Wild Mushroom and Goat Cheese Frittata and Giveaway!

May 23, 2011

Wild Mushroom and Goat Cheese Frittata and Giveaway!

When I wake up, I don’t crave sweet pancakes or pastries, and I definitely don’t crave scrambled eggs. When I wake up, I want dinner. Pasta, steak, sauteed mushrooms; most days I eat leftovers for breakfast. The more savory the better.

My hubby is the breakfast cook in our family. He is an expert omelet maker and french toast flipper. We have a standing joke that mommy can cook anything, except for breakfast. So when I do amaze my family by pulling out pans first thing in the morning, I make a breakfast that is more like dinner. Happy mommy = happy family, right?

Wild Mushroom and Goat Cheese Frittata

Frittata, a dish that’s breakfast, lunch, dinner and brunch all rolled into one! It’s an elegant and filling meal for any occasion and is quick to prepare.

The word frittata comes from the Italian phrase “to fry” and is considered an open-face omelet of sorts. That means you can load your skillet with just about any filling, like a regular omelet. Actually the more ingredients you add to the frittata the better, because it thickens the frittata gives it better visual appeal.

So how does one make a perfect frittata that effortlessly slips out of the skillet in one dazzling circle? I’ll let you…

This artful cutting board was made by Asheville’s Wooden Bowl Store.

First make sure to add an ample amount of oil to the skillet and whirl it around until the sides are covered.

Then heat that skillet until it is literally “smoking-hot.”

Have your egg and milk mixture ready. When the skillet is smoking, grab the handle and briskly move the skillet around in little circles–that way when you pour the egg mixture in, it moves around the bottom and creates a skin. Continue pouring until all the eggs are in the skillet and the edges are already golden brown.

Add the filling to the egg mixture and top with fresh herbs or cheese (or both!)

Then pop it in the oven to finish cooking. Voila! A perfect Frittata.

For this particular frittata, I added a mix of earthy crimini and oyster mushrooms, zucchini, shallots and rich creamy goat cheese. These rustic, yet elegant, flavors take this frittata to a new realm of goodness. Of course you do need to precook the mushrooms and zucchini to render out the extra liquid. Yet the few extra minutes deepen the mushroominess and give the frittata a flavor that is worth every second of your time.

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Yield: 6 servings

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes

Wild Mushroom and Goat Cheese Frittata

Ingredients:

8 eggs
½ cup whole milk
3 Tb. vegetable oil
4 oz. sliced wild mushrooms, sliced (crimini, oyster, shitake…)
1 large shallot, quartered and sliced
1 small clove garlic, minced
6-8 drops of truffle oil (optional)
¾ chopped zucchini
3 oz. soft goat cheese
¼ cup chopped green onions
Salt and Pepper
Oil

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Preheat a skillet to medium-high. Add 1 Tb. oil to the hot skillet, then add shallot. Sauté for 2 minutes. Then add the garlic and toss.

Add the sliced mushrooms. Carefully add the truffle oil, if desired. Sauté the mushrooms for 5-10 minutes, until deep brown, to render out the moisture. Finally, add the zucchini to the skillet and sauté another 2-3 minutes. *Truffle oil is POTENT—use it sparingly.

Transfer the veggies to a plate and wipe the skillet with a paper towel.

Put the skillet back over high heat with 2 Tb. oil. Mix eggs and milk with ½ tsp. salt and fresh pepper. Whisk until frothy.

Briskly swirl the skillet around as you pour the egg mixture in—this creates a crust on the outer edge. Then add the mushroom and zucchini mixture back to the skillet and crumble the goat cheese over the top.

Remove from heat and place in the oven for 15-20 minutes until cooked through. Slide out of pan onto a cutting board and cut into wedges.