It’s February, and you know what that means? An avalanche of heart-shaped marketing ploys celebrating the notion of romantic love. Today, though, I want to highlight a slightly different holiday, a holiday near and dear to the heart of Leslie Knope from Parks & Recreation. Ladies, I’m talking about Galentine’s Day.
Click here to skip to the recipe for Galentine’s Day Frittaffles.
Ladies Celebrating Ladies
Galentine’s Day is the annual brunch Leslie Knope throws for her female friends. Celebrated the day before Valentine’s Day, Galentine’s Day is about “ladies celebrating ladies” where “it’s like Lilith Fair, minus the angst. Plus frittatas.”
In an episode titled of the same name, the scene opens on one of these brunches. Leslie insists her mother tell a very romantic story about when her mother was swept off her feet by a handsome lifeguard. In the events following, we begin to see the difference between love and romance.
I want to emphasize this point because the Valentine’s Day party at the senior center the following day is so much in contrast with Leslie’s sweet Galentine’s Day Brunch at the beginning of the episode. The brunch, while annual, is Leslie’s way of showing appreciation to the women in her life. She does this with no expectation of reciprocation, or recognition.
On Valentine’s Day, however, Leslie’s boyfriend attempts to reunite her mother with the lifeguard so he can have a good story to tell to his friends. The lifeguard turns out to be emotionally unstable and embarrasses her mother when she turns him down. These events, combined with the ill-attempted romantic gestures from Tom to his ex-wife, as well as from Mark’s over-the-top gift giving, show just how selfish romance is when not celebrated from a place of love and understanding for the person it is expressed to.
That’s why I think I like the idea of Galentine’s Day a bit better than Valentine’s Day. It seems more honest as the celebration of the romance you feel your platonic pals. It’s a recognition of the people you love and who love you without societal obligation. Whether you’re a lad or a lady, I think we call all appreciate a day where you can treat others as you should treat yo’self!
Galentine’s Day Frittaffles
So I wanted to create a recipe that is characteristic of Leslie Knope and Galentine’s Day. Leslie says Galentine’s Day is “like Lilith Fair, minus the angst. Plus frittatas.” We’ve also seen Leslie say “Why would anyone eat anything other than breakfast food?” before scarfing down a plate of whipped cream and strawberry-covered waffles. I thought, “Why not both?” and thus the Frittaffle was born.
Drawing from Leslie’s love of breakfast food, I mixed crumbled crispy bacon with diced strawberries into the egg mix. Cheese is also a must for frittatas. That’s why I chose to use brie since it’s a fancy-ish cheese that would go over well at brunch but might still show up in a smaller community like Pawnee’s grocery stores.
Funny thing about frittaffles. I’ve seen recipes suggest finish cooking these scrambled egg pancakes in the oven so that they cook thoroughly with just the slightest browning on top. The beauty of a waffle iron is that it heats both sides of the egg either with an easy, controlled
I used an old stovetop Belgian waffle iron to make my frittaffles. Though I’ve also adapted the recipe for use in an electric waffle iron for your convenience.
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Like Lilith Fair, minus the angst. Plus Frittaffles.
Galentine's Day Frittaffles
Equipment: 4-cup measuring cup, Belgian waffle iron, stovetop, and heart-shaped fondant cutter (optional).
Ingredients:
- 12 eggs
- 9 strips cooked bacon
- 1/2 cup diced strawberries
- 4-6 strawberries, sliced
- 1/2 cup diced brie
- 3 tablespoons half and half
- kosher salt
- whipped cream
- maple syrup
Instructions:
- Beat the eggs and half-and-half in a large measuring cup with a pinch of kosher salt. Set aside.
- Crumble two strips of bacon and set aside in a prep dish. Dice the remaining bacon and add to the cup.
- Stir in the diced strawberries and brie, then set the cup aside to heat up your waffle iron.
If using a stovetop waffle iron:
- Coat the inside of the waffle iron with cooking spray, then heat on the stovetop over medium heat.
- When hot, pour enough egg mixture onto the iron to just completely cover the grid.
- Close the iron and cook one and a half to two minutes. Flip the iron, then repeat.
- Turn the frittaffle out onto a plate and repeat with the remaining batter.
If using an electric waffle iron:
- Coat the inside of the waffle iron with cooking spray, then turn it on.
- When hot, pour enough egg mixture onto the iron to just completely cover the grid. Close the iron and cook two minutes.
- Transfer the frittaffle onto a plate and repeat with the remaining batter
Serve the frittaffles:
- Slice or stack the frittaffles onto each plate.
- Top with whipped cream, strawberry slices (or strawberry hearts cut with the fondant cutter), crushed bacon, and maple syrup.
