A Taste of Our Breakfast

I hope you will enjoy our first recipe posted to the blog. If you haven’t joined us for breakfast in our Victorian dining room, then here is your first glimpse into the flavors of The Pines. As we get deeper into autumn, we are depending more on the heartier greens and root vegetables to bring life to our dishes. These smoked trout cakes with garlicky kale and a warm mustard and thyme-infused cream sauce bring some smoky Hudson Valley flavor to a dish inspired by Maryland crab cakes. It is a delicious and beautiful way to start off a chilly Autumn morning:

Smoked Trout Cakes with Poached Eggs and a Mustard and Thyme-Infused Cream Sauce

cakes
1 lb red-skinned potatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces
¼ cup bell peppers (use whatever colors you can find at the market or in your garden)
1/3 + ¾ cup onion, chopped
1 clove of garlic
1 ½ teaspoons fresh thyme chopped
1 ½ teaspoons fresh basil chopped
½ lb smoked trout cut into 1/2 inch pieces
2 tbsp olive oil
1 bunch kale (or any type of fresh hearty green, examples: arugula, mustard greens, chard)
1 tbsp butter

eggs
1 tsp distilled white vinegar
8 large eggs, cold

sauce
2 cups heavy whipping cream
½ tsp Dijon or whole grain mustard
1 tbsp thyme

For the cakes: cover the potatoes with cold water in a medium saucepan and bring them to a boil. Simmer for about 6-8 minutes, or until the potatoes are soft. Once they are soft, drain the potatoes & hold in the strainer to cool.
Heat 1 tbsp oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the peppers and 1/3 cup of the onions and sauté for 5-7 minutes. Mash the potatoes and add the peppers and onions to the potatoes along with the thyme, basil, and smoked trout. Season with salt and pepper. Form the trout mixture into 8 balls and flatten each one into a 3/4 inch cake. Hold in the refrigerator until breakfast.

For the sauce: heat the cream over medium heat until the liquid has reduced by one quarter to 1 1/2 cups. Add the thyme leaves. Continue reducing the cream to 1 cup of liquid, be careful not to let the cream boil over.
Once the cream is reduced, remove it from the heat. Strain the cream sauce to remove the thyme leaves pieces, and whisk in the mustard. If using the sauce right away, hold it in the saucepan, otherwise, transfer the sauce to a bowl and chill over an ice bath before storing in the refrigerator.

At breakfast time: heat a large pot of water over high heat. Once it comes to a boil, add the white vinegar and reduce the heat to medium. Heat a sauté pan over medium heat and add the ¾ cup chopped onions and butter. After 5 minutes, add 1/2 cup of water to the pan of onions and sauté for an additional 5 minutes or until the water has evaporated and the onions are soft and golden brown. Add the kale to the onions and sauté for 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add 1 tablespoon oil. Once hot, sauté the eight trout cakes in the pan until a golden brown crust forms on both sides (cook approximately 3-4 minutes per side. Hold the cakes in a warm oven while you poach the eggs.
Crack four cold eggs into individual ramekins or small bowls. Stir the vinegar water to create a whirlpool effect in the pot (this helps the eggs retain a perfect presentation once poached). Softly drop each egg into the simmering vinegar water while it is still turning in the pot and poach for 3-4 minutes or until the whites are cooked and the yolks are still runny, cook longer if you prefer a harder cooked egg. Once they are cooked to your liking, remove the four eggs to a paper towel and poach four additional eggs in the water.

To serve: place 2 warm trout cakes on each plate. Place 1/4 cup of the kale mixture onto each trout cake and top each with a poached egg. Drizzle the mustard cream sauce over each of the eight eggs and garnish with a slice of smoked trout and a sprig of dill. Serve immediately.

Enjoy!