three tops and a frittata!
no poached pears for you! (yet)
Well, girls, we made it! The top three! For those of you who never saw me as a top—look at me now, baby.
If you want a recipe for what I think is, quite literally, the best, easiest, most fun frittata ever (no offense, Robbie), skip on down. If you want to read some thoughts—here we go!
If I’m being honest, I finally watched last week’s episode tonight (tonight is Tuesday) for two reasons. One, this past weekend was our first virgo supperclub of the year (we’ll talk more about that soon), and there was A LOT to do. Two, this past week wasn’t my… best week in the Test Kitchen. Yeah, I’m a baby, and I didn’t want to watch myself struggle. I’m fragile sometimes. Sue me! (Please don’t sue me.)
Obviously, I knew before the episode aired how I did, and I was already reluctant to jump in as soon as it was available like I usually do. In the hours after it came out, I got a lot of messages along the lines of “I was on the edge of my seat!” and “You had me nervous!” and “Were you so scared, I would have been so scared!” Reader, this did not entice me to press play!!
I hope you all are rolling your eyes because I am rolling my eyes at myself. “Get over yourself!” I yelled at… myself. And so I did. I finally watched it, and… damn, do I love Robbie and Marc and Antoniette. I loved being in that kitchen with them, and I loved watching the judges talk about our food. Even the tough stuff.
I literally teared up watching Robbie present his cake to the judges. My baby can smile and laugh! There is a secret joy inside of Robbie, and it peeked out a little bit, and I’m happy everyone got to see it. Marc and his husband Ryan... bitch. What a love story! Did I tear up again watching Marc talk about him? Maybe. Maybe I did! And hearing Antoniette talk through cook her first three-course meal—talking about “I hope I can pull it off.” Antoniette is the queen of ‘fake it till you make it.’ Except, she’s never actually faking it. She just really is that good.
And, by the end, we have a top three! My high-risk, high-reward cooking paid off. I can’t believe it’s all over next week. Final episode, here we gooooo!!!!!
And speaking of high-risk, high-reward cooking, virgo supperclub! In this case, though, the high risk is mitigated by lots of recipe development and testing and also by Lara, my angel and partner (in virgo supperclub but also probably in life?).
Cooking five courses, shaking three cocktails, and serving all of that to our gorgeous 23 guests was really a dream come true. I love being in the kitchen with her, and WE HAD SO MUCH FUN WITH THIS MENU. Sorry for yelling, but, well, it’s worth yelling about. Here’s the Instagram if you want to check out the food. You should definitely check out the food.
And now, on to the frittata.
The frittata
I love a frittata. I love a frittata for breakfast. I love it for lunch. I love it for dinner. There really isn’t a time I don’t love a frittata. I cook them a lot. Here’s proof.
Like I said earlier, I have been feeling… fragile this week. Maybe the moon is doing something weird, or Venus is, like, retrograde or something like that. Either way, I have been in desperate need of someone to pat me on the head and give me a little kiss and tell me everything is fine. And sometimes, when you’re a single gal in a big city, that someone has gotta be a frittata, mama!
And so I made myself a little frittata, and I’ve gotta tell you, I do indeed feel better. I can’t guarantee that this frittata will soothe all your sorrows, but I can promise that making yourself something warm and delicious and a little decadent (and all in, like, 20 minutes!) will be a nice reminder that no matter what, you can take care of yourself. Sappy? Who cares! I blame Venus!
The frittata: ingredients
A good frittata doesn’t require very many ingredients. And most of these are swappable or omittable.
This is a frittata for one (or maybe two, but probably one). You can double the recipe and make it for two (but actually probably four—I’ve never been very good at math, but in my world, it works out like that). Anyway!
4 eggs: I’m sorry for another egg recipe given the current circumstances, but you’re worth it!
1 large leek: You could also use a big bunch of scallions. Or four small shallots. Or a lot of mushrooms. Or a small bunch of broccolini. Or a medium-sized bunch of asparagus. Whatever vegetable you’ve got can probably be frittataed. My preference is for something that’s going to give a lot of texture and something nice to bite into. Choose your own adventure.
1/3 cup + 2 tbsp sour cream: If you don’t have sour cream, you can use greek yogurt. But seriously, I’ve said it a million times—just have sour cream on hand! (But also, greek yogurt is great here too.)
2 tbsp olive oil: This is for searing the veggies and coating the pan, so your frittata doesn’t stick. In the spirit of true transparency, my frittata stuck when I was testing this recipe! I will show you the evidence soon. You might need more than two tablespoons!
2 tbsp sesame oil: This one isn’t mandatory, but it’s really nice. If you don’t have sesame oil in your pantry, this is a great excuse to get some and keep it around. Much like sour cream, I think it’s a pantry must-have.
2 tbsp sambal: Also not mandatory, but really worth it. Much like sour cream and sesame oil, I think it’s a pantry must-have. If you’ve got sriracha on hand, you can use an amount of that instead, but seriously, get some sambal. If you’ve got neither, you could use some crushed red chili flakes or whatever spicy stuff you have on hand.
~1 tbsp furikake: Again, not mandatory. If you have toasted sesame seeds hanging around, you could use those too. Not a pantry must-have (for me) but a pantry really-nice-to-have because the topping possibilities are endless.
kosher salt: just to taste, so no measurements, sorry!
The frittata: method
Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees. Next, prep your leek (or veggies of your choice). Leeks are gritty and sandy and need a good washing. For this preparation, though, I like the meatiness of a half-leek, and I also like how it looks when you sear it down the middle. Thus, you should cut your leek in half length-wise and then width-wise. I also chop off the darker green tops and slice them thin. That way, there’s still a little leek in every frittata bite. If that sounds confusing, no worries. Here’s what I mean.
So, trim and slice the tops, then cut it in half, and then cut those halves in half. Rinse them but keep them together. See? Easy.
Next, heat a large, oven-safe skillet (I used a 10-inch cast iron!) over high heat and add two tablespoons of olive oil. Once the oil is hot, add the halved leeks cut side down, and scatter the remaining leeks around. Turn the heat down to medium and cover the pan. My cast iron doesn’t have a lid, so I set a sheet tray down on top. If you’re doing this, be careful because it will get hot! Use an oven mitt to remove it when it’s time!
The leek should cook until the bottom is brown and charred and it’s fork-tender (about 5-7 minutes). This is an important part because the browning is where you’re going to get a lot of flavor. If you’re not using leeks, this is still how you want to cook the veggies—relatively high heat, not a lot of moving around. Get those babies brown!
While that happens, prepare your eggs.
Combine four eggs with two tablespoons of sour cream (or greek yogurt), one tablespoon of sesame oil (if you’re not using, I don’t have a swap, just omit!), one tablespoon of sambal (or whatever spicy stuff you’re using), and a big pinch of kosher salt. Now beat it all together! If you’ve got a whisk, this is a great time to use it. It’s important to make sure the sour cream is entirely incorporated—you can do it with a fork, but a whisk will make easier work of the whole situation!
Once your leeks are done (again, five to seven minutes), remove the lid, kill the heat, and get ready to add your egg mixture. But first! Give your pan a good look. Does it look like there’s enough oil there? It should look slick—not a pool of oil, but a good, healthy coating. If you’re using non-stick, you’re probably fine. If you’re not, make sure! Now, pour the egg mixture into the pan, and then immediately transfer it, uncovered, to the oven.
Your frittata should be done in 8-10 minutes. Probably closer to 8. Just keep an eye on it. I don’t need too much color on the top of my frittata because there’s so much browning on the side that you’ll flip up. Plus! You don’t want it to overcook and get tough. Trust yourself. You’ve got this.
While your frittata finishes in the oven, make your bonus topping. Combine the 1/3 cup of sour cream (or greek yogurt!) with one tablespoon of sesame oil, one tablespoon of sambal (or sriracha, or you could use lemon juice if you wanted something tangy instead of spicy), and a small pinch of kosher salt. Mix it and set it aside.
Once your frittata is done, and out of the oven, it’s time to flip! The moment of truth. Use a spatula or a fork to gently pull the frittata's edges away from the pan's edges, just to loosen things up. Next, place a plate overtop and carefully flip the entire thing over. Use oven mitts or a dry kitchen towel to hold the pan, as it will be hot!
If all has gone according to plan, it will release easy peasy, and you will be left with a perfect frittata. If not, you will find yourself where I found myself while testing this recipe!
For final plating, spread your topping mixture in the center of the frittata (or, just off-center to cover the most egregious hole where the frittata stuck to the pan!) and sprinkle a tablespoon of furikake over the whole thing. And maybe even a little final drizzle of sesame oil just for good measure.
Now, go forth and frittata! Give yourself a little kiss and know that against all odds, things are going to be ok. Have fun! Live your dreams!
mwah,
Garrett