Broccoli Rabe Frittata with Chevre

Sorry, Omelet, but I think frittatas have you beat all around. Not only are they far easier to pull together, but I think they also taste better and are much prettier. You can have them warm or at room temperature, and I'm not sure how many times I've ever thought to myself, "Gee, that other half of my omelet is just beautiful and will make for a great snack later!" Maybe some of you out there disagree, and that's all good, but I'm not sure I will ever attempt another omelet again. I'm horrible at it, and I've concluded there's just no reason for me to.

I decided to switch things up and make this frittata as an individual portion (albeit a sizeable one!) in a 7" skillet. Whenever I've made frittatas, I've used 6 or 7 eggs, and in this case I wanted to see what would happen with 3. The results were perfect - this was my breakfast and afternoon snack and I was sad when it was over. Substitute any green you want if you don't care for broccoli rabe. We've been eating a lot of it around here and I'm pretty taken with it, myself.

                    3 eggs

                    5 tablespoons olive oil

                    1/2 shallot, finely chopped

                    2 cups broccoli rabe, stemmed and torn or chopped coarsely

                    1/4 cup chevre (goat cheese)

                    salt and pepper

Preheat the broiler to 425 and place a rack on the top shelf of your oven.

Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a skillet over medium heat and saute the shallots until soft. Add the broccoli rabe and a tablespoon of water and cook, stirring occasionally, until wilted and bright green. Set aside.

Beat the eggs with salt and pepper to taste. Heat the remaining oil in a 7" ovenproof skillet over high heat. Add the eggs and immediately turn the heat down to low. Let the eggs cook undisturbed until the bottom has set. Then use a spatula to pull the eggs away from the rim and let the loose eggs run under. 

Arrange the broocoli rabe, shallots, and goat cheese over the top and flash broil the frittata just to set it's surface, a minute at most.

Makes one 7" frittata.

Baked Eggs with Two Kales

What you see here, is yet another way for me to get my weekend eggs on. Baked eggs might be my new favorite breakfast food. Like with omelettes or frittatas, the options are limitless with this very tasty and easy dish. The egg's versatility never ceases to amaze me. And the horror of now knowing that I've missed out on the delight of baked eggs for so many years. Well, I don't even know what to say. Thank God it's behind me now.

What you see here, are several layers - the first: toasted whole grain triangles, the second: green and red kale leaves, and the third: three eggs cracked into little "nests" between the leaves. Any number of greens could be substituted here. Spinach, escarole, chard. Whatever sounds good to you (or whatever you happen to have picked up at the market) will most likely work. I chose to use individual stoneware plates, but you could also do family style in a bigger baking dish instead. Either way, these are great because they all come out at the same time, and you don't have to worry about someone's eggs (yours) sitting on the counter while you finish cooking someone else's.

                    1 tablespoon olive oil

                    1 small clove garlic, minced

                    1/2 bunch red kale, washed, stemmed, and torn into leaves

                    1/2 bunch green kale, washed, stemmed, and torn into leaves

                    salt and freshly ground black pepper

                    1-2 slices whole grain bread, cut into small triangles

                    butter for greasing the plate(s) and buttering the bread

                    6 large eggs

                    2 tablespoons cup creme fraiche (or heavy whipping cream)

                    1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano 

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat, and when it shimmers, add the garlic. Cook the garlic until fragrant and golden, about 3 minutes, then add the green kale (which will take a bit longer to wilt than the red). Reduce the heat to medium, add a pinch of salt and a few turns of freshly ground pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, for a couple of minutes. Then add the red kale, and continue to cook and stir until the leaves are just wilted. Transfer the kale to a bowl to cool (it does not need to cool completely before you proceed, but you don't want it so hot it will start cooking the eggs before they get into the oven).

Toast the triangles in a toaster oven (or the slices before cutting if you're using a toaster) and butter them as they are done.

Lightly butter two oven-safe plates or a baking dish large enough to hold the toasted triangles in one layer. Arrange them on the bottom of the dish(es) and evenly scatter the wilted kale over the top, making rough little nests to hold the eggs in place. Crack the eggs into the kale nests and season them with salt and pepper. Drizzle a tablespoon creme fraiche or whipping cream  (or two if using one dish)

over the dishes. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan and set on the lowest shelf of the oven. Cook until the whites are just set but the yolks are still runny, about 12 to 15 minutes. Serve immediately.

Makes 2 servings.
 

Adapted from Marc Meyer and Peter Meehan, Brunch: 100 Recipes from Five Points Restaurant.            

Teensy Weensy Vegetable Frittatas with Parmesan

 

How delightful are these little guys? I mean, really. Aren't they just oozing with charm? I had to gasp for air upon spotting them over at What's Gaby Cooking. Frittatas baked in a muffin tin. How brilliant! These inspire me to...have a picnic at the beach (or on the grass in our yard), host a beautiful brunch, and/or keep some in the fridge for a quick and easy breakfast a la "grab 'n go". Not only are they perfectly dreamy, they're quite practical as well. Making these clever gems was as easy as dicing up some veggies and beating some eggs. Bonus: they're perfect for those vegetables in the fridge that would love to be able to say they did something with their lives. Just throw in whatever you've got. I can't wait to make some with chiles serranos and cheddar cheese, two ingredients I'm never without.

                    1 red bell pepper, diced

                    1 yellow bell pepper, diced
                    1 zucchini, diced
                    1 small onion, diced
                    2 tablespoons olive oil

                    1 cup Parmesan cheese

                    10 eggs
                    2 tbsp chives
                    salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large 10 inch skillet heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Saute the diced zucchini, onion and red and yellow bell peppers for about 5 minutes until they are slightly soft. Season with salt and pepper. Add the sauteed vegetables to individual muffin molds.

In another bowl, whisk together 8 eggs and season with salt and pepper and add the chopped chives. Fill the remaining area in the muffin tin with the egg and stir the ingredients together.  Sprinkle the top with the Parmesan cheese. Bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes until the eggs are completely set. Serve warm or cold. 

Makes twelve miniature frittatas.

From Gaby Dalkin, What's Gaby Cooking.

Sunday Morning Soft-Boiled Egg Breakfast

 

Yesterday's breakfast was incredibly lovely and tasty. A simple, old fashioned favorite: soft-boiled eggs with toast and fruit. Eating eggs out of the shell like this never ceases to feel like a novel treat for me. The experience is reminiscent of growing up with my dad's coddled eggs. I remember them being such an odd and unusual affair. I'd love to find some beautiful porcelain cups with lids like the ones he used. Oh, egg. You really are impossibly wonderful.

For the perfect soft-boiled egg, I have found that a boiling-water start is best (as opposed to cold water start, which I prefer for hard-boiling). Boil the water, then reduce to a simmer and gently place the eggs in. Start timing here. 4 minutes for large eggs, 4 1/2 for extra large. If the eggs are fresh out of the refrigerator, leave them in an additional minute. Use a knife to crack off the top third of the shell. Season with salt and pepper and spoon your worries away.