into the eggs. Substitute other vegetables as you prefer; chopped fresh asparagus is particularly nice (be sure to cook until almost tender in advance of adding to eggs). From"Come One, Come All: Easy Entertaining With Seasonal Menus," by Lee Svitak Dean.

• 6 to 8 oz. mushrooms, sliced • 1 medium onion, sliced (3/4 c.) • 2 tbsp. butter, plus more to grease pan • 8 eggs • 1 1/2 c. half-and-half or milk • 4 oz. (1 c.) finely shredded Gruyère or white Cheddar cheese • 1 tsp. salt • Dash white pepper • 2 tbsp. chopped chives, plus more for garnish, optional

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Sauté mushrooms and onions in a saucepan with butter until soft. Set aside. (If preparing in advance, refrigerate mixture until ready to use.)

With butter, lightly grease a 9- by 13-inch pan (glass or ceramic will look nicer than metal for serving) or two 9-inch pie pans. Pour egg mixture into pan(s). Bake until golden, about 20 to 25 minutes. Serve hot or at room temperature, with additional chives sprinkled on top for garnish.

Nutrition information per each of 12 servings:

Calories 154Fat12 gSodium300 mg

Carbohydrates3 gSaturated fat6 gCalcium148 mg

Protein8 gCholesterol151 mgDietary fiber0 g

Makes 12.

Note: Crabcakes replace Canadian bacon in this classic dish, and there's no need for hollandaise sauce. From Wolfgang Puck in "The Macy's Culinary Council Thanksgiving Holiday Cookbook." He notes that cooking the eggs sunny-side-up instead of poaching them is quicker and less fussy. Not enough time to make crabcakes? Great ones are available at Costco (the Handy brand). Panko breadcrumbs are bigger and lighter than the traditional crumb, which can be substituted.

• 2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

• 1/2 c. mixed diced red, yellow and green bell peppers

• 1/2 c. diced red onions

• 1/2 tsp. minced jalapeño chile or red pepper flakes

• 2 tsp. chopped fresh chives

• 2 tsp. chopped fresh dill

• 2 tsp. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

• Leaves from 2 fresh thyme sprigs, chopped

• 1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper

• 1 extra large egg, lightly beaten

• 1 c. panko breadcrumbs (see Note), divided

• 1 c. ground almonds, divided

• 1 1/4 lb. fresh lump crabmeat, picked over for cartilage and shell fragments

• 2 tbsp. vegetable oil, plus more as needed

• 6 English muffins, split

• 12 extra large eggs

• Salt

• Chopped chives for garnish

For the crabcakes: You will need to make the crab mixture and shape the cakes at least 1 hour before you are ready to cook them. In a 10-inch skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the bell peppers and onions and sauté, stirring frequently, until tender, 7 to 9 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a bowl and let cool.

While the pepper mixture is cooling, return the skillet to medium-high heat, add the cream and jalapeño, and simmer briskly, stirring frequently, until the cream is reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Add to the pepper mixture and let cool for about 15 minutes.

Add the chives, dill, parsley, thyme, salt and cayenne to the cooled mixture and stir well. Stir in the egg and half each of the breadcrumbs and almonds. Gently fold in the crabmeat; the mixture should be lumpy.

On a plate, stir together the remaining breadcrumbs and almonds. Have ready a baking sheet.

With clean hands, divide the crab mixture into 12 equal portions, then shape each portion into a cake the diameter of an English muffin. As you form each cake, gently press both sides of it into the crumb-almond mixture to coat well, then place on the baking sheet. When all of the cakes are ready, cover the pan loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to 3 hours.

When the crabcakes are almost done cooking, toast the English muffins and spread them lightly with a little of the remaining butter. Place 1 or 2 muffin halves, cut side up, on each individual serving plate, or place them all on 1 or 2 large platters.

To cook the eggs and serve: As soon as all of the crabcakes are cooked and in the oven, wipe out the skillet, return it to medium-high heat, and melt enough of the remaining butter in it to coat the bottom evenly when you swirl the pan. Carefully crack just enough eggs into the pan to fit without crowding and sprinkle them with salt. Fry until the whites are set and the yolks are cooked to your or your guests' liking, spooning a little of the butter from the pan over the whites and yolks to help them set, 3 to 5 minutes.

Transfer the same number of crabcakes to muffin halves as eggs you cooked, and top each crabcake with a fried egg. Repeat with the remaining butter, eggs, and crabcakes. Garnish the eggs with the chives and serve right away.

Nutrition information per serving:

Calories 405 Fat 27 g Sodium 495 mg

Protein 21 g Cholesterol 305 mg Dietary fiber 2 g

Diabetic exchanges per serving: 1 bread/starch, 1/2 other carb, 2 1/2 medium-fat meat, 3 fat.