Originally conceived as an appetizer, I’ve found that tuna confit can be appropriately served and enjoyed nearly any time of the day. You can eat this in place of your usual lunchtime sandwich, or for a luxurious breakfast. My husband particularly likes to eat this for a hearty weekend brunch, topped with a runny fried egg and some chili flakes.

Tuna Confit on Avocado Toast

serves 4 as an appetizer; 2 as a main dish

Ingredients:

• 1/2 pound fresh tuna, cut in chunks
• 1/2 cup + 1 Tbsp olive oil, divided
• zest of 1 lemon
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped finely
• 1 Tblsp Dijon mustard (smooth or grainy is fine)
• 1 Tbsp sherry vinegar (can substitute white wine or champagne vinegar)
• leaves from 8 sprigs thyme, chopped (can substitute another fresh herb if you like)
• 2 tsp capers, rinsed
• salt and pepper to taste
• 6 slices crusty bread of your choice (if serving as an appetizer – use smaller pieces or cut them in halves or thirds again)
• half of a soft avocado

Method:

• Place tuna, 1/2 cup olive oil, lemon zest, and garlic in a small bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste and mix well. Try to cover the tuna with the oil. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing the wrap on top of the tuna. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours, for up to 24 hours.
• About 40 minutes before serving, put the tuna mixture into a saute pan and cook for about 5 minutes on medium low, stirring occasionally. Turn off the heat and let sit 20-30 minutes.
• Remove tuna from oil and mash well with a fork. Add mustard, vinegar, remaining Tbsp olive oil, herbs, capers, and salt and pepper to taste.
• Toast bread in the oven, on the grill, or in the toaster. Smear a dollop of avocado on each piece of toast. Top with tuna mixture. Serve immediately.

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You get to enjoy the fresh asparagus, fava beans, and ramps two ways in this super spring tart: in a pesto that makes the base, and as whole pieces scattered on top. Topped with a few shallots and a smattering of fromage blanc on a puff pastry crust, you have the perfect dish to serve at brunch, as an appetizer, or as a light dinner. Drizzle it with a little truffle oil and you’ll put it over the top. If you serve it at brunch time, you can top each square with a fried egg. Any way you serve it, this tart will be a hit!

Of course, in other seasons, you could use the same basic premise and employ the bounty of {insert season here.} Feel free to be creative! If you can’t find ramps, you can try substituting a few scallions plus a clove of garlic.

Fromage blanc is a lovely cheese that stands up really well in the oven, but if you can’t find it or don’t like it, you could substitute goat cheese, feta, or, for a very different taste, crumbles of blue cheese.

If you’ve never worked with fresh fava beans, and you want more details, you can read this post–although, I’ve become much less of a fava wimp since then.

Spring Tart with Favas, Asparagus, Ramps, and Fromage Blanc

serves 6

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 lb fresh fava beans in their pods
• 1 bunch asparagus (about 15 medium stalks)
• 1 small bunch ramps, trimmed and roughly chopped (about 1/2 cup)
• 1 Tblsp olive oil
• 1/4 cup parmesan
• 1/2 tsp lemon juice
• 2 shallots, sliced thinly
• 1/4 to 1/3 cup fromage blanc
• 1 sheet frozen puff pastry

Method:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
• Remove the fava beans from their pods. Boil a salted pot of water and cook the favas for about 2-3 minutes, until their secondary shell starts to come apart at the edges. Drain and rinse in cool water. Remove the peels and discard.
• Trim the asparagus spears, then cut them into 1 inch pieces. Reserve the flowery top sections and set aside. Boil a salted pot of water and cook the asparagus bottoms in the pot for 3-4 minutes, until tender. Drain and rinse with cold water.
• Put about half the fava beans, the cooked asparagus bottoms, and half the ramps in the food processor and pulse to chop finely. Add olive oil, parmesan, lemon juice, and salt to taste. Continue processing until you have a pesto-like consistency.
• Roll out the puff pastry on a silpat or piece of lightly oiled parchment paper, to a rectangle the size and shape of a half sheet pan. Roll the edges of the puff pastry inward to create a small edge.
• Spread the pesto evenly across the puff pastry with a spatula. Distribute the reserved fava beans, uncooked asparagus tops, and ramps on top of the pesto. Add the shallot slices. Crumble the fromage blanc over the top with your hands.
• Bake for 30-40 minutes, until the puff pastry is cooked through and lightly browned. Let sit for about five minutes, then cut and serve at the table with a drizzle of truffle oil, if desired.

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I had planned to serve the BLT eggs in the ramekins with a toasted English muffin, imagining people delicately scooping and sopping up bits from the bottom and sides of the dish. However, one of my guests unexpectedly wowed my by running his knife around the edge of the ramekin, placing the nook/cranny side of his English muffin on top of the ramekin, and flipping it out on top like a mini souffle! This small but ingenious gesture makes this already somewhat impressive breakfast dish cuter, more interactive, and yes, more delicious. Because things that come out in a molded shape upside down totally taste better than normal things. Trust me on this one!

The bacon/vegetable part of this recipe could be prepared ahead, placed in the ramekins, and left overnight in the fridge. In the morning you would just have to preheat the oven and add the eggs and cream to each ramekin before baking. Because they cook in the oven, it’s a terrific choice for a larger group. Don’t worry if you don’t own ramekins–any small oven-proof vessel, like a ceramic coffee cup or pyrex prep bowl, will do just fine.

BLT Baked Eggs
makes 6

Ingredients:

• 9-10 slices bacon
• 5-6 cups baby arugula leaves
• 3/4 cup tomatoes, chopped, or cherry tomatoes cut in half
• leaves from 4 sprigs of thyme
• 6 eggs
• 3 Tblsp heavy cream, divided
• coarse sea salt or fleur de sel and freshly ground black pepper
• toasted English muffins to serve

Method:

• Cook bacon in a large saute pan until crispy. Move to paper towels. Pour bacon grease into a bowl and reserve it.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Heat bacon pan over medium heat. Add arugula leaves, tomatoes, thyme, and a few grinds of pepper to the pan. Cook, flipping with tongs, until arugula is just wilted. Put vegetables into a strainer over a bowl to release some of the liquid.
• Brush 6 ramekins with bacon grease all over bottom and sides. Put the ramekins onto a sheet pan or 9×13 pan.
• Evenly distribute arugula mixture into the bottom of the ramekins. Crumble about 1 1/2 pieces of bacon into each ramekin on top of the arugula.
• Gently crack an egg into each ramekin, trying not to break the yolk. (Full disclosure: I broke 1 out of 6.) Drizzle about 2 teaspoons of cream over each egg. Sprinkle with a few grains of coarse salt.
• Bake the eggs until the whites are set and the yolks are still runny, about 15-18 minutes.
• Serve each with an English muffin and show your guests how to suavely unmold them at the table.

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The syrup they serve is magical- it’s like honey on a biscuit, but syrup on a waffle. Go figure! Also it’s the only place I think I have EVER been that actually has Bartles and Jaymes Wine Coolers on the menu. Yes! It’s absolutely an LA institution.

Note: There are other branches, but the Hollywood one is the “touristy” (white?) one. The food is the same at all of them, but the crazy, cramped, funky vibe is more present at Roscoe’s in Hollywood as well, since it’s the original. But if you happen to be in Watts, by all means, hit up another branch.

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If you’ve never had chilaquiles before, it’s a traditional Mexican breakfast dish that consists of fried tortilla chips coated in a green or red sauce, layered with scrambled eggs and chorizo, and baked with cheese on top. While it makes it something of a royal pain in the butt, the key to this recipe’s tastiness lies in frying up the tortilla chips yourself. If you have an avid and patient kitchen helper (even one who lacks culinary skillz), this chip-frying task would be a good time to call on them.

Chilaquiles are also commonly lauded as a hangover cure. To that end, Robert always makes this on the Sunday of our yearly Spring wine-tasting weekend. To protect his precious family recipes, I have made some key changes in this version! Robert: you can sleep easy knowing that while now everyone can enjoy some delicious chilaquiles, they will never be exactly the same as the ones you make.

Robert’s Chilaquiles
serves 8

Ingredients:

• 1 pound fresh corn tortillas
• 2 – 29 oz cans tomato sauce
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 Tblsp chili powder
• 3 cloves crushed garlic
• 3 chicken bouillion cubes
• 1 Tblsp flour, shaken in a jar with 2 Tblsp water
• 1 pound fresh Mexican chorizo
• 12 eggs, beaten well
• 1/2 pound grated cheese (Monterey Jack, mild cheddar, or shredded Mexican blend)
• 1 cup queso fresco, crumbled
• salt and pepper to taste
• vegetable oil for frying

Method:

• Cut tortillas into chip-sized wedges. Heat about 1 inch of oil in a large saute pan. Fry chips in batches until golden on both sides, removing to drain on paper towels.
• Meanwhile, in a saucepan, combine tomato sauce, cumin, chili powder, garlic, and bouillion. Heat over medium heat until bubbling. Lower heat and leave to simmer. Stir in flour/water mixture and salt and pepper. Taste and add more seasonings if you wish.
• Continue simmering over low heat for about 30 more minutes, stirring to make sure sauce doesn’t stick to pot.
• Preheat oven to 350.
• Combine half of chips and half of sauce, tossing to coat well. Lay in 9×13 pan. Bake for about 10-15 minutes, until chips have dried out a bit.
• While chips are baking, cook chorizo, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, until browned. Add eggs, salt and pepper to taste, and cook until scrambled.
• Spread egg and chorizo mixture over chips. Mix remaining chips with remaining sauce and spread on top of eggs.
• Sprinkle grated cheese on top, then crumble queso fresco over the top.
• Bake for about 20 minutes, until cheese is melted. Serve with refried beans, Spanish rice, avocadoes, and sour cream.

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I made it as a dessert, which was OK, but I think it would be an absolute knock-out for brunch. Next time I’m going to cover the entire top with berries. I used big smooshy blackberries and wished I had one in every bite!

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I love the combination of berries and oranges, so I incorporated both orange zest and juice into the batter, along with some vanilla yogurt for tang and sweetness. Using the yogurt, which I always have on hand, also prevented me from buying a quart of buttermilk and only using 1 cup, then letting the rest rot in my fridge… which is what has happened every single time I have ever bought buttermilk in my entire life, without fail. Seriously, it’s a real problem.

You should feel free to play with the spices or flavors in this recipe to mix it up. Other combinations that would be delicious would be…

• replace the orange with lemon, and replace blueberries with raspberries
• replace the orange with lime, and replace blueberries with blackberries, omit the cinnamon, and add toasted coconut
• keep the orange and replace blueberries with chocolate chunks, with or without the cinnamon and ginger (I’d keep ‘em in)
• keep all as is but add chopped toasted nuts and/or a handful of granola in the batter

Spiced Orange Blueberry Pancakes
serves 4-6

Ingredients:

• 1 cup oat flour
• 1 cup white flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• zest of 2 oranges
• 2 cups vanilla yogurt
• 1/2 cup fresh orange juice
• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons melted butter
• 1 pint blueberries, rinsed and dried
• butter for pan, and to serve

Method:

• Combine flours, baking powder, baking soda, spices, salt, and sugar in a bowl.
• Add orange zest, yogurt, juice, egg, and butter and stir to combine. (Batter may be lumpy.)
• Heat skillet over medium heat and add a small dollop of butter (about a teaspoon.) When butter bubbles, pour about 1/3 cup of batter into the skillet for each pancake. Sprinkle about 8-10 blueberries over each pancake.
• When pancake is golden on the bottom, flip and cook the other side until done.
• Repeat with remaining batter. To keep warm while cooking, you can put the cooked pancakes in a 175 degree oven while you’re finishing up.
• Serve warm with maple syrup and butter.

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