Friday, April 8, 2011

Frittata Ribbon Salad with Honey Bacon Vinaigrette - Breakfast for Lunch

Sometimes the best breakfast happens at lunch. I've never been a 9to5 person, never been an early morning person, always been a "stay up much too late for my own good" person. The smell of bacon crisping and the buttery taste of eggs can make my head dance any hour of the day.

Frittata Ribbon Salad
w/ Honey Bacon Vinaigrette This Frittata Ribbon Salad is very simple to make and contains all the flavors of breakfast with the lightness of a lunch-time salad.

If salad is not your "thang", this faux-fettucini (which is naturally gluten free, by the way) can be tossed in your favorite sauce, sprinkled with cheese and slurped down like an Italian pasta del giorno.

This month my gaggle of virtual lunch buddies (we call ourselves #LetsLunch on twitter) decided to have breakfast for lunch - luvvvvvvv it. The whole "Lets Lunch" bunch started almost 2 years ago when a few bloggers (including Cheryl from TigerInTheKitchen and Ellise from CowGirlChef) who lived across the planet from each other in the real world decided to invite a few of us to have lunch with them in the virtual world.
Now, almost every month, we pick a theme and post a lunch item on the same day in a global lunch date with each other while sharing inventive and multi-cultural recipes with our readers. You are welcome to join us by trying our recipes, reading our posts and also simply posting your own idea too. Contact me, or go to twitter today and look for the hashtag #letslunch and let us know you're interested. It's just that simple. I served this recipe at room temp. with warm grilled asparagus and warm honey bacon vinaigrette that gave the arugula just enough wilt to make it sweet. I also served it chilled, with a tomato salsa vinaigrette at room temperature for good drizzle and a vegetarian spin; it was light and crispy with a nice crunch to the minced carrots and the grilled asparagus.Who said breakfast has to be in the mornings --- or that mornings have to be in the mornings, right? You'll find my recipe below and also check in here for these other talented food bloggers with creative ideas for Breakfast at Lunch:

Caitlin Shetterly - Crispy Okra Coins with Fried Egg and Biscuits

A Tiger In The Kitchen - Austin Style Breakfast Tacos

Free Range Cookies - Cinnamon Roll French Toast Sticks

Hot Curries & Cold Beer - Sweet Potato and 2-Pepper Hash with Fried Egg and Avocado

Chez Us - Vanilla Yogurt Pancakes

RECIPE: Frittata Ribbon Salad with Honey Bacon Vinaigrette
(serves 4 small plates)


4 eggs

2 oz heavy cream

1/4 cup grated carrot

2 Tbls. minced shallot
1 tsp. minced jalapeno


1) In a bowl, whisk all ingredients until loose and lemony (for about 2 minutes).


2) Drizzle a small amount of olive oil into a well-heated flat skillet or crepe pan. Then, pour in a small amount of the egg mixture, lift, tilt and swirl the pan so that the bottom of the pan is equally covered and the egg mixture is setting. Return the pan to the heat.

3) When the sides look firm and the middle is not runny (probably only a couple moments), lift the crepe up carefully with a spatula and flip it over to briefly cook the other side.


4) When both sides are set, slide the crepe out of the pan onto a towel to cool. Pour more mixture in, just to cover the bottom and repeat process.


5) Allow the crepes to cool, then stack and roll up together. Using a long knife, cut the crepe into skinny ribbons that resemble pasta when unfurled. Set aside for topping your salad or tossing in sauce.


Honey Bacon Vinaigrette:

3 slices of bacon (cut into 1 inch pieces)

1/4 shallot minced

1 tsp. Stone Ground mustard

2 Tbls. Honey
4 Tbls. Balsamic Vinegar

pinch of salt

6 Tbls. (plus more as needed) Olive Oil

1 Tbl. fresh cracked pepper


1) In a skillet, cook the bacon pieces on Med. heat until crispy. Carefully pour the bacon fat through a strainer and save.


2) In a large bowl or jar add the minced shallot, mustard, honey, balsamic vinegar, pinch of salt and 2 Tbls. of the bacon fat. Using an immersion blender or strong whisk, beat the ingredients til well incorporated.


3) Add the olive oil and pepper and whisk again until thick and emulsified into a nice vinaigrette. Taste and season as needed.


TO ASSEMBLE:
Rub fresh arugula leaves or mixed greens with a bit of the vinaigrette and place on a plate. Top with Frittata ribbons and drizzle more vinaigrette. Garnish with crispy bacon pieces. A couple grilled asparagus are a nice addition, as well as a slice of tomato.

ENJOY, and hope you'll join us for Lets Lunch next time. Thanks for stopping by here :D

5 comments:

ATigerInTheKitchen said...

I am SO impressed! Those frittata ribbons are brilliant -- I just want to pick up a pair of chopsticks and eat them like noodles. As for the rest of the salad, you had me at bacon. Thanks for sharing...I can't wait to try this out. xx

Renata said...

I just LOVE this idea! Gotta try it sometime soon!

Cowgirl Chef said...

Well, you've done it again - created an amazingly creative, deeelish dish that I want to fly halfway across the world for. Wouldn't that be so much fun, if we could have a real lunch together someday? xo e

Caitlin Shetterly said...

Cathy! This is the MOST elegant take on breakfast for lunch I've ever seen. It makes me hungry just looking at it! Best, Caitlin
www.caitlinshetterly.com

Danielle said...

Those ribbons are such a great idea, but I'm distracted - did you carve a mini-rose out of a tomato for garnish? I am so impressed!