Christmas Eve Brunch

Oft overlooked, Brunch is a great time to have friends and family over for a meal. Earlier this week, despite the chill and rain, we did just that. Using my dad's technique we whipped up a frittata with ground Italian sausage, shallots, scallions, fresh parsley, and Havarti cheese. He insists on beating the eggs with an egg beater because it gets more air to them. Once in the oven, the dish acts more like a soufflé than a frittata. I contributed one of my favorite salads, Grapefruit Basil Mint Salad. I adore this salad for it's flexibility and subtle yet complex flavor. Basil, mint, flat leaf parsley, scallions all work well in the salad, so which ever combination of those you happen to have on hand will work beautifully. Adding Kalamata olives and shaved Parmesan cheese flesh this dish out into a delicious light lunch too.

Grapefruit Basil Mint Salad adapted from Giada De Laurentiis

2 whole grapefruits, sliced in rounds
1 hand full fresh mint, chopped
1 hand full fresh basil, chopped
1/4 red onion, sliced in rounds and separated
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
salt to taste
pepper to taste

Insert your knife along the edge of the grapefruit with the blade resting parallel against the rind. Slice down the sides meeting the blade up where the last piece of rind was peeled off removing the skin & leaving the fruit. Once peeled, slice the grapefruit in rounds and arrange on a platter. Slice the red onion in rounds and place on top of the grapefruit slices. Top it off with chopped herbs, I used basil & mint, salt, pepper, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar.

We paired our frittata and salad with fresh squeezed orange juice mimosas, cinnamon sugared raisin toast, and good strong coffee.