My favorite meal of the day...Brunch

Breakfast + Lunch = Brunch

Me + Brunch = Happiness

Brunch meet duck frittata.  For our Easter lunch I made a simple frittata and kick it up a knot with some leftover Peking style duck that I roasted on Friday.  A frittata is just like a quiche but without the crust. I like to start the frittata on the stovetop and then finish it in the oven to get a nice brown exterior, so make sure your pan has an ovenproof handle.

This recipe is very versatile - just change your ingredients but keep the base the same.  I used a 10 inch nonstick skillet and preheat your oven to 425.

Base

8 large eggs

A splash of milk or half and half (whatever you have on hand)

Salt and Pepper

With a large wire balloon whisk you want to whisk the eggs to incorporate lots of air to make the resulting frittata nice and fluffy

Ingredients

1/2 small red onion, minced

1 clove of garlic, minced

2 large button mushroom, sliced 1/4 thick

1 cup of fresh spinach

1 small tomato, diced

1 scallions, sliced into thin rounds

1/2 cup of sage cheddar cheese, diced

1/2 cup of shredded duck

With the pan on high heat, no oil, cook your mushrooms.  Leave the mushrooms alone and let them brown and watch as they release their juices. This will help your frittata from getting soggy. Flip to the other side and brown the other side.

Lower your heat to medium and add one tablespoon of olive oil.  Add your onions and saute until soft, then add your garlic and cook for one more minute.

Lower your heat to medium low and add the duck and spinach and cook it for one minute.  Next add your tomato and scallions to your egg mixture and slowly pour it into your hot pan.

With your spatula gently run your spatula from the edge of the pan to the center until the frittata is slightly set.

Turn off the heat and spread your cheese evenly on top and put it in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes until the cheese melted and the top is golden.

Take it out of the oven and run your spatula around the skillet to loosen the frittata.

Invert your  frittata onto a plate and serve with a simple spinach salad.

Busted yolks never tasted so good

I adore this version of a breakfast egg sandwich from Hi Life in Ballard, simple but with tons of flavors.  The egg is fried with herbed breadcrumbs and then splash with Tutto Calabria chile oil, Beaufor vinegar and sandwich between layer with fresh baked English muffin, home made pork sausage and of course Tillamook cheese. It's spicy and tangy and delicious.

You can usually order this Monday thru Friday for breakfast and on request on weekends, which I highly recommend.

Hi Life

5425 Russell Avenue Northwest

Seattle, WA 98107-4015

(206) 784-7272

Dobos Torte with Anna

This is the lovely Anna, currently the pastry chef at Allium & Lily on Orcas.  I originally met her at The Herbfarm a couple of years ago baking away fabulous mini desserts and breads early in the morning when I would come by and feed Basil and Borage (The Herbfarm's famous Vietnamese potbellied pigs) or drop off the fresh harvest that we gathered that morning  for the evening meal.  I would make sure to stop by and say hi to the morning crew and check to see what kind of goodies that were making that day.  It was always very interesting and fun to talk to everyone from the front of the house staff to the savory and sweet crew.  I do miss working at The Herbfarm, but very happy I made some wonderful friendships that will last a long time.

She came over a few weeks ago and we made this gorgeous delicious torte cake.

Usually you will see this cake as a round cake but by using the rectangular shape it makes it easier to assemble.  We made this cake in just under three hours from start to finish.  It is a little bit complicated to make but trust me. It is well worth it. The traditional way of making this cake you would piped the cake batter into round circles and then bake. By baking the cake in a 12x17 sheet pan, you can evenly mark and cut up the cake to the specify shape and size that you want.

Cake Batter

6 large eggs, separated and at room temperature

1 Tablespoon water

Pinch of salt

9.5 Tablespoon sugar

9.5 Tablespoon of cake flour, sifted

• Grease and line two 12x17 inch half sheet pan with parchment paper.
• Whip the egg yolks with half of the sugar, 5 Tablespoon, until ribbon stage (It should be thick and pale yellow)
• Whip the egg whites, water and pinch of salt, slowly add the other half of the sugar, 4 Tablespoon, until stiff but not dry
• Fold the yolk mixture into the white mixture
• Gently fold in the sifted cake flour
• Divide the batter between the pans, and then smooth the top and tap the sides a few times to even out
• Bake for 10-12 minutes, until golden brown, if necessary rotate the pan half way through
• Cover the cakes with a piece of parchment while cooling in order to retain some moisture
• Once the cakes have cool down, use a rule and cut the cakes into 8x4 inch pieces, set aside the best piece for the top layer, you should have nine layers. 

 **Save any cake scrapes for emergency patches. 

If some spots are not as thick as the other pieces

Filling

1.5 teaspoon of vanilla extract or ½ vanilla bean

¾  cup powder sugar

6 oz unsalted butter, at room temperature

3 Tablespoon strong coffee

1 large egg

3 oz dark chocolate, we used 70%

Pinch of kosher salt 

• Mix ¼ cup of the sugar, egg, vanilla extract or bean and coffee over a double boiler until the mixture reaches 140 F and mix in the chocolate until melted and smooth
• In a mixer, beat the butter, pinch of salt and ½ cup of the sugar until light and fluffy, add the chocolate mixture and beat until the filling is light and fluffy

Chocolate Buttercream

2 large egg whites

½  cup sugar

6 oz butter at room temperature

3 oz dark chocolate

Pinch of salt

• Mix the egg whites, sugar and pinch of salt in the bowl of the mixer over a double boiler until the mixture reaches 140 F
• Whip with your KitchenAid mixer until the meringue forms soft glossy peaks
• Next add the butter a little at a time until it is well incorporated, keep beating if the mixture looks like ricotta cheese, it will come back together
• Melt the chocolate and add it to the butter cream.  Mix the mixture with a hand whisk for one minute before putting it back in the KitchenAid and whisking until it is fluffy.

Caramel Layer

½ cup of sugar    

** This part you must work quickly; the caramel is extremely hot 

and can burn your skin easily - have ice water standing by just in case.

• Heat sugar in pan and stir mixture until the sugar is completely dissolved.  With a wet pastry brush, wash down the inside of the pan to prevent crystallization.   Boil sugar mixture until the syrup turns a lovely amber color or reaches 248 F, about 8 to 10 minutes.  Remove from heat.
• During the last few minutes, watch it carefully because it can burn quickly
• Carefully pour the caramel on to the top of the last layer and spread to the edges with an oiled knife.  Quickly score the caramel into into eight wedges.  Alow to cool slightly and then rescore a little bit deeper with your oiled knife. Allow to cool completely and then cut the wedges up.

Assembly

• Fill the eight layers with the chocolate filling. The cake and the filling should be the same thickness, about ¼ inch 

** A little secret technique for anyone who OCD like me.  If you have a kitchen scale, 

this will be your best friend.  Have a small bowl and weigh each layer filling.  

This will ensure you will have the same thickness for each layer!

• Put a little of the filling into a pastry bag and set aside for decorating
• Frost the sides with a thin coat of the buttercream; don’t worry about the crumbs, this is a crumb coat
• Let the cake firm up in the refrigerator for 10 minutes then frost the cake with the rest of the buttercream
• Decorate with the leftover filling and add the caramel portions to the top
• Let the cake sit for at least 3 hours to overnight and slice with a hot knife