Whether you have guests staying with you for the holidays or you’re (finally!) enjoying some quiet time, preparing a delicious—and creative—brunch is a great way to spend a weekend morning. Executive Chef Josh Bernstein, of Spuntino Wine Bar & Italian Tapas, offered up the mouth-watering recipes below, along with his thoughts on each one: breakfast pizza, wild boar hash, and steak and eggs.
Breakfast Pizza
“The breakfast pizza combines all that we love in breakfast on a pizza. We use free range eggs with speck, house made mozzarella and cherry tomatoes to bring together an exceptional pizza.”
Makes one 10″ pizza
Ingredients:
1 pizza dough, 6 oz
½ cup shredded fresh mozzarella
¼ cup shredded parmesan cheese
¼ cup speck, julienned
3 cherry tomatoes, quartered
3 eggs
½ tsp sea salt
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp fresh basil, chiffonade
Fresh cracked black pepper
Method:
Roll out the pizza dough to a 10″ round on a pizza peel.
Evenly spread the mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses on top of the dough.
Top the cheese with the speck and tomatoes.
Crack the three eggs on top of the pizza and season with the sea salt.
Place into a hot pizza oven or a 500°F regular oven with a pizza stone.
Bake for 6 to 8 minutes until nicely browned and the eggs are set, but the yolks are still loose.
Remove from the oven. Cut into 6 slices. (It’s OK if the yolks break.)
Garnish the pizza with the olive oil, basil and cracked black pepper.
Wild Boar Hash
“The hash takes the earthiness of the wild boar and balances it with the creamy, buttery hollandaise sauce. To obtain wild boar shoulders, check with your local supermarket or specialty butcher. If wild boar is too adventurous for you or you can’t locate it, a good substitute is pork shoulder. It will have a similar flavor and will cook the same way.”
Serves 4
Ingredients for wild boar:
3 lbs wild boar shoulder
2 tbsp olive oil
1 carrot, small diced
2 stalks of celery, small diced
1 small spanish onion, small diced
2 cloves garlic, whole
2 tbsp tomato paste
2 cups red wine
4 cups chicken stock
1 bay leaf
2 tbsp fresh chopped sage
2 tbsp fresh chopped rosemary
3 tbsp kosher salt
2 tsp ground black pepper
Ingredients for hollandaise:
2 egg yolks
2 tbsp white wine
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp water
1 cup clarified butter
2 dashes Tabasco sauce
Sea salt and ground black pepper, to taste
Ingredients for wild boar hash:
1 tbsp clarified butter
½ lb braised wild boar
½ lb fingerling potatoes, roasted
¼ cup chicken stock
Sea salt and ground black pepper, to taste
Ingredients for eggs and plate:
8 eggs
8 cups water
2 tbsp white vinegar
4 tbsp micro greens
Method for braised wild boar:
Season the wild boar shoulder with kosher salt and ground black pepper.
Heat the olive oil in a braising pan over high heat.
Add the boar and sear on all sides until well browned.
Remove the boar from the pan.
Add the carrots, celery, onions and garlic.
Sauté the vegetables for 5 minutes until slightly browned.
Add the tomato paste and cook for 2 to 3 minutes until the paste is browned.
Deglaze the pan with the red wine, making sure to scrape up all of the brown bits that are stuck to the bottom of the pan.
Reduce the wine for 3 to 4 minutes and add the chicken stock and herbs.
Bring to a boil and cover with a tight fitting lid.
Place the whole pan into a 350°F oven for 2 to 3 hours, turning the boar over 1 to 2 times during the cooking process.
When the boar is very tender, remove from the oven.
Allow to cool for 30 minutes and shred the meat by hand.
Mix the shredded meat back into the braising pot with all of the vegetables and sauce. Set aside to cool.
Method for hollandaise:
In a bowl, combine the egg yolks, wine, lemon juice and water.
Whisk to combine well.
Place the bowl over a sauce pot with simmering water.
Whisk the egg yolk mixture vigorously for 5 to 7 minutes until the mixture is light, fluffy and reaches a temperature of 145°F.
Remove from the heat and slowly whisk in the clarified butter until it is completely emulsified.
Season with the tabasco sauce, salt and pepper to taste. Keep warm until needed.
Method for wild boar hash:
Dice the potatoes into a small dice.
Heat the clarified butter in a sauté pan.
Add the diced potatoes and cook for 2 to 3 minutes until browned.
Add the braised wild boar and chicken stock.
Cook for a few minutes longer until the stock is mostly reduced.
Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Method for eggs and plate:
Bring the water up to a simmer.
Add the vinegar.
Using a spoon, create a whirlpool in the water.
Crack each egg into the simmering water while it is spinning.
Cook the eggs for 5 minutes until the whites are set but the yolks are still loose.
Remove the poached eggs from the water to a paper towel lined bowl to drain.
Divide the wild boar hash between 4 bowls.
Top each with 2 poached eggs.
Spoon the hollandaise over the eggs and garnish with the micro greens.
Steak and Eggs
“The steak and eggs is a classic combination that we put our own twist on. We serve the hanger steak on top of a light arugula salad with poached eggs and hollandaise on a toasted crostini and pair it with our signature pave potato. It is a very elegant dish.”
Serves 4
Ingredients for hollandaise:
2 egg yolks
2 tbsp white wine
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp water
1 cup clarified butter
2 dashes Tabasco sauce
Sea salt and ground black pepper, to taste
Ingredients for hanger steak:
1 lb hanger steak, cut into 4oz portions
Sea salt and ground black pepper, to taste
Ingredients for eggs and plate:
8 eggs
8 cups water
2 tbsp white vinegar
2 oz baby arugula
8 cherry tomatoes, cut in quarters
1 lemon, juiced
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
4 slices of ciabatta bread
Method for hollandaise:
In a bowl, combine the egg yolks, wine, lemon juice and water.
Whisk to combine well.
Place the bowl over a sauce pot with simmering water.
Whisk the egg yolk mixture vigorously for 5 to 7 minutes until the mixture is light, fluffy and reaches a temperature of 145°F.
Remove from the heat and slowly whisk in the clarified butter until it is completely emulsified.
Season with the tabasco sauce, salt and pepper, to taste. Keep warm until needed.
Method for steak, eggs and plate:
Season the steaks with the salt and pepper.
Place onto a hot grill and cook until the steak reaches the desired temperature.
Place the 4 slices of bread on the grill to toast.
In a sauce pot, bring the water up to a simmer.
Add the vinegar.
Using a spoon, create a whirlpool in the water.
Crack each egg into the simmering water while it is spinning.
Cook the eggs for 5 minutes until the whites are set but the yolks are still loose.
Remove the poached eggs from the water to a paper towel lined bowl to drain.
In a bowl, combine the arugula, cherry tomatoes, lemon juice and olive oil.
Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
On each plate, place one slice of toast ciabatta on one side.
On the opposite side of the plate, place a quarter of the arugula salad.
Slice each steak into 4 pieces and shingle on top of the salad.
Top each slice of bread with two poached eggs.
Spoon the hollandaise on top of the eggs.
Serve the dish with a side of potatoes.
