A FRITTATA RECIPE TO WRITE HOME ABOUT.

Well, here it is. I'm writing home about a frittata recipe... well, as close to home as I can get. Yes, I've been under the influence of the French countryside for a while now and it is starting to show in my cooking. But that's a good thing, right? I mean how can you not pick up these beautiful mushrooms and leeks from the grocery store. They just look fantastic and taste even better.

If you've never cooked a leek before or haven't cooked one very often, let's talk about them for just a minute. Leeks are in the onion family and have a mild onion flavor. I think that they are best when sauteed in butter with a little garlic. Or you can make some super delicious creamed leeks as an incredible side dish or steak topping. Here's the scoop with leeks: you need to trim and clean them properly. I'm going to make a video on how to do this really easily... but here is the highlight reel:

• Trim off the dark green portion of the leek first.
• Slice off the roots themselves, keeping the root base attached to the leek. This will allow you to slice and clean the leek without it falling apart.
• Use a knife to slice the leek in half lengthwise. Clean each half under running water to remove any grit.
• Now it is time to slice the leek... it's just that easy!

Now let's talk for a minute about the secret ingredient for this yummy frittata recipe. The cheese we are going to be using is called Comté. It is a French cheese but can be found fairly easily in the States as well. It's an aged, semi-hard cheese with a captivating nutty almost earthy flavor. You will not find it shredded or in bags anywhere. To find this cheese you are going to have to look in the specialty cheese case at your local market. If you have a Costco near you (I'm not plugging Costco, I just know they sell this cheese) they have Comté in stock most of the time. When you get your block, shred just enough for this recipe and enjoy the rest with saucisson.

HOW TO MAKE A FRITTATA

Making a frittata is relatively easy. Certainly easier than making a quiche as I'm going to discuss a little later in this post. Here's what you need to make a really delicious frittata recipe:

1. An oven proof pan. It can be either non-stick or a well seasoned cast iron pan. I don't like pans with plastic in the oven, so try to avoid those if possible! I personally use and recommend this Cuisinart 8” Non-Stick Skillet or this Lodge Cast Iron 9” skillet.
2. For this frittata recipe we need a smaller size pan- between 8-9 inches. If all you have is a larger pan, no need to worry. Just scale the recipe up.
3. We need some good eggs! I didn't really believe how good eggs really can be until I started getting farm fresh eggs. The flavor difference is incredible. If you can't get farm fresh, get the best eggs you can from your market.
4. Butter. Eggs love butter. The flavor combination is terrific. Plus, the butter is going to make a perfectly golden brown crust on our frittata.
5. Great ingredients! There are a million different flavor combinations for frittatas. I just posted a cheesy bacon broccoli frittata that is just lovely.
6. Cheese. Yes, please. A note about cheese that is going to be baked: a lot of the very inexpensive cheeses are made with oil that will separate when it heats. I don't suggest buying the BEST cheese, but try to avoid the absolute least expensive cheeses if at all possible.
7. Next we need an oven! A frittata is a baked egg dish. Sure, we are going to start it on the stove but it will need some time in the oven to cook all the way through without burning the eggs. No oven, no frittata. Please note that you can use a toaster oven, but you will need to watch the frittata to ensure the top doesn't scorch being so close to the heating elements.

That's about it. Some people put flour in their frittatas to add some lift. I don't think it is necessary at all. Just a little bit of cream and some great ingredients... you're ready to become a frittata champion.