Haste To The Wedding

Whew! The last guest has gone back east this morning and we are slumped into our chairs with big grins on our faces. The wedding was splendid and the setting was dreamy - at Ocean Song where the views down to the sea are simply breathtaking. Parties every day. Lots of laughter, hugs, kisses and dancing. Little kids looking adorable, older folks decked out in their finest, young things in tight skirts and suit coats. Caterers weaving gracefully amongst the merrymakers. Cameras everywhere and a wonderfully wiry little French photographer who counted down to the flash, "Un, Deux, Trois!" and encouraged everyone to say "Fromage!"

Through it all, the bride and groom were relaxed and smiling - you'd think they did this every day!

Okay, okay, enough of that mushy stuff. How about a little enthusiastic writing about sausage? On one of the weekend mornings, I made waffles for the family and browned some of these breakfast sausages to go alongside. No special waffle recipe - just the one on the side of the Bisquick box. They were good but, let's face it, it's really all about the real maple syrup and the butter.

The sausages, however, were something very special. They are zingy with a little spice and rich with smoky, lightly salty, meaty flavor in natural casings. No extra "stuff," just porky goodness on the plate, puddled in a little syrup. I don't know what the bride and groom had for breakfast but we ate like kings. Whether you haste to the wedding or not, you should definitely haste to the sausages.

Hamneggs

Ever since we discovered the Fra'Mani uncured, smoked ham, I've been adding it to all kinds of dishes. The salt and the smoke add so much flavor to, for example, plain old scrambled eggs, turning them into a memorable breakfast.

The ham is a small one, so the slices are no more than 4 or 5 inches across, thin as construction paper and so flavorful that just opening the package gets my juices going. Two thin slices was plenty to flavor beautifully four large eggs.

As always with eggs, care in cooking pays off. I minced the ham and set it to warm in a small frying pan before thoroughly scrambling the eggs with a fork until the white and the yolk were one. Reduced the heat and eased those babies into the pan with the ham - they sizzled a little, but didn't sputter. Patient stirring while they made soft curds around the ham. Rescued from rubberization by removing while they were still moist and tender. Turned out onto warmed plates sidled up to a toasted English muffin.

If every day for every one on Earth started with hamneggs this delicious, we would have World Peace.

Putting The Ham In Hamburger

My Beloved adores hamburgers. Freshly ground, he will happily eat the beef raw. He also loves it cooked, but just barely - the top and bottom should be seared but the middle can still be chilly, as far as he's concerned.

He likes cheeseburgers, mushroom burgers, burgers with a slice of raw onion on top - you name it, he loves it. Just last week, I found a new way to tickle his taste buds - adding the ham to hamburger.

I had purchased some uncured, shaved Fra' Mani ham for sandwiches and, while I was forming our hamburger patties, that ham came to mind. I minced a couple of the thin slices with a sharp knife and worked it into the ground beef before pan searing the patties in the usual way. The smoky, salty essence of the ham really enhanced the beef - they tasted like they came off the barbecue that I reluctantly covered up when the rain began.

Nestled into Semifreddi sandwich rolls with the bready middle hollowed out and replaced with sautéed mushrooms, topped with a frill of lettuce and anchored with fresh tomato slices and dabs of June Taylor's ambrosial catsup, this was finger food for the gods.