Quiche Lorraine

My mom came to visit me this past week and when I asked her if she had any special requests for dinner while she was here, all she asked was that she be allowed to make me dinner one night.  OK!  We decided on this quiche Lorraine.  It's an old recipe from my Aunt Valerie.  My mom has been making it for as long as I can remember and I have never made it.  I still have never made it!

I did do some of the prep for my mom, but she did most of the work with my 3 year old.  As for the crust, I went my usual route.  (Oh, Pillsbury, you are such enablers!)  You can use any pate brisee that you like.  I baked off the bacon in the oven and minced the onions.  Mom and Evie did the rest.

The original recipe called for swiss cheese, but I decided to go with Gruyere.  Why not, right? The original French quiche Lorraine does not have cheese at all.  But we're not in France.  Evie worked hard at shredding the cheese and she got to crumble the bacon with her hands.  What fun for a three year old!

My aunt's recipe is kind of vague on some details.  Such as calling for between 2 and 4 eggs.  Which is it?  I'll post the recipe below as my mom made it.

It was delicious.  I am a big fan of quiche.  But this is really my favorite.  With bacon, eggs and cheese, how can it be bad?  The egg custard was perfectly tender. And now that my daughter knows how to make it, I think we'll have to make it again soon.

Quiche Lorraine
recipe courtesy of my mom, via my Aunt Valerie
12 slices of bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled
2 cups shredded Gruyere cheese (or Swiss or Emmentaler)
1/3 cup minced white onion (about 1/4 of a medium onion)
1 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
3 eggs
1.5 cups light cream or half and half
3/4 teaspoon of salt
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Heat oven to 425 degrees.  Prepare one pie crust for a 9 inch pie.  Sprinkle bacon, cheese and onion in pastry lined pan.

With a hand mixer, blend remaining ingredients and pour into pan.

Bake 15 minutes.  Then reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees and continue baking for about 30 minutes.

Pumpkin Pie with Maple Whipped Cream

I made miniature pumpkin pies this week.  I don't know what's gotten into me this year.  Every pie I've made, I've also made miniature.   It didn't just start with the mini peach pies, either.  I made miniature versions of my cherry pie before that.  Two weeks ago I made miniature apple pies, for my daughter's pre-school class.  They were studying apples and I volunteered to bring in the pies for Friday's apple pie tasting.  Then this week, they were studying pumpkins.   Her teachers seemed pleased when I asked if they'd like me to bring the pies for the pumpkin pie tasting. 

When I made the school pies, I ended up making two batches of pie filling.  One with fresh roasted pumpkin and one with canned pumpkin.  For one thing, I was curious to see how different the end result would be.  Canned pumpkin is much darker and thicker than fresh.  It almost has a pudding consistency.  I was also curious how different the taste would be.  

small bowl, left: fresh pumpkin - large bowl, right: canned 

For the mini pies, I used my old stand by, Pillsbury ready to use pie crust.  But because this idea was an afterthought for me, I didn't have enough of those to make the mini pies and a standard pie.  I decided I would face my fear of flour and butter and make my own.  In another post, I am going to post the recipe and tutorial I used that made it not so scary this time.   But for posterity, I took a photo, because I never make my own dough.   I guess I felt I needed proof that I did it! 

The pies came out pretty much identical.  I wish I'd taken a picture of the mini pies.  In the rush for pre-school drop off, I totally forgot.   But the color and consistency were pretty much identical.  I did do one other thing differently, though.  In the fresh pumpkin, I used condensed milk.  And in the canned pumpkin, I used heavy cream.  Again, because of a lack of forethought on this project, I didn't have enough condensed milk to make two pies.  Since the canned pumpkin was thicker, I used the thinner milk in it.   

The three year old set enjoyed the mini pumpkin pies.  And my family enjoyed our pie with a dollop of maple whipped cream on top. 

Pumpkin Pie with Maple Whipped Cream

2 cups (or 1 can) pumpkin puree

2 large eggs

1 cup heavy cream (or condensed milk)

1/4 cup honey

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon allspice

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1 recipe pie crust

1 cup heavy cream

1 tablespoon maple syrup

In a large bowl combine the pumpkin, eggs, cream, honey, spices and brown sugar until well blended.  Pour into prepared pie crust.   Bake for 50-60 minutes.  The pie may still wiggle a bit in the center when it comes out of the oven, but as it comes to room temperature will set.   Allow to come to room temperature. 

In a large bowl, whip the heavy cream and maple syrup until stiff peaks form.   

Steak and Onion Tacos

The weather has been a tease here in Atlanta.  Some days its cold and all I want to do is warm up to a big bowl of comfort food.  And other days, its perfect grilling weather.  The last few days have been grilling days.

I've been on a huge taco kick since the beginning of this summer.  I've made so many different variations, along with standard ground beef tacos and countless trips to my favorite taco joint in town.  While I don't know which exactly has been my favorite tacos, these steak tacos would be very high on the list.

They are very simple tacos.  Chili spiced flank steak, with a beautifully caramelized outside.  Soft grilled onions.  And fresh lime juice.  The original recipe called for tomatillo salsa, but this was a last minute decision to make and I didn't have tomatillos on hand.  I subbed with jarred salsa and added at the last second added some avocado slices.  I'm really hoping this great weather sticks around, because I think I may need to have these again soon.

Steak and Onion Tacos
adapted from Every Day Food, June 2011


1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 tablespoons ancho chili powder
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoon lime juice, plus wedges for serving
1.5 pounds flank steak
salt and pepper
1 large red onion, cut into 1/4 inch rounds
12 corn tortillas, warmed
salsa for serving
1 avocado, sliced

In a small bowl, combine the 5 ingredients.  Place the flank steak in a flat dish and cover with marinade.  Turn to coat and cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for one hour.

Heat a grill to medium high.  Lightly oil the grill.  Remove the steak from the marinade and let excess drip off.  Season the steak with salt and pepper.  Grill the onions and steak on the grill until the onions are charred and softened and the steak is medium rare, about 10 minutes.    Brush steak and onions with reserved marinade and grill 1 minute longer, flipping once.

Transfer steak to a cutting board and let rest for 10 minutes before slicing into thin strips.  Serve steak and onions with tortillas, salsa, avocado and limes.

Overnight Cherry Almond Oatmeal

When my son was first born a year ago, my sweet, sweet friend, Amy sent me a pile of crock pot recipes to try.   She knew I was not a big fan of my crock pot, but wanted to share some ideas with me to help make dinner easier with a newborn at home.

I've only made two of the recipes she sent.  One was for a crock pot mac and cheese.  Which I've made a few times, and is VERY kid friendly.  But its not my favorite recipe.   Amy uses it for play dates, which is perfect.

The one recipe we've adopted into our family is this Cherry Almond Oatmeal.  The first time I made it, I used water like the recipe stated.   It was ok.   Then Amy told me that when she makes it, she uses half milk & half apple cider for the liquids.   Since then, we can't get enough of it.  Now that the chilly temps are back, I've made this for breakfast a few times.  I set up a few bowls of toppings and Evie can make it her own.   She is surprisingly restrained with the chocolate chips, but really loves the cherries and wheat germ.

This is a great and filling breakfast.  It's best for you if your crock pot has a timer on it.    Mine does not.  I set up the first part of the recipe and leave on the counter before I go to bed.   Then I just set my alarm clock for midnight and go downstairs to turn it on.  I think I might start setting it for 2 am and see how it turns out with just 6 hours.   But my husband really likes the crispy part on the bottom, though!  

Also, I have a 6.5 quart crock pot, a long oval.  I really think this would be best in a tall round crock pot.  Less surface area.  As a matter of fact, next time I make this, I'll borrow my friends and update this post to let you know what I think.

Overnight Cherry Almond Oatmeal
recipe adapted from Today's Diet and Nutrition Magazine
1.5 cups steel cut oats
3 cups whole milk
3 cups apple cider
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup dried cherries
1/3 cup toasted wheat germ
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Add the first six ingredients to the crock pot.  Mix well, cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours (overnight).

When you are ready to serve it, add the cherries, almonds, wheat germ and chocolate chos.  If desired, top with a little splash of milk.  

You can refrigerate the left overs for up to 5 days.

Pumpkin Stuffed Shells

It's fall!  I am so excited about fall flavors, fall produce and fall holidays, I cannot contain myself.  This week we've had a lot of pumpkin.   This recipe in particular, I could not wait to share.

I absolutely love pumpkin, so when I saw this recipe, I knew I was making it soon.  The shells are stuffed with ground beef and spinach, then topped with a pumpkin cheese sauce.  My kids gobbled them up, unaware of the fact that they were eating TWO vegetables!  I made two pans.  One for us and one to bring to a friend who just had a baby.   I am going to try to make this again without the ground beef stuffing and just do a baked macaroni and cheese with a smaller pasta.

The only major change I made this time around to the original recipe was using fresh pumpkin.  Whenever a recipe calls for canned pumpkin, I roast and puree a fresh pumpkin instead.  Why?  Because it's not difficult.  Also, most canned pumpkin is actually hubbard squash.  And I want pumpkin.  

If you're planning to roast your own, you want a small pumpkin.   In the grocery store, they are usually called either "sugar pumpkins" or "pie pumpkins".  Save the big pumpkins for your jack o'lantern.  Roasting it is as easy as washing the outside, slicing it in half and roasting it cut side down on a sheet pan for about 40-60 minutes at 350 degrees.   When it comes out of the oven, you can easily scoop away the seeds and the stringy parts.  Then the flesh will easily scoop out of the shell.   At this point, I toss the flesh into my food processor and even out the texture.  Roasted pumpkin can be stored in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.  I usually use what's left in pumpkin pancakes the next morning.

Pumpkin Stuffed Shells
slightly adapted from Every Day with Rachel Ray


20 jumbo pasta shells
4 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, diced
1 tablespoon garlic
1 bag baby spinach, washed, rinsed, long stems removed and chopped
1 pound extra lean ground beef
1 1/3 cups shredded cheddar (It's possible that I used closer to 2 cups)
2 cups milk
1/4 cup flour
3/4 cup roasted, pureed pumpkin
parsley for garnish

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

In a large pot, cook the pasta shells in boiling water according to package instructions.  Drain and rinse, then spread out on a sheet pan so they don't stick together while the rest of the dish comes together.     Set the pot aside and do not wash.

In a large saute pan, heat the olive oil and 2 tablespoons of butter until butter melts.  Add the diced onion, salt and pepper and cook over medium heat until the onion is soft and translucent.  Add the garlic and cook for one minute more.   Add the ground beef.  Cook until no longer pink, breaking up any large pieces with your spoon.    Add the spinach to the pan and toss to combine until wilted.  Stir in 1/2 cup of the shredded cheddar.   Set aside.

In the pasta pot, melt 2 tablespoons butter.  Whisk in the flour and cook for 1 minute.  Whisk in 1/2 cup milk until it is smooth, then add the rest of the milk.   Bring to a boil, whisking constantly.   Let boil for 1 minute.   Remove from the heat; season with salt and pepper.  Whisk in the pumpkin puree and remaining shredded cheddar.

Cover the bottom of a greased baking dish with 1/2 cup of the pumpkin sauce.  Stuff the cooked shells with beef mixture, and place them in the prepared pan with the openings facing down.  Spoon the remaining cheese sauce over the shells.  Cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes.   Remove the foil for the last 5 minutes of baking.  Sprinkle with chopped parsley just before serving.

Apple Pie

All day, I've been planning to post this recipe.  Then tonight, I found out the Steve Jobs passed away.  So I am dedicating this post to Mr. Jobs as my way of saying "thanks" to him for changing the way I use the computer, listen to music and talk on the phone.  Without my Mac Book Pro or wireless Airport router, I would not be blogging in style.  From our iPhones to iMacs to iPods, we are an Apple family.  I lift my fork to you, sir.  Well done.

This apple pie is a recipe I've been using for two years now.  For years, I used a Cooks Illustrated recipe that said to cook the apples first.  The argument was that if you didn't want a space between your apples and the top crust, you had to remove the moisture from the apples before you put them in the pie.  Also, too much moisture in your apples will result in a soggy bottom crust.  So cook them.  Makes total sense, right?  Well, that's how I did it for years.  Except, I'd make one apple pie a year because I just didn't love it.  The apples seemed mealy and mushy.  They had no texture.

Two years ago, I happened upon this recipe on the Joy of Cooking and had a "duh" moment.  Instead of cooking the apples, you macerate them in sugar and lemon juice first.  They retain their crunch but all of the benefits of cooking them first are achieved.    But really the genius of this recipe comes in when you drain the juices from the apples.   You use the sugar-y apple juice and caramelize it and pour it over the apples before adding the top crust.

The result is a delicious caramel apple pie with just the right amount of crunch.  Serve it fresh out of the oven with a scoop of ice cream or whipped cream.  You can store the rest on the counter for 2-3 days at room temperature.

Apple Pie
recipe courtesy of Joy of Baking


*Use your favorite pie crust recipe. ;)

8 cups peeled, cored and sliced apples (about 6 apples)
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg (optional.  I didn't use it, because it turns out, I was all out)
1-2 tablespoons lemon juice (about half a lemon)
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch

In a large bowl, combine the apples, sugars, lemon juice, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.   Let it sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes or up to three hours.  Then, place the apples and their juices in a strainer set over a large bowl to catch the juices.  Let the apples drain for 15-30 minutes or until you collect 1/2 cup of juice.

In a small sauce pan, combine the juice with the butter and reduce until a light syrup forms.

Line your 9" pie plate with the bottom pie crust.   Transfer the drained apples to a large bowl and toss to combine with the cornstarch.  Pour the caramel syrup over the apples and toss to combine.  Pour the apples into the chilled pie crust.  Place the top pie crust on top and cut off any excess dough. Fold the edges of the shell under and crimp the edges.   Make 5 large slits in the center of the pie to allow steam to vent.

Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate while you preheat the oven to 425 degrees, with the oven rack at the lowest setting and a baking stone on the rack.   Bake the pie for 30 minutes, then line the edges of the pie with foil so they do not become too brown.  Bake for another 15-25 minutes.  Remove the pie from the oven and transfer to a cooling rack for about 3 hours before serving.

Porcini Mushroom Shepherd's Pie

When I was a kid, my mom would brown up some ground beef, put it in a casserole dish and top it with a can of creamed corn and some mashed potatoes and call it Shepherd's Pie.  I grew up hating Shepherd's Pie.  It was bland.  Even my step mother made it exactly the same way.  I have tried over the years to figure out where this variation on a classic Shepherd's Pie comes from with no luck.  I suppose its a New England/northeastern thing.   

It was years later when I realized you can actually layer flavors into a Shepherd's Pie and not used the dreaded creamed corn can, and since then I've grown to like it.  Typically, I've done mine with peas.  Probably because I loved when my Grandmother would make me mashed potatoes and I'd put my buttered peas on top.   My husband is not a fan of peas, so when I started cooking for him, I switched back to corn (regular though) and started adding mushrooms and a gravy to give it a little wetness. I also like to layer some flavors into the beef by browning the beef with sauteed onions and garlic. 

Last night, I didn't have anything planned for dinner, but happened to have all the components for my usual Shepherd's Pie on hand. Also, I was worried my potatoes were going to turn soon, so it was a good time to make this.   The only thing I didn't have was button mushrooms.  It's been so long since I've had it without, I wondered if I'd even like it without them.

I remembered that I still had some Porcini mushrooms in my pantry.  So I got them soaking and when I browned the beef, I diced the mushrooms and added them into the base.   But then I also decided to use the mushroom water as the base for my gravy.   I use a product called Bistro.  I first discovered it at the British foods storewhen we lived in Vienna .  I believe I've seen it a few times at the local grocery store here in the US.  If your grocery store has an international aisle just check the British foods section.

For the mashed potatoes, really just use whatever recipe you love best.   Personally, I love red skinned potatoes with the skins left on.  I boil them, then mash them with butter, salt and pepper, some sour cream and a touch of whole milk.   I don't know any measurements for anything, I do it all to taste.  If you have a recipe you love for mashed potatoes, use that.  Or if you're feeling particularly rushed that night and want to whip up some instant mashed potatoes, I won't judge you.  They won't be very tasty (IMO), but if that's what you like, then rock on!  When I did weight watchers, I loved those things.  Mashed potatoes for only about 2 WW points?  Sign me up!  

The result was really the best ever.   The earthiness of the mushroom gravy brought it to another level.  Even Nico, who really isn't the biggest fan of Shepherd's Pie, went back for seconds.  And brought the left overs to work for lunch today.  He said if I make it like this from now on, we can have it more often.  Considering both of my kids ate it up like it was an actual pie, I think we just may!  When my three year old heard we were having "pie" for dinner, she could not contain her excitement.   Then it came out of the oven and her face just fell.   But all through dinner she kept saying, "mmm, this is a really yummy dinner, mom!"   Sounds like a winner to me.  

Porcini Mushroom Shepherd's Pie

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound ground beef
1/4 cup porcini mushrooms, soaked in 1 cup water until soft
1 cup frozen vegetables of your choice (I used corn and peas, because that's what I had)
1 tablespoon Bistro powder
2-3 cups mashed potatoes

In a large skillet, saute onions over medium heat in the olive oil until they are soft.  Add the garlic and cook about one minute until fragrant.  Add the ground beef to the pan and gently use your spoon to break it up.   Cook until all the pink is gone.

Remove the porcini mushrooms from the water and reserve the water.  Ring out the excess water then transfer to a cutting board to chop into a small dice.  Add to the beef mixture.   Add in the frozen vegetables and stir to combine.  

Add the bistro powder to the reserved mushroom water and stir until dissolved.  Pour into the beef mixture and stir until the sauce thickens.

Transfer beef mixture to a casserole dish.  Top with mashed potatoes.  I like to top my mashed potatoes with some melted butter so they get nice and crispy on top.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes.


* While I am not a fan of canned creamed corn, I would use fresh creamed corn in this dish in a heartbeat.

Sauteed Pork with Kale and White Beans

This week a new show premiered in daytime called "The Chew".  I am not a watcher of daytime television, but I set my DVR to record it because I love Carla Hall, one of the hosts.  And I was excited about Mario Batali and Clinton Kelly being involved.

The first episode was fun and interesting.   The first dish made was this grown up "pork and beans" by Michael Symon.  Because I love kale, white beans, prosciutto and lemon, I knew I had to make it immediately.  I made it the very next night for dinner.

I really love white beans and kale together.  I had most of the ingredients on hand because I was planning to make a white bean, kale and sausage soup during the week.   My husband seemed like he wasn't too excited about this dinner.   At the last minute, I topped our plates with some shaved pecorino cheese.   But it didn't need it.   The kale and white beans are so full of flavor.   The wine that I used to deglaze the pan gave it a deeper flavor beyond the earthiness of the kale.   But the lemon zest brightened it up so much.   All of it was just perfect with the proscuitto stuffed pork loin chops.   And even my husband loved it.   I will admit, that my daughter was not enthused.  Evelyn may or may not have had something else.  But William still eats everything I give him and he loved the beans and the kale.

Sauteed Pork with Kale and White Beans
adapted from The Chew


4 pork tenderloin cutlets (about 1 pound), pounded thin
4 slices prosciutto
salt and pepper
flour for dusting
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 shallot, sliced in rings
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 cup dry white wine
juice and zest of one lemon
1 12 oz can white beans, drained and rinsed
half bag of pre-washed kale

Take the pounded pork cutlet and salt and pepper one side.  Place a slice of prosciutto on that side and fold the pork in half, to make a sandwich.

Heat the butter and olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet.  Lightly flour the pork cutlets and saute until golden brown in the butter and olive oil, about 3 minutes per side.  Transfer to a plate and cover with foil.

Add the shallots and garlic to the pan and saute for two minutes, until soft.   Add wine to the pan and stir well, scraping up all the browned bits.   Allow to reduce by half.  Add the kale, beans, lemon juice and zest.   Transfer to a serving platter and top with the pork and resting juices.