Egg Souffle

This is a fast and easy recipe. I double it and cook it in a 9" x 13" pan if I'm serving more than just my family. You can also tripe the recipe, which makes it perfect for a crowd---just use a larger pan to bake it in. It is, however, a souffle and will start to slowly deflate after being removed from the oven, so serve immediately.

EGG SOUFFLE

2 tablespoons butter
6 eggs
1/3 cup sour cream
1/3 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 cup chopped onion
1/8 cup chopped green bell pepper
1/8 cup chopped red bell pepper
1/2 cup sliced fresh mushrooms, sauteed (or canned---you don't need to saute them if they're canned)
3/4 cup shredded Colby Jack cheese

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Melt butter in a 6x6-inch baking dish. In a medium bowl, beat together eggs, sour cream, milk, and salt. Stir in onion, green pepper, red pepper, mushrooms, and cheese. Pour into buttered baking dish and bake, uncovered, 35 to 45 minutes, until souffle is golden brown and the middle is firm.

Hearty Scrambled Eggs Over Toast

This makes a sweet egg dish that my family enjoys for either breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Use a good-quality, crusty bread here to really make this dish pop (I like to use the artisan crusty bread rounds from Costco).

Serves 4.

8 large eggs
1/4 cup half-and-half
salt and pepper
6 tablespoons salted butter
several pieces of a good-quality, dense, crusty artisan bread
1 onion, chopped fine
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped fine
1/2 pound thick-cut ham steak, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (I buy the Kirkland Signature ham steaks from Costco)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 scallions, sliced thin (optional)

Whisk eggs, half-and-half, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in bowl. Set aside.

Melt 4 tablespoons butter in large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add bread and cook until golden on both sides, 2 to 3 minutes per side. (I like to use my panini press for this step instead. I butter both sides of the bread and put them in a hot panini press for a couple of minutes. The bread crisps up beautifully and gets those lovely grill marks on it). Transfer bread to plate and tent with foil.

Melt 1 tablespoon butter in empty skillet over medium heat. Add onion, bell pepper, and ham and cook until lightly browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer mixture to bowl.

Wipe out the skillet with a paper towel (or else the browned bits will get in to the eggs and discolor them, which adds flavor, but doesn't look very pretty). Melt remaining tablespoon butter in empty skillet over medium heat. Add egg mixture and cook, using rubber spatula to stir and scrape bottom of skillet occasionally, until large curds begin to form, 3 to 5 minutes. Off heat, gently fold in onion mixture, cheddar, and scallions. Spoon eggs over toast. Serve.

For a printable version of this recipe, click here.

Big-Bite Ham, Potato, & Broccoli Quiche

There's nothing delicate about this quiche. It's got bite-sized chunks of goodness in an impossibly flavorful crust. I've made this dozens of times for everything from ladies' lunches to baby showers. It's so yummy!

Prepare and blind bake 1 recipe of Cream Cheese crust, as follows.

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon powdered sugar

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 stick unsalted butter, cold, cubed

4 ounces cream cheese, cubed

Preheat oven to 400 degrees; coat a 9-inch pie plate with nonstick spray.

Combine flour, sugar and salt in a food processor.

Add butter and cream cheese, then blend until dough forms around the blade. Remove from processor, wrap in plastic and chill 30 minutes (dough may be made 1 day ahead).

Roll dough out on a lightly floured surface to 12 to 14-inches in diameter and 1/4-inch thick. Transfer to prepared pie plate, then trim and crimp the edges. Freeze dough until firm, line with foil and pie weights and blind bake on a baking sheet for 25 minutes. Remove pie weights and foil and continue baking for 10-15 minutes, or until browned.

3/4 cup ham, diced

3/4 cup russet potatoes, peeled, diced

1/2 cup onions, diced fine

1-1/2 cups frozen broccoli pieces

2 eggs

2 egg yolks

1/2 cup whole milk

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/8 teaspoon ground white pepper

1/8 teaspoon cayenne

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 cup white Cheddar, grated

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Prepare crust and blind bake. Meanwhile, prepare filling and custard while crust is in oven.

Sauté ham, sweet potato and onions for the filling in butter in a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Cook until potato is soft but not mushy, stirring occasionally. Stir in broccoli; set filling aside.

Whisk eggs, yolks, milk, cream, mustard and seasonings together until well blended.

Reduce oven to 375 degrees; fill crust with ham and broccoli mixture, then pour in the custard.

Sprinkle with cheese, then bake 30 minutes, or until filling is set and top is browned. For the neatest slices, cool quiche on a rack for 30 minutes before serving. Serve warm or at room temperature.

For a printable version of this recipe, go here.

Two Meals in One: 1) Chicken & 2) Egg Custard

This is a convenient way to get two meals out of one, sort of. You make the chicken one night and then use the leftovers for the egg custard the next night.

ROSEMARY LEMON CHICKEN WITH VEGETABLES
Serves 4.

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice, (from about 2 lemons)

1/4 cup olive oil

4 cloves garlic, peeled

2 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh rosemary leaves, plus springs for garnish (optional)

coarse salt and ground pepper

4 bone-in, skin-on chicken breast halves (10 to 12 ounces each)

1-1/2 pounds red new potatoes, halved (or quartered, if large)

1 pound white button mushrooms, stems trimmed, washed and dried well

1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a blender, combine lemon juice, oil, garlic, and rosemary; season generously with salt and pepper. Puree until marinade is smooth. Place chicken in a shallow glass baking dish or large resalable plastic bag. Pour half the marinade over chicken (reserve other half for vegetables); toss to coat. let marinate 15 minutes at room temperature (or cover dish with plastic and refrigerate up to 34 hours).; Lift chicken from marinade, and place on a large rimmed baking sheet; set aside. Discard marinade.

Meanwhile, on another large rimmed baking sheet, toss potatoes and mushrooms with reserved marinade; season generously with salt and pepper.

Place both baking sheets in oven, with chicken on top rack. After 20 minutes, rotate sheets from top to bottom; 10 minutes later, scatter tomatoes over vegetables. Continue roasting until chicken is cooked through (an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part, avoiding bone, should register 165 degrees, and potatoes and mushrooms are tender and golden brown, about 10 minutes more.

Set aside about a third (3 cups of the vegetables to cool; cover with plastic, and refrigerate to use later for Baked Egg Custard with Cheese. Serve chicken with remaining vegetables and, if desired, garnish with rosemary sprigs.

BAKED EGG CUSTARD WITH CHEESE
Serves 4.

Butter, at room temperature, for dishes

6 large eggs

1/2 cup half-and-half

coarse salt and ground pepper

3 cups reserved vegetables from Rosemary-Lemon Chicken with Vegetables, cut into

            1/2-inch chunks

4 ounces (1 cup) soft goat cheese, crumbled

1/2 cup chopped scallions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brush a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate (or four 10-ounce ramekins or custard cups) with butter; set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, half-and-half, 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Stir in vegetables, half the goat cheese, and scallions. Place pie plate (ramekins or custard cups) on a rimmed baking sheet; pour egg mixture into pie plate (or ladle into ramekins or cups). Sprinkle with remaining goat cheese. Bake until eggs are set and tops are golden brown, 35 to 40 minutes. Serve with salad.

For a printable version of these recipes, go here.