Food to Share: Cheesy Brunch (And a GIVEAWAY!)

 *Write your favorite kind of cheese as a comment to enter the giveaway. Winner will be chosen at random and will receive a cheese package for two, including a gift certificate to The Bloomy Rind.*

I'd like to introduce you to a new series I will be writing. It's called "Food to Share." I recently read a quote by Shana Ahern that simply said, "Figure out what fascinates you about food." Well for me, it's sharing food. Why? Let's put this into practical terms. I don't want to down an entire pint of ice cream by myself at home because I don't have any other food for dinner. That's sad and shameful. On the other hand, walking to Jeni's to share an ice cream sundae with a friend is nothing short of a happy memory. Shared food is the best kind of food.

My favorite meal to share (because dessert doesn't count as a meal unless you don't eat anything else) is brunch: sleeping late, drinking early, eating fancy. What more could a girl want? I've decided to share a brunch recipe with you first. 

Now I got a lot of great presents this Christmas but one of the best was a butcher shop (I say, as if it opened just for me), complete with cheese monger Kathleen Cotter, owner of The Bloomy Rind! The Porter Road Butcher/Bloomy Rind shop is a dream come true. They carry a menagerie of local meats, cheeses, bread, honey, and coming soon, Sweet Betweens. 

Have I ever mentioned my predilection for cheese to you? Well it started early. I ate broccoli cheese casserole instead of baby food. For an entire year during my adolescence I ate only cheese: I would order slices of cheese for lunch instead of a sandwich at restaurants. Sometimes I still plan my meals around which type of cheese I've purchased that week. 

So you can imagine my delight when I saw Kathleen Cotter at the Nashville Farmer's Market for the first time this past summer. I couldn't believe my eyes and walked by her several times just to make sure I wasn't hallucinating. Then I walked up to her and accidentally said something very awkward: "I've been checking you out all morning!" She laughed. 

This dish is, and pardon my redundancy, delicious! It's small, but rich- just enough, or possibly a little too much depending on who you are, for two. Layers: spicy, fatty chorizo, topped with earthy and tangy mushrooms, and on top of that, fresh and sweet wilted leeks, and best of all- ooey, gooey cheese and an egg yolk on top. Sigh. I want some right now. Brunch food is good for dinner too, you know. 

Cheesy Brunch For Two

1 link raw chorizo

1/2t red pepper flakes

1/2 pint mushrooms

1T balsamic vinegar

1 leek, trimmed and roughly chopped

1/3 cup dry white wine 

about 3oz good cheese (if it slices or grates you got ripped off!) 

1-2 egg yolks

In a skillet, saute chorizo and red pepper flakes over medium to medium high heat until cooked through and remove from pan. Place evenly in ramekin. Chop mushrooms roughly and cook in sausage fat until ever so slightly golden brown. Remove pan from heat and add balsamic vinegar, stirring until none is left. Put mushrooms in even layer on top of chorizo. Wipe pan clean with paper towel. Add a touch of butter and oil to the pan and cook leeks over medium heat (with a pinch of kosher salt) until they just start to caramelize. Pour wine into pan and cook down until mostly evaporated. Layer leeks evenly on top of mushrooms. Slice cheese as best you can and put it on top of leeks. Last, put egg yolks(s) in the center of the ramekin on top of the cheese. Broil until cheese is melted and yolks are warmed through. Serve with toast. 

Tomatoes are Delicious: Poached Eggs

You thought I was done writing about tomatoes back in August, didn't you? Well you were quite wrong. I'm a tomato hoarder. Back when I made tomato soup, I froze two cups of it so that I could warm it up with the perfect grilled cheese during the first snowfall of the year. In the sticky, sweaty heat of August, I imagined myself curled up on my yellow chase lounge, my favorite blanket wrapped tightly around me as I stared out the window at the streets of Nashville becoming smooth and white, all the while carefully spooning a piping hot cup of tomato soup from the bowl to my mouth. (And naturally, in this fantasy, the bowl matches the chase lounge perfectly and I do not spill tomato soup on myself.) In my mind, the tomato soup would taste even sweeter and creamier during the winter than it had in the summer. Unfortunately snow has not come to Nashville yet and the tomato soup waits patiently in my freezer. In the meantime, I will make tomato poached eggs to get my tomato fix.

I can't get over how fast, how good and how easy tomato poached eggs are to make and more importantly, to eat. On holidays like New Years Day, I like to make the tomato sauce the night before and store it in the fridge. When I wake up, inevitably regretting the copious amounts of champagne I consumed the night before, all I have to do is heat the sauce up, crack a few eggs and voilà! breakfast for six in under 20 minutes. 

As with many egg dishes, the best part of this one is the contrast of flavors and textures. The tomatoes are tangy, sweet and juicy, the eggs firm but soft, their sumptuous yolks just liquid enough to run all over the dish when broken. I like to serve tomato poached eggs over a starch that is up to some serious sopping. Because what's the point of cooking an egg yolk to the perfect consistency if you can't get it off of the plate and into your mouth? Polenta, grits or a toasted piece of bread will do the trick. I made my baked goat cheese polenta, a recipe that I hesitate to share with you due to large instances of addiction. Maybe one day. 

And here's the best part, my friends: tomato poached eggs can be dressed up by other canned ingredients such as artichoke hearts or pickled peppers. Maybe you'll even get a little crazy and experiment with some curry paste. You were going to clean out your pantry for the new year anyway, right?? Pictured here is the Bloody Mary version of tomato poached eggs, which I assume is the most appropriate for tomorrow, New Years Day. Which reminds me: I hope you all stay safe tonight, eat delicious food and have magical midnight kisses! 

Special thanks to Red Gold Tomatoes for providing... the tomatoes! And to my Mom, who helped me set up this shoot, even though she has a torn meniscus. 

Tomato Poached Eggs
-serves six
this is the base recipe. all other "styles" are what I refer to as "add-ins." 
1T olive oil
1/2 medium onion, diced
1t red pepper flakes (more if you like it spicy) 
1/2 cup dry white wine
salt and pepper
one can tomato sauce (preferably no salt added)
one can crushed tomatoes (preferably no salt added)
6 large eggs


suggested styles:

Bloody Mary
celery salt
1/2 cup chopped pickled peppers
2T capers
1T Worcestershire sauce
Tabasco to taste
top with horseradish sauce and parsley
serve over polenta

Greek
1T dried oregano
1/2 cup chopped artichoke hearts
2T chopped kalamata olives
top with feta cheese
serve over toasted pita bread

Caprese
one large handful roughly torn fresh basil
2 garlic cloves, diced
top with shredded mozzarella and balsamic vinegar
serve over polenta

Mexican
taco seasoning (I like the one at Trader Joe's) to taste
top with black bean salsa and queso blanco 
serve over warm flour tortillas 

Italian 
3 garlic cloves, diced
1T dried oregano
1/2 cup chopped roasted red peppers
top with parmesan 
serve over grilled ciabatta 

Instructions
In a large pan with high sides, sauté onion in olive oil with a pinch of salt and red pepper flakes over medium heat until golden brown. Pour in wine and cook down for 2 minutes. Add tomatoes and other add-ins. Let simmer for 20 minutes. Taste it! Adjust salt accordingly. (Place in fridge after simmering if you're making ahead. If your mixture looks dry when you heat it back up, add a splash of vegetable stock. Be sure to heat it back to a steady simmer before cracking the eggs.) With the back of a large spoon, make six small wells. Crack eggs into wells, cover (a piece of tin foil will do) and cook for 7 minutes or until eggs are the firmness you like them.