My neighbor Cookie who lives across the alley is a sweet ray of sunshine that brightens my day and occasionally brings breakfast to my back door. I’m blessed to have a former caterer as my friend, and thankfully, she still delivers. She is an exceptional cook and this particular morning she brought me one of her breakfast specialties. Her farmhouse frittata is classic yet simple, taken to new heights with a lavender cream sauce.
Farm-fresh eggs are the key to the perfect farmhouse frittata. (All photos credit: George Graham)
Frittata is an Italian dish that is mimicked in most all cultures. The Spanish have their tortilla egg dish, but when you break it down, a frittata is simply an open-faced omelet cooked in a shallow pan or skillet. Basically, it’s eggs and herbs combined with various ingredients that give you an endless number of versions.
Cookie cooks up a delicious Farmhouse Frittata – one of the best I’ve ever had.
She and her husband Don have traveled extensively throughout Europe collecting recipes and memories along the way. Don is a superb camp cook and a grill master par excellence, but it is his wonderful wife that has the real talent in the kitchen turning out a dinner party for eight as easily as she whips up a morning brunch frittata.
Cookie has a knack for combining ordinary ingredients into extraordinary dishes. I have attended several of her Sunday suppers, and she never fails to surprise me with an unexpected flavor or a newly discovered ingredient. In this Farmhouse Frittata, she delivers.
A slice of farmhouse frittata with lavender cream.
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 2 tablespoons dried lavender buds
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 3 large Yukon Gold potatoes
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup finely diced yellow onion
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 2 cups fresh spinach leaves
- 1 tablespoon water
- 4 large eggs
- ¼ cup whole milk
- ½ cup grated white cheddar cheese
- ¼ cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
- Sprig of thyme
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce
- 1 teaspoon white pepper
- Kosher salt
- Non-stick spray
- 1 cup diced green onion tops
- In a stainless steel bowl, add the cream, lavender, and honey. Cover the bowl, refrigerate and infuse the cream mixture for 4 hours or overnight. Strain the mixture, removing the lavender buds.
- In a sauce pan over medium-high heat, add the cream mixture and bring almost to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer. Let the sauce reduce slowly by half until it begins to thicken. Begin whisking until the sauce coats the back of a spoon and is thickened. If the sauce becomes too thick just add a little more cream to loosen it. Keep warm for serving.
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF.
- Peel the potatoes and slice into ¼-inch rounds.
- In a skillet over medium-high heat, add the olive oil and sauté the onions until translucent. Add the potatoes and continue sautéing until the potatoes soften and they begin to brown. Add the garlic.
- Add the spinach leaves along with the water and cover the saucepan until the spinach is wilted, about 5 minutes. Drain any water and set the skillet aside to cool.
- In a bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, and grated cheese. Add in the chopped parsley. Remove the stem from the sprig of thyme and add the leaves along with the hot sauce, white pepper, and a sprinkling of salt.
- In a medium-sized, oven-proof skillet coated with non-stick spray, add the spinach and potato mixture, spreading it out evenly. Add the egg mixture over the top and let it settle into the pan. With a spatula, layer the egg under the potatoes.
- Place the skillet in the oven and cook until the eggs set and the top begins to brown, about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and keep warm.
- Serve the frittata in the skillet family-style or slice into individual portions. Spoon the sauce over each slice or serve on the side. Garnish with chopped green onion tops.
The lavender cream adds a counterbalance of flavor to this farmhouse frittata.
YOUR SEAT AT THE TABLE: If you like this Cajun cooking story and Cajun recipe then accept my personal invitation to subscribe by entering your email at the bottom or top right of this page. It’s quick and painless. You will receive an email alert and be the first to see when new Cajun cooking stories and Cajun recipes are added. Thanks, George.
Where can I get lavender buds?
Tracey- I see them at World Market, but if you want to buy them on Amazon here’s the link to Culinary Lavender Buds. All the best.
Blanco Texas has a lavender festival each June. Because of the lavender fields, lavender products are available year round.