POACHED EGGS WITH TOMATO CONFIT, AVOCADO + BLOOD ORANGE ARUGULA SALAD
Easter is a time of year that I find myself longing to be with family and friends, gathered around a table for a special brunch. Since we live so far from our families, it has become a yearly ritual to share a meal with close friends here in Los Angeles, sometimes a larger group at a fancy hotel and other times just a handful of folks at a simple café.
I’m the type of person who will choose a savory breakfast over a sweet one, whether it’s an omelet instead of pancakes or a bagel over donuts. Even on the mornings that I wake up craving something sweet like waffles, if you put a menu in front of me, I’ll be swayed towards the savory every time.
My favorite breakfast is the California Benedict – buttery avocados balanced by the acidity of tomatoes, a decadent Hollandaise sauce combined with the richness of poached eggs. It is the perfect blend of flavors, a dish that lends comfort and satisfaction at the start of the day.
I first had a California Benedict at a tiny café in Solvang called The Little Mermaid. (The town is Danish so Hans Christian Andersen is highly lauded in the area.) We stumbled onto this quaint restaurant when I surprised my husband with a trip to Santa Barbara wine country back in 2003, when we were still dating. After a lovely weekend of tasting wines in the pastoral California countryside, we fell hard under the spell of wine country, so much so that, we designed our invitations and wedding envelopes with the colors from this place and got married there.
We now venture back once or twice a year, picnicking and winetasting at our favorite vineyards. No trip was ever complete without popping into the Little Mermaid for breakfast. But much to my dismay, the restaurant is now closed, leaving me no choice but to try and recreate those flavors on my own. This is my spin on the traditional California Benedict. I lightened up the dish by skipping the Hollandaise sauce and English muffin and adding a simple arugula salad with a blood orange vinaigrette.
Tomato confit elevates the dish for a festive Easter brunch. Confit sounds a bit intimidating. But it’s actually quite simple. It just means to slowly cook and preserve something in its own fat. While tomatoes are not cooked in their own fat, they can be slow roasted and preserved in olive oil, leaving you with a vibrantly infused oil and wonderfully savory confit.
I added in chicken apple sausage for the hunters, a slice of rustic bread for the gatherers and frico (crunchy parmesan crisps) for both. These recipes are arranged in the order that I made them. At the end, dress the salad and assemble on plate, top with poached eggs and tomato confit, add either sausage or bread, and garnish with frico. Such a satisfying meal to please all palates!
TOMATO CONFIT
Ingredients (serves 4):
2 lbs tomatoes (I love Heirloom but Roma are great too)
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
4-5 thyme sprigs
1 tsp Herbes de Provence
2 bay leaves
2 garlic cloves
1 tsp coarse sea salt
½ packet Splenda
Directions:
Preheat oven to 250°. Pour half of olive oil into shallow baking dish. Slice tomatoes in half and place cut side down in dish, wiggling to ensure the cut sides are coated in oil. Drizzle remaining olive oil over top of tomatoes. Sprinkle with sea salt. Add in thyme, garlic cloves, Herbes de Provence, bay leaves and Splenda. Roast for 2 hours. Let stand until room temperature. Use immediately or transfer to container, covering tomatoes with oil from baking sheet (can add extra oil on top if needed). Store in fridge for a week, or in freezer up to a few months.Recipe adapted from Bon Appétit via Epicurious
FRICO (Recipe from Giada De Laurentiis)
Ingredients (serves 4):
½ cup grated Parmesan
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400°. Line baking sheet with silicone or parchment. Spoon 1 tablespoon of Parmesan onto baking sheet and pat down. Repeat, spacing piles ½ inch apart. Bake 3-5 minutes until golden. Let cool.
ARUGULA SALAD WITH BLOOD ORANGE VINAIGRETTE
Ingredients (serves 4):
1 bunch arugula
2 ripe avocados, sliced lengthwise
2-3 blood oranges
¼ olive oil
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 shallot clove, diced
Salt and pepper
Directions:
Dice shallot. Squeeze juice from 2-3 blood oranges. Whisk juice with olive oil, balsamic vinegar and shallots. Season with salt and pepper. Slice avocados lengthwise and arrange slices over arugula. Drizzle dressing over salad just before serving.
POACHED EGGS
Ingredients (serves 4):
8 eggs
2 tbsp white vinegar
Salt and pepper
Directions:
Set eggs out and bring to room temperature. Fill large shallow pot with three inches of water. Add in vinegar, bring to a boil and then reduce to simmer. Break eggs into small cups or bowls and gently slide the eggs into the simmering water (only cook four eggs at a time to avoid over-crowding or bringing water temperature down). Softly nudge the whites toward the yolks using the back of a large spoon, then leave alone. Simmer for 3 minutes for runnier eggs, or 5 minutes for firmer eggs. Remove with slotted spoon, allowing excess water to drain off. Season with salt and pepper.