WELL FED

BLUEBERRY RICOTTA PANCAKES WITH LEMON ZEST

Every so often I have fleeting fantasies to quit the entertainment business and open a restaurant.  In my mind, my restaurant is very popular and well respected, full of people waiting for tables and raving over the food as they enthusiastically devour forkful after forkful.  I would be overseeing it all, checking on the cooks, making rounds, chatting up customers and making sure everyone is happy.  It being a fantasy, there are never personality conflicts in the kitchen, no one ever sends food back, dishes are never dropped and glasses never broken and of course it's very profitable.  The concept of my imaginary restaurant changes from day to day.  Sometimes is a dark, upscale dinner place with a hopping bar and people dressed up celebrating special occasions.  Other times, it's very casual place that serves only breakfast and lunch, perhaps with a little market and takeaway section on the side, selling cheeses, salads and other attractively packaged goodies.

Sometimes I even go so far as to think about what would be on the menu.  For my breakfast/lunch place it would be modern takes on familiar favorites.  Bacon would be glazed with maple syrup.  Eggs would be scrambled very slowly with creme fraiche and fresh herbs. And I would serve these pancakes.  The recipe is sort of inspired by a couple places in Los Angeles that I love - BLD and Bloom.  BLD is run by a chef named Neal Fraser and it actually is just the kind of restaurant I'd love to have and Bloom is a very cute little cafe near our house.  Both places serve ricotta pancakes but not exactly like this.  BLD's have just ricotta and blueberries and Bloom's have just ricotta and lemon zest.  I think the combination of all three really takes it someplace special.

INGREDIENTS
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 eggs, separated
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons ricotta cheese
1 1/4 cup whole milk
3 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
unsalted butter (for the griddle or fry pan)
1 pint fresh blueberries

(for serving)
pure maple syrup
zest of 1 lemon

METHOD
In a small bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder and salt.  In a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the milk, ricotta, sugar and vanilla.  


 
Add the dry ingredients and whisk until the batter is smooth.

In the bowl of a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites at high speed until soft peaks form.


Gently fold the egg whites into the batter until no white streaks remain.  

Preheat the oven to 225 degrees F.  Heat a nonstick fry pan or griddle over medium to medium low heat for 2 minutes.  Add a pat of butter, coating the pan.  Ladle in about 1/4 cup of batter making sure to leave enough space between the pancakes.  Sprinkle each pancake with a few blueberries.  


 
Cook, depending on the heat, anywhere from 3 to 6 minutes, until small bubbles start to form in the center of the pancakes.  Using a very thin spatula, carefully flip the pancakes and continue to cook for another 3 to 5 minutes, until golden brown.  Transfer to a sheet pan and place in the oven to keep warm while you continue with the rest of the pancakes.  Make sure to wipe the remaining butter and blueberry juice out of the pan with a paper towel folded over several times that has been doused with a little water before proceeding with the next batch of pancakes.  Serve the pancakes showered with the lemon zest and accompanied by maple syrup.

These pancakes are very nice.  Light and fluffy, just slightly moist in the middle, thanks to the ricotta, which also gives them a slight tang.  That tang is balanced by the sweetness of the blueberries (which become soft and jammy) and is enhanced by the bright lemon zest.  They're great with some sort of salty meat product, such as sausage or the afore mentioned maple glazed bacon.

Serves 4 (makes about 18 pancakes) 

GRILLED GARLIC TOASTS TOPPED WITH ROASTED ASPARAGUS, CREAMY SCRAMBLED EGGS, & ROASTED SHALLOT & TARRAGON PESTO

As I mentioned in my previous post, the past few weeks was a frustrating succession of disappointment.  I do have to admit though, there was one success that I was more than pleased with.  Up at Mark's mom's for Easter, since we were going to have to drive back to Los Angeles on Sunday, we had our main meal on Saturday night.  It consisted of crostini with a simple egg salad flavored with shallot and tarragon, a verdant fresh pea and spinach soup swirled with creme fraiche (well actually sour cream as I couldn't find any creme fraiche in Santa Maria) and a really nice roasted shallot and tarragon pesto.  For the main course, my dear mother in law bough a baked ham and to go with it I made some apricot mustard and for our sides, sweet potato spoon bread and grilled asparagus with lemon herb bread crumbs.  For dessert I made little individual rhubarb crisps which I served with vanilla ice cream. 

Despite all the enthusiasm from Mark, his mother and brother, I wasn't completely happy with the results.  The crostini was a little too crisp.  The soup was fine.  The sweet potato spoon bread wasn't done in the middle so I had to return it to the oven to set a little more.  The rhubarb crisps were fantastic and I plan on posting them eventually, but overall, the whole meal just had me sort of stressed and the results didn't seem completely worth it.  It wasn't really fun.  The only thing that really worked was the roasted shallot and tarragon pesto. 

The next day, I sort of threw together an impromptu brunch for the four of us.  I grilled up some bread, roasted the rest of the asparagus, and gently scrambled a skillet full of eggs, then just piled everything together.  As much as I liked the pesto the night before, spooned over the creamy eggs and slightly caramelized asparagus really made it pop.  It was the kind of recipe that I was hell-bent on recreating as soon as possible.  After all the pre-planning of the dinner and everything to go along with it, it was an off the cuff breakfast comprised of things that were either left over or just found in the fridge that tasted the best and felt the most satisfying.

INGREDIENTS
(for the pesto)
2 large shallots, peeled and root end sliced off
2 tablespoons plus 2/3 cup olive oil
3/4 cup (packed) fresh tarragon
2/3 cup (packed) fresh Italian parsley
2 tablespoons toasted, sliced almonds
2 tablespoons grated Asiago cheese

(for the eggs)
1/2 tablespoon of butter per person
2 eggs per person
1 tablespoon of creme fraiche or sour cream per person
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

(for the asparagus)
4 stalks of asparagus per person
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

(for the grilled bread)
1 thick slice of country bread per person
extra-virgin olive oil
1 clove of garlic, peeled and root end sliced off

METHOD
First make the pesto.  Preheat oven to 350°F.  Place shallots in a double layer square of aluminum foil. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons oil. 

Gather the edges up and twist shut forming a little bundle.  Roast the shallots for 30 minutes. Untwist and open up the foil and continue to roast the shallots until soft, about 20 minutes longer.

Puree shallots, any oil leftover in the foil, and 1/3 cup oil in food processor.  Add another 1/3 cup oil, the tarragon, parsley, and almonds then puree.

Stir in the grated cheese and season with salt and pepper. 

Makes about 1 cup and can be made ahead of time.  In fact, I would make it ahead of time.  You don't want to be messing around with making pesto before breakfast.

To make the eggs, heat a nonstick skillet over very low heat and add the butter.  Meanwhile, crack the eggs into a large bowl, add the creme fraiche, salt and pepper and whisk until combined.  Once the butter has melted, add the eggs to the pan and cook over low heat, stirring every so often with a heat proof rubber spatula.  Continue to cook until curds form but the eggs are still creamy, almost a little too wet.  Depending on the number of eggs you use, this could take anywhere from 10 minutes to 30.

While the eggs are cooking, roast the asparagus.  Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.  Trim off the tough, woody ends of the asparagus and place on a baking sheet.  Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and sprinkle with salt, tossing to coat, then scatter over the thyme.  Roast in the oven for about 7 minutes or so, until the asparagus is bright green and crisp but tender.

While the eggs are cooking and the asparagus is roasting, make the garlic toasts.  Heat a grill pan for 10 minutes over high heat.  Brush each side of the thickly sliced bread with olive oil then place on the grill pan, pressing down a little.  After about 3 minutes or so, flip the bread over, press down and continue to grill until the bread has nice dark grill marks.  Remove the toast from the pan, then rub each side, especially the edges with the cut garlic.  Set aside.

By this point the eggs ought to be done.  Turn off the heat and let sit in pan and let the residual heat finish cooking the eggs.  They will go from just a little too wet to perfectly creamy.

To assemble, place a garlic toast on a plate.  Lay 4 stalks of asparagus on the toasts, pile with the creamy scrambled eggs, then add a generous dallop of pesto on top.  Grind over a little pepper and serve.

I just love this pesto.  Ever since I first made it I've been thinking of what else I could put it on.  The tarragon's light anise flavor is rounded out by the shallots, which become sweet from the roasting.  The olive oil is velvety and grassy and the toasted almonds and asiago add a depth of flavor as well as give the pesto a nice thickness and texture.

There are a number of ingredients that tarragon works extremely well with, eggs and asparagus being two of them.  Just perfect.  Then to pile everything on a thick slice of garlic tinged toast, the edges crisp and dark, middle still chewy and you really have a satisfying dish.  For our Easter brunch, I also served these little open-faced sandwiches with little rosemary roasted red potatoes and thick bacon that was baked with brown sugar and a touch of cayenne until sweetly caramelized with just a hint of heat.  The family raved.  It was perfect for an Easter brunch but really it's easy enough for any old Sunday morning.  Just add a glass of freshly squeezed juice, a cup of good coffee, and the newspaper.

ROASTED ASPARAGUS & POACHED EGG SANDWICH WITH PROSCIUTTO & GRUYERE

Several years ago I was obsessed with getting a panini maker.  OBSESSED I tells you.  I'm not sure what spawned my desire but I was positive that my life would become exponentially better if I had one. I suppose that since wraps were no longer in fashion, America was looking for it's next favorite sandwich sensation and paninis fit the bill perfectly.

"Why do you need a panini grill?" Jessica asked me at the time.  "Jessica," I explained condecendingly, "it's like a George Forman grill.  But BETTER."  Not only would I be able to grill chicken, steak, pork, what-have-you in practically no time at all, thanks to the top AND bottom heating elements, I would be able to make any number of panini sandwiches I wanted.  The only thing that limited me was my imagination.  After doing a little research, I found a panini grill at Crate and Barrel that lived up to my strict criteria of function and aesthetics and I convinced my parents to get it for me for my birthday.  To go with it, I got two books on how to make interesting and delicious sandwiches.  One of them, the fantastically writted Nancy Silverton's Sandwich Book, was full of tasteful, albeit oddly time-consuming and complicated recipes (such as a sandwich of slow-cooked broccoli that takes at least 2 hours to prepare and assemble).  As such I never wound up making anything from the book and after using the panini grill a grand total of 4 times, I ended up storing it away next to my ice cream maker, never to be used again. 

This past weeked I picked up several bunches of fresh asparagus from the farmers' market and though I didn't know what I would do with them, I figured that once I got home I'd come up with something.  I looked through several cookbooks but nothing captured my fancy.  I wanted to make a meal that celebrated the asparagus, that gave it the starring role, rather than relegating it to the side.  I didn't feel like doing an asparagus risotto and I briefly considered making an asparagus tart, but the whole notion of flour and rolling dough was just too much.  For some reason I pulled down Nancy's book and surprisingly, found exactly what I was looking for.

INGREDIENTS
(For the asparagus)
20 stalks of large asparagus, tough ends cut off
1 tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
20 sprigs of fresh thyme

(For the eggs)
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
pinch of Kosher salt
4 extra-large eggs

(For the sandwich)
4 slices of sourdough bread
1 garlic clove, peeled and sliced in half
3 ounces of Gruyere cheese, grated
4 slices of Prosciutto di Parma
Freshly cracked pepper

METHOD
To roast the asparagus, adjust the oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.  Trim off the tough, woody ends of the asparagus and place on a baking sheet.  Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and sprinkle with salt, tossing to coat, then scatter over the sprigs of thyme.

Roast in the oven for about 10 mintues, until the asparagus is tender to the tough, yet still firm in the center.

Next grill the bread.  Preheat a cast iron grill pan over high heat for 2 to 3 minutes.  Paint both sides of each slice of bread with a little more olive oil, place in the hot grill pan and toast for 3 to 6 minutes.  You can use a heavy stock pot to press down the bread, resulting in nicer, darker grill marks.  Flip the bread over and grill the other side.  Once the bread is grilled, rub one side the the sliced garlic.  Place the bread on a baking sheet, garlic side up and top each slice with 5 stalks of the roasted asparagus.

To poach the eggs, pour 8 cups of water to a rolling boil.  Turn the heat down so that the water is just below a simmer and add the vinegar and salt.  Crack an egg into a small heat-proof bowl, to check that the yold isn't broken.  Slowly stir the water in one direction to create a whirlpool effect.  Gently tip the bowl into water, letting egg slide into the water. Using a spoon, cover yolk with some of the egg white; repeat with remaining 3 eggs. Poach the eggs for 2 to 2 1/2 minutes.  When eggs begin to become opaque, carefully transfer eggs to a plate to drain.  Cupping the eggs in your hand, tip the plate to pour off the excess water. 

Preheat the broiler.  Place the eggs in the center of each slice of bread covered in the roasted asparagus and then sprinkle each egg with the grated Gruyere cheese.

Heat the sandwiches under the broiler for a minute or so, until the cheese is melted.  Tear each slice of  prosciutto in half and rumple it over each end of the sandwich.  Place a sprig of thyme on each and then crack over some pepper.

An exquisite, melange of textures and flavors, this sandwich is a refined treat.  The bread, edges crisp and with a subtle hint of garlic, provides the prefect stage for the tender asparagus, glistening with olive oil and specked with thyme leaves.  Slicing though the feathery-light egg white shrouded in melted gruyere, a slow stream of golden yolk oozes out, slicking the asparagus and soaking the bread.  Adding a light touch of richness is the delicate prosciutto, casually draped over the ends of the spears.

Although my eggs were, sadly, hideously deformed, the cheese and the prociutto did a nice job of concealing my substandard poaching prowess.  The sandwich is light enough that Mark and I both, easily devoured seconds, as well as a healthy mound of white bean salad with green olives and tarragon.

Serves 4

SLOW-COOKED SCRAMBLED EGGS

Although I rather like scrambled eggs, I find that I can't order them whenever I brunch.  Regardless of the restaurant, they are always, always over-cooked to my taste.  I like a nice, loose, creamy scramble.  Ideally they have been scrambled with cream, fresh herbs and some sort of cheese, such as feta.  I don't want much else going on.  I love bacon and sausage and whatnot, but not mixed in with the eggs.  No vegetables please.  As such I don't care for omelets.  There's too much going on and again with the overcooked thing.

When I read about this cooking method in Wednesday Chef I was very intrigued.  The recipe comes from David Lentz.  As we all know, he is the owner of The Hungry Cat in Hollywood and is married to fellow chef, Suzanne Goin, authoress of Sunday Supers at Lucques.  Rather than cream it uses creme fraiche and it's full of herbs, just like I like.  In fact, the original recipe calls for a light little herb salad dressed with olive oil and lemon juice to top the eggs, but to be honest, I didn't feel like making it.  Not that it needed it, really.  The most interesting thing about the recipe is how the eggs are cooked - very slowly over the lowest heat possible.

INGREDIENTS
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
6 eggs
salt and freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup creme fraiche or sour cream
1/4 cup grated cheese (the recipe called for Jack cheese although I used Parmesan)
1/2 cup chopped fresh herbs (the recipe called for flat leaf parsley and chervil, however I used parsley and marjoram)

METHOD
Crack the eggs into a large bowl, season with salt and pepper and add 1/4 cup of either the creme fraiche or sour cream, whisking to combine.

Heat a 10-inch nonstick skillet with 1 T. olive oil and butter over medium heat. After the butter melts, add the eggs.  Reduce the heat to low. Use a wooden spoon to stir the eggs in a clockwise direction.  It will start out very soupy.

Soon it starts to thicken.  When the eggs are cooked three-quarters of the way through with curds forming, stir in the Jack cheese.

Continue to cook and stir the eggs until they are still moist with some liquid, about 25 to 30 minutes, stirring frequently, but not constantly.  Just before they have finished cooking, stir in the chopped herbs.

Turn off the heat and let the eggs stand for a minute of so.  Divide the eggs among the serving dishes. Top each with a dollop of creme fraiche and a grinding of pepper.

The resulting eggs are seriously like no egg you've EVER tasted.  Seriously.  They are so soft and creamy, almost like polenta in a way.  The sour cream and cheese make it very rich which the herbs cut through and give it a freshenss.  The little herb salad would have been a very nice finish to it all and I really wish I'd had some grilled grainy bread so I could have made a little open faced sandwich.  We all know how much I love versatility and you really could switch out the herbs and cheese and do all sorts of interesting combinations.  Obviously woody herbs such as rosemary and thyme I don't think would really work in a dish like this but something like basil, chives, tarragon, and cilantro would be amazing.

Serves 2.

SAUSAGE & GRUYERE STRATA

I made this for Christmas brunch two years ago when Mark and I were up in Santa Maria, at his mom's.  It's an easy dish.  I made it the night before and then on Christmas morning just popped it in the oven.  Mark's mother and brother loved it. 

A "strata" seems to be a sort of savory bread pudding sort of deal. But let's not kid ourselves with the fancy name.   It's really just a caserole.  It comes from little Sarah Moulton.  It was featured in an episode in which she showed how to cook meals for people who ate meat as well as for vegetarians.  This recipe has sausage in it and on the show she created a little aluminum foil wall down the center of the casserole dish.  One side was for meat eaters and the other for those who have a problem with killing animals but for some reason with eat their eggs.   Well I happen to eat meat, so there's meat in the ENTIRE thing.  But you could leave the meat out I suppose, if that's your thing.

INGREDIENTS
1 (10-ounce) package frozen spinach, thawed
1 1/2 cups finely chopped onion (1 large)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
8 cups cubed (1 inch) French or Italian bread (1/2 pound)
2 cups coarsely grated Gruyere (about 6 ounces)
1 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (about 2 ounces)
1 cup cooked breakfast sausage, ham, or shredded meat (optional)
2 3/4 cups milk
9 large eggs
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

METHOD
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Squeeze handfuls of spinach to remove as much liquid as possible, then finely chop.
Cook onion in butter in a large heavy skillet over moderate heat, stirring, until soft, 4 to 5 minutes. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and nutmeg and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Stir in spinach, then remove from heat.

In a large bowl, toss together the bread cubes, spinach mixture, 1 3/4 cups of the Gruyere, and 3/4 cup of the Parmigiano. Transfer 1/2 of the bread mixture to another bowl and toss with sausage.

Whisk together milk, eggs, mustard, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a large bowl and pour evenly over each side. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup Gruyere, and 1/4 cup Parmigiano. Let the strata sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Bake strata, uncovered, in middle of oven until puffed, golden brown, and cooked through, 45 to 55 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

PANETTONE FRENCH TOAST

This is another breakfast that I made for Christmas brunch, only this time it was for my parents in Missouri.  The town in which they live has a limited selection of groceries so I had to bring a big box of panettone with me on the plane.  But it was with it.

The recipe was presented by Giada De Laurentiis on her show "Everyday Italian," or as my mom calls it "Cooking With Cleavage."  ("Seriously," my mom asked.  "Can't she put those things away?")  It's a very festive sort of meal so I would save it for a special occasion or a holiday.  Between the bread embedded with nuts and candied fruit, the custard in which it's soaked, and the accompanying syrup, after eating this you'll want to take a nap until dinner.

INGREDIENTS
1 (1.1 pound; 500 gram) loaf panettone bread, baking paper removed
6 large eggs
3/4 cup whipping cream
3/4 cup whole milk
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup mascarpone cheese (optional)
Powdered sugar, for dusting (optional)
Cinnamon Syrup

METHOD
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F.

Trim the bottom crust of the panettone. Starting at the bottom end of the panettone, cut it crosswise into 6 (3/4-inch thick) round slices (reserve the top piece for toast!). In a large bowl, whisk the eggs until well blended. Add the cream, milk, and sugar and whisk until well mixed.

Melt 1 tablespoon of butter on a large nonstick griddle over medium heat. Dip slices of panettone into the custard, turning to allow both sides to absorb the custard, but not too long, or the panettone will turn to mush. Grill the panettone slices until they are golden brown and firm to the touch, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer the French toast to a baking sheet and keep them warm in the oven. Repeat with the remaining butter, panettone slices, and custard.

Transfer the French toast to plates. Dollop the mascarpone atop each. Lightly dust with the powdered sugar. Drizzle the cinnamon syrup over and around the French toast and serve immediately.

CORN FRITTERS

I live in Los Angeles where brunch is a VERY big deal.  People will wait hours to get a table at Toast or Urth Caffe.  What frustrates me about all these places is that for the most part, the menus at each are pretty much variations on the same thing.  When I came across this recipe in an old issue of Martha Stewart Living magazine I decided that if I had a brunch place I would most certainly serve corn fritters.  Where else do you ever see fritters?  I can just imagine it - people waiting hours for my fritters. 

It's great for summer, when the corn is sweet and fresh.  Drizzle it with maple syrup along with bacon or some nice sausage.

INGREDIENTS
3 ears corn (about 3 cups kernels)
1 large egg, separated, plus 1 large egg white
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
freshly ground pepper
4 tablespoons vegetable oil

METHOD
Using a chef’s knife, cut the kernels from the corn into a medium bowl.  Using the dull side of knife, scrape the milk and pulp from the cobs into the bowl.  Add the egg yolk, flour, sugar, salt, and pepper, and stir to combine.

In a clean bowl, whisk egg whites until stiff but not dry.  Fold into corn mixture.  Heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in a large cast-iron or nonstick skillet over medium high heat.

Drop spoonfuls of batter into the oil, spaced a few inches apart.  Cook until golden on the bottom, 1 to 2 minutes.  Turn over using a spatula, and cook until golden on the other side, 1 to 2 minutes more.  Repeat with the remaining batter, using the remaining oil for pan.  Serve immediately. 

CINNAMON SYRUP

Sometimes you just don't want maple syrup.  When you're in one of those moods, use this instead.  It's bliss over panettone french toast, and although I haven't tried it, I would have to guess that it would be great on pancakes, waffles or even ice cream.

INGREDIENTS
1 cup water
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

METHOD
Combine water and brown sugar in a heavy medium sauce pan.  Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves.  Boil until the syrup reduces, about 10 minutes.

Remove from heat and whisk in cream and cinnamon.  Serve warm.