Tag Archives: eggs

Carabaccia (Tuscan Onion Soup)

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For this recipe, we were beta testers for America’s Test Kitchen (ATK). As part of the rules, we were unable to post anything until it was published in their magazine and online; which was six months after the fact.

In the same vein as French Onion Soup, the buttery, sweet savoriness of carabaccia, Tuscany’s centuries-old red onion soup, introduces you to an entirely different side of allium complexity.

As ATK explains, Carabaccia is a simple, centuries-old Tuscan onion soup made by softening (but not browning) and then simmering loads of onions in water until the liquid is gently savory-sweet; the soup is served with toasted bread, grated Parmesan or Pecorino, and perhaps a poached egg.

For this take, 2 pounds of thin-sliced red onions are softened by first simmering them covered, with a little water, salt, and olive oil, so that the moist heat would encourage them to quickly collapse. Then they are briefly cooked uncovered to evaporate the liquid and concentrate their flavor; finally they are simmered with water, sage, and bay leaf to infuse the broth with the onions’ sweet savor.

Stirring grated Parmesan into the soup enhances its flavor. While the soup simmers, you broil slices of crusty bread and poach the eggs. To serve, placed a slice of toast in each bowl and top with a poached egg; then ladle the soup around the bowl.

Carabaccia is traditionally made with water but feel free to use your favorite chicken or vegetable broth in Step 2. A rasp grater works well for grating the Parmesan. Serve this soup with a poached egg spooned on top of the toast before the soup is ladled into the bowl.

Carabaccia (Tuscan Onion Soup)

  • Servings: 4
  • Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients

  • 2 lbs. red onions, halved and sliced through root end ¼ inch thick
  • 5 cups water, divided; OR chicken or vegetable broth
  • 3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, divided
  • ¾ tsp. table salt, divided
  • 2 sprigs fresh sage
  • 1 bay leaf
  • ½ cup (1 oz.) finely grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving
  • 4 poached eggs
  • 4 (½-inch-thick) slices thick-crusted country bread

Directions

  1. Bring onions, 1 cup water, 2 tablespoons oil, and ½ teaspoon salt to boil in Dutch oven over high heat. Adjust heat to medium, cover, and cook at rapid simmer, stirring occasionally, until onions have fully softened and collapsed, 18 to 20 minutes. Uncover and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid evaporates (onions should not brown), 6 to 8 minutes. (Onions can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 1 month.)
  2. Add sage sprigs, bay leaf, remaining 4 cups water, and remaining ¼ teaspoon salt. Bring to boil, adjust heat to gentle simmer and cook, covered, for 30 minutes. Remove sage sprigs and bay leaf. Stir in Parmesan. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  3. Meanwhile, adjust oven rack about 6 inches from broiler element and heat broiler. Place bread on aluminum foil-lined rimmed baking sheet, drizzle with remaining 1 tablespoon oil and season with salt and pepper. Broil until browned, crisp, and starting to char at edges, 2 to 4 minutes. Flip bread and continue to broil until bottom is starting to char, 2 to 4 minutes longer.
  4. Place 1 slice bread in bottom of each individual bowl. Top bread with poached egg. Ladle soup into bowl. Serve, passing Parmesan separately.

http://www.lynnandruss.com

Recipe from Annie Petito for America’s Test Kitchen

Breakfast Casserole

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What a wonderful breakfast/brunch item that will please up to 8 people. I got the recipe from a friend, who got it from her friend, who got it from who knows who? Doesn’t really matter the source, the thing is, you can customize it to suit your own preferences. For instance, if you are following a keto-friendly diet, skip the hash browns, but you might want to increase some of the other ingredients that go into the eggs. Instead of 1/4 cup of chopped onion, The Hubs added 3/4 cup of minced shallot.

You can even assemble it the day before, just cover the uncooked dish with foil and refrigerate overnight, then bake it in the oven until cooked, about 45 minutes. Which was EGGSactly what we did, so the morning of the feast, we were basically prep-free!

Store any remaining casserole in tightly wrapped foil, and store in refrigerator for up yo 3 days.

Breakfast Casserole

  • Servings: 8-10
  • Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients

  • 20 oz. shredded hash browns, thawed
  • 1 lb. sausage cooked, crumbled and drained
  • 1/4 cup onion, finely diced
  • 1 red or green bell pepper, diced
  • 2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
  • 8 eggs
  • 1 12 oz. can evaporated milk OR 1 1/3 cups milk
  • 1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning
  • 1/2 tsp. Kosher salt
  • 1/4 tsp. black pepper

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
  2. Grease a 9 x 13-inch baking dish.
  3. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the sausage, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, until no pink remains. Drain the fat.
  4. In the prepared dish, add hash browns, sausage, onion, bell pepper, and a 1/2 cup cheese. Gently mix and spread evenly.
  5. In a large bowl, add eggs, evaporated milk, salt and pepper, and Italian seasoning. Whisk until combined.
  6. Pour the egg mixture over the pan ingredients, and sprinkle on the remaining cheese.
  7. Cover dish with foil, and refrigerate overnight, or bake immediately, uncovered for 45-55 minutes until cooked through.

http://www.lynnandruss.com

Heirloom Tomato Tart

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Got Tomatoes? When it is tomato season, heirlooms are front and center in our household. At first glance, some heirloom tomatoes may seem flawed, but it’s actually their uniformly red counterparts who are the genetic deviants of the tomato family.

According to NY Times Cooking, decades ago, many businesses decided to prioritize cookie-cutter-like hybrid tomatoes, which grow year-round and can survive a long, bumpy journey. It left heirloom tomatoes on the wrong side of the deal. The varieties that remain have a shorter shelf life and are relegated to just a few months of summer, but they’re sweeter with a more robust flavor. This tart celebrates juicy, vibrant tomatoes in a cheesy, herby, custard-filled, flaky crust, with each bite punctuated with pesto.

Due to the final results, we made numerous changes and made another tart. By roasting the tomato slices first, much of the moisture evaporates and the tomato flavor is more concentrated. We doubled the amount of shredded mozzarella and added it to the custard, layering the tomatoes on top of that.

The second pie was firmer, and these new instructions are noted below. The tart will feed 4 as a main course with a salad; 6-8 as a starter course.

Heirloom Tomato Tart

  • Servings: 4-8
  • Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients

  • Dough for a 9-inch single crust pie, or use store-bought, rolled into an 11-inch round
  • 1½ lbs. ripe heirloom tomatoes (about 4 medium), cored and sliced ¼” thick
  • ¼ cup store-bought pesto, such as Classico
  • 1½ cup shredded mozzarella (about 6 oz.)
  • 1 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh basil
  • 1 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh oregano
  • 3 large eggs
  • ⅓ cup heavy cream
  • ½ tsp. kosher salt
  • ½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Directions

  1. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Cut the tomatoes into 1/4-thick slices. Salt tomato slices, brush with olive oil, place on sheet pan lined with foil and roast in the oven for 30 minutes, turning pan once halfway through.
  2. While tomatoes roast, fit the rolled-out dough into a 9-inch tart pan, allowing the edges to rise about ¼ inch above the rim of the pan. Prick the dough all over with a fork.
  3. Line the dough with aluminum foil and fill with pie weights or dried beans. After the tomatoes have been roasting for 15 minutes, place the crust in the oven and bake for 15 minutes until beginning to brown at the edges. Remove from the oven to cool slightly. Remove tomatoes from the oven and allow them to cool slightly. Carefully remove the foil and weights from the crust.
  4. Spread ¼ cup pesto in an even layer over the par-baked tart crust. Sprinkle the fresh basil and oregano over the pesto.
  5. In a medium bowl, prepare the custard: Whisk together the eggs, cream, salt and pepper; add the shredded mozzarella and stir to combine.
  6. Pour most of the custard over the pesto and herbs then place the sliced tomatoes evenly over the custard in overlapping concentric circles. Spoon on remaining custard in spots on top of tomatoes.
  7. Swirl the pan to evenly distribute the liquid. Bake until the filling is set and won’t jiggle when shaken, about 35 minutes.
  8. Remove from the oven and let cool for 15-20 minutes to solidify. This tart can also be served at room temperature.

http://www.lynnandruss.com

Loosely adapted for a recipe by Vallery Lomas for NYTimes Cooking

Mushroom and Cheese Quiche

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Some days you just want to have breakfast for dinner—and this quiche makes it more than all right. The making of this mushroom and cheese quiche is a labor of love, but it really is a treat well worth the effort, no matter what time of day you choose to eat it.

The smoky cumin-flavored caramelized onions enfolded in a delicately textured custard set in buttery, tender, and crisp crust may tempt you into eating far more than you should. Serve with a side salad and call it a day (or night)!

Making a quiche can be a longish process, although it doesn’t ask for fancy techniques or equipment. With a little patience, you’ll have a 9-inch pie that is one hundred percent worth the bake. To streamline the process further, you could purchase a pre-made pie crust, but this blog instructs you from start to finish.

NOTE: Keep your dough cold. It’s the golden rule for making a flaky crust. So, if the butter is melting when you’re cutting the flour, slide the whole thing in the refrigerator for 10 minutes. 

Mushroom and Cheese Quiche

  • Servings: 4-6
  • Difficulty: moderately easy
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Ingredients

Pastry Crust

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour (127 grams)
  • 1⁄2 cup salted butter (113grams), chilled, cut into small cubes.
  • 3-4 Tbsp. water, ice cold

Mushroom Filling

  • 2 large onions, thinly sliced
  • 1 1⁄2 tsp. cumin powder
  • 2 Tbsp. olive oil or butter
  • 1 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
  • 1-2 sprigs fresh thyme
  • Salt to taste
  • 10 oz. cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced

Custard Filling

  • 4 eggs
  • 1⁄2 cup heavy cream
  • 1 tsp. fresh/dried thyme
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 6 oz. grated Gruyere OR Fontina cheese OR a mix of both, divided
  • 1-2 Tbsp. scallion, only the green part, finely chopped (save the whites for your side salad)

Instructions

Pastry Crust

  1. Start by cutting chilled, cubed pieces of butter into the flour using just your fingertips (this prevents the heat from the rest of the hand from melting the butter). You can also use a pastry cutter or two knives.
  2. When you have a coarse bread-crumb-like texture add ice-cold water one tablespoon at a time and bring the dough together.
  3. You don’t have to knead it. Using only the heel of your hand push the dough away from you. Then bring it back with your fingertips till smooth.
  4. If the dough feels dry add in more chilled water. 
  5. Shape the dough into a ball, flatten it slightly, cover in cling wrap and then refrigerate until it is firm and easy to handle, about 15 minutes.

Blind Baking The Pastry Crust

  1. Preheat your oven to 375°. Keep a 9″ pie dish handy.
  2. On a very lightly floured surface (you don’t want excess dry flour), roll out the dough to an approximately 12″ circle. 
  3. Pick it up gently and place it in your pie dish. Push the dough inwards along the edges and the base with a very firm hand. You can also wrap the dough around your rolling pin and then transfer it to your pie dish.
  4. After you’ve made sure the dough fits the pan well, trim the dough that’s hanging over with a sharp knife and chill for another 20 minutes.
    The Hubs used the extra dough and added it around the perimeter and notched it with the end of a knife to crimp the edges. This helps the crust from shrinking.
  5. Prick the bottom of the chilled pie shell with a fork.  
  6. Line the shell with parchment paper and weigh it down with baking beans, dry red kidney beans, or chickpeas.
  7. Bake the crust for 15-16 minutes in the preheated oven. 
  8. Remove the parchment paper and the beans and return the pie to the oven for another 7-8 minutes. Remove from oven and cool on a rack for 15 minutes.

Mushroom Quiche Filling

  1. While the crust is baking, prepare the filling.
  2. Thinly slice the onions and cook them in 1 tablespoon olive oil or butter on low heat along with a sprig of fresh thyme and cumin powder. 
  3. As the onions are softening, after 5 minutes, add the balsamic vinegar.
  4. Stir occasionally, and sauté the onions until they are soft and brown, 8-10 minutes total. Add salt to taste right at the end. Discard thyme sprigs and transfer to a bowl and keep aside.
  5. Add a tablespoon of olive oil and sauté the mushrooms in the same pan, until they are softened and cooked, about 8 minutes.
  6. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, cream, fresh/dried thyme, salt, and pepper. You can use any seasoning you prefer.

Assembly

  1. Spread the caramelized onions on the pie crust.
  2. Top this with most of the sautéed mushrooms (save 8-10 for the top) and some green onion.
  3. Sprinkle 2/3 of the grated cheese and pour over the egg cream mixture. Top with remaining 1/3 grated cheese and the remaining mushrooms.
  4. Bake this at 350° for 40-45 minutes until the center is set and the quiche, golden.
  5. Let it rest for about 15 minutes before slicing and serving.

http://www.lynnandruss.com

Very loosely adapted from a recipe by Natasha Minocha