A Light Supper That's Eggs-actly Right

Chef Bob Waggoner Takes the "Shoestring" Challenge And (No Yolking) Creates A Great Late Summer Meal

(CBS)  When we asked Bob Waggoner, the executive chef of Charleston Grill at Charleston Place, to take our "Chef on a Shoestring" challenge, he might have come up with one of the Lowcountry cooking specialities he is so well known for in South Carolina.

Instead, he came up with a menu that will seem familiar to cooks all over the country: a late summer gazpacho that uses heirloom tomatoes, an herb omelet and an apple tart that you can assemble in minutes but looks as though you spent hours slaving over.

Waggoner, a California native, has guided the Charleston Grill for over a decade and just last month published a cookbook that includes many of his signature dishes, "Charleston Grill at Charleston Place." He even took the lush photographs that illustrate the book.

The New York Times has said of Waggoner's cusine and restaurant, "This is where you go for Charleston's most assured and accomplished food. Presented in a swank dining room decked out with colorful folk art, Chef Bob Waggoner's cuisine summaries just how far the city's restaurant scene has come in the past 20 years."

How nice that he can still come up with a menu that's simple and inexpensive to make, and so delightful to eat.


CHARLESTON GRILL'S YELLOW TOMATO GAZPACHO WITH CAROLINA GOAT CHEESE, CUCUMBERS & CILANTRO
(Serves 4)

INGREDIENTS:
5 large yellow tomatoes, stems removed and quartered (buy the ripest, even over-ripe, heirloom yellow tomatoes you can find)
1 medium onion, chopped
2 shallots, chopped
1 large clove garlic, minced
1-1/2 tablespoons kosher salt
4 or 5 cranks fresh-ground white pepper
1 small seeded yellow bell pepper, chopped
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
6 tablespoons crumbled fresh goat cheese for garnish
4 tablespoons cucumber, skin on and seeds removed, diced for garnish
8 red pear tomatoes, quartered for garnish
18 cilantro leaves for garnish

Chef's note: THE DAY BEFORE serving, mix together all the soup ingredients, except the olive oil, in a large mixing bowl. Mix and puree in a blender in small batches. I find it best to fill the blender halfway with mix and blend until smooth. Drizzle the oil in as you're blending.

Chill the entire mix, as well as your serving bowls, overnight. Before serving, re-season as needed. Garnish your chilled bowls with the crumbled goat cheese, diced cucumber, pear tomatoes and cilantro.

TIP:
You MUST make this soup a day in advance. The raw onion, shallot and garlic are strong flavors and will be harsh the same day, but will mellow and blend into a wonderful soup overnight. If your tomatoes aren't very sweet, add 1 tablespoon of sugar to balance the acidity.

WINE PAIRING:
Heidi Schrock Vogelsang, Rust 2005



HERB OMELET
(Serves 4)

INGREDIENTS:
5 tablespoons butter, divided
2 shallots, chopped fine
1 clove garlic, chopped fine
2-1/2 tablespoons chopped parsley
2-1/2 tablespoons chopped basil
1 tablespoon chopped tarragon
10 eggs
2-1/2 tablespoons heavy cream
1-1/2 tablespoons salt
6 cranks cracked pepper

METHOD:
In a small sauté pan, heat 1 tablespoon butter and gently cook the shallots and garlic without browning, just sweat them. Add the parsley, basil and tarragon and cook 10 seconds. Remove from heat.

Mix the eggs and cream together with salt and pepper. Whisk to break the eggs. Add the herb/shallot mix to the eggs and whisk.

Heat 1 tablespoon butter in a nonstick fry pan over medium heat and add 1/4 of the egg mix. Stir often as though you're making scrambled eggs. As the mixture pulls together, drop the heat. Lift the handle of the pan and, at the same time, use a spatula to help the eggs fall to the bottom of the pan. Fold the omelet onto a plate. Repeat for the remaining 3/4 of the egg mix.

Other herbs, like thyme, chives and rosemary, also work well.

TIP: When cooking an omelet, if the eggs cook together enough to fold you're fine. Don't think you need to cook it another 7 minutes to be safe.


"A LA MINUTE" THIN APPLE TART WITH ICE CREAM
(Serves 4)

INGREDIENTS:
2 sheets frozen prepared puff pastry
4 Granny Smith apples
Sugar for sprinkling
4 tablespoons butter

METHOD:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Slightly thaw the puff pastry sheets. Cut out four 6-inch circles and place on a non-greased, non-lined pan.

Peel, core and thinly slice the apples and arrange in a circular fan over the puff pastry. Sprinkle with sugar.

Cube all of the butter and sprinkle on the apples. Bake for approximately 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Remove the tart from the oven and place on individual plates. Spoon a large spoonful of your favorite ice cream over the top.

WINE PAIRING:
Tenuta S. Anna Picolit, Friuli 1999