How to Make a Frittata Without a Recipe

What do an omelet, a quiche, and a frittata share in common? They’re all beaten egg dishes that allow for creativity and customization based on whatever ingredients are in season and on hand, and they all make a perfect brunch centerpiece. Among them all, however, the frittata—think of it as Italy’s answer to the breakfast casserole—may be our favorite; it’s less fussy than a rolled omelet, and comes together much more quickly than a quiche. (And if you were wondering, it’s the crust that sets it apart from the latter.)

We’ve got a no-frills method for cooking basic frittatas that’s free of measurements or complicated techniques. Feel free to store it in your memory and pull it out of your back pocket for a satisfying meal anytime you’d like, whether you’re camping, staying at a vacation home with incomplete kitchen equipment, or just looking for an easy weeknight meal you can throw together in a jiff.

Here’s what you’ll need:

• A large oven-safe frying pan or cast-iron skillet
• One onion
• A handful of any or all of the following fresh herbs: parsley, basil, cilantro
• One clove of garlic (optional)
• The green part of two scallions (optional)
• A dozen eggs
• Three handfuls of grated cheese (your favorite kind)
• Salt and freshly cracked black pepper
• Hot sauce (optional)
• Oil (any kind)

Here’s what to do:

1. Heat the broiler and put the rack in the middle of the oven. If you have one of those broilers that’s in a drawer under the oven, then use the oven instead, heated to 500 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. Thinly slice the onion and chop the herbs, garlic, and scallions (if using).

3. Crack the eggs into a bowl. Add two handfuls of cheese (reserving the third handful for later), lots of salt and pepper, and the herbs and scallions.

4. Stir until everything is well blended. Add about 10 dashes of hot sauce, if using.

5. Heat the frying pan over medium-high heat on the stove and coat the bottom with oil. Add the onion and garlic, season with salt and pepper, and sauté until soft and golden.

6. Pour the egg mixture into the pan with the onion and garlic, turn the heat down to medium low, and cook for 10 to 15 minutes undisturbed. (You want the outer edges to be set and slightly browned, but not the middle.)

7. Sprinkle the reserved third handful of cheese on top.

8. Put the frittata in the oven and, if you’re using the broiler, cook for 3 to 5 minutes. If you’re using the oven, cook for 5 to 10 minutes. When it’s finished, the center will no longer jiggle if shaken, the cheese will have slightly browned on top, and the frittata will have puffed up a bit.

Follow these steps, and you’ll wind up with a frittata that’s slightly custardy in the interior and lightly golden around the edges every single time. And if you’re hoping to bump your frittata skills up another notch, here are a few other favorites that highlight the same skillet-in-the-oven frittata technique but get a little more involved (and even more delicious).

Dungeness Crab, Fromage Blanc, and Potato Frittata

Ed Anderson

Sweet Dungeness crab, mild and creamy fromage blanc or ricotta, and roasted potatoes make for an especially elegant frittata, offset by a tangy tomato vinaigrette. This one easily swings from brunch to dinner with the addition of a crisp white wine. It’s also slightly smaller, using only 5 eggs and a 10-inch skillet, but you can make it larger if you want. Get this Dungeness Crab, Fromage Blanc, and Potato Frittata recipe.

Frittata Lorraine

Chowhound

Stuffed with Canadian bacon, Gruyère cheese, and shallots, our Frittata Lorraine is less fussy (and healthier) than the traditional quiche Lorraine, yet still feels fancier than a ham and cheese omelet. Get our Frittata Lorraine recipe.

Bell Pepper and Potato Frittata

Chowhound

Try pairing this hearty dish with bacon for breakfast, between slices of toasted bread for lunch, or paired with a big green salad for dinner. Get our Bell Pepper and Potato Frittata recipe.

Asparagus Frittata with Horseradish Sour Cream

Chowhound

Make this asparagus frittata at the peak of asparagus season, when the spears are abundant and reasonably priced. Here, they’re featured in an airy frittata, which pairs well with a cool horseradish cream. Get our Asparagus Frittata with Horseradish Sour Cream recipe.

Onion, Mushroom, and Goat Cheese Mini Frittatas

Chowhound

Muffin pans have a dual purpose: they’re ideal baking trays for individual frittatas. Make a dozen for your next hosted brunch or as an appetizer at a dinner party. Get our Onion, Mushroom, and Goat Cheese Mini Frittatas recipe.

Kale and Roasted Red Pepper Frittata

Chowhound

This egg dish, which is chock-full of bell peppers and dark, leafy kale, could double as a healthy way to get your greens in any night of the week. Get our Kale and Roasted Red Pepper Frittata recipe.

Egg-White Frittata With Shrimp, Tomato, and Spinach

Chowhound

Make this cheeseless, egg-white-only seafood stunner anytime you’re in the mood to eat a clean, protein-rich meal. Get our Egg-White Frittata With Shrimp, Tomato, and Spinach recipe.

Zucchini Blossom Frittata

At the height of summer, when squash are flourishing, make our zucchini blossom frittata, which pairs sliced zucchini rounds with their delicate orange blossoms, as well as manchego cheese and fresh marjoram. Get our Zucchini Blossom Frittata recipe.

Related Video: Don’t Make This Mistake When Cooking a Frittata

from Food News – Chowhound https://ift.tt/2m6epvZ
via IFTTT

Who Invented the Piña Colada?

Is there a cocktail more summer-y than the piña colada? Just one taste of rum, pineapple, and coconut and you’re instantly transported to an island getaway. But how did the official drink of Puerto Rico come to be? Just who was the first to come up with this magically tropical combination anyway?

The oldest legend traces the cocktail back to the early 19th century, when Puerto Rican pirate Roberto Cofresí mixed white rum, pineapple juice, and coconut milk and served it to his crew in an attempt to boost morale. What better way to raise spirits than with free spirits, right? When he died in 1825, his official recipe was lost to history.

While various iterations of the beverage were served over the centuries that followed, the piña colada as we know it didn’t come to fruition until the 1950s. In 1954 one of its key ingredients–Coco Lopez, a pre-made coconut cream– was invented. It quickly became popular and highly influential in the island’s culinary scene. This proved instrumental in giving rise to the modern day piña colada, as did the technological advent of blenders.

However, here’s where things get a little sticky. In the decade that followed, three bartenders claim to have created the drink. And the supporting evidence for each of them is a bit spotty. Ramón “Monchito” Marrero Pérez  insists he was the first. Pérez, a bartender at the Caribe Hilton, a luxury hotel in the heart of San Juan, was tasked with coming up with a signature drink for their Beachcomber Bar. He allegedly experimented with a variety of ingredients, including the newly available Coco Lopez, for over three months before coming up with the now-classic combination in 1954. Pérez was so dedicated to his drink that he literally served it for a lifetime. He worked as a bartender at the Caribe for 35 years until his retirement in 1989.

Shutterstock

Fellow Caribe Hilton bartender Ricardo García, however, insists the drink was actually his brainchild. In a 2005 interview with Coastal Magazine he explained that the drink was the result of necessary improvisation. In 1954 the coconut-cutters union went on strike, which prevented him from serving up a popular drink composed of rum, coconut cream, and ice in a hollowed out coconut shell. The lack of available coconuts forced him to use hollowed out pineapple instead. As the drink got more and more popular he started adding freshly pressed and strained pineapple juice into it as well. The name piña colada loosely translates to “strained pineapple,” so this account seems entirely plausible.

Related Video: How to Make Three Poolside Cocktails

The hotel stands by Pérez’s account and the Caribe Hilton has since acquired not one, but two proclamations by Puerto Rico’s governors hailing it the official “Birthplace of the Piña Colada,” one in 2000 and the other in 2014, which marked the drinks 60th anniversary.

However, just two miles west of the Caribe Hilton is another establishment that claims they’re the true creators of the drink. Restaurant Barrachina may not have an official government proclamation to prove it, but they do have a plaque out front. The sign states that renowned Spanish mixologist Ramon Portas Mingot first concocted the drink there in 1963. The date of invention seems a little late comparatively, but hey, who knows, right?!

Restaurant Barrachina

Regardless of its nebulous origins, the drink went on to become a worldwide sensation and quickly caught on in the United States as the drink of choice for glamorous and wealthy Americans who could afford to vacation in such tropical locales. Joan Crawford allegedly said the piña colada was “better than slapping Bette Davis in the face.” It’s a statement that functions as giant praise and amazing Hollywood lore.

In 1978, the piña became the official drink of Puerto Rico. That same year, Rupert Holmes went on to release his biggest hit, “Escape (The Piña Colada Song),” a yacht rock classic about two equally horrible, married people who rediscover each other given the power of classified ads and coconut cocktails. It may be a cringeworthy association, but at least it’s not Margaritaville!

If you’d like to take a stab at making your own piña colada, try our classic recipe. And if you’re in the mood for something a less traditional, take look at these inspiring pineapple-based cocktails.

Piña Colada

Go Beyond Piña Coladas This Summer with These Pineapple Cocktails

What Is the Difference Between Piña Coladas and Daiquiris?

from Food News – Chowhound https://ift.tt/2J9ecBq
via IFTTT

What Is the Difference Between Piña Coladas and Daiquiris?

Though they’re both pool party staples, piña coladas and daiquiris are not to be confused. They’re both rum-based cocktails, but that’s where the similarities of these historic cocktails end. Piña coladas—which translates to “strained pineapple”—are made from rum, coconut cream, and pineapple juice. You can substitute different types of rum to change the flavor profile and many variations exist, including frozen piña coladas, which are often garnished with fresh pineapple and maraschino cherries. Named the National Drink of Puerto Rico, Rupert Holmes’s 1979 hit “Escape (The Piña Colada song)” made the drink famous worldwide.

Although daiquiris have an equally fun island aesthetic, they are actually a traditional sour, made with a base liquor of rum, lime juice, and a sweetener (often simple syrup). Daiquiris can come in many flavors and are often frozen—popular flavors include strawberry, banana, avocado, and watermelon. Named after Daiquirí, the small Cuban mining town that the US invaded during the Spanish-American War, daiquiris became popular in the US in the early 1900s. Easy to make with only three ingredients, the shaken, not frozen, daiquiri is becoming more popular.

Check out these nine recipes for delicious daiquiris and piña coladas and get your summer soiree started off right.

Classic Daiquiri

Chowhound

This is an easy classic that you can doctor with different fruit juices and additions. Start with just the basics: rum, fresh lime juice, and simple syrup, with plenty of fresh ice. Get our Classic Daiquiri recipe.

Classic Piña Colada

Bochkarev Photography/Shutterstock

This is the traditional recipe for a piña colada, with light rum. Be sure that you’re using coconut cream (not coconut milk) and you can use dark rum to make the flavors more complex. Get our Piña Colada recipe.

Frozen Pineapple Daiquiri

Chowhound

Frozen chunks of pineapple add a great tropical twist to this daiquiri recipe and keep the texture smooth—the frozen fruit also prevents any watered-down flavors since you’re subbing it in for additional ice. Get our Frozen Pineapple Daiquiri recipe.

Grilled Pineapple Daiquiri

Chowhound

Once you’ve mastered the frozen pineapple daiquiri, take it to the next level with this white rum-based drink. The charred pineapple adds a caramelized sweetness to the cocktail that pairs beautifully with grilled meats. Get our Grilled Pineapple Daiquiri recipe.

Pietro Collina’s Daiquiri

Lizzie Munro/Punch

Homemade cane syrup with a 2:1 cane sugar to water ratio and double strained lime juice is what makes this daiquiri recipe so crisp and clean. Garnish with a slice of lime. Get the recipe.

Probiotic Piña Colada

Front + Main

This is the “healthy” take on a cocktail you would never think exists—making your own coconut milk into a yogurt-like consistency with the addition of probiotics and layering it with a blend of amaretto, rum, lime, and pineapple juice. Like an alcoholic smoothie, this blend is part healthy choice and part party in a glass. Get the recipe.

Frozen Watermelon Daiquiri

Striped Spatula

Cut the watermelon into cubes, freeze them, and blend with rum, lime juice, simple syrup, and orange juice. You can freeze the cubed watermelon months in advance and have these ready to go for a party at a moment’s notice. Get the recipe.

Frozen Piña Colada

Saveur

This frozen piña colada is enriched with half-and-half and finished with Angostura bitters. Use half light rum and half dark rum and crushed, canned pineapple instead of pineapple juice to add even more flavor. Get the recipe.

Hemingway Daiquiri

Jacquelyn Clark

Inspired by Ernest Hemingway and invented at the legendary Floridita bar in Havana, this take has cherry liqueur and grapefruit juice with much less sweetness than a traditional daiquiri. It’s also called a Papa Doble. Get the recipe.

Related Video: How Not to F@%& Up a Daiquiri

from Food News – Chowhound https://ift.tt/2JfsTmm
via IFTTT

Kanafeh (Middle Eastern Cheese and Phyllo Dessert)

Get Recipe!

from Serious Eats: Recipes https://ift.tt/2N4U9q6
via IFTTT

11 Frozen Versions of Your Favorite Cocktails

With summer in full swing we’re right in the midst of outdoor boozing season. Bevs like piña coladas and frozen daiquiris may be delicious on their own, but they’re pretty much the last things you’ll want to pair with gut-destroying hot dogs, hamburgers, and grandma’s infamous potato salad.

If you’re looking for a refreshing, non sugar coma-inducing drink to sip on while binging on food from the grill, look no further than these frozen versions of your well-known cocktails. From mojitos and rosé to negronis and Bloody Marys, the list is proof that nearly all of your favorite alcohols can be turned into slushies and served during our warmest months.

Frozen Coffee Shots

Chowhound

If you need a little caffeine with your booze, opt for these frozen coffee shots. Honestly, we don’t praise Kahlúa enough. Get our Frozen Coffee Shots recipe.

Slushy Blended Margarita

Chowhound

The idea of frozen margaritas isn’t novel, but we’ll never scoff at an annual reminder to stock up on necessary ingredients. Stop…tequila time! Get our Slushy Blended Margarita recipe.

Frozen Bloody Mary

Your favorite hair of the dog drink gets fancy with the simple addition of crushed ice. But can you stomach the idea of spicy frozen tomatoes? After a night of binge drinking, do you even care? Get the recipe.

Frozen Mojito

Mint meets ice to create one of the most refreshing summer cocktails you can get your hands on. And you don’t have to head to Cuba to try it. Get the recipe.

Negroni Slushy

Bottle Notes

Though it may be an aperitif, this negroni slushy instantly becomes a palate cleanser. Either way, it will make you say “ah.” Get the recipe.

Frosé

There’s no denying that rosé elevates any summer day, but brunchgoers flipped with the introduction of “frosé” last year. Now you can make it within the comforts of your own kitchen. Get the recipe.

Frozen Peach Bellini

Damn Delicious

They say you shouldn’t mess with a good thing when you have it, but freezing a peach bellini takes an already perfect cocktail and makes it extra special. Get the recipe.

Frozen Dark & Stormy

Food Republic

Ginger is already refreshing, so you can probably imagine how amazing this tastes after a long day of gossiping, shopping, laying in the park and NOT doing anything athletic. The thought of the latter…in extreme heat…makes us cringe. Get the recipe.

Frozen Cosmopolitan

This has got to be Carrie Bradshaw’s favorite drink to sip on in the Hamptons. If it isn’t, someone phone Big and tell him to make this for her stat. Get the recipe.

Frozen Sangria

Our favorite wine and fruit blend mixed with ice and served in a tall glass? All we have to say is: Olé! Get the recipe.

Frozen Moscow Mule

Our favorite part of a Moscow Mule is the ice nuggets, so a frozen version may take some getting used to. That being said, we’re sure this not-so-difficult-to-imagine variation delivers. Get the recipe.

from Food News – Chowhound https://ift.tt/2pQcDyE
via IFTTT

Try This! 4 Great Add-Ins for Hummus

When you are pondering an appetizer for a party, you can never go wrong with hummus. It’s popular with kids and adults, it’s easy to make in quantities large or small, and it’s highly adaptable.

Earthy, savory, creamy, protein-packed: hummus is a great base for all kinds of add-ins.

Sure there are a bunch of pre-made flavor variations available at the store, but it’s so easy to make your own “house” version. Then you not only have a crowd-pleasing party appetizer (or snack), you also have bragging rights!

Continue reading "Try This! 4 Great Add-Ins for Hummus" »

from Simply Recipes https://ift.tt/2L5BQAD
via IFTTT