Radicchio and Ricotta Custards

Every week, Caroline Wright creates simple, civilized recipes for Food52 that feed four -- for under $20, in under 20 minutes.

Today: A new way to use eggs in your weeknight dinner repertoire. 

Eggs are an obvious friend to a simple and quick meal -- in my cookbook, I devoted a chapter to them because I find them so useful and, of course, tasty. Their versatility and nature lends them to flash-in-the-pan, utilitarian dinners like omelets, or full skillets’ worth baking in the oven for as long as it takes them to puff and brown. These custards are an elegant dish that lies somewhere in the middle: thin, savory custards with sweet ricotta and wilted bitter greens, cooked quickly and served with toast. They felt fancy and simple at the same time -- thanks again, eggs.

Radicchio and Ricotta Custards (with Toast) 

4 cups sliced radicchio ?
1 tablespoon olive oil
?Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper?
1 cup whole-milk ricotta
3 large eggs
1/2 cup milk?
Generous pinch freshly ground nutmeg
Softened butter for baking dishes
Crusty bread for serving

See the full recipe (and save and print it) here.

As a freelance food writer and cook, I first wrote this style of recipe as a column on my blog, The Wright Recipes, as an excuse to cook good food for my friends in a quick and simple way. 

Twenty-Dollar, Twenty-Minute™ Meals grew into a cookbook that was published by Workman in May 2013. The recipes found here are original, made especially for Food52 to once again celebrate simple food with friends.

Photo by Caroline Wright