Egg
Portuguese Baked Eggs
Baked eggs are great for brunch, and this version is no exception. But with a salad of leafy greens, it's also hearty and satisfying enough to double as dinner.
Potato Chip Omelet
This is an American-style Italian frittata or Spanish tortilla, an open-faced omelet that's a great last-minute brunch dish. The potato chips are layered throughout yet still retain their firm texture. (You don't even need to add salt to the eggs, because the potato chips provide the seasoning.) You can enjoy this warm or at room temperature, with sour cream on the side. Or if you're a ketchup-on-your-eggs person, use the San Marzano ketchup. (After I came up with this dish, I saw similar versions done by José Andrés and Ferran Adrià. A good idea is a good idea no matter how many people come up with it.)
Breakfast Pizzas
We offer so many mouthwatering buttery, sugary, fruity, chocolaty sweet breakfast treats in the morning that it can be almost impossible to choose just one ("I'll have one of each" is a common humorous request from new customers). That is, unless you're one of those people who need to start off the day with eggs or bacon or anything not sweet. For those customers, we've created the ultimate quick grab-'n'-go breakfast using items we already have in-house: brioche dough, cheese, breakfast meats, and eggs. The dough, after an overnight rest in the refrigerator during which it develops flavor, is stretched and pulled like you would a pizza dough to make a flat round.
I've suggested a few of our best topping combinations here, but feel free to use whatever mixture of meats, cheeses, and vegetables you prefer. The egg on top is what makes the pizza shine. After creating a border of meats and vegetables around the edge of each brioche circle, you bake the pizzas about halfway through. Then you crack a whole egg in the middle of each one, blanket them with cheese, and bake until the eggs are just barely set. It's a bit of a messy breakfast, but you won't care once you taste how good it is.
The Scandalous Scandinavian
Smoked Salmon, Hard-Boiled Egg, Tomatoes, Greens and Caper-Onion Mayo
This is another one of those fabulous "adult sandwiches." It's hearty enough to pack for work, yet it's perfectly appropriate for a luncheon or brunch. The hardest part of this recipe is assembling the ingredients: that's how easy it is, yet it tastes like a gourmet sandwich you'd find on a restaurant menu or at a specialty deli. Thanks to the salmon, the sandwich is loaded with omega-3 fatty acids that our body can't make on its own; it's high in protein and delivers a whopping amount of nutrients per calorie. In other words, it's the heavyweight nutrition champ of sandwiches!
Tuna Tune-Up
Oil-Packed Tuna, Hard-Boiled Egg, Roasted Fennel, Tomatoes, Tapenade and Greens
Lots of cookbooks offer creative ideas for kids' lunches, but what about the rest of us? Lunch can get tiresome for adults, too, so I decided to create a few sandwich recipes for an older crowd—ideas that will get you out of your same-old-sandwich rut, amp up your midday nutrition, and energize you for the demands of the afternoon. If you want a change of pace, this recipe is for you! It's basically egg salad dressed up for an evening out, and it's absolutely delicious! It's loaded with omega-3 fatty acids that keep the brain sharp and help performance, plus protein from the tuna and egg and antioxidants from the fennel; the flavor is over the top! Cook the fennel over the weekend, so you have it on hand to enjoy during the week.
Sunday Frittata with Frizzled Leeks
I began making frittatas regularly when our family transitioned from the pancakes-or-waffles-every-weekend phase into more "grown-up" breakfasts. As in much of my cooking, I believe I first learned to make a frittata from Julia Child, in one of her books or her television shows.
You can whip up a frittata for any meal: for a weekend breakfast, or with a green salad for lunch, or supper. The frizzled leeks are inspired by a dish served at Union Square Cafe in its early years. It was the first time I saw the word "frizzled."
"Fun word," I thought, and asked Danny Meyer where it came from. "My grandmother. Louise Meyer used to serve mashed potatoes with fried onions on top," he said. "When we opened Union Square Cafe in 1985, we substituted rutabaga for the potatoes, and leeks for the onions. That became our 'Mashed Turnips with Frizzled Leeks.' To avoid using the word 'fried,' I landed upon 'frizzled.' After that, frizzled leeks found their way onto everything from mashed potatoes to scallops, an omelet, red snapper, and just about everything except for ice cream."
If you don't have leeks, then thinly sliced onions, pan-roasted asparagus tips, crisped bacon all work fine. Concerning culinary substitution, I think of the Russian proverb that my grandpa Jan would trot out about many things in life: "If no fish, then lobster will do." Apparently, lobster prices under the czar were less steep than they are in present-day America, but I took his point.
As I noted earlier, Parmesan cheese has a lot of umami, which contributes to the high FPC of this recipe, especially when I top the finished frittata with some cherry tomatoes charred at high heat and pepped up with crushed red-pepper flakes.
Big Breakfast Burrito
Everything about this breakfast is big—big tastes, big portion, and big satisfaction. The only small thing is the effort you need to make it. This soft flour tortilla stuffed with goodies—savory beans, scrambled eggs, spicy salsa, melting cheese, rich avocado, and tangy sour cream—is just the right size to keep you going all morning without weighing you down.
Spicy Bacon and Egg
Spicy adobo and cheese are cooled by tomato and cabbage on this eat-anytime breakfast. —Goldman
Breakfast Sandwich
Served at LYFE Kitchen restaurant, this breakfast sandwich is perfect when you are on the run, and even better when enjoyed around the kitchen table with your family. Be sure to buy whole wheat muffins, a better source of complex carbs than the traditional English muffins.
Wild Mushroom Frittata with Cheddar, Green Onions, and Peas
The beauty of a frittata is that it can be filled with just about anything, but the wild mushrooms in this one are especially delicious when combined with fluffy eggs and Cheddar cheese. To fill up the middle, I added green onions, peas, potatoes, and fresh thyme. It's actually easier to make this frittata than to go out to eat. Such a beautiful thing.
Ricotta Omelets
This also makes a great dinner for one; just cut the ingredients in half.
Horseradish Deviled Eggs
Not your standard deviled eggs, these are bright from the addition of vinegar and horseradish and are broiled just before serving.
Company Eggs
This dish is a great way to serve eggs for a group. Take the eggs out of the oven when the whites are slightly undercooked; carryover cooking will finish them.
Vanilla Italian Buttercream
Almost nothing makes me happier than buttercream at the perfect temperature, a small offset spatula, and a beautiful cake waiting to be frosted. There are different types of buttercreams, but I prefer the Italian-meringue version, perhaps because its consistency is very similar to thick oil paint, Thiebaud's medium in Display Cakes. If you're making one of the variations, ensure that whatever you're adding is at room temperature and incorporate it slowly.
Luxe Truffle Deviled Eggs
Everyone needs one quick, easy, go-to recipe that looks and tastes like a million bucks. These eggs work like a charm: the fragrant truffle oil adds rich, sexy appeal, and a sprinkle of black lava salt lends an elegant finish. Make them super bling by adding a tiny flake of edible 24k gold leaf to each.
Devilish Green Eggs and Ham
Kids and grown-ups alike will be charmed by the Seussian whimsy of these delicious deviled eggs; Sam-I-Am won't have to ask you twice whether you'd like these! If you have a favorite pesto recipe, by all means, use it in the filling.
Vegetable and Feta Baked Frittata
It's foolproof to make—just add everything and bake—but you'll look like a rock star when you serve it. -Scott
Foragers' Pie
Parve
Although the Bible orders us to feast, the cooks in the house need food that is easy to prepare, especially on Passover eve. Mushrooms have always been a focus of Jewish food and this foragers' pie would be perfect for a pre-seder meal, when eating matzo and other flours is forbidden and the Passover meal is still hours away. This dish will also suit vegetarians as a main course for Passover.
Steak and Eggs Rancheros
Your brunch guests will never know this is diet-friendly. Steak, lentils and an egg deliver 30 grams of metabolism-revving protein per serving.
Tortilla de Patatas
Salting the potatoes ahead of time draws out some of their liquid and guarantees they're well seasoned.