In the Kitchen: Weekend Baking & Brunching

I'll never pass up the opportunity to host and entertain - even if it means comfortably cramming 12 lovely ladies into my small studio apartment for an all-afternoon brunch this past weekend.  Baked, brunched and conquered - with a solid balance of health, indulgence, seasonal ingredients (and a few pear-peach mimosas) in mind.  From the mushroom-caramelized onion quiche to coffee cake & apple butter to spinach salad with roasted butternut squash, dried cherries and goat cheese, there's nothing better than a long, leisurely, boozy brunch and great conversation.  Wondering how I pulled it off in my pint-sized apartment?  Pre-planning and prepping and strategic placement of nearly every inch of my studio.  Here's how...

dahlias & cockscomb for color, marcona almonds for nibbling, pellegrino 

& a pitcher of mimosas set on the coffee table

a simple standby - cheese, crackers & concord grapes 

 sweet treats displayed on my desk: sour cream coffee cake, pecan cookies with spiced-caramel 

& a bowl of pastel-hued macaroons

 glasses & extra fresh-squeezed juices arranged atop an antique wooden armoire

quiche for the cutting - mushroom, thyme & caramelized onion 

and Swiss chard with fresh ricotta and parmesan

For a quick bonus, here's the recipe for the Swiss chard, ricotta & parmesan frittata above. 

Swiss Chard, Ricotta & Parmesan Frittata

serves 8 to 10

2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil

1 small shallot minced

1 bunch rainbow Swiss chard, stems cut and set aside

6 eggs

3/4 cup fresh ricotta

1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese divided *I had pecorino romano cheese on hand and used that instead

pinch of cayenne pepper

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Preheat the oven to 375.  In a large saute pan, cook Swiss chard stems with 1 tablespoon of water for about 2 minutes.  Set aside in a small bowl.  Heat olive oil in pan and saute shallots for 1 minutes on medium-high heat.  Add in Swiss chard leaves and stems and saute for 3 to 4 minutes until soft and wilted.  

In a mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, ricotta, and half of the parmesan, cayenne pepper and nutmeg.  Add in Swiss chard and shallots and mix well. 

In a tart or pie pan, pour in egg-Swiss chard mixture and sprinkle the remaining parmesan cheese over top.  Bake for 25-30 minutes until the top is golden brown.

Sunday Brunch :: Potato, Leek & Fontina Frittata

What could be better on a Sunday morning than a sunshine-filled brunch out on my balcony with the NY Times and a quick and simple frittata? My relaxing brunch was followed with a trip up to Architectural Digest's Home Design Show at Pier 94 to check out some inspiring tableware designs. Photos to come tomorrow...

Potato, Leek & Fontina Frittata

serves 4 to 6

1 Tbsp unsalted butter
1/3 cup thinly sliced leeks
3 small baby potatoes, boiled until soft (or microwaved for 2 minutes) and cut into thin slices
1/2 cup grated fontina cheese
6 eggs
1/4 tsp salt, or more to taste
freshly ground black pepper to taste

Preheat broiler. In a medium skillet over medium-high heat, saute leeks and potato slices in butter for 3 to 4 minutes. Whisk together fontina, eggs, salt and pepper. Pour egg mixture into pan over leeks and potato and cook until frittata is almost set, about 4 or 5 minutes. Place skillet under broiler for 3 to 4 minutes until golden brown.

Round out the meal with a simple salad of mixed greens (I used the leftover blood orange vinaigrette from last week's beet salad) and sparkling water with fresh orange slices.