Brussels Sprout, Bacon & Gruyère Frittata

October 08, 2015 by Laura Messersmith in Cooking

When I first spotted this frittata from Food + Wine magazine on Pinterest I knew immediately that I had to make it for Mike. Its combination of Brussels sprouts, bacon, and Gruyère cheese is nearly all of his favorite foods in one convenient (and easy!) recipe.

If you’re like me and never seem to have an oven-safe skillet quiiite large enough to hold the veggies and the eggs, then my adaptation which requires no skillet at all will hopefully be a Godsend. The outcome is the same and possibly even better due to the magic of the roasted sprouts and the lack of spattering stovetop bacon grease, always a win in my book.

This recipe is just begging to be made some hairy weeknight when dinner requires a dish both comforting and sustaining. Or, for Sunday brunch when something slightly more elegant than classic scrambled is called for, and you’re looking to incorporate some leafy greens under a welcoming blanket of egg and cheese.

Brussels Sprout, Bacon & Gruyère Frittata (serves 4-6)

Ingredients:
1/2 pound (5 strips) thick-cut bacon
3/4 pound brussels sprouts, halved and sliced 1/4 inch thick
2 shallots, halved and thinly sliced
1 cup (1/4 pound) shredded Gruyère cheese
8 large eggs
2 tablespoons whole milk
1/4 cup snipped chives
Kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper
Extra virgin olive oil

Instructions:
re-heat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Prep the Brussels sprouts by trimming the ends and slicing them vertically in 1/4 pieces. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and spread the Brussels sprouts in a single layer. Drizzle with 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Roast in a 350 degree oven for 10 minutes, then turn with a spatula and add in the thinly sliced shallots. Continue to roast for another 7-10 minutes until the sprouts are crisp-tender and just beginning to brown and the shallots are softened.

Meanwhile, line a second rimmed baking sheet with foil and lay the strips of bacon in a single layer. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 20-25 minutes turning halfway through until the bacon is crisp. Drain and cool on a paper towel-lined plate, then roughly chop into 1/4 inch strips.

In a large bowl, beat the eggs with the milk, 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper. Stir in the shredded gruyere and snipped chives.

Lightly coat an 8” pie plate with non stick spray. Layer the Brussels sprouts and bacon, then pour the egg mixture over the top. Bake the frittata for 25-30 minutes, until the center is just set. Run a rubber spatula around the edge of the frittata and slide it onto a serving plate, then cut it into 6 pieces and serve.

Re-written and adapted from Food + Wine’s Brussels Sprout, Bacon and Gruyère Frittata by Justin Chapple.

Small Kitchen Friendly?
100%. All you need is two rimmed baking sheets (you can get away with one if necessary by lining it with parchment and re-using it for the bacon), a medium cutting board, chef’s knife, 8” pie plate, medium mixing bowl, dinner plate, rubber spatula, liquid measuring cup, and measuring spoons. Aluminum foil, parchment paper, and paper towels will make clean up much simpler.

The Verdict:
The number one way I can tell if Mike likes something is when he’s willing to eat it more than one day in a row. The other mark of success is when I wish I had thought of it first, hat tip to you Mr. Chapple. In that case Brussels Sprout, Bacon and Gruyère Frittata is a total winner. The sprouts are perfectly complimented by the creaminess of the egg and cheese mixture, and the crunchy salty bacon. Definitely keeping this one in mind as winter approaches and sprouts become a go-to menu item.

Butternut Squash & Gruyere Galette

March 09, 2015 by Laura Messersmith in Cooking

The snow is still deep in Central Park, but winter seems to be easing its grip on the city; the banks along the street are beginning to recede leaving a trail of gritty treasure behind. Which means (if we’re lucky!) that spring is on its way and it’s time to get as many of the the cold weather recipes I’ve been thinking of out of my system – including this Butternut Squash & Gruyere Galette.

This recipe for a gratin written by Kimberley Hasselbrink was my introduction to the combination of butternut squash, Gruyere and toasted hazelnuts and quickly became a favorite. The rich nutty flavor of the cheese emphasized by the hazelnuts and paired with the deep roasted flavor of the caramelized onions and butternut squash is amazing.

I’ve been focused on improving my pie crust game in 2015 and combining this filling with a whole wheat crust seemed like a match made in heaven. I love the toasty flavor of the whole wheat, and the rustic appearance of a galette (or crostata if you prefer) fits beautifully with this earthy, but elegant dish.

Butternut Squash & Gruyere Galette (serves: 4-6 people)

Pastry Ingredients:
1 cup whole wheat flour
6 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/3 cup very cold water

Filling Ingredients:
2 pounds butternut squash
1 cup (1 medium) yellow onion
1/4 cup whole hazelnuts (or 1/8 cup chopped)
1/4 pound Gruyere, grated
1 egg, beaten
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh thyme
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon black pepper

Pastry Instructions:
Dice the cold unsalted butter into small cubes and measure the water. Replace both in the refrigerator while you set up and measure the remaining ingredients. In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade place the whole wheat flour and kosher salt. Pulse a few times to mix.

Add the diced, cold butter to the food processor and toss gently in the flour to coat. Watch your fingers! Replace the cover and pulse about 10-15 times until the butter is the size of peas and evenly distributed in the flour.

Lastly, slowly pour the ice water through the feed tube of the processor while pulsing the blade. As soon as the dough begins to pull together into a crumbly ball, stop pulsing the processor. Turn the pieces of dough out onto a piece of plastic wrap and use the wrap to press into a single flat disc. Refrigerate the dough for at least an hour until it becomes firm.

Filling Instructions:
Pre heat the oven to 325 degrees F.

While the dough chills, peel the butternut squash and cut in half lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds and discard (or keep if you want to toast them!) Slice both halves into semi-circles about 1/3 inch wide.

Place the butternut squash pieces on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and toss with the olive oil, apple cider vinegar, kosher salt and black pepper. Make sure the pieces are evenly coated and have space on the baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes at 325 degrees F turning the pieces over halfway through.

Peel and slice the onions into thin rings or half-moons. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a medium sauté pan over very low heat and cook the onions for 20-25 minutes until they soften and caramelize, stirring occasionally.

Toast the whole hazelnuts for 3-5 minutes in a small dry sauté pan. Keep a close watch on the nuts; shimmy the pan periodically to turn and prevent them from burning. Allow to cool and then very roughly chop to your taste. Grate or chop the gruyere.

Turn the oven up to 400 degrees F.

To assemble, roll the chilled dough out on a lightly floured surface to about 1/4 inch thick and 7-8 inches in diameter. Place the dough on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and layer the gruyere, roasted butternut squash, caramelized onions, toasted hazelnuts in the middle leaving a 1 – 1 ½ inch border. Sprinkle the layers with the fresh thyme leaves.

Fold a section of the dough border up to partially cover the filling and overlapping the extra to form pleats. Press the folds gently together and brush with the beaten egg.

Bake at 400 degrees F for 30-40 minutes, rotating the baking sheet halfway through the cooking time, until the crust is golden and the butternut squash is tender.

Allow to cool for a few minutes before serving.

Inspired by and partially adapted from Butternut Squash Gratin by Kimberley Hasselbrink for Etsy.

Small Kitchen Friendly?
Yes, with a little organization. For the pastry I used a 6 cup food processor (a large bowl and a pastry cutter, or even two butter knives will work too), a rolling pin, and measuring cups and spoons. For the filling and to finish the galette I used a large cutting board, chef’s knife, medium sauté pan, two baking sheets, a vegetable peeler, and wooden spatula. Parchment paper is also super helpful with clean up, or if you want to re-use a baking sheet.

The Verdict:
I’d like to pretend that I sat down very genteelly and had a piece of Butternut Squash & Gruyere Galette with a beautiful salad and a glass of sauvignon blanc like a grown-up. But really midway through taking the photos for this post I couldn’t resist the warm toasty whole wheat pastry wrapped around the mellow squash and caramelized onions. So, there I was standing over the table with a wedge of galette in one hand and the camera in the other. If you were here when it came out of the oven you wouldn’t blame me – I hope! This reheats in the oven nicely, so if there happen to be leftovers you’ll still be able to enjoy them the next day.

Ham and Cheese in Puff Pastry

October 08, 2014 by Laura Messersmith in Cooking with the Contessa

As inspiration for more adventurous culinary efforts I’m following along with Ina Garten, aka The Barefoot Contessa, in my tiny New York kitchen. Let’s see if I can keep up with the Contessa!

Episode: “Cocktail Hour”

The Set-up: Ina is helping her friend Jack navigate the rocky shoals of the cocktail party.

The Menu: Blue Cheese and Walnut Crackers, Roasted Shrimp Cocktail, Ham and Cheese in Puff Pastry

0:29 – Ina’s cocktail party food Pro Tip #1: Make three, assemble three. Seriously, why do I think I need to make everything or it’s somehow cheating?

1:45 – First recipe on tap: Blue Cheese and Walnut Crackers – which Ina says can be made way in advance.

2:13 – Pro Tip #2: Always use the correct measuring cups for the ingredient – dry for dry, wet for wet.

3:20 – Ina mentions that she first tried this recipe with the walnuts mixed in to the dough, but that it didn’t work well so she rolled them into an exterior crust. I’d love to hear about more Barefoot Contessa misfires – not to gloat, but to learn!

4:34 – Ina’s right - thanks to the blue cheese this dough does look bizarre and vaguely grey? Hmmm.

5:07 – As Ina does her “slice and bake” technique with the crackers she gives us Pro Tip #3: using the blade of the knife like a saw, rather than pressing straight down, prevents squishing the dough.

6:16 – Now to the question on everyone’s mind – how much to serve? Ina says three to four pieces per person, assuming your serving six different items. I suppose that means if you have ten guests it’s 6 x 3 x 10? Whoa.

9:22 – Next up, Ham and Cheese in Puff Pastry and as far as I can tell Ina has concerns for humanity if they’re not interested in eating that.

10:31 – Now I see what she means – so far there is ham and mustard and puff pastry involved – yum!

11:49 – Watching Ina slice cheese (gruyere, natch) in the food processor I’ve just come to a startling realization – Ina loves efficiency! The gleam in her eye as that cheese came out perfectly sliced in about 7 seconds tells me I’m right. Kindred spirits.

12:25 – Seriously, how does Ina get her pastry to roll out just so? Mine starts in it’s nice rectangle and ends up all wonky – what am I doing wrong?

13:57 – The Ham and Cheese in Puff Pastry has just emerged from the oven and it looks like heaven. Guess what I’ll be making…

14:32 – Now we’re getting into the assemble/buy part which consists of putting olives and almonds in bowls and arranging slices of cucumber and salami on a platter.

18:11 – Last app to make and Ina has decided on Roasted Shrimp Cocktail a sure winner.

19:30 – First a little prep to take the shells off (tail on to use as a “handle” for guests) and de-vein. The whole concept of dealing with shrimp was such a mystery to me until just a few years ago – this process baffled me until I tried it a few times.

20:23 – Cocktail sauce time – with the volume turned up, of course.

21:09 – I’ve actually made Ina’s cocktail sauce before and it is outstanding – no more bottled sauce for me.

22:40 – Shrimp are out of the oven and they look so good arranged around the central sauce bowl. Simple and delicious.

26:21 – Jack has arrived for lessons on setting up the bar and if the major side-eye he’s giving is any indication there’s more than a little uncertainty that he’s up to the challenge.

27:03 – First the patented Ina buffet table cloth folding lesson and glass arrangement strategy. There is a reason this woman is famous for her entertaining – what a pro!

28:15 – I feel like Jack might be a ringer sent in to ask questions for us like “How many glasses per person?” Pro Tip #4: Order 3 glasses per person from the rental company to avoid running out.

28:42 – Ina also recommends scotch, vodka, bourbon and rum in addition to soft drinks and water for the bar.

29:56 – Fast forward to the night of Jack’s cocktail party – Ina has stopped in to check on her student. Wisecracks about how “straight” the line of glasses are flow like “good bourbon” and Jack apple-polishes a little with vodka on the rocks for his professor. Extra credit.

Final Thoughts:

I really would love to hear more about Ina’s kitchen disasters & also-rans – I’m pretty sure she’s mainly self-taught and I bet there were some good learning experiences.

I need to practice that table cloth folding technique but I don’t have one quite that big – maybe a large flat sheet would work?

I’ve never thought to bribe a teacher with booze, but I bet it’s effective…

Lessons Learned:

Ham and Cheese in Puff Pastry is a recipe almost entirely about assembly of ingredients rather than a great deal of cooking, which makes it incredibly simple and frankly the results are pretty impressive for the amount of effort it takes.

The trickiest part is dealing with the puff pastry – after defrosting a box of two sheets over night in the refrigerator I rolled out one of the sheets an inch or so in each direction. I’d highly recommend doing the rolling on a piece of parchment paper that can then just be lifted onto a sheet pan – even straight from the refrigerator the puff pastry gets sticky fairly quickly and this step saves on flouring your countertop and therefore extra clean up.

I used the (now) slightly larger sheet as the bottom layer – spread the mustard (I mixed two teaspoons each Maille whole grain and Gulden’s spicy brown), ham, and gruyere leaving a border – and placed the un-rolled second sheet of pastry on top. Having the bottom crust a little larger allows it to fold up around the filling really easily.

I came across another blogger (Joy the Baker) who made this recipe and suggested assembling ahead of time, refrigerating, and doing the egg wash and baking steps the next morning for an easy brunch dish. BRILLIANT. Pastry needs to be cold anyway, and putting the main course for brunch in the oven while still in your proverbial bunny slippers only to have it emerge golden a mere 20 – 25 minutes later makes you appear to be a domestic goddess on par with Nigella. Again, this all happens with minimal effort.

Small Kitchen Friendly?

Yes, a surprise considering that it involves a rolling pin. I also used a sheet pan, small cutting board, chef’s knife, measuring spoons, a pastry brush, fork and a small bowl. I also can’t recommend parchment paper (not waxed paper or foil) enough for this – a great help.

The Verdict:

I made Ham and Cheese in Puff Pastry for Mike and my parents during their visit and served it for brunch on Sunday morning. This is essentially the flavors of croque monsieur (pastry + mustard + ham + cheese = how bad could that be?) in alternate form and turned out buttery, flaky and delicious. Also, surprisingly filling despite it’s low-key appearance. We all loved it and really wanted seconds, but were unexpectedly full after relatively modest servings. I went with sweet red grapes and blueberry muffins as sides, but you could easily take this in a more “lunch-y” direction with a side salad or soup. This one is multi-tasking winner!

Croque Monsieur a la Aquitaine

September 09, 2014 by Laura Messersmith in Cooking

A few years ago when Mike and I were back in Boston I tried a French bistro classic for the first time. We had the afternoon to ourselves while we waited for our friends to finish their work days and decided a leisurely lunch at Aquitaine in the South End was the best way to pass the time. That lunch stands out in my memory for the relaxed pace of the day and the deliciousness of the food – beautifully smooth tomato bisque, a bright vinegary salad, and the star: a crisp, buttery Croque Monsieur.

Since then I’ve ordered the CM on other occasions and discovered - somewhat to my disappointment - that what I believed to be the ‘traditional’ style was actually Aquitaine’s own method. Research on the semi-reliable internet tells me that Aquitaine dips their CMs in a little egg and then cooks the sandwiches underneath a hot brick for an crisp exterior and a slightly flattened sandwich. Instead of cheese melted over the top; all the delicious Gruyere and its accompanying ham are contained in the crunchy bread for something more akin to a panini by way of a Monte Cristo sandwich. Photo evidence here.

After some experimenting (blame my need for a really good, crunchy bread for the lateness of this post) I give you my tribute to the flavors and textures I remember from that afternoon when I learned that grilled cheese could be grown-up and elegant.

I love serving this toasty sandwich with an extra schmere of whole grain mustard and a bunch of cool green grapes or a small pile of salad dressed with the same vinaigrette that goes in the spread. Maybe a glass of sauvignon blanc? Instant bistro.

Croque Monsieur a la Aquitaine (serves 4)

4 teaspoons whole grain mustard, like Maille Old Style
4 teaspoons creamy vinaigrette (see recipe below)
1/2 pound gruyere cheese, finely grated
4 thin slices Virginia ham
8 slices country bread, about 1/3" thick
4 tablespoons softened butter

In a small bowl, stir together the whole grain mustard and the creamy vinaigrette (recipe below) until well mixed. Spread one side the bread with a thin layer (about 1/2 teaspoon) of the mustard mixture and the other side with a thin layer of the softened butter.

Arrange the bread on a plate, buttered sides down. Divide half the grated gruyere among four slices of bread and top the cheese with a piece of Virginia ham. Sprinkle the other half of the gruyere over the ham - again, dividing equally among the sandwiches - and top with the remaining slices of bread, mustard-side in.

Meanwhile, heat a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Press the sandwiches down gently to keep the halves together and place in the hot skillet.

Cook 3-4 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Resist the urge to crowd the pan. Repeat the procedure with remaining sandwiches keeping the first batch warm in a 200 degree oven.

Cut in half with a serrated knife and serve hot.

Creamy Vinaigrette (adapted from Ina Garten)

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 tablespoons Champagne vinegar
Pinch sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 large egg yolk
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Instructions:

In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade combine the vinegars, sugar, salt, pepper, and egg yolk and blend for 1 minute. With the motor running, slowly pour the olive oil through the feed tube until the vinaigrette is thickened. Season, to taste. The dressing will last in the refrigerator for 2-3 weeks, so wash out an old jam jar and save it!

Small Kitchen Friendly?

Oui. I used a 4 cup food processor, 10” cast iron skillet, microplane grater, liquid measuring cup and measuring spoons, and a small bowl along with a medium sized cutting board and serrated knife. A metal spatula will make life easy for turning and pressing the sandwiches.

The Verdict

The extra effort to get the bread crunchy and toasted was so worth it. The gruyere is nutty and rich, while the ham adds a little bulk and saltiness – add in the tang of the vinaigrette & mustard mix and you’re in business. This is definitely a “grilled cheese” that I’d serve to guests for a casual lunch and it’s perfect a day when Mike and I need a little spoiling and only fancy sandwiches will do.