 Photo by John Ivanko/ farmsteadchef.com The Green Apple Inn Bed-and-Breakfast serves these pretty egg blossoms. |
Bed-and-breakfasts have long been places where guests are treated to truly homemade meals that can be delicious and creative, despite (or perhaps because) the innkeepers don’t possess a culinary-arts degree. Sometimes, chefs can go overboard with the foo-foo at the expense of taste. That’s why we call ourselves “farmstead chefs.” Taste and nutrition can look great, too. The Green Apple Inn’s Breakfast Egg Flower, prepared by innkeeper Samantha Laskowski, is such an example.
The Green Apple Inn Bed-and-Breakfast, nestled amongst rolling hills about 2 miles south of the small town of LaFarge, Wis., shares a sustainable, ecologically mindful vision and puts it into practice, from organic linens on the beds to the photovoltaic system that powers their Victorian farmhouse to the abundance of fresh, über-ripe produce Samantha and her husband and co-innkeeper Ken Krupinski harvest from their organic gardens. Many of their furnishings have either been carefully refinished or creatively repurposed.
“We have come to a whole new appreciation for the deep-orange egg yolks from pastured chickens and the amazing flavors of fresh, wholesome ingredients,” Samantha says. “Our senses have become more alive in our efforts to simply give our guests a really yummy breakfast. I guess that’s a benefit we never expected. We want guests to remember the breakfasts they have with us.”
Samantha’s recipe below was adapted from the Egg Blossom found in The Treasury of Creative Cooking (Publications International, 1992), by the editors of Consumer Guide. It’s perfect to dazzle the in-laws or a bunch of friends who are visiting for the holidays, when you want to serve something other than another egg casserole. Our oven roasted or Swiss rosti potatoes would make a great side dish.
Recipe: Breakfast Egg Flower
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients
- 4 sheets phyllo dough
- 2 T. butter
- 4 tsp. Parmesan cheese, grated
- 4 t. havarti cheese, grated (or other soft, melting cheese)
- 4 eggs
- 4 tsp. green onion, finely chopped
- 1/8 tsp. salt
- 1/8 tsp. pepper
- 1/8 tsp. paprika
- 1/8 tsp. dried dill
Preparation
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly coat four 2½-inch muffin cups with canola oil.
Melt butter in small bowl. Brush one phyllo sheet with butter, then top with another sheet of phyllo, again brushing with butter. Cut stack into six 4-inch squares. Repeat with remaining two sheets. Stack three squares together, rotating so corners so they do not overlap to create phyllo flower. Press each phyllo flower into muffin cup.
Sprinkle 1 teaspoon each of Parmesan and havarti cheese into bottom of each phyllo-lined cup. Break one egg into each cup. Top egg with 1 teaspoon onion, plus a pinch each of salt, pepper, paprika and dill. Bake 15 to 20 minutes, until pastry is golden brown and eggs are set.
Serve immediately.
Savoring the good life,
