Course: Brunch

Ricotta Toast with Morel Mushrooms and Asparagus

If you have become a bit tired of avocado toast, you may want to consider swapping out the avocados for ricotta. Don’t get me wrong, no disrespect to avocado toast. I love it, I eat it often, but sometimes I want something a little different. Ricotta is light and airy and perfect with so many different topping.

Ricotta toast is something that I have eaten since I was a kid. Every Italian family keeps ricotta in the fridge. You still get the rich, creamy spread you are used to from avocado toast but a whole new universe of flavors opens up for you. Ricotta can easily be used either in sweet or savory dishes, think lasagna versus cannoli.

In New York, you can find fresh ricotta at many Italian markets. Have you had fresh ricotta? It is so creamy and delicious. I die. Literally. Well, I guess figuratively but still you cannot even at how good it is. I haven’t tried making it at home although I have been told (and this video confirms) that it is really easy to make.

How to Make Fresh Ricotta

I like to use a hearty, rustic bread for the toast. For the toppings on this ricotta toast, I used morel mushrooms which were foraged from the woods near my friend Rachael’s home in Missoula, Montana. I was so excited to get a package from her with bunches of morel mushrooms. What a treat! I made this Pizza with Morel Mushrooms and Green Onions using some of the mushrooms from that same haul.

If Rachael didn’t send you any morels and you couldn’t find them locally, I would swap them out for cremini or button mushrooms. Not quite the panache of morels but still a nice meaty texture to complement the ricotta. I also used some beautiful, medium-sized asparagus chopped into bite-sized pieces to top the Ricotta toast.

Ricotta toast with morel mushrooms and asparagus can really be eaten for any meal. I prefer savory foods in the morning and devoured the toasts on Sunday morning for brunch with coffee. But, served with a green salad or soup, the ricotta toast would also make a perfect light lunch or dinner. Plus, it is so quick and easy to make. Basically, you a few minutes to chop the mushrooms and asparagus, a few minutes to sauté them, and the time it takes to toast the bread. Brilliant when you don’t want to fuss in the kitchen on a weeknight.

Dutch Baby Pancake

Who likes recipes that involve less than five ingredients, can be blitzed up in a blender, and takes under thirty minutes to bake? *raises hand*

The Dutch baby pancake meets these criteria. You simply put eggs, flour, milk, and seasonings into a blender and pour the batter into a hot skillet which contains melted butter. Let’s talk about Dutch baby pancakes. Have you ever had one?

For the uninitiated, Dutch baby pancakes come out of the oven as light, puffy, golden brown, eggy pancake. Have your cameras ready if you want to Instagram this dish because the puff of the pancake is short-lived. Within minutes, the air comes out of the Dutch baby and it flattens out to a slightly less photogenic but still absolutely delicious dish. The video uses a slightly different recipe but will show you the process of making a Dutch baby pancake.

How-to Make Dutch Baby Pancakes

Dutch baby pancakes are typically served for breakfast or brunch. I love to eat a Dutch Baby pancake with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and a sprinkle of powdered sugar. But, served with mixed berries and maple syrup is also delicious. How does lemon curd and strawberries sound to you? Or, wouldn’t sauteed apples and sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar be scrumptious? Let’s face it, any fruit that is in season is a perfect accompaniment to a Dutch baby pancake.

Once you make a Dutch baby pancake, you may find that your imagination runs wild thinking about the possibilities. Please tell me that your imagination runs wild when you make a delicious recipe. I find myself thinking about what else would taste great on this light and fluffy pancake. What savory toppings can I pair with it to turn this into a savory dinner?

This recipe for a savory Dutch baby pancake from the NY Time includes fresh herbs in the batter and is sprinkled with salty, nutty Parmesan cheese while it bakes. OMG. Yum! I must try that recipe soon. I imagine pairing it with a salad and glass of crisp, white wine.

Enough daydreaming, let me encourage you to try making a Dutch baby pancake this week. You will impress yourself and your people as you take it from the oven in all its glory. I use my 10-inch cast iron skillet to bake the Dutch baby. If you don’t have a cast iron skillet then a similarly sized baking dish will do in a pinch.

Other recipes full of eggy goodness that you might be interested in:

Parmesan Prosciutto Twists

I always have a box or two of puff pastry in my freezer. It is a staple because you can use it to make delicious sweet or savory foods. I am especially fond of using puff pastry for savory snacks to accompany drinks when friends come over. Wouldn’t these Parmesan Prosciutto Twists be delicious with a glass of wine?

I would also love to serve them with soup. You could dip the Parmesan Prosciutto twists in the soup. Yum! It might even be better than dipping a grilled cheese sandwich in tomato soup. However, last weekend I made these Parmesan Prosciutto twists for brunch and served them with sunny side up eggs. Twists and yolks for the win. Am I right? Wouldn’t they also be elegant served with soft-boiled eggs in those adorable decorative egg cups?

For those of you do not eat meat, you can simply omit the Prosciutto from this recipe to make a delicious vegetarian twist.

Puff pastry is easy to work with so try it if you have not worked with it before. You will find it in the freezer section of your grocery store. Then, store it in the freezer until needed. I typically remove it from the freezer and put it in the fridge to thaw the night before I plan to use it.

If you like cooking with puff pastry, you may want to check out this recipe for Winter Squash & Havarti Puffs.

Clean Out the Fridge Frittata

Don’t you hate getting ready to leave town with a drawer full of veggies in the vegetable drawer of your fridge? Or, sometimes you have leftovers vegetables that you just can’t face warming up again.

In these cases, I like to whip up a veggie frittata. Making a frittata is a workhorse skill in the kitchen that you will want to master. Frittatas can be served warm or cold. For breakfast or brunch, I would serve with fresh fruit and oven roasted potatoes. You can easily pair the frittata with a salad or soup and bread for a satisfying lunch or light supper.

Frittatas travel well for potlucks and make fabulous leftovers. Have I convinced you that you should start making frittatas? I hope so.