For this cook, the real star of the brunch table is the simple egg.
Here are a couple of egg dishes to update your culinary repertoire because you will need them this season, when brunches pop up like tulips or, well, dandelions.
Go out of the box and into the muffin tin by baking eggs with bacon and asparagus. Or combine spinach, asparagus and ricotta in a tart just made to be topped with an egg for each.
Both of these will make your message clear at the table: a simple good morning to all.
Baked eggs with asparagus and bacon
Butter for the pan
8eggs
8strips cooked bacon
6green asparagus spears, cut into large pieces
Salt and black pepper
Chile sauce for serving, optional
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Butter 8 cups of a jumbo muffin pan or prepare a baking sheet with large, sturdy paper muffin liners — preferably double-layered so that they’re a little more stable.
Crack an egg in every cup and add 1 slice of cooked bacon. Distribute the asparagus in the cups. Season with salt and pepper, and bake in the middle of the oven for 15 to 17 minutes.
Serve the eggs warm and, preferably, with a good chile sauce.
Makes 8 servings.
Asparagus tart with creamy ricotta
Tart dough:
5tablespoons cold butter
3/4cup all-purpose flour
Scant 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
5tablespoons (21/2 ounces) small-curd cottage cheese
1/2teaspoon salt
11/2teaspoons cold water
Filling:
2 to 3garlic cloves
9ounces (about 1 cup) ricotta
1/4cup cooked and squeezed dry baby spinach
Scant 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
2/3cup grated aged cheese, like Parmesan or Pecorino, divided
Salt and black pepper
1/2bunch green asparagus
3 to 4eggs
Cut the butter into cubes. Quickly work together the butter, flours, cottage cheese and salt, either in a food processor or by hand in a bowl, until pea-sized clumps form. Add 11/2 teaspoons water and work together quickly into a smooth dough. Wrap in plastic and cool in refrigerator for 20 minutes.
Place the dough on a lightly floured work surface and roll out into a disk about 1/8 inch thick.
Add more flour to the surface as you roll so that the dough doesn’t stick. Line a 9-inch tart pan or springform pan with the dough. Be sure to press the dough gently along the bottom edge and pinch a little at the top of the side edges. Cut away the excess pie dough that may be hanging over the sides. Cover the pie shell with plastic wrap and let it cool in refrigerator 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Remove pie shell from refrigerator, remove the plastic wrap and prick the bottom with a fork. Cover the edges with aluminum foil and prebake in the middle of the oven for about 15 minutes or until the bottom is baked through and begins to brown. Remove the crust from the oven and remove the aluminum foil.
Chop the garlic and place in a bowl. Add the ricotta and blend together with the spinach, parsley and 2/3 of the grated cheese. Season with salt and pepper and distribute the filling evenly in the pie shell. Break off the tough parts of the asparagus. Spread the asparagus lengthwise over the ricotta mixture and lightly press it into the mixture. Crack the eggs over the filling, season with salt and pepper, and top with the rest of the grated cheese.
Bake in the middle of the oven for about 25 minutes, until the eggs are set and the edges are golden brown.
Makes 4 to 6 servings.
Recipes from “The Summer Table” by Lisa Lemke.
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