EGG YOLKS WILL cause your cholesterol to skyrocket! Butter hurts your heart! Seed oils give you all the diseases! We’ve all heard about the supposed dangers of fat. But a new generation of so-called experts is resurrecting old myths and even creating some new ones.
Except recent research has shown that fat is far from evil. One study review found that moderate egg consumption won’t raise cholesterol in healthy people. Studies have also shown that eating fat helps your body absorb vital nutrients.
Fat makes you feel fuller between meals, too. And this probably goes without saying, but eating fat tastes delicious. So yes, it’s time to accept fat in all its incredible forms. Because what’s at stake is enjoying what you cook and eat even more.
Allow three top chefs to show you how to love fats that get a lot of hate.
Bone marrowed corn on the cob
Flame, meet fat
Spritz “butters” of the ’90s guilt-tripped cooking fats for being high in calories – when cooking fats typically have only 100 to 120 calories per tablespoon. So why spray margarine on corn when you can flame-melt deeply beefy bone marrow over the kernels?
Technique from Phillip Frankland Lee, chef of Sushi by Scratch Restaurants
Ingredients
- 4 cobs of corn, husks on
- 1 marrow bone, split lengthwise, brought to room temp
Directions
- 1. Preheat your grill to high, indirect heat. Place the corn cobs over indirect heat, close the grill lid, and roast till the kernels are tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove the cobs, carefully peel back the husks, and grill over direct heat, turning occasionally, till grill marks appear all over, about 5 minutes total. Transfer to a serving platter.
- 2. Using a kitchen blowtorch, melt the bone marrow over the corn, turning each cob to coat evenly. Season with salt, or not, and eat immediately.
Mushrooms with cured egg yolk
A plant-forward feast, enhanced by an egg
In 2021, a study review assessed the heart-disease risks of whole eggs and concluded that they’re an “indispensable source of various nutrients, in particular dietary protein, for healthy living, under healthy diets.” So enjoy.
Recipe by Eric Brach, executive chef at Miles, the Prince, in White Plains, New York
Ingredients
- 1 dried shiitake mushroom
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1 Tbsp. grapeseed oil
- 225g mixed mushrooms (beech, royal trumpet, chanterelle, etc), trimmed and cut into bite-size pieces, if needed
- 1 leek, trimmed, white part sliced into thin rounds, gently rinsed
- 1 scallion, trimmed, halved lengthwise
Directions
- 1. In a blender or food processor, pulverize the dried shiitake with ¼ cup kosher salt. Transfer 2/3 of this mixture to a small bowl. Carefully crack in the yolk. Cover with the remaining mixture. Cure, refrigerated, till orange and slightly firm, about 2 ½ hours. Carefully remove the yolk, rinse well, and set aside.
- 2. In a large pan over medium high, add both oils and swirl to coat. Add the mixed mushrooms, season with salt and pepper, and saute till crispy, about 5 minutes. Push the mushrooms to the side of the pan; add the leek, adding more oil if needed; and cook till caramelized, about 2 minutes. Push the leek to another side of the pan, add the scallion, and cook till blistered, 1 minute.
- 3. In a bowl, add the mushrooms and leek. Top with the scallion pieces and the yolk.
Calabrian buttered lobster tail
Rich. Fancy. Delicious.
People once avoided eating shellfish because they worried that its dietary cholesterol would cause their blood cholesterol to swell. Science shows that’s not really true, especially when you consider that shellfish, like lobster, contain heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids.
Recipe adapted by Mitch Emge, executive chef at Superfrico Las Vegas
Ingredients
- 4 lobster tails
- 2 sticks butter, softened at room temp
- 1/4 c. Calabrian chili paste or chopped Calabrian chilies
- Zest and juice from 1 lemon
- 1 rounded Tbsp Aleppo pepper
- 3/4 tsp. smoked paprika
- 1/4 c. packed parsley, minced
Directions
- 1. In a bowl, using a fork, mash the butter, chilies, lemon zest and juice, Aleppo pepper, paprika, garlic, and parsley.
- 2. Preheat your oven to 350°, placing a large, high-walled baking dish half filled with hot water on the lower-third rack. With a wooden skewer, lance each lobster tail lengthwise to prevent curling while cooking. Transfer the lobster tails to a wire rack and place in the oven on the upper-third rack, directly above the baking dish. Steam until the shells are red, 5 to 7 minutes.
- 3. Carefully remove the lobster tails, remove their skewers, cut each tail in half lengthwise, gently remove the meat from the tail with a fork, and place it back in. (This makes them easier to eat.) Set aside.
- 4. Remove the baking dish and wire rack from the oven, set the oven to broil, transfer the lobster halves to a baking sheet, and top each with a tablespoon of the butter mixture. Slide the baking sheet under the broiler and broil until the butter melts and the meat is cooked through, about 2 minutes. Carefully remove the tails from the oven and serve with bucatini or fettuccine in a tomato-based sauce.
This article originally appeared on Men’s Health US.
Related:
Fill up with roasted spaghetti squash, turkey bolognese and crispy kale
