Step-it-up Quiche

Eggs are my go to food when I'm in a hurry. They accept whatever else is in your fridge (veggies, cheese, condiments) and are very quick to cook. Quiches can be just as quick (especially if you use a pre-made crust), but this version is a step-up from the quiche you find on most brunch buffets. Leftovers are always delicious cold or reheated with a salad or some fruit.

This past week I hosted my book club which always involves food and wine (we read The Partly Cloudy Patriot by Sarah Vowell). I made a variety of dishes that are good for a dinner party - all of the fussy prep is finished about an hour before serving with the only 'complicated' dish being this quiche. This is a deep-dish quiche which was baked in a springform pan (if you opt to use a pie plate or quiche/tart pan the filling will make 2-3 quiches). And the filling is comprised of spinach, carrot greens (always looking for another place to use them), sauteed onions, and cheddar and feta cheeses. If you want to substitute skim milk or low-fat cheese, do so and substitute any veggies that you think will taste good! When using frozen veggies it's best to cook and remove as much water as possible so quiche will set. Fresh veggies only need to be cleaned, chopped, and sauteed if desired.

Step-it-up Quiche

1 whole wheat - olive oil pastry crust (I used this recipe from C&Z with a sprinkle of cumin)

2 1/2 T. butter

3 1/2 T. flour

1 1/2 c. whipping cream, warmed

9 oz. cheddar cheese, shredded

6 1/4 oz. feta cheese, crumbled

6 eggs

135 g frozen spinach (steamed and drained)

60 g carrot top greens (or other fresh greens or additional spinach)

2 med. onions, sliced and sautéed

cumin

salt

1. Prepare the greens, onions, and cream.

2. Make cheese sauce: Melt butter, stir in flour and cook for 1 minute, don't allow it to color. Remove from the heat. Gradually stir warmed cream into flour mixture to make a smooth sauce. Return to heat and bring to a boil, stirring constantly with wooden spoon. When thickened (about 3 minutes) remove from heat. Add half of shredded and crumbled cheese and stir until it is fully melted. Stir in the greens, onions, and a sprinkle of cumin. Remove cheese sauce from heat. (In effect you made a roux, a béchamel and finally a cheese sauce by following these steps).

3. Crack eggs into a bowl and break with a fork. Add a spoonful of cheese sauce to the eggs and whisk (be careful that eggs don't cook!). Continue adding a spoonful at a time until about half cheese sauce is added to eggs then add remaining cheese sauce. Add rest of shredded and crumbled cheese.

4. Pour egg mixture into pastry shell. Bake at 350 deg F until internal temp reaches 365-385 degrees (use instant read thermometer). Remove from oven and let set for 10 minutes before serving. Remove from springform pan and serve on a cake plate.

Yield: 12 servings (@ about 370 cal. each)

mac & cheese

My craving for macaroni and cheese was strong, the stuff out of a box is never satisfying so I decided to take the time to make real mac & cheese (or in this case penne and cheese). Luckily I had all the ingredients at home and whipped up this dish for a satisfying lunch. I usually add beans, peas, broccoli or something else green to my mac and cheese, this time I added edamame. To make a more complete meal, consider adding bits of pre-cooked meat (i.e. chicken or ham). I paired it with a rather simple salad of greens, slivered almonds, mandarin sections which I dressed with balsamic vinegar.

Mac & Cheese

1/2 lb. raw penne pasta, cooked and drained

1 clove garlic

1/2 medium onion, coarsely chopped

1 egg

1/8 t. sea salt

1/8 t. pepper

1/4 t. sweet paprika

1 c. milk

5 oz. (~1+ c.) extra-sharp cheddar, shredded

5 oz. cream cheese, crumbled

3 oz. (~2/3 c.) pepper jack cheese, shredded

1/4 t. red pepper flakes

1 c. green veggie, no need to pre-cook (i.e. lima beans, green beans, peas, chopped broccoli)

1/2-1 c. pre-cooked meat, if desired (i.e. ham, chicken)

3 T. butter, melted

1/2 c. bread crumbs/panko flakes/crumbled crackers

1. Preheat oven to 350 deg. F. Butter a large shallow baking dish. Cook penne till al dente. Cook meat if desired (good way to use up leftover bits of roasted chicken).

2. In mini-chopper blend garlic, onion, egg, salt, pepper, and paprika. Combine milk, cheeses, red pepper flakes, and mixture from mini-chopper in a bowl. Fold into macaroni. Add meat (if desired) and green veggie (still frozen or fresh). [May prepare in advance - hold in fridge up to 24 hours].

3. Combine melted butter and bread crumbs and sprinkle over the top of the macaroni.

4. Bake for 20-25 minutes (at 350 deg. F) until creamy. To crisp the top, broil unto one minute. Let set for five minutes before serving.

potatoes aligot

This comes a little late for Thanksgiving but if you've ever wondered how those expensive restaurants make the decadent potatoes or looking for something that 'sticks to your ribs' here it is. Potatoes Aligot come from the Auvergne region in France and traditionally is made with tomme cheese, an unpasteurized cheese that is unavailable here. I make this dish with gruyere instead. A little of these potatoes go a long way and you won't need gravy. Bon appetite!

Potatoes Aligot

1 lb. potatoes, in large chunks (I don't peel, but that's my preference)

1/2 c. cream, warmed

4 T. butter

2 cloves garlic, pressed

4 oz. gruyere, or other cheese

salt + pepper

Boil potatoes until tender, but not mushy (~15 minutes, dependent on size). Drain. Mash them (or rice/whip) until smooth. Return to pot over very low heat, mix in cream, butter, and garlic. Add cheese and whip until elastic. Enjoy!

Yield: 4 side dish servings

THE souffle

When first learning to really cook (beyond spaghetti) I started to hear about the difficulty of the souffle. It's right there in movies, books, and cooking shows and nearly impossible to get right! I'm here to dispel this myth, plus once you learn the technique you will know the basics for other dishes (i.e. béchamel, egg whites). Because of my fear, the first souffle I made (a spinach souffle) I referred heavily to the goddess Julia Child's (she writes the most specific instructions for any preparation) cookbook and I followed her instructions to a 'T'. Since then I am a bit more lackadaisical resulting in souffles that aren't as perfect looking, but still delicious tasting. Once you've mastered your first souffle you can apply the technique to the whole world of souffles ... fish, seafood, cheese, vegetable or desert.

If you have a well stocked kitchen then you won't need much special equipment, just a souffle dish, which are usually available for $6 at cooking stores (or much, much more). If your kitchen is not well stocked, you will also need a wire whisk or mixer, a small glass/ceramic mixing bowl and a wooden spoon. Basically banish all plastic cooking utensils for this dish.

Leek Souffle

4 T. butter

1 T. safflower oil

2 leeks, thinly sliced and well washed (white part only)

1 1/4+ c. milk

3 T. flour

4 eggs, separated

3 oz. Gruyere cheese, grated/crumbled

salt and pepper (traditionally white pepper for appearance but it does have a different flavor)

1. Preheat oven to 400 deg. F. Grease a quart souffle dish with 1 T. of butter (for drama, use a slightly smaller souffle dish with a foil/parchment collar). Heat the safflower oil and 1 T. butter in a small saucepan and cook the leeks over med-low heat for 4-5 minutes until soft but not brown.

2. Add milk and bring to a simmer, cover. Simmer for 4-5 minutes and strain liquid into a measuring cup. Set cooked leeks aside.

3. Make a béchamel: Melt 2 T. butter, stir in flour and cook for 1 minute, don't allow it to color. Remove from the heat. Add enough milk to strained milk for 1 1/4 c. Gradually stir milk into flour mixture to make a smooth sauce. Return to heat and bring to a boil, stirring constantly with wooden spoon. When thickened (about 3 minutes) remove from heat.

4. Cool slightly and add leeks and the beaten egg yolks.

5. Beat the egg whites (in the glass/ceramic bowl with wire whisk/beaters with very clean implements, add a dash of cream of tarter, if desired) until stiff and shining peaks form.

6. Using a large wooden spoon fold egg whites into the base, alternating with sprinkles of cheese. Pour into souffle dish and bake for 30-45 minutes until puffed and golden brown*. Serve immediately - to keep it from falling plunge serving fork and spoon into center of souffle (Julia's advice).

* Do not open and close oven repeatedly. Use a skewer or cake tester to confirm it is cooked all the way through (tester should come out slightly moist), most recipes say about 30 minutes but my experience (in multiple kitchens) is closer to 45 minutes, but ultimately it's up to you - wetter is creamier, but won't hold puff as long.

Serves: 4 (although it's best fresh, It's still tasty reheated, but not as pretty)

rainbow chard and frittata

In another attempt to use the 'unusual greens' from the veggie box, I decided to make a frittata. The word strikes some fear in me, as I still remember the so-called frittata served at my college dorm which was always wet and may best be called an egg casserole. The frittata is an Italian omelet, which is cooked on the stove top and is then broiled (or flipped!).

This frittata started with preparation of the greens. I separated the leafy part of the chard from the stems and thoroughly washed and dried them.  I saved the stems to be steamed and served with a drizzle of olive oil, salt, and pepper. Steam for about 10 minutes, or until tender. They have a strong earthy taste similar to beats (although texture is nothing similar). 

Rainbow Chard and Red Onion Frittata

4 stems of rainbow chard, washed, dried, torn, and separated (stems from leaves)

1 medium red onion, thinly sliced 

2 cloves garlic, minced

olive oil

6-8 eggs

3 oz. shredded cheese (I used sharp cheddar)

sea salt

pepper

Cook the onion in olive oil until transparent in a large skillet. Add the garlic and greens, and cover. Chard is a 'tough' green so it will take longer to cook than say spinach. Season with salt and pepper continue to stir. When greens are cooked to your desire, pour beaten eggs into pan and stir. Sprinkle with cheese. The frittata should rest until it is firm. At this point take a plate and flip* the frittata onto the plate. Use another plate to flip again, and then finally flip the frittata back into the pan. The cheese should now be on the bottom and cook for ~2 minutes, or until cheese is 'fried'. Remove the frittata by flipping again. Either side (cheesy or eggy) can be on top and serve immediately (although also good cold). 

* In lieu of all this flipping, use an oven safe skillet and transfer to broiler for cheese 'frying' or buy a frittata pan that is double sided and latches shut for easy flipping. 

grandma's cottage cheese lemon torte

Although it doesn't photograph well, this cottage cheese lemon torte is delicious. I was invited to sushi at a friends and said I would bring something sweet for desert. I started to wonder, what goes well with raw fish? At a loss of deciding flavors and textures I decided that this lemon torte, which I had never made, would be a good option. When I arrived with a springform pan, I think some guests were a little disappointed that it was not homemade cheese cake. The desert is very light, has a mild lemon flavor, and is not overly sweet.

Grandma's Cottage Cheese Lemon Torte

crust:

3/4 c. graham cracker crumbs (about 5 crackers)

1/4 c. butter, melted

1/2 t. cinnamon

Mix items together and line bottom of pan (8"x12" glass pan or springform pan). Save a bit of crust to sprinkle on top.

filling:

1 pkg. gelatin, plain

1/4c. cold water

1 lemon, zest of

Mix gelatin, cold water, and zest together - set aside.

3/4 c. sugar

1/2 c. milk

2 egg yolks

salt, pinch

1/2 t. vanilla

On stove top heat sugar, milk and egg yolks to form a custard. When custard has cooled, mix in gelatin and lemon mixture. Add salt and vanilla.

2 egg whites

3/4 lb. cottage cheese, small curd (about 1 1/2 c.)

1 c. cream, whipped*

1 T. powdered sugar

Beat egg whites to soft peaks (opt. sprinkle in cream of tarter). Whip cream with powdered sugar. Fold in egg whites, whipped cream, and cottage cheese. Pour filling into pan. Sprinkle top with extra crust. Chill in fridge. Enjoy!!!

* Makes about 2 cups of whipped cream, if you prefer to substitute purchased whipped cream don't add powdered sugar.

Cottage Cheese Pancakes

This weekend I made my favorite pancake: cottage cheese. I had the [mis]fortune as a kid that my dad made pancakes every Saturday morning. By my teens I decided that I didn't like pancakes (although I still loved french toast and waffles). As an adult, I found two recipes for pancakes that I do like (the other is a swedish pancake). 

Cottage Cheese Pancakes:

6 eggs, separated

2 c. small curd cottage cheese

2/3 c. flour

2 T. sugar

1 t. salt

dash cinnamon

1/8 t. cream of tarter

oil spray for cooking

Garnish: sour cream, preserves, honey, powdered sugar

Beat together egg yolks, cottage cheese, flour, sugar, salt, and cinnamon. In another bowl beat the egg whites with cream of tarter until stuff, but not dry. Fold the beaten egg white gently into cheese mixture.

Drop the batter by large spoonfuls onto an oiled griddle or skillet. Fry the pancakes until golden brown on both sides until puffy. Serve at once with garnish. Serves 4 generously.