The Popper Frittata

Printable version

A frittata is an Italian omelet with ingredients mixed into the eggs as opposed to the French omelet that is folded around the ingredients. A frittata is more like an egg pie cooked slower and usually finished under a broiler, while the French omelet acts as a wrap for the ingredients, cooked over higher heat and finished fairly quickly.

I prefer making omelets the Italian way. So I guess I like making frittatas. I have tried making traditional French omelets before and had disastrous results. After watching Tyler Florence make one on the Food Network – and make it look incredibly easy, I decided to make one for breakfast. By lunch time, I had picked one attempt off the floor and thrown it away, and the second attempt became scrambled eggs with sausage and green peppers. Frittatas are much easier with identical flavors.

For this recipe, I take the ingredients common to jalapeño poppers and distribute them throughout a frittata. The cream and cheddar cheeses add a decedent richness while the bacon and jalapeño provide a nice flavor punch.

BEHIND THIS BITE
As a recipe developer, I stand behind all of my published creations. I have eaten everyone of the recipes on this site, and the photos are of the actual meals. There is no half cooked pasta and I've never used a curling iron to create grill marks to get a good shot. They are the real deal.

That said, some recipes are a cut above the others in appearance and flavor. This frittata is one of them. If I owned a restaurant it would be on the menu. It has a lot of bacon – which is a winner almost every time – but the star is the cream cheese and drizzle of ranch dressing as garnish. The two combine to create a rich creaminess not found in 99 percent of the omelets, or frittatas, I have ever eaten.

The recipe calls for ranch to be optional because ranch is often an optional dip with poppers and I wanted to stay true to that. I highly recommend that if you try this you use it though. I can’t wait to make this one again!

Eat well, cook often ...

THE RECIPE
Serves 4; 30 minutes
1/2 lb Bacon, diced
3 Jalapeños, diced
1/2 C Onion, diced
6 Eggs
1 C Cheddar cheese, shredded
4 oz Cream cheese, cubed
Ranch dressing and cilantro for garnish

Cook bacon
In an oven safe 12-inch skillet over medium heat cook bacon until cooked through, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove to a paper towel lined plate. Discard all but 1 tablespoon of oil.

Sauté veggies, add eggs, cheeses
Saute onion and jalapeno until soft, 3 to  4 minutes. Crack eggs into a bowl and whisk together, sat and pepper to taste. Pour into skillet then add cheddar cheese, cream cheese and bacon. Cook until egg is set on bottom 5 to 6 minutes

Finish and serve
Place skillet under broiler in the oven and cook until top of eggs has set and cheese is melted, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove, slice and serve.

Omelet Casserole

Printable version

Recently, I was asked to make a few brunch items for a party where 200 were expected. The first thing I thought of was an omelet casserole my Mom makes at Christmas.

She told me it was a recipe used by the ladies at St. John Bosco Church for their annual breakfast for high school graduates. She has helped put on the event for years and has access to the recipes. She granted me permission to use it, but I had to say 48 Hail Marys and 36 Our Fathers in exchange.

For this recipe, I make the St. John Bosco omelet casserole. I simplify it by using a bag of sausage skillet to replace a few fresh ingredients. The modification was made to save time because I had to make three pans of this for the party. The change doesn’t effect the overall taste and more importantly, it keeps the original recipe safe. I wouldn’t want to be excommunicated from the church for taking a secret dish from the ladies of St. John Bosco and publishing it in the local newspaper. 

BEHIND THIS BITE
This was one of three dishes I made for a family member’s graduation party. It was a late morning/early afternoon celebration that featured a brunch menu. Most people had multiple graduation parties that day and starting it off with a tasty brunch was a home run for those who attended. The other two dishes we’re biscuits and gravy and – the big hit of the party – french toast casserole. (French toast casserole is another gem that the ladies at St. John Bosco make. I’ll make it for the blog in the future – after I’ve said another 319 Hail Marys and 426 Our Fathers.) My mom insisted on making it for the party - which she did.

I went with the omelet casserole for the print column because of it’s ease. It has a wonderful flavor and it can feed a lot of people. It’s perfect for a breakfast or brunch party and the toughest part is cracking the eggs.

Although this was a brunch party, I think that the breakfast dishes would be a fun idea for a party in the evening, just for a different twist. I love breakfast food and could eat this dish for any meal of the day. Throw in a side of biscuits and gravy and I’ll be in culinary breakfast heaven.

Eat well, cook often ...