Broiled Fish Filets (p.404), hard-boiled eggs (p. 194), and tarter sauce (p. 581)

First off, nonreaders, don't get excited, this totally isn't going to be an everyday thing. But I was so pumped about yesterdays success that I wanted to try again today...but first:
1. I know I should include pictures but I forgot to take them again, so maybe later...
2. I am even less original than I thought--I found another blog with a similar theme. Oh well--at least I (easily) only found one!

So tonight I decided to make Broiled Fish Filets (p.404)

The fish, the fish. I can't say I recommend it. Not only did I manage to spill the olive oil IN the oven so that it almost started on fire, the breadcrumbs started to burn almost immediately. Now, if you like half burned bread crumbs, you will LOVE this dish. I made it with cod, which I can't say is my favorite fish, but it happened to be in our refrigerator--maybe it would suck less with a different fish. I will admit that the dimming effect of the smoke that filled our house was romantic, but the smell was not.

I chose to hard-boil the eggs (p. 194) using TJOC recipe. This may have worked well, except my eggs were getting old, which causes a bigger air pocket and my eggs refused to sit on the bottom of the pot. Then I decided that I needed Dijon mustard and capers for the tarter sauce and went to the store while the eggs were still in their cooking phase (hey, at least they weren't on heat anymore!) and--well--lets just say the egg overcooked. But it was still usable in the tarter sauce.

On the bright side, homemade tarter sauce (p. 581)--awesome! I totally recommend making this. It takes next to no time and has a brighter, fresher flavor than the jarred stuff. The capers give it a salty, briny taste that the store bought stuff doesn't really have. I didn't include the olives or red pepper but it wasn't really needed. Impressive though--and incredibly easy. I will make this recipe again. And it was nice to get a success after two failures.


Let me briefly touch on a subject that you will hear again and again...I live at about 5,000 feet above sea level. Why does this matter? Because high altitude, which effects typically start at around 3,000 feet, screws up EVERYTHING and there are not cut and dry rules. It's dependant on your exact level and the recipe. It can screw up everything from cakes and baked goods, to anything boiled (because water boils at a lower temperature so food needs to be boiled longer), to anything deep fried. It drives me nuts! And I'm sure will come up when I decide to bake anything...