For all that she’s done, the mother in your household or in your life deserves a bit of luxury on Sunday morning. A brunch featuring Bruschetta with Eggs and Lobster should fit the bill nicely.
It’s a celebratory riff on scrambled eggs on toast, with rich cream cheese, regal lobster, and, if you have it handy, a drizzle of truffle oil on top.
(Lobsterphobes could substitute another seafood preference — smoked salmon, shrimp, crab or white fish — or opt for none at all, given that the cream cheese is decadent in itself. )
The Wine: Sumac Ridge Tribute Sparkling Wine
Ottawa-based wine writer (and mother) Natalie MacLean would pair the dish with Sumac Ridge Tribute Sparkling Wine from B.C.’s Okanagan Valley ($30, 169508). “It’s made exclusively from chardonnay grapes in honour of Canadian athletes who competed at the Vancouver Olympic and Paralympics Games,” she says.
“Tribute is also a fitting name for all the mothers who run the gamut of soccer practices, piano lessons and algebra homework with Olympian stamina.
“The zingy citrus notes in this sparkler cut through the glorious richness of the bruschetta, soft eggs and lobster,” MacLean says: “Eggs can be tough on wine, but bubbly works because it doesn’t have the clashing tannins and heavy oak of red wines. The swarm of refreshing bubbles makes the next bite just as tasty.
“The best part about sparkling wine, though, is that it lends itself to making toasts in mom’s honour — I’ll drink to that!” MacLean says.
BRUSCHETTA WITH EGGS AND LOBSTER
Makes 8 servings
Note: If you cut the bread on the diagonal, you will get more surface. You can toast the bread an hour or so in advance, but the eggs and lobster need to be cooked right before serving. Each 5-ounce lobster tail will provide 4 ounces of meat. Boursin is a creamy soft cheese with the texture of cream cheese, which comes flavoured with herbs. It’s a tasty alternative to cream cheese. For large soft curds of eggs, keep your stirring to a minimum. Substitutes for the lobster could include smoked salmon, topped with fresh dill instead of chives, cooked crabmeat, small or medium-size cooked shrimp or cooked white fish.
– 1 baguette, cut in 16 (1/2-inch) slices
– 1 garlic clove, peeled
– Butter
– 2 or more (5 ounces/150 g each) lobster tails (defrosted, if frozen)
– 14 eggs, beaten until yolks and whites are well-combined
– 4 ounces (120 g) cream cheese, cut into small cubes (or boursin cheese)
– Fresh chives, chopped
– Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper
– Truffle oil (optional)
1. Toast bread in oven or in toaster. Rub one side of each slice with garlic (if you don’t like garlic, omit this). Butter and set aside.
2. Prepare the lobster: Do this before you start the eggs so there isn’t too much going on at the same time. To remove meat from shell, use kitchen shears to make 2 cuts along the underside of the tail (the softer side) and break away the shell. Once the meat is out of the shell (before or after it is cooked), remove the black vein that runs along the tail (pull it out or make a cut along the meat, as you would to devein shrimp, and pull the vein out).
Choice of options for cooking lobster: 3. Remove meat from shell and sauté whole in 2 tablespoons butter, basting it often, for about 5 to 8 minutes, until cooked through, then chop or slice for the eggs, OR remove uncooked meat from shell and chop into chunks and sauté in 2 tablespoons butter before adding to the eggs, OR poach meat in the shell for about 3 minutes in water to which some white wine, carrot, celery, onion, chili flakes, fennel seed, mustard seed, peppercorns, bay leaf, thyme, kosher salt and lemon and oranges have been added. (Bring the water to a simmer before adding the tail.) After the tail is cooked, the meat is removed from the shell and cut into chunks for the eggs.
4. To prepare the eggs: In each of 2 nonstick pans (or 1 large pan), melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Add eggs and turn heat to medium-low. For the largest curds, cook eggs with little stirring, instead pushing cooked part aside with a spatula and allowing uncooked eggs to move into place. When almost done, add cream cheese and stir. Remove from heat. (Eggs will continue to cook.)
5. To serve: On each plate, overlap 2 slices of toasted bread. Divide eggs and place on toast. Top with lobster and sprinkle with chives, a little salt and pepper. Drizzle a bit of truffle oil over eggs, if using.
Source: Adapted from Bar La Grassa in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Nutrition information per serving: 375 calories, 26 g fat, 13 g saturated fat, 500 mg sodium,13 g carbohydrates, 93 mg calcium, 22 g protein, 440 mg cholesterol, 0 g fibre
