weeknight gourmet

Category : Brunch

A Brunch Favorite: BLT Frittata

Tim and I are in NYC for the weekend for the first time in over a month.  The weekend is packed with various fun events so our kitchen will remain idle until Sunday night.

I thought I would post one of my favorite brunch recipes since going out for brunch is one of my favorite weekend activities in NYC.  I have made this frittata countless times for guests in the Berkshires.  Everyone loves it and it is so easy to make on a Sunday morning.

A few notes on the recipe…

You can usually ask a butcher or deli counter (depending on the store) to slice pancetta for you.  Definitely try to find pancetta — it has a softer flavor than regular bacon.

I usually buy the bagged baby arugula.

Pay attention to your pan size.  I use a smaller frying pan than called for so it needs more time in the oven.  Making this dish in my 10-inch Le Creuset omelette pan usually requires ~20 minutes in the oven.

Lastly, I usually add some cheese before putting the frittata in the oven.  I’ve used shredded fontina and parmesan but I am sure whatever you have on hand would add a nice touch to the dish.

I serve the frittata with fruit or whatever breakfast breads we have on hand.  A side salad would also be lovely.  Enjoy!

BLT Frittata
Rachael Ray

  • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 3 turns of the pan
  • 1/4 pound sliced pancetta, chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 2 bundles arugula, trimmed and chopped, about 3 cups, loosely packed
  • 1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
  • 12 extra-large eggs
  • 1/3 cup half-and-half, eye ball it
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • Black pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Heat a 12-inch nonstick ovensafe skillet over medium high heat. Add oil, pancetta, and garlic to the pan. When pancetta browns at edges and begins to crisp, add arugula. Wilt arugula, stir in tomatoes. Beat eggs together with half-and-half. Whisk in salt and pepper. Pour eggs over fillings and let eggs set. Using a spatula, raise eggs off the bottom of the skillet, allow more of the liquid egg to settle. When the frittata has set, transfer to oven and cook 10 to 12 minutes until top is deep golden brown. Remove the frittata and let it stand 5 minutes. Cut into wedges and serve.

Serves 6.

Cheesy Cauliflower Chutney Mess…& Pizza for Breakfast!

Yesterday’s New York Times Dining section had no shortage of interesting recipes.

Mark Bittman wrote a whole article and several recipes on savory breakfasts.  I typically think of egg-based dishes as the staple of savory breakfasts.  But this article introduced me to the notion of polenta, quinoa, and wild rice as breakfast ingredients.

His “Polenta Pizza with Pancetta & Spinach” recipe really jumped out at me.  While I don’t think it is the ideal breakfast for 7am on a Monday, I think it would be a wonderful brunch dish.  I can see serving it on a Sunday morning to our weekend guests in the Berkshires.

Melissa Clark wrote about a dish she terms “Cheesy Cauliflower Chutney Mess” in which she mixes roasted cauliflower and peas with a bechamel sauce and then adds a dash of mango chutney to make it sweet and tangy.  Looks like it could be a very unique vegetarian meal.

Tribute to Domino

Domino — one of my favorite magazines — has become the latest victim of the recession and decline in print advertising.  Domino artfully packaged decorating, fashion, and entertaining articles in one beautiful magazine.  An issue of Domino not only allowed me to escape for a little while, but also provided me with recipes I actually made and decorating ideas that have taken shape in my home (e.g., homemade playing card posters in our basement in the Berkshires).  As a tribute to “The Guide to Living with Style,” I thought I would profile one of the first recipes I made from the magazine, “Eggs Benedict for a Crowd”.

Tim’s favorite breakfast / brunch dish is Eggs Benedict.  For our first wedding anniversary I broke out the egg poaching pan, made hollandaise sauce, fried slices of Canadian bacon, and toasted English muffins.  Somehow my mother-in-law can time all of these steps perfectly but my hollandaise and poached eggs were a touch overcooked and the English muffins were cold.  Plus, I had lots of messy pots and pans to clean up.

Domino’s Eggs Benedict recipe provides a great alternative to the traditional method of making  this brunch favorite.  All you need are the ingredients below, a silicon muffin tray, and an oven!

Eggs Benedict for a Crowd
Domino Magazine, December 2005

Ingredients

  • no-stick cooking spray
  • 12 eggs
  • 12 slices Canadian bacon
  • 6 English muffins, split
  • 6 tablespoons butter, softened
  • bennie sauce (see recipe below)
  • snipped chives, for garnish

Bennie Sauce

  • ½ cup mayonnaise
  • 2 tbsp. Dijon mustard
  • 1 tsp. cayenne pepper
  • 1 tsp. lemon juice, freshly squeezed

Preheat oven to 375 degree. Put two 6-cup silicone muffin trays on a baking sheet, and coat well with no-stick cooking spray. Crack an egg into each muffin cup.

Cover each egg with a slice of Canadian bacon.

Butter the English muffins and place them buttered-side down on top of the Canadian bacon. Bake for 15 minutes.

Remove from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes. Cover the muffin pan with a platter; flip over. Squeeze each of the muffin cups to release the eggs, then carefully remove.

Top each egg with a spoonful of Bennie sauce (simply whisk together the ingredients above to make the sauce).

Sprinkle with chives and serve with simple watercress salad on the side.