If you’ve been looking at restaurant menus for the past year or so, you’ve noticed that chefs are putting eggs on top of just about everything. Poached or fried eggs on top of pasta, salads, pizzas. The egg is the world’s most perfect food, it is economical and a great way to add protein and richness to just about anything. So take a crack at this current trend at the most natural time of day, for breakfast or brunch, but with an unconventional twist, breakfast pizza!

Small eggs work best if you’re making large pizzas to slice into wedges. The challenge – small eggs can be difficult to find. Try your local Asian market because most mainstream grocery stores only carry extra-large, large, and if you’re lucky, medium eggs. If you go with the medium eggs, remove about half of the whites before placing on the pizza, or the eggs will overflow and make a mess of the oven.  Or, divide the dough into 8 portions and make individual pizzas, then you can use the entire medium egg. You won’t get the same bang for your buck though, since you’ll get two large pizzas, or 16 servings if you follow the recipe as written. And the look of the large pizza is much more impressive than the individual, as you can see for yourself in these photos.

Side note: Almost forgot to mention – watch me at 4:30 PM on Channel 12 (NBC) Valley Dish tomorrow with Tram Mai.

Breakfast Pizza Topped with Sunny-Side Up Eggs

Pizza Dough
1 tablespoon or 1 package active dry yeast
2 cups flour, divided
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons fresh finely minced rosemary

Quick Sauce
28-ounce can crushed or whole Roma tomatoes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Dash red pepper flakes
1/2 cup prepared pesto sauce

Topping
2 cups shredded Fontina cheese, divided
8 to 10 ounces cooked breakfast sausage, divided
16 small eggs, as fresh as possible
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Shredded Parmesan cheese

Fresh Herb Finish
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves
Handful basil, chiffonade
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
1 teaspoon minced fresh oregano leaves
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Pizza Dough: In the bowl of a standing mixer, combine 1/4 cup lukewarm  water, yeast, and 1/4 cup of the flour.  Let stand for 20 minutes, this is called the sponge.  Add the remaining 1  3/4 cups flour, 1/2 cup lukewarm water, olive oil, milk,  salt and rosemary; mix thoroughly.  Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead until smooth, elastic, and a little bit tacky to the touch, about 4 minutes.  Place the dough in an oiled bowl and turn the dough over to cover with oil.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.

Sauce: Pour tomatoes into a medium saucepan (if tomatoes are whole, use a potato masher to crush) heat through, seasoning with salt and pepper and a dash of red pepper flakes, simmer sauce for 5 minutes. Just before you are ready to spread on pizza, fold in the pesto sauce. Folding in at the last minute, off the heat, helps keep the pesto green. You will not use all the sauce for the pizzas, the rest is wonderful with pasta or as a dipping sauce for breadsticks and such.

Place a pizza stone on the center rack of the oven and preheat to as high as oven will go, at least to 500 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes.

Shaping the Dough: Using a pastry scraper, divide the dough in half. Set 2 pieces of parchment paper roughly 12-inches wide on counter. Work one piece of the dough in your hands and form it into a large disk. Lay the disk of dough on a one sheet of parchment.  Working from the middle of the dough outwards, use the heel of your hands or a rolling pin to gently press the dough outward until it’s about 1/4 of an inch thick or less. It will not be a perfect circle; free-form and rustic is what you want.

Repeat with the second piece of dough and parchment. Note: The dough will stick to the parchment paper, making it easier for you to roll out. You’ll bake the pizza right on the parchment paper. As it cooks, the dough will release from the parchment, and you can slide the paper out before serving.

Spread sauce evenly in a thin layer over the dough, leaving a 3/4-inch crust. Top evenly with 3/4 cup of Fontina cheese. Scatter half of the sausage pieces evenly on top. Sprinkle with another 1/4 cup of the Fontina. Using a pizza peel or the backside of a baking sheet, slide the parchment and pizza onto the baking stone in the oven. Bake for 5 minutes and remove from oven.

Using the back of a large spoon, lightly make 8 indentations around the pizza, not too close to the crust. Crack the eggs into a cup and slip them into each depression (use fresh eggs since older eggs tend to have watery whites). Sprinkle salt and grind black pepper on each egg, and top with a sprinkle of Parmesan.

Return to the oven for 5 minutes, until the egg whites are set, but the yolk is still soft.

Remove pizza from oven, at this point, you can slide the parchment paper out from under the pizza.  Allow to set and cool slightly then slice and top with fresh herbs. Repeat with second pizza.

Makes 2 large pizzas

While our family was in Italy during the summer of 2008, I had Asparagus with Prosciutto di Parma, Parmegiano Reggiano, and Poached Eggs. The dish is a common site on Italian menus. I’ve taken quite a few liberties, basically Americanizing and bastardizing it at the same time! The inspiration to do so, came after a cooking class on Monday night with Chef Chris Curtiss of Noca, who made these outstanding fried poached eggs and served them on top of a fabulous salad with pickled red onions, bacon, and red wine vinaigrette – truly amazing! I often serve the asparagus as a side dish and it has already been feature on this site, but this is a wonderful light, refreshing, and satisfying main dish for any night of the week. Of course, it would also make a great brunch dish.

Roasted Parmesan Asparagus with Fried Poached Eggs and Beef Tenderloin

Fried Poached Eggs
Ice
4 large or extra-large eggs
1 tablespoon white vinegar
2 tablespoons salt
Canola oil, for frying
1/2 cup Wondra flour
1 cup Panko, finely ground in a food processor
1 egg wash (1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon cold water)

Roasted Asparagus
1 pound fresh asparagus, ends snapped
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup (packed) grated Parmesan cheese
2 large garlic cloves, peeled and finely minced
Zest and 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice from 1 lemon
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

4 ounces medium-rare cooked beef tenderloin, very thinly sliced

Fried Poached Eggs: Fill a medium bowl 1/3 full with ice, add water and set this ice bath aside. Fill a medium saucepan 3/4 full with water and bring to a boil over high heat, add vinegar and salt, taste, you should be able to taste the vinegar and the water should be nearly as salty as the ocean, if not, add more of either or both. Reduce heat to a simmer. Gently crack eggs into water and simmer for about 3 minutes.  Remove with a slotted spoon and place in the ice bath to stop the cooking and chill. Once chilled, remove to a paper towel to drain. (Eggs may be poached up to 1 day in advance, cover and refrigerate.)

Heat oil in a deep saucepan to 350 degrees.

Asparagus: Arrange asparagus on foil-lined baking sheet in a single layer. Preheat broiler. Place butter in a small bowl, using a fork, mix in Parmesan, garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice, Dijon, and Worcestershire sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Using fingers, drop butter mixture over asparagus, distributing evenly. Broil asparagus until topping bubbles and just begins to brown, about 3 minutes. Fry the eggs while the asparagus is under the broiler.

Fried Poached Eggs: Place the Wondra and ground Panko on plates. The egg wash should be in a shallow bowl. Dredge each poached egg first in the Wondra, next in the egg wash and finally coat with the Panko.

Gently slide eggs into hot oil and fry for 1 minute, or until lightly browned. Remove with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain.

Divide the asparagus evenly between four dinner plates, top each with the thinly sliced beef and top with an egg. Serve immediately.

Serves 4

Finally, this is the last of the Easter brunch recipes. Hopefully this past week of posts has given you a nice repertoire of brunch, breakfast, and spring recipes ideas.

I’ve mentioned of my love for Nutella before, so how about a little “history of Nuttela” this time?  This comes straight from the Nuttela website, “Nutella® spread, in its earliest form, was created in the 1940s by Mr. Pietro Ferrero, as pastry maker and founder of the Ferrero company. At the time, there was very little chocolate because cocoa was in short supply due to World War II rationing. So Mr. Ferrero used hazelnuts, which are plentiful in the Piedmont region of Italy, to extend the chocolate supply.” There you go, a little history with your breakfast!

I served this at the Saturday office brunch last weekend and have some “do-head” tips for you. The brioche can be sliced, spread, and sandwiched together a day ahead. Place in an airtight bag or container and refrigerate until ready to cook. And the cereal-brown sugar mixture may also ground together ahead and stored in an airtight container. Unsliced loaves of brioche can be found at Trader Joe’s.

Lastly, a shout-out to my girlfriend, Lorie, in Los Angeles…. I couldn’t decide which old picture to choose, so I put up both of them.  Happy Birthday, Lorie! xoxo

Crunchy Peanut Butter-Nutella French Toast

1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter
1/4 cup Nutella
Sixteen 1/2-inch-thick slices brioche
4 large eggs
1/4 cup half and half
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 cups Special K® cereal
2 tablespoons brown sugar
4 to 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 cups mixed berries
Maple syrup
Powdered sugar, for dusting

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees.

In a medium bowl, combine the peanut butter and Nutellla. Spread 1 1/2 tablespoons of the mixture on each of 8 slices of brioche and cover with the remaining 8 slices, making sandwiches by pressing together.

Place the cereal and brown sugar in the bowl of a food processor and use the pulse button to crush the cereal, pour onto a large flat plate.

In a large wide bowl whisk the eggs with the half and half and vanilla.

One at a time, lightly soak three of the sandwiches in the egg mixture, then dredge in the cereal, pressing to help the crumbs adhere.

Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a very large skillet. Add the 3 prepared sandwiches and cook over moderate heat until golden and crisp on the bottom, 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Adding more butter as you turn them over.

Transfer the browned French toast to a parchment or Silpat lined baking sheet and keep warm in the oven. Wipe out the skillet and cook the remaining 5 sandwiches in the same manner, two and three at a time.

Cut sandwiches in triangles and place on serving plates. Top with the berries, drizzle with maple syrup, and dust with powdered sugar just before serving.

Makes 8 French toast sandwiches

I was inspired to make chilaquiles for Easter brunch after learning about them at FnB, a fabulous new restaurant in downtown Scottsdale, (click here for link) where Chef Charleen Badman traditionally makes them on weekends for the late-night crowd.

Chilaquiles are a traditional Mexican dish. Typically, corn tortillas cut in quarters and lightly fried are the basis of the dish. Red or green sauce is poured over the tortilla triangles, called “totopos.” Scrambled eggs and/or shredded chicken are sometimes added. The dish is topped with queso fresco and crèma.  Usually, chilaquiles are eaten at breakfast or brunch. This makes them a popular recipe to use leftover or stale tortillas.

I’ll be using two of my favorite “convenience” items – 3 garlic cubes (purchased at Trader Joe’s) and 4 chipotle cubes(homemade using empty garlic cube trays – see this previous post on how to do so).  You can too, or just follow the recipe for the “traditional” method of peeling and mincing.

Chilaquiles

Vegetable oil
1 dozen corn tortillas, cut into quarters
1 large white or red onion, peeled and diced
3 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
2 chipotle peppers, finely minced
1 tablespoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons dried oregano
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
2 cups shredded cooked chicken breast
10 large eggs
1/4 cup half and half
2 cups grated queso fresco or Mexican blend cheese
1/3 cup crèma or sour cream

In a skillet heat 1/2 inch of the oil over moderately high heat until it is hot but not smoking, in it fry the tortillas in batches for 10 to 20 seconds, or until they are pale golden and almost crisp, and transfer them as they are fried with a slotted spatula to paper towels to drain.
Discard all but 2 tablespoons of the oil and add the onion to the pan, sauté until soft and translucent, then add the garlic, chipotle, cumin, and oregano. Stir for 3 minutes.

Add the tomatoes and cook until sauce is thick and reduced over medium heat, about 6 to 8 minutes, stirring frequently. Taste and season with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, lighty beat the eggs and half and half together in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Melt the butter in another skillet over low heat.  Add the eggs and cook, stirring gently with a silicone spatula or wooden spoon just until the eggs become set but are still creamy, about 4 or 5 minutes. Remove from heat, cover and set aside. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Once the sauce is thick, transfer all but about 1/4 cup of the sauce to a bowl.  Spread the remaining sauce thinly on the bottom of the large skillet it was cooking in. Place a single layer of the tortillas atop the sauce. Top with half of the shredded chicken and then with 1/3 of the sauce. Repeat with another layer of tortillas, then the rest of the chicken and another 1/3 of the sauce.

Top with the remaining tortillas, then all of the scrambled eggs. Spread with the last 1/3 of the sauce and sprinkle the cheese on top.

Cover the skillet with foil and bake the chilaquiles in the middle of the preheated oven for 15 minutes.  Drizzle the crèma or spoon sour cream over the chilaquiles and serve.

Serves 10 to 12

For Easter 1996, when Marissa and Connor were 8 and 5 years old, we gave them four baby chicks.

We raised the chickens as pets and for their eggs.

One chicken laid white eggs, another produced brown eggs, and the other two were araucana chickens.

They gave us beautiful blue and green tinted eggs.

It was such a joy to go out each day and find those fresh eggs in their various hues. We had to give the chickens up when we moved to our current home, over a dozen years ago. Not only do I miss the daily fresh eggs, but also those lovely colors. Last year I found a way to create my own amazingly gorgeous eggs, maybe not on a daily basis, but at least for Easter. The secret? 100% silk!  If you’re in need of purging your closet, this is a good time, at least for 100% silk items, such as ties and scarves.  If not, head out to the closest Goodwill or thrift store to find such items. I went to the Goodwill at 40th Street and Thunderbird over the weekend and bought all 32 of the silk ties they had, so be sure and go to another location!

Once you see these pictures, I think you’ll be tempted to use silk for coloring your eggs this year.  I find the process of boiling and coloring, all in the same step, much easier than the old way with food coloring, so I’m placing these in the “Easy-Breezy” category.  It takes only two words to describe them… Absolutely Gorgeous!

Silk Transfer Easter Eggs

Raw eggs (do not hard boil first!)
100% silk ties, scarves, or fabric
White fabric, such as an old sheet
Twist ties (from bread wrappers or the produce section)
White vinegar
Olive or vegetable oil

If using ties, open up the back seam of each tie and cut out the cotton liner from the center. Cut silk ties, scarves, or fabric and the white fabric into 7-inch x 7-inch squares.

Wrap an egg tightly in silk, with the “nice” side of the silk against the egg and the “bad” side of the silk on the outside.

Then enclose the silk wrapped egg in the white fabric and secure with a twist tie. Repeat with all the eggs in a variety of silk fabrics.

Place the wrapped eggs in a large non-reactive enamel or metal pot in one layer. Fill the pot with cold water to completely cover the eggs. Add 1/3 cup white vinegar. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 18 minutes.

Remove eggs from water and allow to cool, then unwrap. Lightly rub eggs with a small amount of  oil to make them shiny. Voila, gorgeous unique eggs! Store in the refrigerator as you would any hard cooked egg.

The silk squares may be reused at least 1 more time each and sometime even a third time, so let them dry out and store for next year.

Today is the last day of spring break… I am sad. Connor has been home all week and that has been wonderful. And after five days in Mexico, Marissa arrived home on Friday to spend the weekend with us, which always puts a smile on my face. But today, that is over… Marissa is getting ready to pack up her car and drive back down to Tucson for her last semester at UA and then I’ll drive Connor up to Flagstaff to finish off his freshman year. For the sendoff we invited my dad over for Sunday Brunch. Nothing like eating outside in March on a gorgeous sunny but mild Arizona day! Today I’m sharing our frittata recipe… tomorrow the breakfast potatoes that accompanied it.

Grandpa’s Frittata

1 pound pork sausage
1 large onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 large red bell pepper; cored, seeded and chopped
1 long green (Anaheim or Hatch) chili; cored, seeded and chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 dozen large eggs
1/3 cup low-fat milk or fat-free half and half
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 cup shredded Fontina cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large skillet over medium heat, sauté sausage, onion, and pepper and chili, breaking up the sausage and cooking until the meat is no longer pink. Drain the sausage mixture.

In a large bowl whisk together eggs and milk until well combined, add the drained sausage mixture.

Melt 1 tablespoon butter in same skillet, add eggs. Let eggs cook, lifting edges to let uncooked eggs run underneath. When eggs are firm and nearly set, top with cheese and place in oven until cheese is melted and center is done, about 10 minutes.

Remove from oven and cut into wedges to serve.

Serves 6 to 8

I barely have a second to get this post up today.  So this is all I have to say, “If you know of a more delicious deviled egg in the entire world, please send me the recipe.”  In my humble opinion, these cannot be beat!

Spinach Deviled Eggs

12  eggs,  3 to 5 days home from the store*
8 bacon strips, finely chopped
1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons vinegar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

Place eggs in a large pot, cover with cold water that covers eggs by serveral inches.  Bring to a boil.  Take off heat and cover pan.  Allow to sit covered and off heat for 30 minutes.  Gently remove eggs from hot water and place in a large bowl of ice water.  Allow to sit in ice water for 10 minutes.

While eggs are cooking and cooling, prepare the bacon.  Fry chopped bacon in large skillet until crisp, drain on paper towels and set aside.

Remove eggs from ice water and peel eggs.  Slice eggs in half lengthwise; remove yolks and set whites aside.

In a small bowl, mash yolks with a fork.  Stir in the mayonnaise, vinegar, butter, sugar, pepper and salt.  Add spinach and mix well.

Spoon or use a pastry bag to pipe the yolk mixture into egg whites.  Top with two or three pieces of crumbled bacon.  Serve immediately.

Makes 24

*It is important to NOT use fresh eggs, as they are nearly impossible to peel! Take it from me, I made these for my mother-in-law’s 80th birthday party a couple years back.  I flew into Chicago a day early to do the cooking. My brother-in-law, Tom,  picked me up from the O’Hare and we drove directly to Costco.  We went to his home and I hard-boiled  3 dozen eggs. Now just picture me peeling 36 eggs where the shells just won’t come off cleanly and ending up with nasty torn and ragged eggs – after hours of cursing, crying and wanting to scream!  P.S. Thanks for hearing my cries and coming upstairs from your work to help me Tom!

The best thing about this breakfast or brunch dish is that it can be prepped the night before. In the morning, just fill the cups and pop in the oven while you leisurely make the coffee and read the newspaper. Plus it may easily be doubled or tripled. Add a layer of cooked chorizo, mix in roasted poblano or red bell peppers, green onions, or whatever floats your boat!

Arizona Tortilla-Egg Brunch Cups

Olive oil or bacon drippings, for brushing cups
Two 6  to 8-inch-diameter whole wheat or corn tortillas
1/2 cup refried black beans
4-ounce can diced mild green chilies
6 cherry tomatoes, quartered
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 large eggs
Chili powder
1/2 cup grated Ranchero or Monterey Jack cheese
1 avocado, peeled, pitted, and diced
Purchased salsa or hot sauce

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brush two 8 to 10-ounce ramekins or custard cups with olive oil or drippings. Stack tortillas; microwave uncovered until warm and flexible, about 25 seconds. Gently press 1 tortilla into each cup. Brush tortillas with oil.

Place beans, all but 1 tablespoon of the green chilies, all but 6 of the cherry tomato quarters, and cumin in small bowl; stir to blend, season with salt and pepper. Spoon bean mixture into bottom of tortilla cups, spreading and dividing evenly. (May be made up to 12 hours ahead to this point, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.)

Crack 1 egg into each tortilla cup atop beans. Top with the remaining chilies and tomato quarters and sprinkle lightly with chili powder. Top each with grated cheese, covering egg completely, sprinkle with a little bit more chili powder, for color.

Placed ramekins on a small baking sheet and bake uncovered until egg yolks are firm to touch and whites are set, about 30 minutes.   The yolks will still be soft inside.

Use a large spoon to lift the tortilla cups from cups; transfer to plates and serve immediately with avocado and salsa.

Serves 2

There are some dishes that should be saved for company, just like some people save the good towels for the guest bathroom. This is one of those dishes, it is a treat and should only be had on rare occasions to keep it that way. We’ve had a special guest for the weekend, so I made this for the family on Sunday morning. So nice to have you stay with us Albert, have a great semester at UA and practice up on the ping-pong!

Truly Decadent French Toast

5 eggs
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup Grand Marnier
2 tablespoons sugar
Finely grated zest of 1 orange
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
6 day-old croissants, cut lengthwise in half
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, divided
Powdered sugar

Beat the eggs and cream together in large bowl.  Add the Grand Marnier, sugar, orange zest, and cinnamon and whisk until well blended.  Pour half into a shallow bowl or pie plate.

Dip each croissant half in the egg mixture, turning once.  Melt a few tablespoons of the butter in a skillet over medium heat.  Add as many croissants as will fit and fry until golden on both sides.  Repeat with the remaining egg mixture and croissants, adding butter to the skillet as needed.

Sift powdered sugar over the hot french toast.  Serve immediately.

Serves 6

Quiche is such a versatile dish. It is perfect for breakfast, brunch, lunch, or dinner. It’s wonderful on it’s own or alongside a salad, drizzled with a vinaigrette. Delicious served hot from the oven or at room temperature… No wonder real men not only eat, but love quiche! Bake this the day ahead, reheat and enjoy on Christmas morning as gifts are being opened.

Believe it or not, I’ve never used a frozen piecrust before. I really enjoy making crust from scratch, but a friend told me that the new pie crusts at Trader Joe’s were as good as homemade, so thought I’d give them a try with a quiche recipe.  Here’s what I’ve discovered; the frozen crusts look great, you can see the little bits of real butter in the dough, just as with a homemade dough, a good start! After reading the ingredients, found there is palm oil… not good… but it is the third to the last ingredient listed with only water and salt after it, so I’m hopeful there isn’t too much in there. The crust shrunk quite a bit more than a homemade one would during the blind bake, but the real test – the taste? Pretty darn good, I’d give it about an 8 out 0f 10, with homemade crust being a perfect 10.

So what exactly is blind baking? It is when you bake and brown a crust without the filling. Blind baking a crust is necessary when it will be filled with an unbaked filling or when the filling has a shorter baking time than the crust needs to become cooked through.  Blind baking also helps prevent the crust from becoming soggy from its filling. To accomplish this you can either poke the uncooked pastry with a fork, or line the pastry shell with foil or parchment paper and weight it down with ceramic or metal pie weights. This allows the steam created by the butter to escape in the case of poking, or prevents the crust from puffing up, when weighted. If you do not want to invest in pie weights, no problem, just weigh down the shell with dry beans or raw rice.  You can use the beans or rice a couple times for this purpose, but after that, toss them in the trash. As they bake over and over, they will loose their natural moisture and no longer be heavy enough to be effective.

The technique for caramelizing the onions for this quiche is different than the methods I’ve posted here before. Adding water and bringing the onions to a boil, allows the onions to completely soften without a chance of burning. Once the water has dissipated, the onions caramelize evenly and easily.

Caramelized Onion, Swiss, and Bacon Quiche

Two 9-inch frozen pastry shells, thawed
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 large onion, peeled and diced
2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup water
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves

4 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1  1/2 cups grated Swiss cheese
1  1/4 cups milk
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
6 slices bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Line two 9-inch pie, quiche, or tart pans with thawed pastry shells, press up sides to fit.  Line the shells with aluminum foil and place pie weights, dry beans, or uncooked rice on top of foil to weight down crust.  Place the quiche pans on a cookie sheet, and blind bake the for 15 minutes.  Carefully remove the weights and foil, and cook another 5 minutes, or until crusts are lightly browned.  Remove from oven and spread 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard evenly over bottom of each crust with the back of a spoon. Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees.

onions boiling in water

Meanwhile, place the onions, garlic, oil and water in a skillet, sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper and bring the mixture to a boil over high heat. Boil, uncovered, for about 5 minutes, until the water has evaporated and the onions are soft.

water has evaporated

Add the thyme leaves and cook over medium high heat, stirring frequently until onions are browned and caramelized, about 10 to 12 minutes.  Set aside to cool to room temperature.

caramelized onions

Beat the eggs in a bowl until smooth.  Stir in the salt, pepper, cheese, milk, and cream.  Mix in the caramelized onions and bacon.

Pour the filling into the shells.  Cook for 20 to 25 minutes, until the filling is completely set and  browned on top.  Let the quiches cool for about 10 minutes before cutting into wedges to serve.

Makes 2 quiche, each serves 8

The bonus? From now through Christmas I’m going to put up pictures of my favorite kitchen Christmas ornaments at the bottom of each post. Hope you enjoy them as much as I do. :)

I brought home a “doggie-bag” with a couple wedges of leftover cheese crisp and made it into a dinner for Dave by topping with two fried eggs.  I love cheese crisps, as you can see here, they are so easy and versatile. Honestly, they can be breakfast, lunch, snack, or even dinner!  And they can be as simple as a tortilla topped with good old cheddar cheese or dressed up as this one is with fun Mexican and Spanish cheeses and a variety of toppings.  All these cheeses are white and I think it makes for a prettier and more interesting crisp!

Asadero is a semi-firm Mexican cheese that is great for melting; it becomes creamy without giving off any oil, even at very high temperatures. It has a light, fresh, and slightly tangy taste. Manchego is a Spanish sheep’s milk cheese; its flavor is very distinctive, slightly salty but not too strong. It is creamy and tastes similar to feta cheese. Oaxaca cheese is a white, semi-hard cheese of Mexican origin, similar to Monterey Jack cheese but with a mozzarella-like texture.

If you need instruction or a reminder on how to roast the poblano pepper, go to “Roasting Peppers” in the Tip Index.

Chorizo, Roasted Poblano & Cilantro Cheese Crisp

2 ounces grated asadero cheese
2 ounces grated manchego cheese
2 ounces grated Oaxaca cheese
1/2 pound chorizo sausage
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
2 large flour tortillas
1 poblano pepper, roasted, peeled, seeded, and thinly sliced
1 large ripe tomato, diced
1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro

8 fried or poached eggs

Mix together asadero, manchego, and Oaxaca cheeses in a small bowl.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Cover a baking sheet with foil and set aside.

Crumble chorizo sausage in a large skillet, stir over medium-high heat, breaking up, until cooked through and browned.  Remove to paper towels with a slotted spoon to drain.  Pour off all fat and wipe skillet clean with a paper towel.  Return skillet to burner and add 1 tablespoon oil, when hot fry one of the tortillas on each side until golden brown.  Drain well on paper towels.  Repeat with remaining tablespoon oil and tortilla. Allow tortillas to cool.

Place crisp tortillas on foil covered baking sheet.  Sprinkle each with the cheese mixture. Top each with chorizo, pepper strips, diced tomato and cilantro.  Bake in preheated oven for 5 minutes or just until cheese is completely melted.  Remove from oven and use a pizza cutter or large knife to cut into 8 wedges.

Place two wedges on each plate and top each wedge with a fried or poached egg.  Serve immediately.

Serves 4

Marissa drove home yesterday and stayed overnight, just a pit-stop on her way to Las Vegas for a girls’ weekend. She and I took Dave out for his belated birthday dinner.  Our family tradition is to take the birthday boy/girl out for a nice dinner to a place he/she has never been before, and it’s always a surprise to that person right until the moment we pull into the parking lot. I chose a seafood restaurant that has been here in Scottsdale since 1971, but for whatever reason, Dave has never been there. I had not been there since I was in high school, I  don’t know why!  It’s this cool “old school” place called The Salt Cellar and the seafood was as good as any we’ve ever had on either the East or West Coast!  Dave had a Maine lobster and Marissa and I each had crab legs.  So Good!!!  We had several left over crab legs and those high-end leftovers are what inspired this “have fun in Vegas – but please be Careful and Safe!” breakfast.

If you don’t have an oven-proof skillet, meaning a skillet with a handle that won’t be ruined under a broiler, just tightly wrap the handle of the skillet several times with aluminum foil, now it is oven or broiler-proof.

Crab and Vegetable Frittata

1 medium russet potato
1 medium shallot, peeled and minced
3/4 cup diced zucchini
1/4 cup diced bell pepper
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 eggs
1/3 cup fat free half-and-half
1 cup shredded Pepper Jack cheese, divided
1 cup fresh crabmeat
2 tablespoons shredded Parmesan cheese

Preheat broiler.  Pierce the potato several times with a small knife, wrap in a paper towel and microwave on high for 5 minutes.  Remove from microwave and using the paper towel to hold the hot potato, peel with a small knife. Cut potato into 1/2-inch cubes.

Melt butter in heavy broiler-proof 10-inch-diameter nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add shallots and sauté until soft and translucent, about 3 minutes. Add potato cubes, zucchini, and bell pepper, season lightly with salt and pepper, and sauté until tender, about 6 minutes.

Whisk eggs, half-and-half, 3/4 cup of the pepper-jack cheese and the crabmeat in a medium bowl, season with pepper. Add egg-crab mixture to skillet; fold gently to combine. Cook, without stirring, until eggs are almost set about 3 minutes.

Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup pepper jack cheese and Parmesan cheese. Place pan on top shelf of oven and broil until frittata is puffed and cheese begins to turn golden, about 3 minutes. Cut into wedges and serve.

Serves 6 to 8