Eat, Like, a Meal

Remember those old Chunky soup commercials? "The soup that eats like a meal?" (Here's a highlarious reminder. What is going on with that roommate sitch anyway?) Those wacky commercials were on the air back in 1985 and it seems like it's been as long since my last post! Whoopsie!

Speaking of meals (not that I have been making many lo these past few weeks), I may not be cooking all that much, but I have been eating a slew of salads thinking that I am super healthy. And then I realized that these so-called salads have the word "chef" or "cobb" in front of them. Who am I kidding? Meat, cheese, bacon? Hello!

Well, how about adding some quinoa to justify the healthfulness? Totes. Done and done. A classic cobb, minus the grilled chicken, plus the quinoa, equals...a salad that eats like a meal.

Classic Cobb Salad (Plus Grains)
Adapted from Bon Appétit

6 ounces bacon (about 6 slices), cut into 1-inch pieces (plus more for snacking)
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons minced shallot (about 1/2 medium shallot)
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 small garlic clove, grated
1/4 teaspoon honey
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups baby greens
3 cups cooked grains (such as quinoa, semi-pearled farro, or wild rice), cooled
2 hard-boiled eggs, peeled, quartered
1 ripe avocado, halved, pitted, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 ripe tomato cut into 1/2-inch wedges
1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese

1. Cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium-high heat until crispy and most of the fat is rendered, 7–8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer bacon to a paper towel-lined plate.

2. Whisk the lemon juice, shallot, vinegar, Dijon mustard, garlic, and honey in a medium bowl. Gradually whisk in the oil. Season the dressing to taste with salt and pepper.

3. Place the lettuce on a large platter. Arrange the the bacon, grains, eggs, avocado, tomato, and cheese over. Drizzle with the dressing. Serves 6.

Biscuit Brunch

Since I spent the last few days in Georgia, it seems only right that I make little biscuit brunch. (And I had leftover buttermilk from a crème fraîche experiment. More on that later.) OK yes, I've made biscuits before, but that recipe called for cake flour and let's be honest, most people don't have cake flour in their cupboards. And this recipe let's you cut the biscuits into perfect circles, thereby creating the perfect sandwich shape with which to create a breakfast treat. Sadly I was out of bacon and cheddar but hello, how good does that sound? Bacon, egg and cheese on a biscuit? Yes, please!

Buttermilk Biscuits

Adapted from Martha Stewart

2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk, plus more for brushing

1/2 cup heavy cream

1. Preheat the oven to 375˚F. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Cut in the butter using a pastry blender or your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add the buttermilk and cream. Stir to combine.

2. Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and pat into a 6 1/2-inch round (about 1 inch high). Using a lightly floured 2 1/2-inch cutter, cut out rounds. Transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, spacing about 1 inch apart. Gather the scraps, reshape, and cut out. Brush the tops with buttermilk. Bake until the tops are golden, 22 to 24 minutes. Transfer the biscuits to a wire rack, and cool. Makes about 8 biscuits.

Sunny Side Up

Yes, I have yet another egg recipe. Normally I prefer eggs scrambled or turned into an omelette or a frittata, but I can make an exception for this fried egg and asparagus variation. I first had this as an appetizer at The Red Cat years ago, and the runny yolk didn't totally gross me out. Perhaps it's not the most overwhelming endorsement, but that's a big deal for me. I really don't like wet eggs. Ordering an omelette in a French restaurant is always a risky proposition since they are almost always raw in the center. Ew.

Anyway, here the egg yolk becomes more like a dressing for the roasted asparagus, so not so gross. Oh, and since I don't normally make fried eggs, you might notice that I don't really know how to cook them. The edges of my egg are totally overcooked while the center is very undercooked. I think my pan was too hot when I added the egg, so that's what I ended up with. And the first egg slid right off my spatula and into my silverware drawer rather than onto my plate. Be warned. Fried eggs are slippery. If you have any tips for this non fried egg making girl, let me know.



Roasted Asparagus with Fried Eggs

1/2 pound asparagus, trimmed
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 large eggs
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, to taste
Truffle oil, optional

1. Preheat the oven to 450˚F. Lay the asparagus on a rimmed sheet pan large enough to hold it in one layer. Add the olive oil, salt, and pepper and toss to coat. Redistribute the asparagus so that it is in one layer. Roast for 10-15 minutes then remove from oven to cool slightly. Transfer the spears to two salad plates.

2. Heat the vegetable oil in a medium nonstick skillet over medium heat. When hot, carefully add the eggs to the pan and fry for 2 minutes undisturbed. Turn the heat to low, cover pan and cook an additional 1-2 minutes until the egg whites are cooked through.

3. Carefully slide one fried egg on top of the asparagus on each plate. Sprinkle with the cheese and season to taste with salt and pepper. Drizzle with truffle oil if using. Serves 2.

National Egg Day

Friday, June 3rd is National Egg Day. Par-tay! Every day is egg day as far as I'm concerned. I don't really need another reason to blow through a carton of eggs, but if you do, try my asparagus frittata. It's perf for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. And get ready because World Egg Day follows in the fall, so consider this practice for the big day. For other random holidays that you don't really care about, check out this helpful guide.



Asparagus Frittata

1 pound asparagus, trimmed of woody ends and cut into 1-inch pieces
6 large eggs
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
3 ounces Fontina, shredded (about 1/2 cup)

1. Cook the asparagus in a pot of boiling water for 1 - 3 minutes, depending on the thickness of the spears. Drain. Add to a bowl of ice water to stop from cooking and to cool quickly. Drain completely and set aside.

2. Beat the eggs, salt, pepper, and thyme in a large bowl. Stir in the asparagus.

3. Heat the olive oil in a 10-inch nonstick ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Drop a bit of egg into the pan; if it sizzles and cooks at once, the pan is ready. Pour in the egg mixture. Tilt the pan to distribute the eggs and filling evenly over the surface. Shake the pan gently, tilting it slightly with one hand while lifting up the edges of the frittata with the spatula in your other hand, to let the eggs run underneath during the first few minutes of cooking.

4. Turn the heat to low, cover and cook for 10 minutes, shaking the pan gently every once in a while. From time to time, remove the lid, tilt the pan and loosen the bottom of the frittata with a spatula so that it doesn’t burn. The bottom should have a golden color. The eggs should be just about set. Cook a few minutes longer if they’re not.

5. Meanwhile, heat the broiler. Uncover the pan, sprinkle the frittata with the cheese, and place under the broiler, not too close to the heat, for one to three minutes, watching very carefully to make sure the top doesn’t burn (at most, it should brown very slightly and puff under the broiler). Remove from the heat, and shake the pan to make sure the frittata isn’t sticking. Allow it to cool for at least five minutes and then loosen the edges with a spatula. Carefully slide the frittata from the pan onto a large round platter. Cut into wedges and serve hot, warm, or at room temperature. Makes four servings.

A Perfect Pair

One of my all time favorite salads is a frisée aux lardons salad, mostly because of the lardons. Well, to be honest, only because of the lardons. The more the better, obvs. I recently discovered that frisée aux lardons is also known as Salade Lyonnaise. Who knew? (French people, I suppose.) The base is a pile of frisée that is tossed with a warm shallot-red wine vinegar dressing and cooked bacon, and then is topped off with a poached egg. Some may add croutons, I add blue cheese. I'm sure it's some form of sacrilege, but I totally dig blue cheese and bacon...on burgers and in my salads. Cobb salad, anyone?

I don't particularly love poached eggs (and I suck at making them too - evidenced by me dropping the first one I made on the kitchen floor), but can somehow get beyond the runny yolk by adding extra lardons to my salad. I mean, it hardly qualifies as a salad. It's breakfast in disguise! Which reminds me of a joke: Bacon and Eggs walk into a bar. They try and try and try to order a drink, to no avail. Finally, the bartender walks over and says, "Sorry, we don't serve breakfast."

You're welcome.



Frisée aux Lardons

1/2 pound frisée (French curly endive) about 4 cups torn
6 - 8 ounces slab bacon, pancetta, or thick-cut bacon slices
1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar
4 large eggs
2 tablespoons chopped shallot
3 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
Bleu cheese (such as Stilton), crumbled (optional)

1. Tear the frisée into bite-size pieces and place in a large bowl. If using slab bacon (or pancetta), cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Cut bacon slices crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick sticks (lardons).

2. In a heavy skillet cook the bacon over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 8 minutes, and then remove the skillet from the heat.

3. Meanwhile, half-fill a 4-quart saucepan with water and stir in the white vinegar. Bring the liquid to a bare simmer. Break each egg into a teacup or small bowl. Slide the eggs, one at a time, into the simmering liquid. Cook the eggs for about 2 minutes for runny yolks to about 4 minutes for firm yolks. Remove each egg with a slotted spoon and drain briefly on paper towel then set aside. (The cooked eggs can be rewarmed briefly in simmering water if desired.)

4. Reheat the bacon in its skillet over moderate heat, if necessary. Add the shallot and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add the red-wine vinegar and boil 10 seconds. Immediately pour the hot dressing over the frisée and toss with salt and pepper to taste.

5. Divide the salad among 4 plates and top with the drained poached eggs (and blue cheese if using). Season the eggs with salt and pepper and serve the salad immediately. Serves 4.

Breakfast of Champions

I wasn't kidding about having bacon and brownies this past weekend. The sugary snack kept me going while the salty meat got me going. One of my guilty pleasures is the breakfast burrito from Guy & Gallard which I only order occasionally while working at a location that happens to be in the right delivery area. There is just something about their tightly wrapped little burrito filled with bacon, eggs, and cheese that just works! I haven't even been able to replicate it at home, though I tried this weekend and got close. I think the real key, I'm afraid to say, is their use of...(gasp) American Cheese! This is the only occasion that I can think of where it might actually be a preferable cheese choice because of its sodium content coupled with crazy melt-ability. I personally refuse to purchase it so opted for a sharp cheddar instead. It was delicious, but just not the same. Perhaps a little too upscale? If you want to attempt your own homemade breakfast burrito chock full of your diner favorites, just don't over fill or it will be difficult to roll up and the tortilla will tear. Be sure to then wrap the burrito in aluminum foil and throw into a 350˚F oven for 5 - 10 minutes to heat through. Just try to be satisfied by a plain bowl of cereal again.

P.S. With all of my recent preoccupation, I missed the one year anniversary of this blog which occurred last week. I am astonished to think that I got it to last longer than one day let alone an entire year. I realize that I am a baby in the blog world but hey, YAY ME!

Real Men Eat Quiche

If it's made with bacon. And creme fraiche if you're my friend, Chad.

Since quiche is so easy to make, it's a great option for holiday breakfasts (or lunches) for unexpected (or expected) guests and, no, you don't have to make your own crust. If you do purchase a pie shell, do look for one that isn't made with hydrogenated oils. Then, just use my recipe as a guide and freestyle with your favorite ingredients which, if you're my friend, I assume includes bacon. But you can make vegetarian versions too. I guess. But I'm not sure if real men eat vegetarian quiche. You'll have to figure that out for yourself.



Bacon and Leek Quiche

8 ounces (about 8 slices) bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 large leek, white and tender green parts only, thinly sliced
1/4 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
2 large whole eggs
2 large egg yolks
1 cup whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
4 ounces Gruyère cheese, grated (about 1 cup)
1 (9-inch) pie shell (store bought or homemade dough that has been blind baked)

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. In a large skillet, cook the bacon over moderately high heat, stirring, until browned and crisp, about 6 minutes. Drain the bacon, leaving 1 tablespoon of the fat in the pan, and transfer the cooked bacon with a slotted spoon to a paper towel lined plate. Add the leek, thyme, salt, and white pepper to the skillet, and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until the leeks are softened, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and let cool.

2. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, cream, and a pinch of salt and pepper.

3. Spread the cheese, cooked bacon and leeks evenly over the bottom of the pie shell. Pour the egg mixture into the pie shell and bake for 30 - 35 minutes, rotating the sheet halfway through for even baking, until light golden brown. Transfer the quiche to a rack to cool. Serves 6 - 8.

Incredibly Edible

Yes. I'm eating eggs for dinner. I got home late and didn't have any other ideas! But you wanna know the key to amping up a plain eggs? Truffle salt. Sprinkle a little of it on top of an omelette along with a little Parmesan cheese and...voila! Dinner is served!

NEWSFLASH: You can purchase the truffle salt below, here, or at other well stocked gourmet grocery stores.

Brunch for One. Or Two.

While debating whether to go for a bike ride, take a power walk in the park, or just go to the gym, I got hungry. (This happens a lot since I will procrastinate going to the gym for hours.) As breakfast turned into lunch, I decided to throw together a frittata because I needed to clean out my fridge. Frittatas are good like that.

I only had a few eggs so opted to make an individual frittata in my little 8-inch skillet. I sauteed half of a red onion, some ham that someone had given me earlier in the week (people give me weird stuff - what!), and then stirred some leftover ricotta and Parmesan into the eggs before I dumped them into the pan. It turned out to be a bit like a quiche lorraine, which is to say, pretty tasty! It's also pretty filling so you could totally share this with someone. I would just add some nicely toasted bread and coffee (not to the frittata- just on the side-duh!).



Alotta Frittata for One

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/2 small onion, diced (about 3 tablespoons)
1/4 cup diced ham
3 large eggs
1/4 cup ricotta
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper


1. Preheat the oven to 375˚ F. Add the oil to a small ovenproof skillet (preferably nonstick) over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the ham and cook until heated through, about 2 minutes.

2. In a medium bowl whisk the eggs, ricotta, Parmesan, and salt and pepper until combined.

3. Add the egg mixture to the skillet and cook on the stove top for 3 minutes. Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake until firm, about 10 minutes.

4. Turn the frittata out onto a plate or cutting board and serve immediately with extra salt and pepper to taste. Serves 1. Or 2.

(*Note: If you have a skillet with a plastic handle, just wrap it really well in aluminum foil before putting it into the oven.)

Good Morning!

I was in the country this weekend. Look what I got!


A dozen (really) farm fresh eggs for $3!

Since it's already been established that I love eggs, it was a very exciting purchase. Look at the pretty colors. And look at how intensely yellow they are when scrambled. (Remember to cook slowly over low heat for the best scrambled eggs.)


I feel like I had a Martha Stewart moment. Happy Monday!

Egg Girl

Tonight I went to a party thrown by two great friends who are moving away. Sarah, a friend since junior high and the co-author of The Ski House Cookbook with me, and Mike, a lifetime New Yorker and Jujitsu aficionado, are taking their kids and moving out of the city. So sad! We've had plenty of shared experiences, from being roommates in a converted one bedroom (tiny!) to being roommates in a 3 bedroom apartment with slanted floors (not so tiny!) to being fellow shredders on the Vermont mountain sides.

What does this have to do with my blog? Aside from enjoying the delicious party beverages tonight, it reminded me of the fact that while the three of us lived together, I survived on eggs. Mike named me "Egg Girl" one weekend after watching me make scrambled eggs for the umpteenth time. (And it wasn't along the lines of making me into a super hero the way Jesse explained his infantile drawings to Jane on Breaking Bad.) I didn't realize it then and I still have yet to really acknowledge how frequently I eat eggs. (Cholesterol be damned!) I can't help it but omelettes, frittatas, and scrambled eggs make delicious dinners, in addition to the hard boiled egg I eat almost every single morning, along with my bowl of cereal.

So...my suggestions for making the perfect hard boiled egg:
1. Place the eggs in a single layer in a sauce pan and fill with cold water. Bring to a boil.
2. Boil the eggs for 8 - 10 minutes, depending on hard you prefer the yolks.
3. Drain the eggs and cool completely under cold running water.
Tips for easy cracking:
1. Crack the egg shells while still warm, immediately after cooking (the shells will release more easily from the eggs).
2. Cook eggs that are about 7 days old (keep them in your fridge after you bring them home - but not beyond the expiration date). Air will form between the egg and the shell making them easier to peel.
3. Do not overcook: This is what creates the unsightly grey halo between the yolk and egg white.
Enjoy!