Still shy about entertaining at home? Fear not, because hosting may be simpler than you think, and having friends over for brunch is a great way to start.
The meal need not be complicated, nor should it be a challenge. If you can crack a few eggs and add some ingredients, you’re already a few steps into the process. Easy, right? NJ HOME wants to make it easier.
Below are two dishes, seafood quiche and eggs Florentine, that are perfect for the brunch crowd. Each dish features the incredible edible egg, and both are ideal for the first meal of the day. As for the mimosas and bloody Marys, we’ll leave those for you to plan.
Seafood Quiche
Yields 8 servings
Ingredients
- 4 eggs
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream
- ½ cup unsweetened almond milk
- 1 tsp. olive oil
- ½ cup onions, chopped
- ¼ cup green peppers, chopped
- ¼ cup red peppers, chopped
- ½ cup cheddar cheese, shredded
- ½ cup Swiss cheese, shredded
- 1 tsp. seafood seasoning
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 sheet refrigerated pie crust
- 8 oz. lump crab meat
- 8 oz. raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F. Unroll the crust into a 9-inch pie plate. Cover the pie crust with parchment paper and load pie weights or dry beans over the paper and pie plate. This will anchor the crust as it bakes. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove the pie crust and set aside.
Combine the eggs, cream and almond milk in a large bowl. Heat a skillet on medium-high heat and add in the olive oil, red peppers, onions and green peppers. Cook for 3-4 minutes until the onions are translucent and fragrant.
Remove the vegetables from the skillet and add them to the bowl with the eggs and milk.
Add in the lump crab, shrimp and both of the cheeses. Stir to combine. Pour the egg and seafood filling over the pie crust. Bake for 20 minutes.
Adjust the temperature to 300°F and bake an additional 15-30 minutes until the quiche has set. The edges should appear firm, and there should be a slight jiggle in the center of the quiche. Add additional bake time if necessary. Allow the quiche to cool for at least 20 minutes prior to slicing.
Eggs Florentine
Yields 4 servings
Ingredients
For the hollandaise sauce
- 3 large egg yolks
- 2 sticks plus 5 Tbs. unsalted butter, diced, at room temperature
- salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- lemon juice, freshly squeezed
For the Eggs Florentine
- 2 Tbs. unsalted butter
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 10 cups baby spinach leaves, washed
- salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- nutmeg, freshly ground
- 2 Tbs. distilled white vinegar
- 4 large eggs
- 4 slices buttered toast
- cress or chives, finely chopped, for garnish
Directions
Place a saucepan of water over medium heat. You want the water to be simmering, not boiling. Place a heatproof bowl containing the egg yolks over but not touching the pan of water. Start whisking immediately.
Slowly add the butter to the egg yolks, a few pieces at a time, whisking vigorously until it’s incorporated before adding more butter. Keep the temperature beneath the butter on low and take your time, adding the butter slowly. The key thing here is low and slow so the eggs do not scramble. Instead, you want to emulsify the egg and butter together.
Keep cooking and stirring until the hollandaise sauce has thickened enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon. If it gets too thick, add a splash of cold water. Season to taste with salt and pepper and add a squeeze of lemon juice for a touch of sharpness to smooth out that creamy richness.
Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Pour in the heavy cream, and let simmer for a minute or so, until it starts to reduce and thicken. Throw in the spinach leaves and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until the leaves have wilted. Pull the skillet from the heat and season the spinach with salt, pepper and the nutmeg.
Fill a deepish saucepan with about 3 inches of water and bring it to a gentle, not rolling boil. Add the vinegar and stir to make a whirlpool effect. Crack the 4 eggs carefully into the pot. The whirlpool and the vinegar will help each egg white stay together rather than stretch into some ghastly amoeba-like shape.
Allow the eggs to gently simmer for 2 to 3 minutes. You’re aiming for a wobbly but well-cooked white with a runny yolk. Using a slotted spoon, gently move the eggs to a paper-towel-lined plate to soak up the excess water.
Top the buttered toast with the creamed spinach. If you’ve got the time and the inclination, you can cut the toast into circles just slightly larger than the egg using a biscuit cutter. Carefully place an egg on top of each stack and spoon a generous helping of hollandaise on top. Garnish the eggs Florentine with the cress or chives.
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