I’m a firm believer that a runny egg goes with everything. Whether it’s a bowl of pasta, atop a piece of toast, or accompanied by a drizzle of Hollandaise sauce, it’s simply perfect. Is there anything more attractive than a runny egg? I think not. 

That’s why when I saw this Baked Eggs in Spicy Tomato Sauce with Goat Cheese from TK member Apricosa (Erica), I couldn’t resist.

Goat cheese? Check. Tomato sauce? Check. And lastly, a runny egg? Triple check. 

Here’s what you’ll need: a can of crushed tomatoes (I’m a personal fan of San Marzano), goat cheese, eggs, diced carrots, diced onions, garlic, a few leaves of basil and some spices.  

Start with heating up some olive oil in a medium-sized saucepan. When it’s hot, add the diced onions…

The carrots…

And lastly, the garlic. Cook for 5-7 minutes, or until the onions are translucent and the carrots are soft. 

Open your can of crushed tomatoes and add them to the onion mixture. 

Add the basil and spices, which include oregano, crushed red pepper, salt and pepper. Since I’m a heat lover, I added a little extra crushed red pepper. Delicious. 

Stir the tomato mixture and let it simmer over medium-low heat for 20 minutes. The sauce will reduce, the carrots will soften even more and your entire house will smell incredible. All very good things. 

If you have an immersion blender, you can simply blend the tomato sauce in the pan. If you don’t, then transfer the sauce (in batches) to a blender. Warning: blending hot stuff can be a little dangerous (read: explosions anyone?).

Doing it in a few batches and allowing the hot air to escape will prevent it this from happening. 

Grab eight ramekins (I halved this recipe so I did four) and fill them about 3/4 of the way with tomato sauce.

I had no extra sauce! I love it when a recipe’s measurements are exactamundo, don’t you? 

Next add the goat cheese. 

And then add one egg to each of the ramekins. Top with some salt and pepper and bake for 20-30 minutes, or until the white part has completely set. 

Top with a few pieces of basil and serve with toast. 

What I also love about this recipe (besides its deliciousness), is how it’s so versatile. This dish would make for a great breakfast, lunch or dinner. Also, did I mention there’s a runny egg involved? 

A big thank you to Erica for sharing this lovely recipe! Check out her blog, Apricosa, for a bunch of equally yumalicious meals.  

Printable Recipe

Baked Eggs in Spicy Tomato Sauce with Goat Cheese and Toast

by Apricosa (Erica) on January 12, 2011 in Breakfast, Eggs January 12, 2011 BreakfastEggs

See post on Apricosa (Erica)’s site!

5.00 Mitt(s) 3 Rating(s)

Prep Time: 20 mins

Cook Time: 40 mins

Difficulty: Easy

Servings: 8

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A perfect make-ahead brunch dish!

Ingredients

• 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
• ½ cups Diced Onion
• ¼ cups Carrot, Diced
• 2 cloves Garlic, Crushed And Chopped
• ⅛ teaspoons (or More) Red Pepper Flakes
• 28 ounces, weight Crushed Tomatoes
• ¼ teaspoons Dried Oregano
• ¼ cups (packed) Fresh Basil Leaves, Torn Into Pieces, Plus More For Garnish
• ½ cups Goat Cheese Crumbled
• 8 whole Eggs At Room Temperature
• Salt And Pepper, to taste
• 8 slices Toast Bread, Toasted Golden Brown And Cut Into Triangles
• Toast Points, To Serve

Preparation Instructions

To make the sauce, heat olive oil in a small pot over medium-high heat and saute the chopped onion, carrots, and garlic for a few minutes until slightly softened. Add red pepper flakes, crushed tomatoes, oregano, and basil, and stir to combine. Cover and bring just to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer 20 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent the bottom from burning. Remove from heat and let cool slightly, then blend well with an immersion stick blender. (Do ahead: sauce can be made up to a week ahead of time. Reheat before continuing.)

Spoon 1/4 cup of warm sauce into each of 8 ramekins (use leftover sauce for another use), then dot each ramekin with about 2 teaspoons crumbled goat cheese. (Do ahead: ramekins can be prepared with sauce and cheese the day before, then covered and refrigerated overnight. Heat in the preheating oven until ramekins and sauce are warm, not hot, and continue with the recipe.)

Crack an egg into each ramekin, sprinkle with salt, and bake in a preheated oven at 425F for 15-20 minutes, until whites have set but yolk is still soft.

Garnish with fresh basil chiffonade, if desired, and serve immediately with toast points for dipping into the yolk and sauce.

 
 
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Adrianna and Caroline are the lovely ladies behind the scrumptious blog A Cozy Kitchen. It’s filled with all kinds of mouthwatering recipes and gorgeous photography. Whether you’re in the mood for something vegetarian or meaty, fancy or pure comfort, light or decadent, there’s sure to be something there for everyone.

 
During my restaurant days, I used to make marshmallows from time to time. It was a rather complicated affair, with complicated ingredients like “inverted sugar.” I was delighted to see several recipes for marshmallows here on Tasty Kitchen that were much simpler. This one is by TK member Calamity Anne, and is originally for plain homemade marshmallows. I decided to add my own twist to it just like the olden days and make them flavored. Can you guess which flavor?

The ingredients that you need are sugar, light corn syrup, salt, vanilla, a mixture of cornstarch and powdered sugar, gelatin mixed with … water or your flavoring liquid—in this case, carrot juice!

You can really use any sized dish with sides. It just serves as a mold out of which you will cut your marshmallows. You’ll need to coat the dish with a bit of oil.

Then add a few tablespoons of the powdered sugar and cornstarch mixture.

Shake the mixture around the pan until it is well coated. You can leave the excess mixture in the bottom of the dish.

Next, let the gelatin and carrot juice mixture dissolve in a saucepan.

To that, add your granulated sugar.

Give it a stir and let it dissolve completely, then turn off the heat.

Pour the mixture into a mixing bowl that will fit to an electric mixer with a whisk attachment. You’ll need to scrape the liquid out of the saucepan since it’s very sticky.

To the bowl, add the corn syrup.

And the salt.

And the vanilla.

Whisk away for a while, and watch the mixture completely transform itself!

In about 15 minutes, it will be light and fluffy like, well, marshmallow fluff.

With a spatula, coax it out of the bowl. This is a sticky situation as well.

Spoon it into your coated baking dish…

And smooth it out with a spatula.

Now let it sit for about 2 hours so that it sets.

Once it is set, wet a knife and loosen the outsides of the marshmallow from the sides of dish.

Then you can cut them into any shape you please, wetting your knife every so often to make smooth cuts.

I went for the square look, but you could even use a cookie cutter if you’re feeling adventurous.

Toss each cube into the rest of your cornstarch and sugar mixture.

Pull them out one by one and give them a shake to remove any excess powder.

Set them on a wire rack, set over paper towels. This will help the outer skin dry out.

Then cover the whole affair with a paper towel and let them sit for up to 24 hours. If you’re feeling impatient you could skip this part, but it will help them store well and prevent them from sticking together.

Give these a try sometime! They’re a fun treat for a party or holiday. And think about the flavoring possibilities—they are endless! I’ve also tried lime juice and grapefruit juice, among others. Thanks to Calamity Anne for this great recipe! (Also check out this other marshmallow recipe from katydid.)

Visit Calamity Anne’s blog for her own step-by-step instructions and photos for these homemade marshmallows.

 
 
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There’s so much to say about Georgia, we don’t know where to start. Leaving Wall Street for the French Culinary Institute, followed by a stint at the Gramercy Tavern and La Chassagnette in France, her passion for food and food traditions are evident and inspiring. Visit her site at Georgia Pellegrini, where you’ll find more recipes, photos, learn all about her wonderful book Food Heroes, and enjoy her latest adventures.

Grilling pizza has been on my bucket list, right smack in between eating baklava on a beach in Greece and owning more shoes than Imelda Marcos. It’s been intimidating, perhaps because I’m often afraid of lighting up the grill on my own and sending my immediate surroundings into flames. But then I spied this Grilled Breakfast Pizza from A Cozy Kitchen and my mouth started to water. It seemed easy … and delicious … and not scary … and cheesy … and delicious. Cheese was bought. Bacon was fried. Dough was made. Scallions were sliced. It’s quite possible I may never be able to eat pizza again without the signature char marks of a great grilling experience. Fabulous doesn’t even begin to describe it.

To begin, I made a batch of whole wheat pizza dough from Sunshine Mom. You can use any pizza dough —make your own or buy it at the store, just make sure you love it.

Along with your pizza dough, you need mozzarella cheese, parmesan cheese, fried bacon, eggs, scallions, fresh parsley, chives, olive, kosher salt and black pepper. The perfect breakfast ingredients, right?

To make it easy on yourself, begin by slicing you greenery and bacon. Set it aside. Make sure to fry an extra piece of bacon because you will easily eat too much. Or maybe that’s just me?

Also grate your cheese. I recommend buying the cheese in the brick and grating it yourself. It is so much better. And you get an arm workout. Makes up for the extra slice of bacon.

Lay your pizza dough on a floured surface and grab your rolling pin. If you don’t have a pin, a great bottle of wine works too.

Roll it out to 1/4-inch thickness. This is important! If it is too thick, it won’t cook properly.

Drizzle it with olive oil …

And brush it all around.

Preheat your grill to the highest setting.

Lay your pizza dough on a large round pizza sheet (I found this easier than a plate) and carry your ingredients to the grill.

Using a pair of kitchen tongs, place your dough directly over the heat. I found using a large spatula in conjunction with the tongs helped.

Grill the dough for about 30 seconds, just until char marks appear.

Then flip it over and place it on a side of the grill without direct heat.

Crack your eggs into a bowl to make sure no shells get mixed in and gently drop each egg onto the dough. Before doing this, make sure that your grill is on a level surface! I may have had 4 eggs take a ride on the slip and slide pizza dough and drop inside the grill. Oops.

After cracking the eggs, close the lid and cook for 5-6 minutes, or just until the eggs are almost set.

Once set, cover the pizza with cheese.

Then add your bacon and close the lid for another 2-3 minutes.

By this point the crust should be crispy and the pizza is done. Gently lift it again with a pair of kitchen tongs and a spatula and place it back on the pizza sheet. Top it with your greenery: chives, scallions and parsley!

Cut yourself a big ole’ slice. I love a little runny egg, but if that’s not your thing, just let the pizza cook a big longer right after you crack the eggs.

Breakfast is served!

This was a fabulous way to spice up our weekend breakfast. It was a nice change of pace and kept us full for hours. You can experiment with your own toppings and different cheeses. And who says this is only for breakfast? I think it makes for a fantastic dinner, too. Thanks so much Adrianna and Caroline for the recipe—it was definitely a winner. Be sure to check out the girls’ blog A Cozy Kitchen for more delicious recipes. My favorites are their fabulous cocktails. I wonder if I could pass one of those off for breakfast?

Printable Recipe

Grilled Breakfast Pizza

by A Cozy Kitchen on July 29, 2010 in Main Courses, Pizza July 29, 2010 Main CoursesPizza

See post on A Cozy Kitchen’s site!

5.00 Mitt(s) 4 Rating(s)

Prep Time: 15 mins

Cook Time: 10 mins

Difficulty: Intermediate

Servings: 2

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Grill some pizza dough, crack three eggs on top, add some bacon and cheese and voila! Grilled Breakfast Pizza. (Check the related blog post for step-by-step pictures.)

Ingredients

• 12 ounces, weight Prepared Pizza Dough
• Olive Oil, For Drizzling On Pizza Dough
• 3 whole Eggs
• 3 strips Cooked Bacon, Cut Up In Pieces
• 1 cup Grated Mozzarella
• ¼ cups Grated Parmesan
• 1 pinch Kosher Salt
• 1 pinch Freshly Cracked Pepper
• 1 Tablespoon Minced Flat-leaf Parsley
• 1 Tablespoon Minced Chives
• 1 whole Scallion, Trimmed And Thinly Sliced

Preparation Instructions

Adapted from The Big Sur Bakery Cookbook.

Generously dust the surface of your kitchen counter with flour and roll pizza dough to a 1/4-inch thickness. Drizzle both sides of dough with olive oil and set aside on a plate. Gather all the toppings and dough and move outside next to the grill.

Once your grill is nice and hot, place the pizza dough on the hottest part of the grill, making sure to check it every 30 seconds or so to ensure proper cooking. Once grill marks appear, flip it and move the dough to a place on the grill that does not have direct heat. Crack the three eggs onto the dough and cover for 2-3 minutes. Once the eggs are just about set, sprinkle the cheeses, bacon and salt and pepper. Cover for an additional 1-2 minutes, or until cheese is melted. Move promptly to a plate and sprinkle with parsley, chives and scallions.

Note: If you’re not in the mood to spark up the grill, then here’s the way to cook it in the oven. My advice is to get yourself a “pizza stone” from Lowes or Home Depot. Simply pre-heat your oven to 450F, roll out the dough, crack the eggs on top, sprinkle with mozzarella and parmesan cheese, then add the pieces of bacon and salt and pepper. Cook in the oven for 8 to 12 minutes, checking on it after 5 minutes and rotating it if necessary. When the crust is golden, the cheese is melted and the eggs yolks are cooked to medium, remove from the oven.

 
 
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Jessica Merchant is a personal trainer turned food writer and blogger. Her blog, How Sweet Eats, is where she proclaims her love for all things sweet, all things bacon, and everything else in between. She works her magic in her Pittsburgh kitchen, which she shares with her husband of 2 years.