Kate's Garden Kitchen

How can you go wrong with eggs, cheese and vegetables for breakfast (or lunch or dinner)? Or fruit baked in custard for dessert?

 Frittata or clafoutis is quick to throw together, quick to cook and can be served warm, room temperature or cold, giving you plenty of freedom in meal prep. One key to success is to cook in a cast-iron pan.

French clafoutis, Italian frittata, French quiche, Russian charlotte, timbale, pudding cake, cheese souffle and even panna cotta made with gelatin. All are basically custards with fillings. Some are made with a crust; many are without. These versatile dishes make excellent pot luck offerings, for brunch, luncheon or a light dinner. 

Once you have the basic recipe down, the riffs with different fillings and seasonings are endless. You can make them savory or sweet. You can also substitute 2 egg whites for 2 of the whole eggs. When adding vegetables or potatoes, saute them in a bit of olive oil first until crisp-tender. If you choose to add meat such as sausage, cook it first. 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 

Step 1: 

Savory: film a small cast-iron skillet with olive oil and put it in the oven. 

Sweet: preheat the skillet without oil, and when ready to cook, melt a tablespoon of butter and sprinkle with a tablespoon of sugar over the bottom 

Basic mixture: 

5 eggs (or any mixture of eggs and egg whites of your choice) 

1 cup of milk (or cream or ½ and ½ or buttermilk)

1 T. flour

Step 2: whisk ingredients until well blended

Step 3: add embellishments and seasonings, pour into pan and cook for about 25 minutes until a knife comes out clean. You can put it under the broiler for a few minutes to brown the top. Serve right from the pan, either warm or at room temperature. 

To make into quick breakfast grab-n-go, pour into oiled muffin cups and bake 25 minutes at 325.

Suggested savory fillings:

• 1/2 c. sautéed onions
• 1/2 cup chopped sauteed chard or spinach
• 1/2 c. roasted red pepper
• 1/2 t. basil
• 1/4 t. dill
• 1/4 t. salt
• fresh pepper
• 1/4 c. grated parmesan

OR

• 1 c. cooked diced potatoes
• 1/2 c. sautéed onions
• 1/2 cup chopped sauteed chard or spinach
• 1 T. fresh basil
• 1/4 c. grated parmesan or fontina cheese
• 1/4 t. salt
• fresh pepper

OR

• 2 medium zucchini, grated
• 4 green onions, sliced
• 1 c. cooked rice or leftover cooked pasta
• ¾ c. crumbled feta
• Dill to taste
• Salt and pepper to taste

Suggested sweet fillings:

• 1 c. fresh blueberries
• ¼ c. sugar
• ¼ t. cinnamon
• ¼ t. almond extract

OR

• 1 c. grated apple
• ¼ c. sugar
• ¼ t. cinnamon
• Dash nutmeg

Cheese puff (one serving)

• 1 ½ slices whole grain bread, buttered
• ½ c. milk
• 1 egg
• ¼ c. shredded cheese
• 1/8 t. onion powder
• 1/8 t. salt
• 6-8 drops tabasco

Cut bread into strips; place with buttered sides down along the sides and bottom of a 10-oz ramekin. Lightly beat egg and combine with other ingredients. Pour into a ramekin. Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes. 

Fruit Clafouti 

A custardy delicious fresh dessert that is simple to make and delightful to serve. You can use any kind of fruit – cherries and berries are wonderful as are sliced peaches or halved plums or figs. Use whatever is in season. You can bake it a tart pan or pie plate, but a cast-iron skillet gives it a pretty browned edge. 

• 1 T. unsalted butter, melted
• 2 c. fresh fruit, sliced and peeled if desired
• 1 c. milk
• ½ c. sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 t. vanilla extract
• ½ c. flour
• Powdered sugar (optional)

Heat the oven to 400°F. Coat a 10-inch cast-iron skillet with the melted butter and sprinkle with a bit of sugar.

Whisk milk, sugar, eggs, and vanilla until smooth.

Whisk flour into the wet ingredients, mixing until smooth (I actually use a blender to get it silky smooth). Pour the batter into the skillet and top evenly with the fruit.

Bake until a knife comes clean in the center, about 50 minutes.

Cool for about 15 minutes and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Best served warm.