Some weekend mornings in our household are mad dashes out the door for a sporting event, the farmer’s market, to run errands, shop or get somebody where they need to be. Others are blissfully lazy, quiet hours at home to read the newspaper, watch the morning news and political programs, or just dabble one’s toes in the pool and meditate on what to make for breakfast.
This recipe lets you be very creative with what you buy or what you have—just keep the proportions right and you can change the meat, the cheeses and the onion into all kinds of terrific combinations. The meat can be turkey, sausage, ham, or whatever you’ve got. The cup and a half of grated cheeses can be any combination you’ve got—and a smoky Gouda or Gruyere would be pretty special. The cream cheese can be goat cheese, the onions can be mushrooms or herbs—or if you like, you can make it the way I usually do, just like this.
Crustless Breakfast Pie
Serves 4 to 6
Ingredients:
4 ounces pancetta
¾ cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
¾ cup grated Fontina cheese
3 ounces cream cheese, cubed into small bits
3 green onions, thinly sliced
4 large eggs
1 cup half and half
2 tablespoon melted butter
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
½ teaspoon hot sauce
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
½ cup flour
¾ teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon butter at room temperature (for greasing your dish)
3 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan cheese
Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Panfry the pancetta until it is crisp, drain it and set aside.
Grease a 9-inch round pie pan or dish. Sprinkle the Parmesan cheese into the pan and then turn and tap the pan until the cheese has evenly coated it. In a mixing bowl, combine the cheddar and the Fontina cheeses, the cream cheese, onions and bacon and toss the mixture with two forks until it is well combined. Sprinkle the mixture evenly into the pie pan.
In the same mixing bowl that just held the cheeses, combine the flour, salt, pepper and baking powder. In a large measuring cup or a small bowl, whisk together the eggs, mustard, hot sauce, cooled melted butter and half and half. Whisk the egg mixture into the dry ingredients until smooth. Pour the mixture evenly over the ingredients in the pie pan.
Bake until the filling is light golden brown and set, about 30 to 35 minutes. Cool on a rack for 10 to 15 minutes before slicing
