Herbed Chevre & Caramelized Shallot Frittata
September 8, 2011Just typing that heading made me hungry. It was also the longest title I have ever given a post, but please don’t let that seem daunting, because it really is not. I really only cook things that use a few ingredients, but I try and use the best stuff I can find. We get the most amazing eggs from the organic farm stands on Vashon, so I find we prepare quite a few egg dishes when we are on the island. This is one of my favorites.
This frittata feeds 2. Break 5 eggs into a bowl, add a splash of milk, a few pinches of salt, a pinch of pepper and whisk together. Set aside. Turn on broiler in your oven so it will be ready for when you need it. Take one shallot and dice it, medium diced. You will want to use a non-stick skillet that can go in the oven for both the shallots and the frittata. Add enough olive oil to cover the bottom of the skillet. Once it is heated, add the shallots and cook them till they are a nice light shade of brown, and they are caramelized. Take them out of the skillet and set them aside. Leave any residual olive oil in the skillet. Turn heat to the lowest setting on the stove top, and add enough butter so the skillet is fully coated and melts completely. It is important that the pan has cooled to low before you add the eggs, as you really want to slow cook them. Add the egg mixture to the skillet. Let the eggs cook just till they have set on the bottom, but are still runny on the top. Scatter the shallots you cooked earlier, as well as break apart pieces of herbed chevre to the egg mixture. Take the skillet and place under the broiler that you turned on earlier. You want to stay with this dish as it cooks. This is not the time for cleaning up the kitchen or other tasks, as that broiler means business. The egg dish will start to bubble, brown, puff up. It really is a beautiful sight to behold. Once the entire mixture is set, take out from under the broiler, making sure to wear a heat proof cooking glove or use a hearty pot holder. The handle on that puppy is going to be hotttt.
I then cut it in half and served it with toast. If it is more of a brunchy thing, I will serve it with an arugula salad too. There really is no right or wrong here, so serve it with whatever you think would be tasty with it. The chevre has melted, the shallots are sweet. It really is such a satisfying dish to make, and even more fun to eat.