Today, I have failed you as a food blogger. I’m not proud. I cooked and cooked, we and our loved ones ate like kings, there was not a single recipe that shouldn’t be archived and returned to and yet, in the whirl of things we forgot to pick up the camera. (Hangs head in shame.) You get no photographic evidence of the shredded hash browns, chive biscuits, egregious amount of thick-cut maple-cured bacon, baked almond-orange French toast, insanely spicy bloody marys, plain yogurt I flavored myself with real vanilla and just a pinch of sugar. You’re just going to have to trust me that it was grand.
Since we’ve been together Alex and I have twice taken our mothers and those dudes they married for Mother’s Day brunches. I’m not going to say that we haven’t had good meals, but we’ve never had a great one. No matter who cooks it (and really, it’s always a short order cook; the chef with his/her name on the menu isn’t called in six hours early just to flip eggs), in the end most brunch menus look exactly alike and with the prices jacked up for the holiday, you’ve got to question the sanity of a $50 over-cooked egg. I don’t overcook my eggs, do you? And yet I’ll pay someone else to, and to serve bacon that’s never quite crisp. My bacon is always crisp.
It was a post on the Gourmet Editors blog by Ann Patchett that finally knocked some sanity back into my head. Among her seven reasons that food always tastes better at home, she talks about never needing a reservation, food always served at the correct temperature, meals are always perfectly portioned for her current level of hunger (“I don’t overeat at home. No one ever steps out of the pantry and asks me if I want a dessert when I am already perfectly full.”), and knowing everything that went into her food, even if it’s a saturated fat. But this was my favorite:
Frankly, I’m a good cook. I am my own personal chef. I know exactly what I like to eat and that’s how I fix my food every single time. I almost never let myself down. Most of the time I’m in a restaurant I am struck by the fact that the food is better at home.
And with that, I couldn’t rationalize another fabric napkin-wrapped basket stale scones and overly-sweet muffins, because if there is anything I can’t abide, it’s a chalky scone, not when a flawless recipe is available at the touch of your fingertips.
So, yes. Onto the food already.
- You already know about the three varieties of miniature muffins (corn, raspberry-lemon, and banana with chocolate chips) but I think I’ve now found my go-to biscuit recipe. Even better, I plopped them on their baking sheet and stored them in the freezer for a day until I was ready to bake them, to create less work for myself this morning. I’m brilliant, right? Uh, anyway.
- Bacon is bacon, but I do love the thick cut stuff you can have them pack at the Whole Foods meat counter. It always gets noticed.
- I shred a russet potato or two and half an onion in the food processor, squeeze them out very, very well and fry them in a big patty to make hash browns (my absolutely favorite bedding for a poached egg).
- I’ve already told you about my baked French toast, but I have to add that the glug of Triple Sec, zest of half an orange and splash of almond extract combination is my favorite yet. I soaked it only for an hour or so and used 1% milk in lieu of whole, and you’d never have known the difference.
- Finally, the baked eggs: If you’re tired of the same old poached/baked/fried/scramble fix, you definitely need a dose of this. You create thickest and most lush bed of sauteed spinach, mushrooms and onion with a splash of cream, dig and fill egg-sized wells all over and bake it in the oven until the whites are solid before finishing it off with parmesan and you literally scoop–scoop–it onto your plate and never look back. I know I haven’t. Don’t be put off by this unseemly picture: there is great deliciousness within.
Bloody Mary
Fox & Hounds Tavern, St. Louis
5 ounces tomato juice
1 1/2 ounces vodka
Juice of 2 lime wedges
1/2 teaspoon finely grated
fresh horseradish
2 or 3 dashes of Worcestershire sauce
3 or 4 drops of Tabasco sauce
Pinch of salt
Pinch of celery salt
Small pinch of cayenne pepper
Ice
Combine all of the ingredients in a pint glass. Pour the drink back and forth between the pint glass and a cocktail shaker four times, then pour the Bloody Mary into a highball glass over ice.
Baked Eggs with Spinach and Mushrooms
Gourmet, June 2004
10 oz baby spinach leaves
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
5 oz mushrooms, thinly sliced (2 cups)
1/3 cup heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
4 large eggs
2 tablespoons finely grated parmesan
Put oven rack in upper third of oven and preheat oven to 450°F.
Bring 1/2 inch water to a boil in a 10- to 12-inch ovenproof heavy skillet (not cast-iron), then add half of spinach and cook, turning with tongs, until wilted, about 30 seconds. Add remaining spinach and wilt in same manner, then cook, covered, over moderately high heat until spinach is tender, about 2 minutes. Drain in a colander and cool under cold running water. Gently squeeze handfuls of spinach to remove as much liquid as possible, then coarsely chop.
Wipe skillet dry, then cook onion and garlic in butter over moderately low heat, stirring, until softened, 2 to 3 minutes. Add mushrooms and increase heat to moderate, then cook, stirring, until mushrooms are softened and have exuded liquid, about 3 minutes. Stir in cream, salt, pepper, nutmeg, and chopped spinach and bring to a simmer. Remove skillet from heat and make 4 large indentations in spinach mixture. Break an egg into each indentation and bake, uncovered, until egg whites are set but yolks are still runny, 7 to 10 minutes. Lightly season eggs with salt and pepper, then sprinkle with cheese.
Buttermilk Chive Biscuits
Adapted from Dot’s Diner, Boulder, CO
Makes 12 servings.
3 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon sugar (originally recipe calls for 2 tablespoons)
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup (1 1/2sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
1/4 cup minced fresh chives
1 cup buttermilk
Preheat oven to 425°F. Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda in large bowl to blend. Using fingertips, rub 3/4 cup chilled butter into dry ingredients until mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in chives. Add buttermilk and stir until evenly moistened. Using 1/4 cup dough for each biscuit, drop biscuits onto baking sheet, spacing 2 inches apart.* Bake until biscuits are golden brown on top, about 15 minutes. Cool slightly. Serve warm.
* I’m a sucker for the round, bumpy-edged biscuit shape so I rolled it out on well-floured counter and cut them with a 3″ biscuit-cutter. Take care to handle the dough as little as humanly possible, so not to warm or soften it too much.
yay, first comment again! I am about to start zesting my lemons for the muffins. Can’t wait!
OY
drool.
Hi! Happy Mothers day – I am saved from bad brunch day (Mothers Day and Easter are always the worst of the worst brunch wise) as my Mother is back in NY (I am in LA) – but this all sounds very delish!
But what is a nice Jewish girl eating bacon for? Although the Jewish half of my family does partake, my husband doesn’t eat piggies, so I have found an amazing stand in – duck bacon. It is awesome, you really should try it if you ever need to substitute, there is always a picky eater in a crowd. The brand I have used is D’artangan, which I believ is an east coast/Jersey company. Give it a shot, they also do a ducklami (duck salami).
Of course, if you don’t care for duck…uh…nevermind. Me, my motto is if there is duck on the menu – order it.
I think I´m full just reading the list of things you´ve cooked, I just hope your family appreciates the effort, otherwise, save me a seat, I´m always at the ready for things like these.
And don´t get me started on that incredible muffin thingy, which must have a name, but it eludes me right now… or the incredibly cute mini muffins.
You need to open up a bakery soon, Deb… which reminds me, I need to email you with an indecent proposal ASAP.
You know… (I think as my lemon raspberry muffins bake away happily and I look at the blueberry muffin recipe) – a good hybrid might be adding blueberries to the lemon muffins and omitting the raspberries… I love blueberries and lemon together. On a side note, did any of your raspberries sink into the batter as the muffins cooked? Some of mine have… disappeared… :)
We’ve recently come to the same conclusion. Yes, it’s fun to eat out, and we still enjoy it every now and then, but as there are two (well, reasonably) able & keen cooks in our household, we can whip up similarly satisfying meals at a much cheaper price at home. On my way to read Ann Patchett’s thought-provoking essay now..
And thanks for the great recipes – that Baked Eggs with Spinach and Mushrooms
looks perfect for us!!
Really, who needs eating out if this is the menu you can eat at home?! I’ve made the baked eggs for brunch parties (delicious), and buttermilk chives, too. Love the selection of mini-muffins.
Looks like a great spread, Deb! I bet your guests were impressed. One question for you… I’ve always had problems with pacing and timing when using oven-dependent recipes for guests. Any tips or suggestions?
Great post. We’ve come to the same conclusion about our food. The question remains, however, what we’d choose given the choice between our food and **your food**. Happy Mother’s Day.
I know this wasn’t at all the point of the post, but – where did you get that great cupcake tree?
You know you’ve “made it” in the blogging world when people are excited about being the first commenter.
From one who really knows, this brunch was OUTSTANDING! The french toast has to be the most wonderfully sensual food excursion I have been on recently.
Damn, you make me want to have kids, someday, I might get an affair like this to eat and not have to cook. Also, I loved the way you did your hashbrowns! I love to add shredded or thinly sliced onion to pan when I cook them. But, I also top them with some maple cured ham, tomatoes and then melt some cheddar over the top. (Yeah, I totally stole that from Waffle House – but my way is a TON less greasy.)
I hope you’re enjoying Opryland!
Congrats…and happy belated Momma’s Day.
I said to hell with going out and cooked myself too.
Your brunch looks DELIGHTFUL.
Approximate temp and time for the baked eggs? I try and stay loose, but really, a guideline makes me more confident! Thanks–it looks fabulous!
Never mind. I just saw the recipe—DUH. :)
woo hoo SantaDad..
sensual food excursion?
I gotta make that french toast asap.
Why no cast iron skillets? Just curious, because it’s the only oven-proof skillet I have. I could always cook all the stuff and layer it in a baking dish, but I’m curious if there’s a reason to avoid the cast iron. (sorry if this is a really stupid question.)
So, I am now baking the blueberry muffins that you mentioned and if they come out half as well as the batter tastes, I will NEVER make blueberry muffins from a box again! I really have to thank you for expanding my cooking horizons – you inspire me to make better things for myself and my husband. I don’t know if anyone else does this, but someone asked me where I got the recipe for the pretzels and I found myself saying “oh, my friend Deb” as if I actually know you.
We all have occasions in which the guests or the food is more important than blogging! I am highly suspicious of food priest(esse(s who can always provide perfect photos with perfect lighting in the ultimate macro. Fallen soufflé? Cool pasta? Uh-uh!
I have guests who are delighted to watch photography and others who would be really teed off if I took the time. Once I invited a bunch of friends to eat an array of things prepared for a cookbook photo shoot, so they were forewarned.
So, this was a delicious post and I shall have a go at some of the dishes that I can get ingredients for. Photos are food porn, and I like them, but even more the BITE.
Oh I must try those eggs cooked in spinach. I bet they would be great for any meal.
I couldn’t have put Ann’s words better myself. Although there are times that eating out appeals to me, like when I am exhausted, ticked off at M. and accepting a meal out as a peace offering, or on the occasion that we are due home from wherever we are around dinnertime and there is no plan- yes, a meal out works then. But most of the time as I eat a restaurant meal I am thinking “I could SO do this better.”
Those eggs….oh my….if only M. did eggs and G. did spinach. Otherwise, huh uh. Your Mothers Day meal sounds wonderful, and yes, MY bacon is also always crisp. ALWAYS.
While photos are nice for the blog, sometimes it’s good to just enjoy your meal and company without dragging out the camera. And yes, unless I’m going to a place like Wd-50, I tend to always think to myself, “I could do this and it would taste so much better!” Restaurants are (usually) way overrated.
Your’s is my new favorite blog, found through Not Martha. I love to cook and try new things, and it seems you have the same affliction. I can’t wait to fix the spinach and eggs for my b’friend, he’ll die of happiness.
After much debate, my family settled on a barbecue at my place for Mother’s Day. My mom had no clue and was vaguely dreading being taken out to an over-priced, over-crowded restaurant. So, when she and my dad showed up at my place, and my dad whipped out a container of NY Steak, ready for the grill, she was shocked and quite happy!
There are times when eating out is a glorious relief and others when there is no way to beat a home-cooked meal.
Oh how could you! You know when you took the food blogger’s creed that you need to photograph every single thing you make!
Only kidding. With your flair with words, it’s not hard to be able to imagine what your mother’s day meal would have looked like. Who needs pictures, I say. I’m glad you got to enjoy your meal without having to take out your camera.
I love the Ann Patchett quote. My wife and I are also “frankly, good cooks.” So when we eat out—I’m talking dining here, not just a quick, cheap lunch or carry-outs—we expect the food to be either better or more interesting than we could make it or else something we plain couldn’t make.
Mmm my mom made the baked eggs with mushrooms and spinach for my birthday! Delicious!
You must be kidding me, another perfectly perfect post about perfectly perfect food. Smittenkitchen I think I’m in love, but please, don’t tell my guy.
Great idea baked egges haven’t made them in while,
keep up the good work.. & keep on cooking!!!!!!!!
Marce — Of course they do. The tower is a cupcake holder my sister got me a couple years ago, when I was convinced I wanted to have cupcakes instead of a wedding cake (I’m actually glad I didn’t go this route, though still kick myself for not making my own cake!). I’m not sure where she got it, but if you Google around for “cupcake stand” I’m sure you’ll find one.
Jessica — I pressed my raspberries in a little, but none sank. However, I forgot to mention this but there were one or two in which I had pressed them so much that it created an air pocket which POPPED in baking. I have a picture of one somewhere. It was really cute. Didn’t make too much of a mess.
Lydia — Oh, me too! The bacon, which I’d tried to bake because I don’t have a griddle big enough for 12 pieces, obviously, got finished about 20 minutes after we were done eating, thus I’ve yet to get all timings down. That said, I made the French toast first because lukewarm is just fine for it, and it also traps heat well. While it baked, I sautéed the spinach, and got it all ready for the point where you’d drop eggs in (I kept it warm with the lid on; in the big dutch oven, it had no problem staying hot). Then I baked the biscuits, so they were just coming out of the oven when people showed up. Once everyone was there, I fried the hash browns and dropped the eggs in the spinach. The oven was already on. The bacon was last, and I’d way underestimated how long it would take.
RA — It was a gift from my sister, so I’m not sure! I’m sure you can Google to find one.
M — Heh! That’s exactly what I’d joked to Alex.
Jenifer from Houston — Dude, you can make me hash browns anytime. I am not enjoying Opryland, sadly. :(
Annie D — The original recipe says 40 minutes beginning to end. I’d give it longer. Sautéing, squeezing and chopping spinach takes more than 15 minutes. Unless you’re a professional chef, perhaps, which I am so not.
K — I’m not positive, but I think the iron would react with the greens and possibly embitter them. I could be wrong. Before I had the Dutch oven, I would sauté everything in a big non-stick, then transfer it to a casserole dish to bake. It was very little extra work.
jenjen — Heh. Then it’s the Wife’s Creed to blame her husband. I was on cooking duty, he was on cocktail-making, people serving, family-entertaining, floor-sweeping-after-a-plate-broke, picture-taking duty. ;)
re: cupcake stand — I’m pretty sure that’s the Wilton cupcake stand, you can pick it up at Michael’s or other craft stores that stock cake decorating stuff.
Oh, and the eggs? Delish! A bit to heavy on the mushrooms for my hubby, though, so I will have to tweak.
I have finally stopped being lazy long enough to track down the cupcake stand online. (Thanks amarie for the heads-up on the brand.) Indeed, you get it from Wilton’s website or from Amazon. Can you picture it with a stack of two Oreos on each landing? The cute, it kills.
Made the eggs last weekend for brunch with my parents – they loved them!!
Hi –
1st post but I love your site. I made these buttermilk-chive biscuits and they were amazing! Thanks for the great recipe!
We had the eggs for breakfast! awesome. we added some fried and crumbled pancetta on top. Devoured in minutes!
xo, jaden
Hi, first-time poster here. This is the ONLY blog I read, and I *love* it! I’m writing because we had the biscuits, eggs/spinach, bacon, and lemon raspberry muffins for a brunch in which it was absolutely “de rigueur” to impress. And impress we did!!! The eggs were divine. Nobody could stop talking about them. Thanks so much!!
After lurking on your blog since I found it through the Bloggie awards, I finally made one of your recipes. I am having the baked eggs for dinner, and it’s phenomenal. Your blue chip chocolate chip cookies are in the oven right now, too – they smell fantastic. Thanks for the inspirational photographs and delicious recipes!!
First time poster here. I’ve been snooping through your site and love it. Your blog was recommended (linked) by the Pioneer Woman. I can see why.
I just wanted to say that the Dot’s Diner biscuits are my very favorite biscuit recipe. I haven’t tried them with chives yet..but I will now. Thanks for the tip!
wow!
Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day! Thank you for the new ideas!
i’ve made these baked eggs before to great success (and they are good for any meal of the day) but just wanted to post with a yummy adaptation i tried today. i have lots of CSA veggies in my fridge and it feels wrong to buy anything else. So i saute-ed up a handful of scallions, kernels from two ears of corn, celery greens, two stalks of celery, and parsley with garlic and salt. I layered that over a bed of olive oil mashed potatoes and then cracked the eggs in wells and baked. delishness! the corn made it especially crunchy and nice. a success at brunch!
I’m not sure why but I can never figure out freezing then baking for certain items…so with the buttermilk biscuits, when you froze them then baked them the next day, do you just put them right in to the oven while still frozen or set them out for a bit before baking?
I have put them in right from the freezer and I have let them thaw a bit. It works either way; it simply needs a little extra baking time if you put them in while still frozen solid. Hope that helps!
Is it possible to make the biscuit dough a day before and keep in the fridge before baking? Will it go flat?
Looks yummy!
In comment 44, I said I usually use the freezer. It stops any chemical processes faster, and keeps them the freshest.
Thanks Deb!
I made the biscuits tonight and THEY ROCK. Thanks so much for the recipe!
My modifications:
– 2 cups All-Purpose and 1 cup White-Whole-Wheat Flours.
– 1/2 cup chopped fresh Cilantro instead of Chives
– Added 3/4 cup shredded Cheddar Cheese
I found that I needed a little more buttermilk (maybe 1 1/3 total cups) to get the dough to stick together. Next time I might use a little more salt (I’m a salt freak).
They looked so good that I completely forgot that I was going to try to freeze/refrigerate the dough — and instead baked them all. Next time I’ll try…
Thanks again Deb! Your recipes and funny stories are great.
for the baked eggs… if i wanted to make enough to serve, say, 10 people, what are my options? anyway to make it in one pot (or even two)? and do you assume 2 eggs per person, even if there’s other food?
Holy Cow!! I hosted a brunch for 20 people and made the Boozy French Toast and the Baked Eggs with Spinach and Mushrooms. They were both a hit and so easy to make.
I made the baked eggs with spinach for my husband and I yesterday. It was delicious. Thank you. The best brunch we’ve had in a long time. Only thing is, I stupidly grabbed the handle of the skillet just after taking it out of the oven. And after warning my husband not to touch it! Very silly.
why cook & wring spinach, I use it fresh and just chop it. I also use seasoned feta and sundried tomatoes.
It removes the excess moisture, so the dish doesn’t get watery.
Biscuits turned out amazingly delish!!! Thanks again!
Thank you for sharing these recipes! I made the whole menu (along with some bacon) for brunch this morning. I was a little short on spinach, but the eggs were still really yummy – and cooked perfectly. My husband who is definitely a savory over sweets guy and doesn’t usually like biscuits had seconds of the chive biscuits. The bloody marys were excellent too – I’ve tried a few different recipes & this one’s my new favorite.
I wish I could say the eggs were a hit at our house but I didn’t like them at all. My husband is eating them and seems to be enjoying it but the flavor is off for me.
Hi Deb,
I can think of nothing better than eggs baked in garlicky-spinachy-mushroomy deliciousness, but I cannot abide runny yolks. Would it be possible to bake it longer (twice as long?) to set the yolks, or do you think that would just dry out all the other ingredients?
Thanks!
I’d say bake it to whatever point of doneness you like your eggs.
I made these minus the chives and they were wonderful. I made a double batch to use up some buttermilk and froze the rest. I just baked one straight from the freezer, put honey on it, and it was delicious.
I’ve discovered one of my favorite meals ever that combines two of your recipes. These biscuits, a piece of ham (the thick kind), a runny egg, and your creamed spinach. All in one glorious biscuit sandwich
Thanks for such a wonderful site!
Just found your blog and am loving it! I plan to try this recipe out first, but wondered – could i steam the spinach and then wring it? Would that not work?
Thanks for such an inspiring blog x
I’m looking forward to making the baked eggs for brunch this weekend. They look like a good alternative to scrambling, boiling, and frying my eggs.
I think I love you. I had forgotten just how wonderful Dot’s biscuits are but as soon as I saw this I could almost TASTE them!! Brings back so many memories – Dot’s on the Hill after morning class or Dot’s on 30th on a Saturday morning. I think they’ll be amazing with the chives. I might try them with dill, too – dare to dream.
My kid sister and I made everything but the muffins for our Easter brunch. Huuuuuge hit. My family was so excited to try new dishes and we had a great time cooking.
Hi Deb – How many does the egg dish serve? I’m having 8 for brunch and was planning on making the lemon-rasp muffins, french toast casserole and the baked eggs – you think that’s enough? Thanks!
Ilysse — There are 12 eggs, so normally I’d say 6 people. BUT, everyone likes a different amount of eggs. And if there are a lot of dishes, people might only want one egg’s worth… you’ll almost definitely be fine with just one batch. I’m a little biased but I think you’re going to have a great brunch!
This blog is now my one-stop shop for recipes for everything.
End of school brownies? Check
Healthy morning muffins? Check
Mother’s Day brunch? Check, SO MUCH CHECK
Hi Deb,wat a timely post! we’re having a huge brunch on Saturday, and were looking for baked eggy things to make. with so much food we have to make (over 20 people, eek), though, i’m trying to work out some tricky timing for oven usage. Do you think it would be possible to make the spinach/mushroom mix the day before, and then heat it up in the oven before you crack the eggs in? I also have a ton of 8 oz ramekins–do you think i’d be able to cool the mix,and then morning off plop some in the bottom of each ramekin and crack an egg on top? Your advice will be greatly appreciated!
Amanda — I definitely think you can make the spinach mix beforehand and reheat it; you might need an extra glug of cream to get it loose again, but not much. Ramekins would also work.
Deb, I’ve just realized – I’ve read this post many times, thank you Surprise Me button – that we have exactly the same cupcake stand! It screws together in different layers, right? Can I bring my cupcake stand over to play with your cupcake stand? Can we have cupcake stand PLAYDATES????
we just made the buttermilk chive biscuits and they’re great! I always make my biscuits with frozen butter, shaved. I didnt use the full 1/4 cup of chives for fear that the kids wouldn’t like them, but they would have benefited from more chives. Either way, yum! Thank you.
biscuits were divine even sans the chives… I used low fat buttermilk (cuz thats all i could find- thought the recipe would suffer but it didnt), and the result was perfection, they were flaky, buttery and lovely.
LOVE the eggs. We made them with kale fresh from the garden and mushrooms. I made the kale/mushrooms the day before, for an easy Christmas brunch egg dish. Thanks!
Made the eggs a couple weeks ago with dandelion greens and collars (collards in first!) and it was delightful. My guests were floored.
OMG Deb–these biscuits are divine. Made them this morning for my hubby’s bday breakfast and, we’re still swoonin’ over how perfectly-flaky, soft & tasty they are. Didn’t have buttermilk so, swapped out 1tbsp. white vinegar and enough milk to fill the rest of the cup.
I have made the biscuits and tested out a few, they are gorgeous! I have a question though. I put the rest of the biscuits on a baking sheet and in the freezer, can I just stick them straight in the over when my friends arrive?
Never mind, I just found my answer – thanks for the recipe! I am new to your blog and just love the photos and the food.
biscuits are great- ate them with soup and theyre reaaly rich and hearty. used 1/2 whole wheat flour and they were still awesome + didn’t have buttermilk so i substituted 1/2 cup plain yogurt and 1/2 cup milk and they had a great buttermilky/yogurty flavor! YUM!!!
OH! I forgot to mention that the baked eggs absolutely rocked my socks off and are going to become a new breakfast fav – which is saying alot since we have VERY high standards for our breakfasts round here!
(: YUM!
Oh my gawd this is awesomeness. I didn’t do the Bloody Mary because it is just a Wednesday morning and I only made this for myself, so the beverage seemed a bit too decadent. However, I scaled this down for one person and made the eggs and the biscuits and they were awesome. I actually used cake flour for the biscuits, because I had some leftover and wow! it makes light and perfectly tender biscuits. I actually rolled and cut mine into squares (so as to not waste any dough) and they are very tender and fluffy.
Also, I made mine in cast iron (which is what I cook in about 90% of the time) and had no issues. I saw no problem – no bitter greens, no damage to the pan (like tomatoes sometimes can cause) so I think as long as your pan is well seasoned, you should be fine.
Our Mother’s Day brunch was straight-up Smitten style! Baked Eggs w/ Spinach, Buttermilk Biscuits, the Whole Wheat Apple Muffins…. it was outrageously good! I got my Bloody Mary recipe from Jasper White’s Summer Shack cook book; the main differences were the juice of 1 lemon and 2 limes and several tablespoons of Old Bay (added to 1Q of tomato juice), along with the standard Bloody Mary ingredients. Anyway, the brunch was fabulous– thanks for the recipes and inspiration, Happy Mother’s Day!
Normally it’s my wife doing the commenting but I could not let it pass that at the bottom of this awesome recipe a Domino’s add pops up.
It’s a weird message to send to your viewers. So first things first try the great recipe but if you can’t hack it there’s at least there’s a solid plan B for you.
YES to the triple sec, orange zest, and almond extract recommendation for the Boozy Baked French Toast. I did take the other reader’s recommendation for covering with foil for the first 20 minutes, and then baking uncovered for the last 10 minutes, and it came out beautifully. Thanks for making me look so fancy!!
I’m a longtime fan of your blog and have made many recipes from this site. I just made these baked eggs, Bloody Marys and boozy french toast (with Grand Marnier). My boyfriend, Alex, is quite the food critic, but said it was the best breakfast I had ever made for him. Thanks for the tasty recipes!
These biscuits are incredible, and so easy to make. I like drop biscuits, so I didn’t roll out the dough. I also added 1 cup of shredded sharp cheddar. New favorite cheesy biscuit recipe!
5 years later, and definitely still inspiring mother’s day tables all over! :] I have decided against the restaurant this year!
I like your method for mixing the bloody mary- pouring the mixture back and forth. It’s a great way get all that horseradish suspended in the drink.
Hello, i’m wondering if this egg and mushroom bake can be made for a larger crowd? i’m planning a birthday brunch and need a yummy egg recipe!
I scale it all of the time. In the photo, I think I made a triple amount with a dozen eggs. However, you can estimate on the low side of eggs per person. I find with the creamy spinach and mushrooms, people rarely eat more than one or two eggs, tops.
I make these baked eggs for myself about once a month and they are kind of my favorite thing in the world. I cut down the amounts as I’m usually making it for just myself. I add red onions and leave out the cream. It’s absolutely awesome on top of toasted pita with a few slices of turkey bacon.
Just made these eggs this morning, and am in love!! Like Annie ^ I used red onion instead, but kept the cream, and am a firm believer that you have to have the Parmesan cheese on top! Definitely being added to the keep list.
Hi Deb, I love your site! I made these eggs for dinner a couple weeks ago and “healthified” them a little to make them less calories and fat. Here’s the post http://pumpedupchick.com/welcome/baked-eggs-for-dinner
Hi Deb,
I’m making the baked eggs from your cookbook this weekend and had a question about the hollandaise. I don’t have a full-size blender — will it work in a food processor or with an immersion blender? Any idea which one would be best?
Thanks so much — super excited to try the recipe! (Oh, and our mother’s day brunch will be a very Smitten Kitchen one indeed — buttermilk biscuits are already in the freezer (as is the vodka for the Bloody Marys) and mango curd is chilling in the fridge, ready for a banana layer cake:)
Made this over the weekend for a brunch and it was a hit! I found the yolks were a little too runny for my liking after being baked for 5-7 minutes so I left it in a little bit longer. Thanks for another wonderful recipe!
Hi Deb-
I should probably be able to figure this out myself, but I’m going to ask anyway. So your recipe calls for 4 eggs, but the picture shows at least 8. If you double the eggs, do you also double the spinach mixture?
Thanks.
Birdy — Actually, I usually triple it for a crowd, see a more recent photo here. I double or triple everything — cream, cheese, spinach, eggs, etc.
This might be my new favourite thing ever – and that spinach/mushroom base is really versatile – I’ve also cooked chicken thighs and sausages nestled onto/into it (once even with some cherry tomatoes thrown in to keep the other veg company), and that’s a pretty gorgeous dinner, let me tell you. My speedy cheat is to use frozen cooked spinach – it saves a couple of steps and I frankly don’t notice a difference in flavour or consistency (I did use fresh spinach the first time I tried this). This is a great recipe, thanks so much for sharing it!
I made your eggs and spinach this morning. Absolutely delicious! I’ll be serving this again soon. Thank you!
I made the buttermilk chive biscuits for Easter (and relied a lot on Deb’s great brunch-planning tips). I had never made biscuits before and I’ll be honest – when I was blending the butter with my fingers I felt like a crazy person because I did not see how it was ever going to start to look like coarse meal. But I kept doing it and you know what? It did! Deb does not lead us astray.
I flash-froze mine to bake the next morning and worked like a dream. Everyone loved them. So good!
Can homemade buttermilk be used for this or is cultured buttermilk require?d.. for the biscuits
hk — Not required; you can use your own. The purchased stuff seems a little nicer here, but in a pinch, you’ll be fine. Yogurt thinned with some milk or water works as well.
Deb – Been reading you for years, love the site and the cookbook. Question for a big brunch – I want to make cinnamon toast french toast. Even with bacon or sausage, I still feel like I need more of a savory element, and was thinking of this egg dish because it’s stovetop (my one oven is reserved for the french toast). Any thoughts on doubling this recipe in a large Dutch oven?
Sorry Deb, just read some of the other comments on scaling up!
Question: why no cast Iron for the baked eggs? Any particular reason? Thanks!
Rafi — Actually, I don’t see why you couldn’t use it. If there was an acidic ingredient, I’d understand it’s not ideal for the finish, but there’s not. I think I took the original recipe too literally at it’s word. Btw, this recipe got an update/refresh in 2014 if you’d like to see the way I make it these days.
Oh my goodness..I just discovered the first comment that I made on this site. It was over 10 years ago! Wow..how time flies. I was here (now) for the spinach strata recipe and through links, found this again. You know what? I still make these biscuits…and I still haven’t tried them with the chives, sigh, I always forget to buy chives. But the biscuit has stood the test of time.
I saw a comment by your father, Santa Dad. I so enjoyed his chiming in even before I knew who he was to you. This Rosh Hashanah, falls on my late Fathers birthday so nostalgia reigns here, too. May this new season keep fond memories with you, as they have with me. Love you, Deb. Susan
Could I use frozen spinach?
Yes