What to serve? We were hosting 12 of our family for brunch to celebrate the visit of our Philadelphia cousins and their 2-year-old daughter. Some of the guests were vegetarians, some gluten-free, everyone loves to eat, and I wanted lots of time with the relatives. I decided to make 2 big frittatas as the centerpiece of the occasion.

Eggs are my favorite morning food, but scrambling, frying, and poaching are challenging for a crowd. Frittatas, however, are easygoing because eggs and flavorings are cooked together in one pan without much attention. Added bonuses: they don’t demand toast as an accompaniment- an important consideration for those of us who are gluten free- and they can be prepared ahead and served at room temperature.

After lots of experiments at Bon Appetit magazine’s test kitchen, I favor the following technique to avoid dry or rubbery eggs: I sauté onions and other flavorings in a heavy nonstick skillet, pour in eggs beaten with cheese, stir the mixture a couple of times to mingle the ingredients, cover the pan and cook over a medium-low heat just until the eggs are mostly set with areas that are still runny. I like to sprinkle on a little more cheese before setting the skillet under the broiler to finish cooking the top. The result: a lightly browned beauty with a tender texture.

Steve, his son Ethan, and my cousin Abe surround me while I cook the frittatas. The four plaid shirts were a coincidence, and I blame the chilly day.

I cooked 2 frittatas for our large group, set them out on the counter, and surrounded them with my gluten-free Herbed Cornbread; Beet, Feta, and Walnut Salad; roasted sweet potato wedges and fresh carrot sticks to dip in a mixture of Greek yogurt, grated lime zest, and fresh lime juice; and white beans suffused with pesto. My cousin Lynn writes The Actor’s Diet blog, and recorded the day here.

One more thing: For lunch the next day I warmed the small amount of leftover frittata in the microwave and then wrapped it, avocado slices, and arugula in toasted corn tortillas.

Shiitake, Spinach, and Goat Cheese Frittata

Kristine Kidd

I made two of these for our brunch, to serve 12 people.

Makes 6 servings

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Servings 6

Ingredients

  

• 12 eggs
• ¾ teaspoon coarse kosher salt, plus more as needed
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1½ cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion, halved and then thinly sliced
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh sage
• 3.5 to 4 oz fresh shiitake mushrooms, stemmed, sliced
• 1 cup packed chopped baby spinach, baby broccoli rabe, or baby kale (about 1.5 oz)
• ¾ cup crumbled fresh goat cheese, about 3 oz
• Minced fresh Italian parsley or whole thyme leaves

Instructions

 

• Break the eggs into a large bowl. Add ¾ teaspoon salt and a generous amount of pepper and whisk to blend. Mix in 1 cup of the Parmesan cheese.
• Heat 3 tablespoons of the oil in a heavy 12-inch heavy skillet (preferably nonstick) over medium-high heat. Add the onion and sauté until beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the sage and then the shiitake. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and sauté until the mushrooms are tender, about 4 minutes. Add the spinach and stir until beginning to wilt, about 1 minute.
• Add the remaining 1tablespoon oil to the skillet and then the egg mixture. Stir gently to distribute evenly. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Sprinkle the goat cheese over the eggs. Cover and cook until the eggs are almost set but still moist in the center, about 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, preheat the broiler.
• Sprinkle the remaining ½ cup Parmesan cheese over the frittata. Broil until the eggs puff, the center is just springy to the touch, and the cheese begins to brown, about 3 minutes. Using a flexible rubber or silicone spatula, free the frittata around the edges. Slide onto a platter or leave in the pan. Sprinkle with the parsley or thyme and sere hot, warm, or at room temperature, cutting into wedges.

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Photo of me cooking in the kitchen taken by Lynn Chen