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Eggs Benedict is probably my favorite breakfast. If you have not had Eggs Benedict, you are seriously missing out! It is heaven on the plate. Toasted English muffin, topped with amazing Canadian bacon, and a runny egg. Last but not least the creme de la creme utterly delicious sauce called Hollandaise, which is lemony and buttery, is poured or spooned over.

The base for the Eggs Benedict is the toasted English muffin. I have been eating English muffins for years, not always as part of Eggs Benedict. On other occasions I’ve had them on their own with butter, as part of an egg and bacon breakfast sandwich, etc.

Thomas’ English Muffin

I was delighted to learn that Thomas’ English muffins is actually one of the foods listed in the book 1,000 Foods To Eat Before You Die, by Mimi Sheraton. It became #15 in my quest to try each and every one of the foods in the book. Of course I had had this one before, so the Thomas’ English muffins was an easy one to knock off on my list.

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Louisiana Creole Cuisine

Creole cuisine is world famous and rightly so! This amazing cuisine combines French, Spanish, African, and Haitian influences.

Louisiana Creole has produced some of the most well known and delicious foods to include jambalaya, gumbo, shrimp creole, and this recipe, Red Beans and Rice.

Red Beans and Rice

Red beans and rice is known as a simple and humble peasant food. The red beans arrived via white French creoles who settled in New Orleans after fleeing a slave uprising in Haiti. The flavors are complex considering the few ingredients needed to prepare this dish.

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Hot dogs! Who doesn’t love a hot dog?!

Hot dogs are one of foods listed in the 1,000 Foods to Eat Before You Die book, and #2 item on my quest to try each of the 1,000 foods listed in this incredible book.

Most of us in the US have tried hot dogs, however there may be many of us who have not tried a New York Style Hot Dog. Let me tell you these are delicious!

Your taste buds will thank you when you try this delicious hot dog topped with sauerkraut, spicy brown mustard and a cayenne infused ketchup!

You can view my recipe for a New York Style Hot Dog here.

Enjoy one of the 1,000 Foods to Eat Before You Die foods, and get a taste of New York at the same time!

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The Hangtown Fry is one of the dishes in my 1,000 Foods to Eat Project.

1,000 Foods to Eat Project

Last year, I purchased the book 1,000 Foods To Eat Before You Die, by Mimi Sheraton. The back of the book jacket states that the book contains “the tastes, ingredients, restaurants, dishes, and recipes (more than 70) that every food lover should experience or dream about.” As I am a food lover, I certainly didn’t want to miss out on anything, so I purchased this book and began my project.

My project is to try out each of the 1,000 foods. I will write more about this amazing book another time. In the meantime, I will say this book has a wealth of information about world cuisines. I find it an absolute joy and challenge to take on this project, and my hope is that you’ll come along with me on this journey and try out these foods as well.

California – Hangtown Fry

So on to the Hangtown Fry.

Did you know that the state motto of California is “Eureka!”?  Eureka is Greek for “I have found it” and most likely refers to the discovery of gold in the state.  The California Gold Rush started in 1848 and ended around 1855.  From this rich history comes our dish which originated in California, called the Hangtown Fry.

Legend has it that a prospector who struck it rich walked into the Cary House hotel, and demanded the most expensive dish that the kitchen could cook up.  The Wikipedia entry states:  “The most expensive ingredients available were eggs, which were delicate and had to be carefully brought to the mining town; bacon, which was shipped from the East Coast, and oysters, which had to be brought on ice from San Francisco, over 100 miles away.”

“Oysters for breakfast?!  Well, I wasn’t a fan of that, so I cooked up the Hangtown Fry for dinner instead.  Even so, I believe this is a dish that you either love or hate… but it’s worth trying if you have even a small amount of fondness for oysters just to say you’ve given it a go.  I used canned oysters to keep the cost of the dish down, but fresh oysters are best.

I love the history behind the Hangtown Fry, but I confess I am not the biggest fan. However, I am glad I tried it and knocked off my first food of the 1000 Foods Project. Only 999 to go. 🙂

Print Recipe

California Hangtown Fry

If you love oysters, give the famous Hangtown Fry a try!

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time20 mins

Total Time30 mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Servings: 2 people

Author: Grace

Ingredients

• 5 eggs lightly whisked with 1/2 ts black pepper
• 1 tbsp butter split
• 8 oz canned oysters (I used 1/2 can of Bumble Bee – 1/2 can was leftover and can be used for snacks!)
• 1/2 cup flour
• 3 strips bacon fried and crumbled
• 1 green onion sliced

Instructions

• Fry the bacon until crisp and drain on paper towels. Crumble and set aside. Keep the bacon fat.
• Drain and pat dry the oysters. Dip the oysters into the flour to coat and set aside.Fry the oysters in the bacon fat (med high heat), until golden brown. It may take 5-7 minutes. Drain excess bacon fat on paper towels. 
• Heat up 1/2 tbsp of butter in a nonstick pan (omelette sized – stove set on med high heat) Pour 1/2 of your whisked eggs into the pan. Using a wooden spoon or spatula, lift up a small portion of the edge of the eggs so that the runny and uncooked egg slides into the open space in the pan. Continue doing this a couple of times, and then turn your heat down to medium.
• Sprinkle 1/2 of your crumbled bacon and 1/2 of your fried oysters over the egg. Continue cooking (lifting up sides and letting the runny egg slide into the open space continue cooking as necessary) until most of the egg has set.
• Lift up one side of the omelette and turn it over 3/4 (see picture). Keep warm in the oven, and repeat for your second omelette.

Notes

Sprinkle with green onions and a bit of cayenne if you like.  Great with Tabasco!!