Can I get a hell yeah?

So I have a new job. Have I mentioned this yet? Is this old news? Well, at any rate, too bad if it is, because I'm telling you twice, if in fact I have told you once already. This new job is perhaps too good to be true. It's something I stumbled upon with the help of a friend who I can't thank enough.

This new job involves food, a kitchen all to myself, a little baking, a lot of cooking, local seasonal uber luxe ingredients, and truffle oil. I'm a chef at a new hotel here in town, making breakfasts several days a week and most likely catering some events from time to time.

It's such dumb luck really. I stumbled upon this job at just the perfect moment. A friend told me about it and well... the rest is history.



Most of the time, when I work, I work alone. This of course has its ups and downs. There is no way I can say anything bad about having my own kitchen to work in. I make my own messes, I clean them up. Any stress there is 100% my problem and I deal with it. That being said, I am cook, baker, dishwasher oh yeah, and server and bartender all in one. When I'm busy I'm slammed. Juggling things in and out of the kitchen can be less than conducive to the perfect crepe. Honestly though, anything that can teach me to work better and faster, well that's where I need to be.

It can get a little quiet there in the kitchen and most of us at the hotel can't abandon our posts for a chat in the event that a guest needs something at a moment's notice. Oh yeah, and when someone needs something we snap to it, and fast. This is no pull off the highway for a quick nap sort of place. It's very nice and by very nice I mean very stylish and by very stylish I mean holy shit. What dumb luck that I get to hang out at that hotel half of the week.



It's not all unicorns and moonbeams of course. It has its downs. The biggest saddest bummer-est part of the whole thing though, even worse than my 5:30AM alarm going off to get me to work on time, is the fact that as of right now the hotel grounds are only open to hotel guests and their friends. My friends can't stop by for a quick drink at the bar or a couple of scones on the fly. Nope, it's p-r-i-v-a-t-e. That may change, and it may change soon, but for now I'm waiting for my friends to get rich and famous enough to book a night there before I can whip up some snacks for them. And while they're all busy getting rich and famous, maybe they could book me a night there as well? They'll for sure need someone to keep them company while we sip cocktails out of gold-rimmed glasses and eat coffee and lavender rubbed cheddar with brandied cherries by the cutest pool in town.

But for now, it's just me all by my lonesome, hanging out in the kitchen, toasting a baguette for myself, slicing some heirloom tomatoes, frying up an egg, covering the whole lot of it in a bit of smoked salt and truffle oil and calling it breakfast. Not bad for an old girl, eh?



So in homage to my new job I bring you a meal inspired by the food we make there using a recipe for bread from a book I borrowed from the kitchen manager, as well as a healthy dose of truffle oil.

All it is, and it really is as simple as an "all it is", is some crispy, crusty, nutty and fresh garlic and olive oil rubbed toast, covered in a heaping pile of arugula and marrow beans spiked with some sherry vinegar, topped with a fried egg (can I get a hell yeah for that fried egg on top??) and well, truffle oil. Cause it's just that easy my friends, everything tastes like heaven with a wee baby bit of truffle oil on top.

Marrow Beans and Arugula on Toast
Loosely adapted from Living, you know, Martha Stewart's rag

2 cups cooked marrow beans
4 cups fresh mature arugula
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 onion, diced
1 1/2 tsp fresh thyme, pulled off stem
2 tsp sherry vinegar
2 tsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Heat olive oil in a large saute pan. Toss in onions and cook about 2 mins, till translucent. Add crushed garlic and cook 1 min more. Add beans and cook about 3 mins, till heated through. Add arugula and vinegar and cook just until arugula wilts. Toss in thyme, cook about 1 more min and remove from heat. Season with salt and pepper.

To assemble

1 egg
1/2 tsp butter
a slice of your favorite toast (I used an olive oil seeded bread from The Bread Bible, it was awesome, but I don't expect you to be as nerdy as me and actually bake bread specially for this meal... but, then again, why not?)
1 clove garlic
olive oil
truffle oil

Brush the bread with the olive oil and rub with the garlic clove. Heat it in the oven until brown and crispy. In the meantime heat the butter in a frying pan. Fry the egg in your favorite way. Mine is sunny side up, in case you were curious.

Pile the greens and beans on the toasted bread. Lay the egg on top. Season with pepper and salt and sprinkle with truffle oil.

You can see this recipe and others featured at Yeastspotting.