It's Frittata Time

D and I were in New York over New Years, and our hostess, Meryl, made a lovely pajama brunch. (Let's face it; what else do you really want to do on New Years day besides lounge around in your pjs eating great food with friends? Yea -- it was pretty fabulous.) Meryl picked out the recipes in advance, and she and I did most of the cooking that morning. Now, if it's not clear from reading this blog, I'm a darn lazy cook. I mess up recipes all the time, burn things almost chronically, and rarely even read through a recipe before reaching into the flour jar. Meryl=exactly the opposite; she couldn't have read through the recipe more, or have been more exacting in her measurements. It was slightly hysterical. But dare I say our different approaches yielded some pretty excellent food? All morning long, people swooned over the frittata, which really couldn't have been easier to make. The recipe originally came from Real Simple magazine, and basically had you mix a whole boatload of eggs with spinach, tomatoes, onions and feta cheese, pour it into an oiled pyrex pan, and bake for 40 minutes until firm. Real simple, indeed -- and real delicious.

That recipe is fantastic for when you're hosting a lot of people and want to make a large frittata. However, when there are fewer stomachs to fill, the method I put forth here is excellent. The resulting frittata will have a nicely crisp exterior, a fully-cooked but fluffy interior, and a whole lot of flavor. It can be served alone, with toast, or sliced as pizza into slices and offered as one of several dishes.

I happened to have a couple bunches of arugula from the farmers' market that Mandy gave me, since she doesn't like it (thanks, Mandy!) a box of cherry tomatoes, and a nice hunk of Greek feta, so I made mine in that style. However, please do not feel limited to those ingredients or that combination! When D and I were in Boston, we had a lovely brunch with Dellie and Jeremy, and Dellie made a to-die-for frittata with broccoli, goat cheese and onions (I think). I've provided several other variations below the recipe; sky's the limit on this one.

Frittata serves 2-4

• 4 eggs
• 1/8 cup water
• salt and pepper
• 1 cup spinach or arugula
• 1/2 cup grape tomatoes, halved
• 1/4 cup onion, diced
• 1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 1/2 cup mushrooms, sliced
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil OR 1 Tbsp. olive oil and 1 Tbsp. butter
• fresh basil

1. In a medium mixing bowl, combine all ingredients except olive oil, and mix with a whisk until combined.
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Move the top rack to the highest level.
3. In a small oven-safe pan, heat oil over medium high heat. Make sure to swirl it around so that it coats the entire surface of the pan.
4. Add omelet mixture to the pan. Using a spatula, create slits in the middle of the omelet as it forms, allowing the uncooked egg to seep through onto the pan's surface. Repeat for the first minute of cooking.
5. Turn the heat down to medium, and let cook another 2-3 minutes until the bottom is golden.
6. Move the pan to the top rack of the oven and bake for 7-10 minutes, until the top is golden and the middle is fully cooked. Insert a toothpick to check for runny egg.
7. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Variations:

• Pears, Gorgonzola, shallots
• jalapeno peppers, tomatoes, red peppers, cilantro, cheddar cheese
• shallot, goat cheese, broccoli, mushrooms
• spinach, tomato, fresh mozzarella
• gruyere, bacon, spinach, onion
• leeks, potatoes, muenster cheese
• and many, many more!

  

Lawsuit Muffins with Mango

I worked from home on Monday morning in exchange for taking Friday off. Ahh, the wonders of working at home: no commute=less time wasted= more time spent baking delicious things in the kitchen= one more post to entertain you! I'd say the equation works out in everyone's favor, don't you think?

When neither D nor I wanted omelettes, oatmeal, shakshuka (to be described in a post sometime soon, hopefully), or any other breakfast staple of ours, I settled on Lawsuit Muffins (hardy-har-har).

These muffins are so named because the recipe, which was created by Marcy Goldman, was so popular that when a competitor started making them, she took the competitor to court and won (a nominal amount of money).My mom says I “gutted the story” – here’s her version: “I recall it that Marcy Goldman was originally making these muffins and selling them to a restaurant or a cafe, where they were such a success that a competitor hired her in-house as his baker in order to get the recipe. She took the job, made the place's reputation with the muffins, after which he fired her but continued to use the recipe, prompting her to sue as you describe.” Yea, that sounds like a juicier story than mine.

I apparently stumbled upon the recipe a while back, thought it promising, wrote it in my cookbook, and forgot about it...until this morning, when I found it again and thought, what the hey? I'll try these out. No regrets on that decision. Boy, I tell ya -- the muffins are soft, flavorful, but with the perfect crust. And the mango was a great choice, IMHO. But hey, it's what I had lying around. Feel free to use what's in your fridge. I also cut the brown sugar in the batter to 3/4 cup from 1 cup, and the muffins were plenty sweet for my sweet tooth.

Now, I never do this, but something "inspired" me to write down the nutrition content underneath the recipe in my cookbook. I consider myself a pretty healthy eater, but as this blog evidences, I have a sweet tooth and a hankering for buttery, sugary deliciousness. And what can a girl do? Well, apparently, she can scare herself into oblivion by noting that one of these muffins, streusel topping and all, packs in a lot of calories (and yes, I'm going to spare you the exact number unless you want post a comment to inquire, in which case I'll send you the number I've got written down). My eyes bugged out of my head a little, and I decided not to make the streusel topping, which you and I both know would really make these muffins spectacular. But here's a little consolation -- they're delicious just as I made them.

Lawsuit Muffins with Mango adapted from Marcy Goldman makes 15 muffins For the streusel topping:

• 1 tablespoon cold unsalted butter
• 1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts

1. In a bowl, combine all of the streusel topping ingredients. 2. With your fingers, combine until you have a crumbly mixture. 3. Set aside if using immediately or store in the refrigerator.

For the muffins:

• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1-1/2 tablespoons grated citrus zest (I use lemon or orange.)
• 1 egg
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup buttermilk OR 1 cup milk and 1 Tbsp lemon juice, mixed
• 2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour (you may need a bit more if the batter is too wet)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1-3/4 cups fruit (coarsely chopped if using fruits like apples, banana or pears; I like mango, mango, mango)

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners. If you don't have paper liners butter and flour the muffin tin. 2. In a bowl, mix together the dry ingredients (flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda); set aside. 3. In another bowl, combine the oil, brown sugar, citrus zest and egg. Once combined, stir in the buttermilk and vanilla extract. 4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix well. Gently mix in the fruit. If the batter seems to liquidy, add a tiny bit more flour. The batter should be fairly stiff. 5. Spoon the batter into the muffin cups filling them right to the top. Divide the streusel topping equally among the muffins. 6. Bake for 15 minutes and then lower the temperature to 350 degrees F and bake for an additional 12 minutes. When the muffins are done they will spring back when lightly pressed. Otherwise, test the muffins by inserting a toothpick. 7. Let the muffins cool in the pan for 10 minutes and then remove the muffins and let them cool on a wire rack. 8. Enjoy!

Baked Oatmeal

By now you all know that Sunday morning breakfast is practically an institution in this house of mine. Usually, it involves some form of yeasty, delicious bread, from apricot couronne to challah french toast to the fall-favorite, spiced pumpkin bread. This morning, D and I and our house guest Eric somehow managed to sleep past the crack of dawn, and when we rolled out of bed at 10, making bread for breakfast was totally, like totally, out of the question.

Sprawled horizontally on the couch, I started thinking about recipes that take little-to-no effort. Baked rice pudding instantly came to mind: I remember marvelling at how fantastically easy it was to make such a flavorful and luscious (and not all too unhealthy!) dessert. Inspired by the laziness of my rice pudding adventure, I decided to try the same technique with oatmeal. Granted, oatmeal doesn't require the stirring and monitoring that rice pudding does -- just zap it in the microwave and voila! you're good to go. But nuked oatmeal lacks the crust that I was so craving this morning (being without my bread and all.) Baking oatmeal would likely create a crisp exterior, which, when cracked, would yield soft, plump oats. And all it would involve was mixing everything together, transfering to a pan, and tossing in the oven. The whole thing sounded really promising. The result? Delicious, though I will say that I'd change a couple things the next time. And yes, dear readers, you will be privy to the lessons learned from my mistakes, so that you may make baked oatmeal perfectly the first go-round. Lucky you. :)

Lesson 1: a pinch of salt makes all the difference. Fortunately, I discovered this before serving, so I added a dash to each bowl and gave them a good mix before giving them to my eager taste-testers. It really is true that salt intensifies other flavors. Just a pinch helps balance the sugar and the creamy texture of the milk.

Lesson 2: A brulee-like top adds a dimension of luxury to an otherwise-rustic dish. This can be achieved in a variety of ways, not the least of which is sprinkling the finished product with sugar and crisping it with a torch. If you have a less-equipped kitchen, simply sprinkle sugar on top with three minutes remaining, turn the oven up to 400 degrees, and bake it off until the sugar has browned. This whole step, of course, is optional.

Lesson 3: Tart fruit are a key contrast to the sweet creaminess of the oatmeal. I used apples, but not enough; assume at least 2/3 cup of chopped tart fruit (peaches, plums, apples, and raisins are all excellent choices) for 1 cup of oats.

Now, without further ado....

Baked Oatmeal serves two, but easily doubled

• 1 cup oats
• 1 1/3 cups milk (I used 2%, but any sort will do)
• 2/3 cup water
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• a dash nutmeg
• 2/3 cup (at least) chopped tart fruit, such as apples, raisins, cherries, nectarines, plums, peaches, etc.
• 1/4 cup brown sugar, honey, or maple syrup
• pinch of salt
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix all ingredients in a mixing bowl.
3. Stir to combine. Make sure that sugar begins to dissolve.
4. Lightly spray a shallow baking dish (I used an 8" casserole, but any old dish will do.)
5. Pour mixture into dish, and transfer to oven.
6. Bake 40 minutes, or until all most liquid has evaporated.
7. If desired, sprinkle with sugar when oatmeal is nearly finished, crank the oven to 400, and bake off until sugar has browned.
8. Add more milk to serve, if desired.
9. 

Blackberry-Pear Clafoutis

Our apartment building overlooks a charming little street packed with bars and restos that's bustling both by day and by night. While it's wonderful to live where things happen, sometimes that means 3am powows and lots of "hoot....rah! hoot...rah!" from drunk frat-boy types. Last night's "visitors" were loud and rowdy, and I got precious little sleep. Needless to say, it was a slow, slow weekend morning chez nous. And slow weekend mornings call for some serious kitchen therapy.

Enter the clafoutis (pronounced cla-FOO-tee), a cross between a pancake and a custard (or, as D. put it, "kind of like a crepe but a little more runny." Yum.) Simple to prepare, beautiful once cooked, and rather fun to eat, a clafouti is where comfort food and luxury meet. It's often served as dessert, but I love it for breakfast on those days when you need more than a spoonful of sugar to wash the previous night down.

Clafoutis is traditionally made with cherries, but I love them with pears. And since I really can't just leave a recipe alone, I also mixed in some leftover blackberries, which, along with a little orange zest, made a delightful addition. Yes, clafoutis is just as "grandmotherly" (thanks to Clotide at C&Z for the apt metaphor!) as it sounds. But you know what? So am I a little. And when there's no leftover challah for french toast, when you just don't want to make like those jappy mothers and their egg-white omelets, when oatmeal was your breakfast everyday this week, clafoutis, humble clafoutis, is the perfect choice.

To the drunken, belligerent frat boys who stood on my street corner last night shouting half-coherent obscenities and poorly constructed pick-up lines: if you're reading this, a) I'm impressed that you're already awake, considering your wee-hour ridiculousness and b) thanks to my breakfast this morning, I'm hating you a little less than I would have otherwise.

To the rest of you, my loyal and patient readers: clafoutis can make you just as delightful as I sound now. Don't believe me? Try it for yourself.

Blackberry-Pear Clafoutis adapted from Epicurious serves 2-4

• 2 pears, not too ripe, diced
• 1/2 cup blackberries
• 1/8 cup maple syrup
• 2 large eggs
• 3/4 cup half and half or whole milk (if using 2% milk, add an extra Tbsp. flour)
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla
• 1/8 cup flour (add an extra Tbsp if using 2% milk)
• 1/8 cup plus 1 Tbsp. brown sugar
• 1 tsp. grated orange zest
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• pinch of salt

1. preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. butter a castiron pan, and over medium heat, cook pears and blackberries until pears brown a bit, about 3 minutes.
3. pour syrup over fruit, and move pan into the oven for 5 minutes.
4. Put pan back on the stove and cook over medium-high heat until the syrup has mostly evaporated, about 5 minutes. Turn off stove.
5. Reduce oven heat to 350 degrees.
6. Beat eggs, half and half, and vanilla until well incorporated.
7. Add all but 1 Tbsp sugar and all the flour and mix until there are no lumps. Add cinnamon and zest.
8. Pour batter over pears. Bake in a 350-degree oven for 40 minutes, until the center is set.
9. Remove from the oven, sprinkle remaining brown sugar over the top, and serve immediately.