Easter Brunching with Lobster!

Easter Brunch- the ultimate brunching day with family and friends. Usually our table is laden with goodies. A, now, traditional Greek Easter bread with the colored eggs embedded in the braids, a platter of Black Forest Ham with little rolls to stuff it into, along with the condiments: two types of mustard, my spicy bread and butter pickles, sliced tomatoes, slivered onions and an assortment of cheeses. We would have an egg dish like frittata or vege-packed scrambled eggs. Sometimes bacon, breakfast sausages or smoked salmon show up. Always cut up fruit and the best strawberries. I would have added a salad or two. In the very early days it would have been Pasta but in the later days I made bowls of flavorful chopped vegetables dressed simply with herbs, olive oil and fruit vinegar. Oh, and potatoes! Of course, a pot of my Scandinavian butter and dill braised little new potatoes. Copious amounts of Champagne, beer, juices and wine were present. I decorated the house and had Easter baskets for my young Niece and Nephew. We invited 15-20 people over. Usually the weather cooperated and we spilled out onto our deck in Mill Valley. My sweet niece still remembers those Easters. If my pictures weren’t packed away in our storage unit I would post a few, someday I will.
Well, here we are, Two by the Sea, brunching by ourselves.  In my refrigerator sit two Maine Lobster Claws, leftover from our dinner in Santa Barbara a few nights ago.  The best deal in town is at the Enterprise Fish Company on State Street. Monday-Thursday 5-9 they feature a Lobster dinner for $29.95. For a first course we each had a cup of Manhattan Clam chowder which we didn't even realize was included in the dinner. They split the lobster for us and gave us a choice of "two sides" from which we chose grilled vegetables and steamed broccoli that was pretty raw and crunchy. I packed up the two claws and the undercooked broccoli to go. The place was packed as it was Spring Break week for the masses. No matter we ordered two glasses of Bridlewood Pinot Noir (being in the heart of Pinot Noir wine country) and enjoyed the evening.  What to do with the leftovers for today?
After searching a few websites I was inspired to make scrambled eggs with lobster.  I typed up a preliminary recipe yesterday and hoped it would turn out good for our Easter Brunch.

We woke up to a drizzly morning but the Easter decorations and flowers I placed around the house brightened things up.  I got the "basket" put together and Steve's card out so he could jump right into those jelly beans he loves. 
This brunch is pretty minimal today, but elegant. I put out my Grandmother's silver pieces and used larger plates as well as our Waterford Crystal champagne flutes.  Nothing too over the top but just a little more special than usual.  I placed the Easter basket in the middle of the table already having an exit strategy when I was ready to serve the food.  Steve hates anything on the table but food or drink.  I just deal with it.

I love working with left overs from a fabo meal and making something different out of them.  I have a pretty well stocked freezer too so out came the ingredients for the soon to be

Lobster Scramble with Caviar on Toast Points

4 dark yolked eggs
1/4 c. lobster bisque ( Costco's)
2 oz. cooked lobster meat ( today it was from the claws) reserving the pincher meat for garnish
2 tsp. butter
2 T. minced onion
2 T. finely chopped bell pepper (your choice of color, today it was orange)
1 T. grated cheese-Unfortunately the feta I had planned on using was "unfit for human consumption so the Parmesan volunteered.
Salt & Pepper to taste ( a dash of each is plenty)
Garnishes:
1/2 small tomato, seeded and chopped
1T. herbage- tarragon, chives, thyme, parsley  in combo or separately
Caviar
2 slices bread, crusts removed, toasted, buttered and cut on the diagonal

Whisk the eggs together with the lobster bisque.  Fold in the lobster meat and set aside
Heat the butter in a non stick skillet. Saute onions and bell pepper until soft over low heat.  Add egg mixture, cheese, salt and pepper.  Cook stirring until the eggs are softly set.
Place the toast points on a warm plate and pile the eggs on top. Sprinkle with some tomato and herbs. Finish with a dollop of caviar and the piece of pincher meat.

* if you don't have caviar you can use finely diced cooked bacon.  I actually folded some bacon into the eggs but it was a little too strong so I won't do that again.  I loves me lobster to taste like lobster!

Our fruit today was a medley of blueberries, strawberries, bananas, pineapple, cantalope and preserved kumquats splashed with a good douse of the sparkling wine we opened- Laetitia's Brut Rose

Salsa de Bruncha was embellished with some lobster bisque and fish stock I had on hand.

Jelly beans for dessert!

Steve is having problems swallowing again so we just ate slowly, enjoying each savory bite.

Happy Easter Everyone.

Birthday Brunch

Monday, March 28, many moons ago, little Steven Eric was born. I wasn't there or even thought of then. Each year since we have been together, (42) I try to do something special.  On his 26th birthday and the first year of our relationship, I threw a surprise block party in San Diego's Mission Beach where we lived.  All of our neighbors came out to enjoy the keg of beer I ordered.  His family drove down from Los Angeles and surprised him too.  He was very impressed. I think my girlfriends all helped with the food and I am sure it was California Mexican. Things like tortilla chips ( fresh fried), salsa, guacamole some sort of stew, beans, salad and a birthday cake. I guess I was destined to cook and cater although that didn't become my profession for 12 more years. 
One fun birthday for Steve was when we lived in Chicago and I was taking classes in Chinese cooking.  I made hot and sour soup, potstickers, fried won tons, Shrimp fried rice and a few vegetarian things that I don't remember. One of his cousin's showed up with a case of beer. His "trading" buddies from the Chicago Mercantile came, stoned, but brought copious amounts of wine and spirits. A good time was definetely had by all as they say. Fast forward to San Francisco when I was just beginning to take cooking seriously and starting to make a career out of it. The parties took my skills to another level. Fine Napa Valley wine ( it used to be reasonable back in the 80's), grilled birds on beds of wild rice, beautiful platters of perfectly cooked vegetables seasoned with various herbs, and spices,homemade breads and pastry shop quality desserts. I am tired just thinking about how hard I worked to put together those dinners. Those were also the "hot tub" days so everyone would shed their clothes after a huge dinner and soak in the hot tub with more libations ( usually champagne, as we were allowed to call it back then). We would have a big fire in the fireplace and just dance and laugh our heads off.
The years tick by.

This birthday was celebrated in Phoenix with Steve's brother Scott, sister in law, Paula and our nephew Coleman in their newly purchased winter home. We laugh because they lived there 30 plus years, left for California, now live in Idaho and have come full circle back to spend the winters in Phoenix. They are now the "snow birds" they used to eschew. We were all so thankful to be warm as California has had a really chilly spring too.
 With a minimally stocked kitchen I decided to make a brunch for  Steve's birthday. Paula, my sister in law, and I went to the local farmer's market and picked up some fresh eggs, herbs, baby spinach, green garlic (yum) and a wonderful loaf of cheddar-apple bread. Trader Joe's and Paula's refrigerator filled in the other necessary ingredients for a pretty good brunch.
At Trader Joe's we picked up some proscuitto, chicken breakfast sausages, a ripe mango, mushrooms and some Italian truffle cheese. Fun fun!!
My Nikon camera battery died just as I was about to snap away. I used Paula's camera and the results were pretty good, at least the dishes are captured for posterity.

First up:                         Spinach and Mushroom Frittata

1/4 # brown mushrooms, sliced
1 c. diced onion
1 small bulb green garlic, peeled and sliced
1 T. olive oil
1# baby spinach, rinsed and dried
    In a saute pan with a lid, saute the mushroms, onions and garlic in olive oil until soft. Season with a little salt and pepper.  Add baby spinach in handfuls, cover with the lid and let steam until wilted. Stir into the mushroom mixture and keep adding spinach until it is all incorporated. I do this as opposed to blanching it to avoid too much moisture and the subsequent squeezing the death out of the  little leaves to remove said moisture.

Combine:
9 farmer's market eggs (the large size)
2 T. milk
1/3 c. crumbled feta cheese ( can use Parmesan)
2 T. chopped Sundried tomatoes ( sister in law had these so why not?)
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. fresh ground pepper
    or to taste on these seasonings.
Pour over the mushroom-spinach mixture in the skillet and stir to combine.  Over medium-low heat stir occasionally until the mixture starts to set but doesn't look like scrambled eggs.
I grated about 2 oz. of the Italian Truffle cheese and sprinkled over the top of the frittata. You could use any cheese that melts.
Pop the skillet into a 400* oven and bake 13-15 min. until it is browned and puffy.

  I didn't like the choice of bacon at this T.J.'s so opted for proscuitto which I spread out onto a baking sheet and baked until crisp in the 400* oven before the frittata went in. Watch it carefully as it can burn easily. It takes 4-5 min. max. Sister in law was in heaven!

I have poached these particular chicken breakfast sausages in a little water until it evaporates and they just start to brown then added some Chile Verde salsa to the skillet and baked them in a 350 oven for about 10 min. I thought it would be a good addition today.

We had a medley of odds and ends of fruit including the nice ripe mango so I diced up what we had and tossed in a little orange juice. 

Paula was in charge of her "Home Fries"  with baby yukon gold and red potatoes, bell peppers and onions. All crispy and yummy.

The cheddar apple bread was really good heated and sliced with sweet butter.

A toast was made with the favorite Trader Joe's Crement du Bourgone sparkling wine (what you have to call it now) to our favorite sweet man, Steve.

Off the brothers went in search of a baseball game while Paula and I went on a hunt for a birthday cake for the evening's dinner she had planned with a group of friends.  Steve got double the fun this Birthday!