VittlesVamp

2012: The Year of the Egg?

We are used to seeing the humble egg grab the spotlight on Sundays, when brunch is the preferred meal du jour and dishes that range from the classic Eggs Benedict to Colonie's savory Duck Hash with Poached Egg and Fingerling Potatoes (pictured above) are taking centerstage.

But lately, I've been seeing a bit more of the freshly cracked, gentle white and yellow eye appearing on evening menus -- and we're not talking about "breakfast for dinner" here. For example, Danny Meyer's Manhattan hot spot The Modern showcases a Slow-Poached Farm Egg with Maine Lobster, Artichoke Purée, Crosnes and Sea Urchin Froth on its Bar Room Menu. One of Chef Thomas Keller's most famous French Laundry dishes is a riff on "Bacon and Eggs," sporting a spoon filled with a soft-poached quail egg with applewood-smoked bacon and beurre monté. And, proving that the egg is more than just an American phenomenon, "The Hen and the Egg" is the signature dish of René Redzepi, the chef at Noma in Copenhagen, arguably the most lauded restaurant in the world.

To top it off, WD-50 molecular gastronomy whiz Wylie Dufresne presented a dynamic lecture about the wonder and glory of the egg at a recent TED conference.

So, is the egg going to finally overtake pork belly as the "it" ingredient of 2012? Poached, sunnyside up, scrambled or hardboiled, my bet is in.

New Year's Curry

I'm woefully late on my New Year's post, but the truth of the matter is my New Year's Eve wasn't any major shakes. It involved a bagel and watching the last few episodes of "Game of Thrones" on-demand. (Now, don't get jealous of my crazy, New York, glam lifestyle!)

Still, I didn't feel the need to do anything special on New Year's Eve. I'd already had plenty of good times, good friends, good food and good drink a few nights prior.

That's the thing about a really good dinner party. It can carry you through a few weeks -- especially when the dinner party was really an all-day affair.

In this case, the affair began with my Spice Hunting pal Max. (Get your mind out of the gutter!) We had always wanted to cook together. (Once again, get your mind out of the gutter!!!) It was the time to make the dream a reality. We hit Chinatown with a vengeance and returned to my Brooklyn kitchen with a bevy of ingredients, including sesame seeds, supremely fresh fluke, green curry paste, freshly hacked chicken parts, frozen coconut milk, baby bok choy, fresh ginger, sesame seeds, serious soy sauce, rice cooking wine, stalks of lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, and of course, this essential...

Okay. Now you can put your mind in the gutter! And while you're there, let me regale you with the dinner preparations...

*Max's rich and fragrant Chicken Curry with Eggplant and String Beans beginning a two-hour journey on my stove top...

*Baking up mixed nuts with melted butter, brown sugar, sea salt and Japanese Seven-Spice Powder for a perfect nibble with cocktails

*Slinging a sharp knife to finely dice the fluke with a bit of miso paste, sesame seeds, ginger and scallion, for a Japanese tartare that made a fish-hater swoon.

*Pouring decadent, deep chocolate ganache over a Chocolate-Orange Cake...

As you can surmise, the meal didn't suck. In fact, it was nothing short of fantastic.

Next on the docket with my Spice Hunting pal: a trip to Little Italy (or dare I hope, Arthur Avenue?) and a day filled with pasta-making and cucina Italiano.

Seriously. Who needs to blow it all out on New Year's Eve when you have the whole of 2012 to enjoy?