Breakfast for dinner brings out the kid in us

I’m not of the pancakes-for-dinner set. There are advocates, of course (mostly among kids?), but my breakfast-for-dinner craving runs more toward huevos rancheros.

Whether leaning toward the sweet end of the spectrum or the savory, the idea of a breakfast item for dinner has a certain naughty appeal, like we’re getting away with something. It’s a topsy-turvy treat. Cookbook authors Lindsay Landis and Taylor Hackbarth play to that desire in the straightforwardly titled “Breakfast for Dinner” (Quirk, $19.95).

While some of the 70-plus recipes may stretch the theme (can bananas Foster crepe cake be considered breakfast?), many appeal to the kid in all of us. Indeed, a real kid, a colleague’s daughter, plastered the book with Post-its, declaring “Major happy!” (for doughnut fudge sundaes) or “Delish!” (goat cheese Monte Cristos).

She dubbed the recipe here, “Strange, but fantastic,” so we had to try it. Verdict: Fantastic — and maybe Katie will be a food writer.

Pizza Over Easy

Prep: 15 minutes. Cook: 8-12 minutes per pizza. Servings: 4-6, makes two 10-inch pizzas

Recipe from “Breakfast for Dinner.”

4 ounces baby arugula, plus more for topping

2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 cup shelled pistachios

2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1/4 teaspoon salt

Freshly ground pepper

2 balls (9 to 10 ounces each) pizza dough, store-bought

Cornmeal or semolina flour

8 ounces mozzarella cheese, grated or thinly sliced, about 1 cup

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan

2 large eggs

Place a pizza stone (or baking sheet) on the middle rack in the oven. Heat oven to 500 degrees.

For the pesto, place arugula, oil, pistachios, garlic and red pepper flakes in a food processor. Pulse until smooth. Season with the salt and pepper to taste.

Roll or stretch dough into disks, about 10 inches in diameter, on a lightly floured work surface. Generously dust a pizza peel or the underside of a cookie sheet with cornmeal or semolina. Lay 1 dough disk on top. Spread half the pesto over the dough; sprinkle with half the cheeses. Crack 1 egg in the center.

Gently slide pizza onto pizza stone. Bake until cheese is melted and egg white is cooked through, 8-12 minutes; edges of crust should be golden brown. Remove from oven; cool slightly. Top with fresh arugula. Repeat for second pizza.

Per serving (for 6 servings): 630 calories, 43 g fat, 10 g saturated fat, 88 mg cholesterol, 42 g carbohydrates, 22 g protein, 768 mg sodium, 3 g fiber.