Tag Archives: Eggs

Eggs, French food

Zucchini, Bacon, and Gruyère Quiche

Well, it’s been a while dear readers. I’m really, truly intending to get back to regular posting and I’m starting off with my favorite quiche recipe.

I’ve always loved quiche but didn’t begin to obsess about it until my 20s, living in Bucktown (when it still had a bit of grit to it) mere blocks away from a real French bakery, owned by a  young French couple that smoked cigarettes in the shop when customers weren’t around. Their croissants were fresh baked, glazed lightly in marmalade and the quiche–always several varieties–was indescribably delicious. Now on weekend mornings, listening to my household ruckus unfold from the safety of my bed, I sometimes pretend I’m in that tiny quiet Bucktown apartment again. I’m waiting for Reuben to return from his walk to the bakery with a still warm croissant and piece of quiche, a surprise treat that I knew to relish even then. A nice moment to be sure, but I think I  prefer my current morning ruckus and quiche warm out of my own oven.

Zucchini, Bacon, and Gruyère QuicheZucchini, Bacon, and Gruyère QuicheZucchini, Bacon, and Gruyère Quiche

adapted from Gourmet, December 2005

Since I rarely have heavy cream in the house, I usually use 1 1/3 cups (320 ml) of whole milk in lieu of the milk and cream mixture. And if you want to skip cleaning another pan, measure your milk in a glass measuring cup and and warm it for a minute or two in your microwave instead of on the stovetop.

1 (9‑inch) refrigerated pie dough round
6–8 slices bacon, coarsely chopped
2 small or 1 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise, then cut crosswise into 1/8‑inch-thick slices
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (180 ml) heavy cream
3/4 cup (180 ml) whole milk
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
3 large eggs
2 oz (60 g) Gruyère, coarsely grated (about 1 cup)

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 450°F (230°C).

Fit the pie dough into a pie plate and lightly prick all over. Bake according to package instructions, then transfer the crust in pie plate to a rack.

Reduce oven temperature to 350°F (180°C).

While the crust bakes, cook the bacon in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until just crisp, about 6 minutes. Transfer the bacon with a slotted spoon to a paper-towel-lined plate, reserving the fat in the skillet.

Add the zucchini and 1/4 teaspoon salt to the fat in skillet and sauté over moderately high heat, stirring frequently, until zucchini is tender and starting to brown, about 5 minutes, then transfer with slotted spoon to a paper-towel-lined plate.

Heat the cream, milk, pepper, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt in a small saucepan until mixture reaches a bare simmer, then remove from the heat.

Whisk together the eggs in a large heatproof bowl, then gradually whisk in the warm cream mixture until combined. Stir in the bacon, zucchini, and cheese and pour into the baked piecrust. Bake until the filling is just set, 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer the quiche in pan to a rack to cool slightly, about 20 minutes.

30-minute meals, Cakes, Eggs, Pasta and noodles

Egg-Topped Soba Noodles with Asparagus and Prosciutto and Double Chocolate Muffins

Things are still crazy, hectic, almost out of control in my household. We’re still managing to eat well though, thanks in part to my husband. We’ve settled into a pattern where I do the meal planning and grocery shopping and he takes care of the cooking while I pick up the kids from daycare. His most recent dinner was absolutely amazing, the type of meal where the only full sentence spoken (even from your kids) involves some variation of “this is delicious.” While the meal is quick and healthy, it does require multiple pans and you really have to be on your toes to make sure nothing is overcooked. Still, if you’re short for time but energized enough to maneuver three pots at once, this one is hard to beat.

Egg-topped Soba with Asparagus and Proscuitto

Egg-Topped Soba Noodles with Asparagus and Prosciutto
adapted from Bon Appétit, February 2010

Serves 6

4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
5 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
4 oz (110 g) thinly sliced prosciutto, cut crosswise into strips
6 large eggs
10 to 12 oz (280 to 340 g) thin soba noodles
1 lb (450 g) asparagus, ends trimmed, cut on sharp diagonal into 1/8‑inch-thick slices
1 cup (100 g) freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil.

Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil in a large skillet over a medium-high heat. Add the garlic and stir 30 seconds. Add the prosciutto strips and cook until slightly crisp. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Heat 2 teaspoons of oil in a large nonstick skillet (or 2 small nonstick skillets) over a medium heat. Crack the eggs carefully into the skillet. Cook on 1 side until the eggs begin to set, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat. Cover and set aside.

Cook the soba noodles in the large pot of boiling water for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the sliced asparagus to the pot. Cook until the noodles are cooked through and the asparagus is just tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Do not overcook! Drain the noodles and asparagus, reserving 1 cup (250 ml) of the cooking liquid.

Add the drained noodles and asparagus to the prosciutto mixture in the skillet. Cook over a medium heat until just heated through, tossing and adding the reserved cooking liquid by 1/4 cupfuls (50 ml) to moisten.

Remove the skillet from the heat. Add the grated Parmesan cheese and remaining 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon olive oil and toss to coat. Divide among 6 plates or shallow bowls. Top each serving with 1 egg and serve immediately, breaking and stirring the egg yolk (which should still be a bit runny) into the noodles.

***

Double Chocolate Muffins

My daughter is “graduating” to a toddler room at her daycare this week. In a fit of panic after forgetting to buy her teachers a good-bye gift, I threw together these muffins with the odds and ends I had in my house. What a discovery! They are moist and chocolaty, and just healthy enough to eat for breakfast. I hope they enjoyed them. I know we did.

Makes 24 muffins

1 1/2 (180 g) cups all-purpose flour
1 cup (120 g) whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups (300 g) sugar
1/2 cup (60 g) cocoa
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 eggs
1 cup (250 ml) plain yogurt
1/2 cup (125 ml) water
1/2 cup (125 ml) milk
1/2 cup (125 ml) vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup (80 g) grated dark chocolate
1 cup (200 g) white chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 325°F (160°C). In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, sugar, cocoa, baking soda and salt.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, yogurt, water, milk, oil and vanilla. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until just moistened. Do not overmix! Fold in the grated chocolate and white chocolate chips.

Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups about 3/4 full. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool the muffins for 5 minutes before removing from the pans to wire racks.

Eggs, Italian food, Pork

Chorizo, Red Pepper and Feta Frittata

We planted potatoes for the first time this year, joking that we were earning our Irish citizenship now. Of all the things we planted, my husband was most excited about the potatoes. The first thing he’d do when he got home from work was make a beeline to the garden to check on them, sometimes barely even stopping to say hello to the kids first. So when the diagnosis came back from our expert gardening friend that the potatoes had blight, he was pretty cut up about it. The good news is that the potatoes are still perfectly edible, but the bad news is they won’t store well. Suffice it to say we’re going to be eating a lot of potatoes over the coming weeks.

Most frittatas, which are like an Italian open-faced omelet, use potatoes, so it was one of the first things I thought of when faced with this sudden glut. Plus they’re perfect summertime food — not too heavy or filling and ideal for picnics, since they’re easy to transport and can be served at room temperature (I actually prefer them this way). It’s also a good way of using up bits and bobs of things that are hanging around in your crisper or pantry, making them open to endless variations.* This one is our new favorite, but I also like making one with baby potatoes and jarred artichoke hearts, or if provisions are very low in the house, I can usually rustle up a classic Spanish tortilla.

A word of warning here: to make a frittata, you need an ovenproof frying pan. No one wants to deal with a melted handle. And be sure to remember that the handle will be hot for quite some time after you take it out of the oven — I’ve burned my hand more times than I care to admit. Nowadays, I always leave an oven mitt or dishtowel wrapped around the handle as soon as I take it out of the oven to remind me to be careful.

Chorizo, Red Pepper and Feta Frittata

Serves 4 to 6 as a light dinner or brunch

For a vegetarian version, simply leave out the chorizo. Try to use potatoes that are roughly the same size so that they all cook in the same amount of time when you parboil them in the first step. Roasting the red peppers heightens their flavor, but if you don’t have them, simply chop them and saute them along with the onions.

1/2 lb (225 g) baby potatoes, unpeeled and left whole
olive oil
5 oz (140 g) chorizo sausage, thinly sliced
1 red onion, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
2 red peppers, roasted, skinned and roughly chopped (or use well-drained jarred roasted peppers)
8 eggs
salt and freshly ground black pepper
5 oz (140 g) feta cheese, cubed or crumbled
green salad, to serve

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).

Bring a pot of water to a boil. Place the potatoes in the pot and boil for about 5 minutes, or until just cooked and fork tender — do not overcook them or they won’t keep their shape when sliced. Drain. When they’re cool enough to handle, slice thinly and set aside.

Heat a splah of olive oil in a large ovenproof, nonstick frying pan over a medium heat. Add in the sliced chorizo and cook for about 5 minutes, until the chorizo has released its oils into the pan and has browned slightly. Scoop the chorzio out of the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside to drain on a paper towel-lined plate. If there’s an excessive amount of oil now in the pan, drain some off until only 1 or 2 tablespoons remain.

Reduce the heat to low, add the onion to the oil left behind in the pan and cook gently for 7 to 10 minutes, until softened. Add in the garlic and cook for 1 minute more, then remove from the heat. Add in the chopped roasted red peppers and set aside.

Whisk the eggs in a large bowl with a pinch of salt and some freshly ground black pepper (don’t use too much salt, since the chorizo and feta are also quite salty). Stir in the potatoes and chorizo. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the onion and peppers from the pan to the egg mixture and give everything a good stir.

Wipe out the frying pan and add 2 tablespoons of fresh olive oil (you can use less oil if you have a really good nonstick pan). Heat the oil in the pan, then pour in the egg mixture, making sure the chorizo and vegetables are evenly distributed throughout the pan. Top with the feta cheese.

Transfer the pan to the oven and cook for 25 to 35 minutes, or until set in the center. Remove from the oven and allow to cool a little before sliding it out of the pan onto a large serving platter or cutting board. Serve warm or at room temperature with a green salad on the side.

*Here are a few other frittata variations from around the web: