It is just after sunrise at Bobby Flay’s West Village apartment, where he is getting ready to film a series of cooking videos, but Flay is energized and ready to go. He’s enthusiastic about brunch, of course, but what he is really excited about are his new nonstick pans. Surprised? So was Flay. Chefs aren’t known to obsess over nonstick. Though the pans are a home cook’s staple, the pros are better known for their love of cast iron and stainless steel. It was the latest GreenPan cookware that changed Flay’s mind.
“Williams Sonoma called me and told me about these new nonstick pans they were carrying that they wanted me to try and I said ‘Nah, I’m good, thanks,” Flay recalls “But they sent the pans anyway, and I fell in love with them.” The unexpected objects of Flay’s desire? GreenPan’s newest Premiere line of cookware, made with Diamond Advance nontoxic coating. “I noticed the results first of all – they sear evenly and do really well over high heat,” says Flay. “When I found out they were also nontoxic and totally durable – dishwasher safe and everything – I was blown away.”
So, the pans became the inspiration behind Bobby Flay’s brunch menu, a fresh winter spread that celebrates the ease and creativity of cooking with total confidence. As Flay whipped up dish after dish that morning, he taught us a thing or two about what it takes to make (and enjoy!) brunch like a pro.
1. Eggs are Everything
Flay built his brunch menu around this herby green frittata, inspired by the Persian dish Kaku Sabzi. The trickiest part? After baking, you need to slip the entire egg dish out of the pan in one smooth move – if anything sticks, the whole frittata round will break. “This is all about confidence,” Flay told us, as he shook the cooked frittata loose in the pan before flawlessly sliding it out onto a serving plate. “It’s not just any nonstick cookware that does that.”
2. The Table is Hungry Too
When Flay cooks brunch for friends at home, you won’t find him flipping a few pancakes and nothing more. “I always say ‘the table is hungry too’,” says Flay, who makes brunch in abundance – an egg dish, some waffles, bacon, all served family-style. If you can serve it directly out of the GreenPan Premiere cookware you made it in? Even better.
3. Dress for (Brunch) Success
If he’s not hosting, Bobby Flay is going out to brunch. “I wake up, I watch the news at 9 am and then put on my brunch sweater,” says Flay, who keeps a stash of dedicated “brunch sweaters” in his closet – cozy, throw-over-anything sweaters that are better than sweatpants, style-wise, but equally comfortable. “There’s just something about a comfortable sweater that makes me feel ready for brunch.”
4. Make-Ahead Matters
Home fries also make the brunch menu every weekend because they’re both comforting and strategic. “I always want something homey, like what you’d get at the diner down the street,” says Flay. One tip: Parboil and dry the potatoes the night before so all you have to do the day of is crisp them up in a pan. “In this GreenPan you can get a really nice crispiness and browning, even on the nonstick surface.”
5. Cleanup is Key
At the restaurant, Flay doesn’t have to worry about how many dishes he uses, but at home he’s just like everyone else — a sink full of pots and pans is not ideal after a leisurely, mimosa-filled brunch at home. Everything MUST be able to go in the dishwasher—that includes the cookware.
Inspired? There’s certainly no better testament to Bobby’s mastery of a first-rate weekend brunch than the dishes in his flawless winter morning menu. Here’s what he’s putting on the table:
Blood Orange Mimosas
A gorgeous garnet-hued mimosa is about the best welcome a guest can receive when arriving at Bobby’s apartment for brunch. This blood orange version gets an additional punch of color from a dash of Campari, a natural bittersweet pairing for citrus. This winter brunch cocktail is especially refreshing, not overly sweet—the perfect introduction for a winter menu.
Persian Baked Omelette with Fresh Herbs
A heady base of onions and garlic gets an extra flavor infusion from fresh herbs, spinach and pine nuts in this healthy Persian omelette. Bobby demonstrates each step of the simple preparation in this video, then slips the omelette from GreenPan to plate with ease.
Spelt Waffles with Blueberry Compote
With these featherlight waffles, Bobby achieves a tricky alchemy—pairing healthy ingredients such as spelt, part-skim ricotta and blueberries into a simple morning dish that is both healthy and delicious. The chef explains, “Blueberries make every breakfast better, plus they are full of antioxidants. Finally, while there’s nothing fake about it, this whipped cream fake-out of part-skim ricotta will fool your taste buds, for sure.”
Classic Home Fries
According to Bobby Flay, the ticket to perfect home fries is to season the potatoes well, keep a nice contrast of textures and get a nice crusty exterior—all steps he masterfully achieves in this classic recipe.
Pomegranate Glazed Bacon
Bobby’s the first to acknowledge that most bacon is pretty good cooked on its own, so for years he never veered from the basic technique. These days, he’s in a different frame of mind. “Boy, let me tell you—was I ever wrong about that. Glazing bacon with something sweet like maple syrup, sorghum syrup or pomegranate molasses (one of my favorite ingredients) creates the ultimate salty-sweet indulgence. I almost never serve bacon without a glaze anymore. I am guessing after you try this, you won’t, either.”
1 comment
Full nutritious dish.