Chartreuse Green Eggs & Ham
Green eggs and ham get an update! The inspiration for this dish came about after a cross continent Zoom catch up with some fellow cocktail enthusiasts from America, who decided to adopt a theme of Chartreuse cocktails for the occasion. Now 4pm American West Coast time means 9 am Australian time (Eastern) and as much as I love cocktails, I draw the line at drinking Chartreuse cocktails first thing in the morning! Next best thing? Incorporate it into breakfast, of course.
Chartreuse is a traditional French herbal liqueur that comes in a variety of expressions. The Chartreuse Green is a very aromatic herbaceous liqueur and the colour comes entirely from the 130 herbs used. It's got quite a minty and caraway-like flavour and for some reason, green eggs and ham was the first thing to pop into my mind. BUT whilst I'm crazy, I'm not exactly going to be pouring Chartreuse straight on the eggs....so what then? Enter the gremolata, which is a sauce of sorts made with parsley, lemon, garlic and olive oil except I threw in a generous splash of Chartreuse - the strong flavours really stood up well together. And the best thing is that you dollop a spoonful into some beaten eggs before scrambling them to give them this vibrant (all natural) green colour that also lends flavour to the eggs! You can dial up or down the flavours by either putting in less gremolata in the scrambled egg mix or by slathering more sauce on the eggs when eating. Serve with ham and some avo to give you a Green Eggs & Ham dish that even Seuss would eat.
How to make Chartreuse Green Eggs & Ham
Ingredients for gremolata (adapted from recipe by Feasting at Home)
1 cup parsley leaves
1 garlic clove
Zest of one lemon
Half cup olive oil
2-3 teaspoons of lemon juice (you may want to adjust by adding more once you add the Chartreuse)
30ml of Chartreuse Green liqueur
Salt and pepper to taste
Dash of tabasco sauce (optional)
Method
Combine all the dry gremolata ingredients in a food processor and blend
Add the wet ingredients (olive oil, lemon juice and Chartreuse Green) and blend
Making the Green Eggs & Ham
Add about a tablespoon of the gremolata to two beaten eggs
Add tablespoon of butter to hot pan and add the eggs. Scramble until it reaches your desired consistency.
Serve with ham and garnish with parsley