Patty Wolfe of Boise, Idaho, was looking for a recipe for a breakfast casserole like the one that her sister-in-law used to make in the 1960s. She said it was rather unusual because it was made with whole eggs that were dropped into indentations in a bed of rice and baked.
I did not receive any recipes that were exactly what she described, and I had no luck finding a breakfast casserole made with rice that used whole eggs. I did, however, come across a recipe on a blog called Noble Pig (adapted from Food & Wine) that had several of the key elements of the recipe Wolfe had described. This recipe, like many other breakfast casseroles, has bread as the base. But unlike the more typical strata-type casserole in which the eggs and liquids are mixed into the bread and baked altogether, the bread is used as a nest for the eggs — much the way Wolfe recalled the rice being used in sister-in-law's dish.
While this may not be exactly what Wolfe was searching for, I would recommend that she give it a try. It looked stunning, was chock-full of flavor and just a little bit out of the ordinary. It's a nice dish to make for company, as it can be made in advance to a certain point and then baked off just before serving. It would make a beautiful dish to serve for a special brunch but would also be great for a weeknight family dinner.
Requests
Elizabeth Roemer of Annapolis would love to have the recipe for the rice dish that was served as an accompaniment to the stuffed shrimp at Chart House restaurant on 2nd Street in Annapolis. She said it is a good substitute for potatoes, and that she thinks it was made with brown rice.
Fredona King of South Bend, Ind., would like to have the recipe for the tiramisu that is served at the Olive Garden restaurant chain. She has tried others, but none was as smooth and creamy.