cheese

Dinner with the Bravermans

By Anne • January 29, 2015 • Recipes

You call that snow? Pfft. I’m waiting for the trees to tell me it snowed.

Walking and driving in Toronto this winter has been easier but I miss the big white mess. (I know, I know. Bring on the hate mail.) This modest snowfall is how I feel about making dinner the fourth night of the week. Meh.

One quick stop at the cheese store and I’m cured of the weekday dinner curse. Eggs for dinner is fine when it’s fluffed up with gooey good stuff, just like your favourite family TV show.

Baked Cheesy Eggs

This is a forgiving recipe. You can substitute any of your favourite cheeses except for the ricotta which you’ll want to keep. I’ve made it with cheddar but my favourite by far is the combo I’ve included here. Throw in any veggies you like-I prefer roasted red peppers but that’s because I usually have a jar of the stuff in my pantry.

What you need:

A 12 oz jar roasted red peppers, chopped

⅓ cup all purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

¾ teaspoon baking powder

9 large eggs

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1 cup ricotta cheese

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

I ½ cup grated Gruyère cheese

3 scallions, chopped

¼ tsp red pepper flakes

What you do:

Preheat oven to 350 F.
Grease a 10 inch baking dish (glass or ceramic, any shape).
Sift together flour, salt and baking powder.
Beat eggs in mixer at medium high speed for 3 minutes, until doubled in size.
Add melted butter, flour mixture and the 3 cheeses. Mix well at low speed.
With spatula, fold in red peppers, scallions and red pepper flakes.
Pour into baking dish and bake 35-40 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Top should be golden brown.
Leave it to cool a few minutes before serving. Chop up an extra scallion for garnish. Serves 6 regular appetites, or 4, if you’ve got hungry teens.

Steam up some broccoli, whip up a green salad and dinner is done with time left to watch the Parenthood Series Finale. Yes, the scripts have been getting weaker and there’s a ton of better things on TV right now but I’ve come to think of the Bravermans as a family much like my own. I’m not alone-this show has serious fans. I’ll miss this family. I dedicate tonight’s supper to them. Full of cheese but still satisfying.