Eric Ripert | Avec Eric

As the days start to get colder, I like to keep my meals colorful and bright with the last of the summer harvest. A frittata is a wonderful way to use up the end-of-season vegetables in a simple dish. It is very similar to a traditional omelette, except the filling is mixed in and it is not folded, a perfect dish to be baked in the toaster oven. This frittata is made with tender zucchini, fresh mint and aged parmesan, a perfect meal for anytime of day.

I chose to fill this frittata with zucchini because of its light sweetness, which is wonderfully subtle – it does not overwhelm the eggs or the other ingredients but blends together perfectly. The mint accentuates the sweetness in the zucchini while also giving the dish a wonderful aroma. Smell makes up so much of what we taste, it is important to have aromatic components to every dish. The parmesan, for me, is essential in this frittata. It gives it a savory, salty element that makes the dish a full of flavor.

When you are preparing the frittata, there are few elements to the recipe but it is important to be precise. The zucchini must be julienned finely because that way it will cook at the same rate as the eggs. It should be tender when it is done and the eggs should still be moist, not dry. If you cut the pieces too thick they will be too crunchy and undercooked, and you will end up with and unevenly cooked frittata.

Be careful to watch your frittata while it is cooking, which will rise up and get puffy. You want a lovely slightly browned crust, golden from the parmesan, but you do not want the crust too dark - that will be a sign that the eggs are going to be too dry. The simple deliciousness of the frittata relies on wonderfully moist, and not-too-firm, eggs.

Frittatas are so versatile. You can eat a slice as a savory brunch or breakfast, or have it with a salad for lunch or dinner. They are easy and can be made with anything that is in season. This one comes out wonderfully golden with just hints of green from the zucchini and the mint – a perfect farewell to the summer, a wonderfully bright dish for the fall.