Crustless Swiss Quiche with Bacon & Spinach

"A quiche is basically a frittata poured into a pastry shell." ... or not. Today we enjoyed a crustless version so, by definition, did that make it a frittata instead of a quiche? I don't know, don't really care, since the quiche pan held a deliciously loaded custardy something we both enjoyed. Filled with bacon, swiss cheese, spinach and green onions, it was a well-received taste treat. Who says real men don't eat quiche? RL loved it.

Quiche Lorraine was the darling of the menu for ladies-who-lunched in the 60's; a light but rich, sparsely filled, one crust custardlike pie. Over time I recall it morphing into a dense, custardy casserole filled with unusual ingredients and baked in a soggy crust. Not an improvement. Thus my preference for crustless quiches, or it might be my utter lack of the pie-crust baking gene.

We enjoyed half of this quiche/frittata served warm at lunch, and some remaining wedges served chilled the next day. Maybe next time I'll play with a pie crust... or not. 
      

Crustless Swiss Quiche with Bacon & Spinach

8 luncheon servings, 4 main dish

6 strips streaky bacon, diced
4 green onions, sliced
1 bunch spinach, rough chopped
1 generous cup swiss cheese, shredded (or cut in smallish chunks)
5 large eggs
1/2 cup half-and-half
1/2 cup milk (I used 2%)
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
Salt & white pepper, to taste

Prehea the oven to 375 degrees F.

Use a large skillet and cook the bacon until done, but not super crispy. Use a slotted spoon to remove the cooked bacon to an 8 or 9-inch quiche pan. Remove all but 1 Tablespoon of bacon fat from the skillet. Add the onions and spinach to the skillet and heat until wilted. Layer evenly on top of the cooked bacon. Sprinkle the cheese evenly over the top of the spinach.

Whisk together the eggs, dairy, & seasonings. Carefully pour the egg mixture over the layered fillings. Place in the center of the preheated oven. Bake at 375 F for 20 minutes. Reduce the heat to 325 and cook 15 to 20 minutes longer or until the center is just set. Remove from the oven, let cool for several minutes to firm up; cut and serve warm. 

Sweet Potato - Fully Loaded

Inspired by a photo in Diana Henry's cookbook Simple, one lone sweet potato hanging out in the crisper became 'Breakfast for Dinner'. Containers of caramelized mushrooms and braised kale already lurked in the fridge along with several links of chorizo sausage, making this a quick cook. The recipe called for an accompaniment of baby spinach leaves, but the earthy bite of braised kale better balanced the potato's sweetness and the mushrooms' savory umami. Topped with a soft-yolk cooked egg, each bite was an ooey-gooey, savory-sweet delight.

This deceptively simple, boldly flavored dish was nearly effortless to construct, reflective of Henry's desire to offer a book of low-effort food ideas.

"What we mostly lack are ideas. That's what I tried to give... here. You don't have to be a chef. I'm not. You just need some inspiration to help you turn the ordinary--the building blocks of meals--into something special."

Simple inspiration comes through text and photos, most of Henry's recipes offering suggestions of alternate ingredients, plating notions or food pairings. So far I have played with recipes in chapters on Toast, Pasta & Grains, and Vegetables, adapting each to suit our palate and available ingredients. 

Loaded potatoes are nothing new, but this loaded sweet potato was indeed 'something special', perfect for any time of the day, even Breakfast for Dinner.

Cooking notes (suggestions rather than a recipe)

Bake or microwave a sweet potato in your regular manner. Split lengthwise and squish slightly to open up the inside (I sliced lengthwise into halves for 2 portions). Place on serving dish.

While the sweet potato is cooking, or ahead of time:

 - Heat butter and/or olive oil in a saute pan; add mushrooms (cut into thin wedges or slices) and cook until they give up their juices; continue cooking until liquid evaporates.   

 - Heat olive oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat; add 3 cloves of garlic and 1/4 cup diced onion and cook until soft. Add 1/2 bunch of destemmed lacinato kale, coarsely chopped and 1/2 cup stock or water. Toss to coat greens, then cover and cook until softened and wilted, about 5 minutes. Remove cover and cook until liquid evaporates. Toss with a heavy splash of balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper. 

Top the cooked sweet potato with a generous amount of the mushrooms and kale.

Add cooked coins of chorizo, or your favorite spicy sausage. 

Top with an egg or two, cooked with the yolk left soft and runny. This egg was fried...

...and this egg was poached. Mmmmm, good either way.

Savory Hand Pies with Three Fillings

Random thoughts as I played with more filling combinations for Savory Hand Pies and a Minty Cucumber Sour Cream Sauce.

Photo: Savory Sausage Hand Pie with a side of Minty Cucumber Sour Cream Sauce

More Savory Hand Pies? Well, why not? my Asparagus Mushroom Hand Pies were a success (after tweaking the recipe and adding some lemon zest) and I was on a roll with some new filling combinations to try. Once again frozen pie dough made for a quick and easy baking session. 

Asparagus starred as a repeat ingredient, of course, since it was local and fresh. This time I severed the tips, halved each thick spear lengthwise and then cut them into short pieces. Tossed with oil and minced garlic, all of the pieces were sauted in a cast iron skillet until softened and lightly browned. Sprinkled with lemon zest they were tempting to nibble on "as is".

Caramelized onions should add a sweet/savory backnote to each of the three filling combinations. The thin slices of white onion cooked low and slow in a dash of oil and butter until lightly caramelized. Some recipes call for a finish of brown sugar and balsamic vinegar, but this batch did not require any flavor boost.

Sweet Italian pork - crumbled, cooked and drained - joined the party as a savory meat option. Yum! a flavor-packed spicy sausage, asparagus and onion mixture would be perfect for a cool-weather Spring treat.
   

Sausage and kale pair well tastewise in any season, so a bowl of braised kale joined shredded cheeses and toasted pine nuts as the remaining filling choices. 

Left column: skillet roasted asparagus, caramelized onions pies topped with mozzarella.
Center column: braised kale, Italian sausage, caramelized onion pies topped with mozzarella.
Right column: all of the above ingredients plus lemon zest and pine nuts.

All three of the fillings rated high marks, though my personal favorite was the everything hand pie. I love my pizza slices loaded with ingredients and evidently prefer hand pies the same way. That said, next time I'll simplify the ingredient mix, experiment with new flavor combos, and make a sweet hand pie or two for RL to enjoy.   

The simple asparagus/caramelized onion filling surprised me with its overly sweet flavor punch. A quickly mixed faux tzatziki sauce tamed the sweetness, balancing sweet and savory with some light flavor pops. The same sauce boosted the appeal of the kale/sausage/onion filling.

...and what do you do with leftover spoonfuls of filling? I tossed it all into a ramekin for a delicious baked snack. Once again... Yum!

Minty Cucumber Sour Cream Sauce - faux Tzatziki

1/2 English cucumber, shredded and wrung dry in a tea towel

2 green onions, green and white parts minced

2 Tbs fresh mint leaves, minced

1 tsp dried dill

1/2 cup sour cream 

1 Tbs lemon juice

dashes of green Tabasco, to taste (optional)

Aebleskivers

Two Aebleskiver pans take up precious drawer space under the cooktop, squeezed into a rear corner and crowded against a stack of frequently-used skillets. These specialty items have been there so long that I can't remember their purchase date, the suppliers, or the reason why I thought each pan was essential. Evidently they have hidden out in plain sight for a very long time.

One pan is heavy cast aluminum with five cups, the other, a seven-hole pan, is made of heftier cast iron. A bakeoff comparison sounded like a fun activity and the perfect excuse to eat pancakes on a cool, foggy morning. First-batch issues with both pans frustrated the cook, but my taste-tester RL declared those first misshapen, lumpy pancake balls were delicious. It must have been the cardamom. 

Thinner/looser batter, cooler cooktop temperatures, turning method adjustments and more patience from the cook made a measurable difference in the subsequent batches. Next I tried adding a dollop of jam to each ball - messy, but tasty. Then I ran out of patience and finished off the batter with one fluffy pancake and two thin crepes. YUM! 

Thin batter and a lower temperature allows the uncooked batter to flow more readily as the aebleskiver is turned again and again. A crisp, browned crust with a dry, hollow center is the goal. Less-than-perfect pancake balls won't win points for beauty, but they are still delicious. I'll keep practicing with these iconic pans, but am tempted to experiment with the waffle iron as well. Hmmmm, sourdough aebleskivers sound interesting.... Tomorrow?  

Aebleskivers: Dry ingredients, wet ingredients and a bit of melted butter.

Bubbles rise in the batter in cast iron aebleskiver pan

Pancake balls ready for the first turn in aluminum aebleskiver pan.

The batter is a bit too thick or overcooked to flow easily.

Aebleskivers brown slowly as the centers finish cooking.

Aebleskivers with a teaspoon of jam added just before the first flip. Alas, the jam ran out during the turns.

Crepes and pancakes using the same cardamom-flavored batter are delicious... and take less time and patience.

Aebleskivers - Danish Pancake Balls

Dry Ingredients
1 1/4 cup AP flour (use less than 1 1/4 cup or increase the milk)
3 Tablespoons sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cardamom

Wet Ingredients
1 cup milk
1 large egg
3 Tablespoons melted butter, plus more for oiling the cooking pan

jam and powdered sugar, optional

Directions
Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl.
In a 2-cup measure or small bowl, whisk the wet ingredients to blend thoroughly.
Add the wet mix to the dry mix and whisk until evenly moistened.

Use a heavy aebleskiver pan (cast iron preferred) and preheat on the stovetop over medium to medium-low heat. When heated, brush each cup lightly with melted butter immediately prior to filling. Add batter to fill each cup about 3/4 full.

A crust will form on the bottom of each cup while the centers remain quite wet. Use a wooden skewer or fork to gently rotate each ball so the bottom crust rotates to become a more vertical side while uncooked batter flows down into the cup. Repeat when a crust forms again on the bottom. Repeat again, rotating the ball so a seam or ridge is on top. Continue cooking, turning occasionally until the balls are evenly browned and the centers are dry. (This took roughly 8 minutes on my cooktop, depending on burner temperature setting and which pan I used.) Lower the heat if the centers are still raw when the exteriors are quite brown.

Remove from the pan and serve immediately sprinkled with powdered sugar and accompanied with jam and butter. (or keep warm in the oven at a very low heat setting).

Re-butter each cup and repeat with the remaining batter.

Notes:
1. Thinner batter and medium-low heat worked better for subsequent batches; cook a test ball and adjust your batter and burner temperature as needed.

2. These were cute little treats to serve the family, but even with two pans would be a challenge to prepare for a crowd. However, using the same batter, flat pancakes and crepes were delicious!

3. The cups on my aebleskiver pans hold different amounts of batter; I used a 1 Tablespoon measure for the smaller cups and just poured the batter into the medium-sized cups. This recipe yielded 2 dozen aebleskiver balls, 1 fluffy pancake and 2 very thin crepes.

Swedish Apple Custard Cake

Two years ago, almost to the day, I posted an update to a Serious Eats/Dorie Greenspan recipe for Fresh Apple Custard Cake. Deemed just "okay" from the first bite, I keep tweaking the recipe looking for something more... moreish flavorwise. My variations on Dorie's apple cake have all been fragrant, moist, custardy and applely, but a bit bland, lacking any notable flavor pop. 

Additions of lemon zest, almond extract and apple pie spice have upped the flavor impact, but never quite hit the mark. Then I found several online recipes for Swedish Apple Cake with Custard Sauce that sent me in another direction. Orange extract and grated orange zest plus ground cardamom were the new flavor additions of choice.

Still moist and fragrant, almost a cake and not quite a custard, the latest variation has met two-thumbs-up approval. The orange and cardamom somehow boost the appleness of the cake, providing an interesting combination of flavors in each bite. The custardlike filling negates the need for a custard sauce, though a dab of honey Greek yogurt made a fine topping. Hmmm, a scoop of homemade Cardamom Ice Cream would turn this morning treat into a scrumptious dessert. 

It's fun to play with recipes, adjusting ingredients but keeping the character of the original dish. Orange and cardamom will remain key flavor elements in my version of this custardy cake, but nuts might join the party next time.

Swedish Apple Custard Cake

Slightly adapted from 'Baking Chez Moi' by Dorie Greenspan

Ingredients:

3 medium cooking apples (Granny Smith), cored & peeled
a generous 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon ground cardamom
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon orange extract
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

6 tablespoons milk, at room temperature
2 tablespoons salted butter, melted and cooled
Grated zest of 1 medium orange
Confectioners’ or granulated sugar, for dusting (optional)

Directions:

Place a rack in the center of the oven; preheat to 400 degrees F. (My oven runs hot, so I began with a 400 F oven, then lowered the temp to 375 F after 20 minutes and rotated the pan.)

Butter or spray an 8-inch square baking pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.

Slice the apples quite thin, about 1/16 th inch thin, 

"elegantly thin, but not so thin that they’re transparent and fragile," according to Dorie.

Use a small bowl and 
whisk  together the flour, baking powder and cardamom. Set aside. 



In a larger bowl whisk the eggs and sugar together for a minute or two until the sugar dissolves. Whisk in the orange extract and vanilla, then the milk and finally the melted butter and orange zest. 

Sift the flour mixture into the bowl in 2 or 3 additions and whisk until smooth. 

Add the apples and gently fold into the batter using a rubber or silicone spatula, turning to coat each thin slice with batter. Scrape the mixture into the parchment-covered pan and smooth out the top so the apples lie flat.

Bake, rotating the pan halfway through, until golden brown and uniformly puffed, 40-50 minutes. (55 min in my oven) Be sure the middle of the cake has risen and a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and place on a cooling rack; allow to cool and set up for at least 15 minutes.



Unmold the cake bottom-side-up onto a plate and peel off the parchment paper. Flip it back onto a second plate and cut into squares. Dust with powdered sugar or cinnamon/sugar mix (optional). Cut and serve.

Crispy Apple Crisp

Apple Crisp is such a homey dessert, a comfort-food Autumn classic ubiquitous throughout apple country. Of course variations abound, but essentially Apple Crisp refers to chopped or sliced, cinnamon-flavored apples that are baked with a streusel topping or crust.

Generations of cooks have produced tasty versions without ever opening a cookbook, but here's a streusel topping twist I found in Greg Atkinson's 2008 West Coast Cooking: pour melted butter over the topping instead of working it into the flour/oats/sugar mixture. Shazam! the streusel topping baked up nicely crispy-crunchy and the excess butter flowed to the bottom to mingle with the apple juices and create a lovely sauce. 

Apples. Sugar. Butter. Really, what's not to like? We ate half of the pan warm for an evening dessert, and the remainder warmed in the microwave at breakfast the next morning. Ahem! that doesn't account for the missing spoonfuls that somehow disappeared between dessert and breakfast.
   
What's your favorite apple dessert?

Apple Crisp, an Old-Fashioned Treat

Recipe based on Greg Atkinson's West Coast Cooking 

Serves 4-8

Topping

1/2 cup AP flour

1 cup rolled oats (not steel cut or instant)

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder
1 large egg, beaten

8 Tablespoons (1 stick) salted butter, melted, plus extra to coat the baking dish.

Filling

4 medium Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored & sliced

1/2 cup sugar

1 generous Tablespoon cornstarch

1 generous teaspoon Apple Pie spice (or substitute ground cinnamon)

Optional Toppings
Heavy cream or Greek yogurt

Preheat oven to 375 F; butter an 8-inch square baking dish.

Mix the topping:
Use a food processor and pulse several times to combine the flour, oats, brown sugar & baking powder. Use a fork to gradually incorporate the beaten egg into the oatmeal mix.

Prepare the filling:
Pile the apple slices into the baking dish and toss with the sugar, cornstarch and Apple Pie spice.

Scatter the oat mixture evenly over the top of the fruit. Drizzle the melted butter evenly over the top.

Bake about 45 minutes, or until the topping is golden brown. Serve warm with optional toppings of heavy cream or Greek yogurt.

Waffles: a Savory SouthWest Sourdough Version

Today, August 24, is National Waffle Day! Waffle on!

Not that I ever need a special reason to enjoy waffles, two waffle posts in a row might be a clue to that enthusiasm. Here is my latest waffle recipe, a Savory Southwest Sourdough Waffle. 

Some waffle factoids:

• This US holiday marks the day the first US patent for a waffle iron was issued. Instructions for waffles using irons exist from around the 14th century.
• General Electric offered the first electric waffle iron in 1911.
• Eggo frozen waffles were first sold in supermarkets in 1953.
• Belgian waffles made their US debut in 1964 at the New York World's Fair.  

We shared the first waffle hot off the iron. RL opted for butter and a drizzle of honey on his half, while I separated top from bottom and slathered my wedges with whipped honey butter. Mmmmmmm, bliss! 

Don't bother to make a half batch, you will want some to enjoy warm or cold another time. Warmed leftover waffles pair well with a bowl of your favorite chili or bean soup. Or enjoy them cold as sandwiches filled with cheese, salsa, avocado, corn salad, taco filling of any kind, etc. Leftover waffles freeze well and reheat easily in the oven or in a toaster (split in half if you make Belgian waffles). Homemade waffles have more flavor than Eggos and can be just as easy to reheat when you are in a hurry.

Waffles are more versatile than just a breakfast food. They make any meal, any day, a celebration. What's your favorite waffle?

Savory SouthWest Sourdough Waffles

Ingredients:

1 cup Sourdough Starter, recently fed and rested

1 Tablespoon sugar (helps to brown the crust)

1 egg

1/8 tsp salt

2 Tablespoons oil (canola oil or melted bacon grease)

optional seasonings: pinch of chile powder or splash of hot sauce    

1 cup total, mix of corn kernels, cooked black beans and diced sweet red peppers

scant 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Directions:

1. Put the starter in mixing bowl; add sugar, egg and oil. Mix well with wood spoon. Thin with water as needed (starters vary in consistency).
2. Stir in the corn mix and optional seasonings (if you choose to use any).
3. Dilute the soda in a tablespoon of warm water. Add the baking soda at the last minute, when you’re ready for the batter to hit the iron. Fold the soda water gently into the sourdough batter. Do not beat it in heavily, you want to encourage the bubble formation, not defeat it. Bubbles will form as the batter lightens (increases in bulk).
4. Bake in a preheated, well-oiled (Belgian*) waffle iron until done. 
5. Serve on hot plates accompanied with flavored butter and/or warmed syrup.

*These will be tasty in any waffle iron, but Belgian waffles have extra deep holes to better hold any toppings.