Eggs Snow Beach - Another Partial Dinner Disaster

Don't we all like to know that others mess up at times?  Makes us feel better about our own screw-ups.  I never mind discussing my kitchen disasters; they are down right funny at times.  Last night's dinner was delayed  due to a mix up in picking up children.  I was making Eggs Snow Beach, my interpretation of a dish I had in Colorado once.  Sometimes I have a restaurant meal that I have to try doing at home even though I don't have the recipe.  The Blackened Catfish from Disney is another example.  Eggs Snow Beach is a simple (do I ever cook anything else?) breakfast dish that makes a great dinner.  Poached eggs, English muffins, cheese sauce and crab meat - really very rich for breakfast. 

I was expecting everyone home around 6 p.m. so I had the cheese sauce ready when my husband walked in with only one child.  So while he drove off to retrieve the other child, I tried to stall dinner.  However, some foods don't hold for long.  The sauce began to get thick and gloppy despite my efforts.  I started poaching eggs so Grace could go ahead and eat.  Her eggs turned out ok but the next set broke when I was spooning them out.  The water became "eggy" and things slid downhill rapidly.  At least everything tasted decent but the cheese sauce was grainy and more like pudding. 

Don't let my disaster stop you.  The hardest part about this dish is poaching the eggs.  Poaching eggs is a skill I have yet to master.  Sometimes they turn out but often they don't.  Here is the method I use.  Add enough water to a pot to measure about 2 inches deep.  Add 1/4 cup of vinegar and heat to boiling.  Reduce heat so water just simmers.  Bubbles should break the surface occasionally.  Break the eggs into a cup one at a time.  Gently slip the egg into the simmering water.  Cook 4 minutes or more for a harder egg.  Scoop out with a slotted spoon and let drain.  Blot with a paper towel.

Eggs Snow Beach is one of those adaptable recipes you can make for one or several.  Simply make more or less cheese sauce, eggs and toast.  I hope you will be adventurous enough to try this dish.

Eggs Snow Beach (recipe serves 4)
8 eggs
4 English muffins
8 oz. whipped cream cheese
1/3 cup milk
1/2 cup shredded cheese such as cheddar or your favorite
8 oz. crab meat, imitation is ok, finely chopped
1 Tbsp. butter  
Rinse crab and check for bits of shell.  Drain well.  Heat butter in a small skillet and saute crab about 5 minutes.  Keep warm.  Heat milk in a small sauce pan over low to medium heat and gradually add cream cheese.  Stir well till smooth and lump free.  Add shredded cheese a bit at a time and stir till melted.  Add more cheese if sauce isn't thick enough, or more milk if too thick. 
Split and toast English muffins while poaching eggs.  You can also just fry the eggs sunny side up.  To serve, place split, toasted muffins on a plate, top with crab and eggs.  Spoon cheese sauce over all.  You will want to make this recipe again, I promise.

I heard a blurb on the news this morning that the FDA may eventually mandate the lowering of salt in processed food.  The major food companies are trying to lower the salt in their foods already to avoid being legislated.  You may have read my earlier blog on salt but remember, Americans eat about twice the amount of salt we need each day.  MOST of our salt comes from processed foods!  Cutting down on processed foods in your diet will reduce your salt intake and help your heart tremendously!  So remember to look for no salt or reduced salt foods like canned vegetables, snack foods and soups and to add less than recipes call for when cooking.  Have a happy spring day!