(Not Your Everyday) Breakfast for Dinner

All-day breakfast is a wonderful institution...restaurants where "steel-cut oatmeal" isn't followed by "only until 11am" in tiny print, places that serve short stacks well into the night, sandwich menus that include bacon, egg, and cheese biscuits along with the rest.

Occasionally, there isn't a friendly neighborhood all-day breakfast spot, so you can make breakfast for dinner at home. At the end of a lazy Sunday, sometimes that's just what I'm looking for. But of course easy doesn't have to be boring.

My mom visited last week and -- as has become her tradition since I was at school -- filled my fridge with goodies she knows I love (mostly fresh berries, the kind my college dining hall never had). This time she left me with a new surprise: a box of figs. I've never cooked with figs before, but I knew I could work them into the meal. Also from her visit, I had a box of candied pecans we brought home from brunch. The figs and pecans helped elevate my mushroom omelette, dressing up a spicy arugula side salad. The roasted figs with caramelized balsamic brought a surprising flavor punch that helped cut the buttery omelette.

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Arugula Salad with Roasted Figs

Serves 2

4-6 oz arugula, washed and spun dry (I find 2 oz per person is about right for a side salad)

4-6 figs, cut into small wedges

1/4 c balsamic vinegar

4 strips of bacon, cut into lardons

olive oil

salt and pepper, to taste

candied pecans (optional)

In a small bowl, macerate the fig wedges in balsamic vinegar with a pinch of salt -- the longer the soak, the deeper the flavor (I soaked mine for about 10 min.). Give them a stir once in a while to make sure they're covered.

Render the bacon, reserving a spoonful of the oil for flavor.

Once the figs have macerated, fish them out of the balsamic and broil for 5-7 minutes until the figs and vinegar have caramelized. Toss warm figs well with the bacon, arugula, olive oil, fig vinegar, salt and pepper, pecans, and serve. Adjust the amount of olive oil to your liking -- I like my salads pretty tangy. For a vinaigrette like this, I also don't worry too much about emulsifying the oil and vinegar; they'll all toss together in the end.