Feta and Spinach Tart

I made this last night... I improvised quite a bit- we were snowed in, so I used what we had! The original recipe is for individual tartlets, but I made one large tart instead.

1 pie crust (refrigerated or homemade)

10oz package frozen chopped spinach

2 tablespoons butter

salt and pepper

2/3 cup heavy cream

3 egg yolks

4 1/2 oz feta cheese

1/3 cup pine nuts (I used slivered almonds... I think walnuts would also be good)

Grease a loose bottom tart pan. Roll out pie crust and place in pan, trimming edges. Place in fridge to chill for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 400. Prick with fork and bake tart shell for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the filling. Thaw the spinach, draining water. Melt butter in skilletm add spinach, and cook gently to evaporate remaining liquid. Season well with salt and pepper. Turn off heat and stir in cream and egg yolks. Crumble feta and place in bottom of tart pan. Spread spinach mixture on top. Bake about 10 minutes. Add nuts and bake for an additional 5 minutes.

Tartiflette Pizza

Tartiflette Pizza

from Culture magazine

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 large onion, very thinly sliced

1 tablespoon Kosher salt, plus more to taste

fresh ground pepper, to taste

3 cups cold water

4 fingerling potatoes

4 slices bacon

puff pastry or pizza dough, rolled out

1/4 cup Reblochon cheese

Heat oven to 350 in a large saute pan, heat oil over medium-low heat, add onion and saute, stirring frequently until it caramelizes to a dark amber color about 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.

In a 2 quart pot, combine 1 tablespoon salt, cold water, and potatoes, heat to a boil over high heat, lower to a simmer and cook until potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork- about 25 minutes. Drain and set aside to cool. When cool, dice potatoes

Meanwhile, arrange bacon on sheet pan and cook in oven for about 7 minutes or until crispy. Set aside to cool, then dice into 1/4 inch pieces.

Using the tines of a fork, pierce the puff pastry. Bake for 10 minutes. Place onions, potatoes, and bacon on puff pastry. Break up cheese into small pieces and evenly place on top. Bake an additional 6 minutes or until cheese begins to brown and pastry is crispy. Serve warm.

Zucchini Quiche

This recipe is very good and pretty easy to make!

Zucchini Quiche

4 cups thinly sliced zucchini (about 2-3 zucchinis)

1 large onion, thinly sliced

3 tablespoons butter

2 eggs

2 teaspoons dried parsley

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

2 cups (8 oz) crumbled or grated mozzarella cheese

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

1 uncooked pie crust

Sautee the zucchini and onion in butter over low heat until tender... it may take a while.

Remove from heat. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, salt, basil, oregano, garlic powder, pepper, and cheese. Stir in zucchini and onion. Spread mustard over the pie shell, then pour in zucchini mixture. At this point, you can cover and freeze. Or, to bake same day, bake at 400 for 35 minutes.

Quiche Combos

We've made 2 good quiches this week with our basic quiche recipe (3 eggs and about 6oz creme fraiche)....

Quiche #1:

Paris (white) mushrooms, quartered and sauteed

yellow onion, diced and sauteed

bacon, diced and cooked

gruyere cheese

Quiche #2:

Broccoli florets, steamed and diced

yellow onion, diced and sauteed

deli ham, diced and sauteed

emmental cheese

Prepare the basic quiche filling in a large bowl, season with salt, pepper, herbes de provence, nutmeg, etc. Add cooked veggies/meat and then pour into prepared crust.

Mmmm Pot Pie

We used this recipe as a guide to make Chicken Pot Pie the other night... it was delicious!!

Delicious Pot Pie

2 unbaked pie crusts

5 small/medium red potatoes, diced

1 yellow onion, diced

2 carrots, diced

2 cups shredded/chopped rotisserie chicken (I even tossed in a little extra Thanksgiving turkey... you could use all turkey if you wanted, or omit meat for a veggie pie)

heaping handful of frozen peas

2 cans cream of chicken soup (I used cream of mushroom and it was quite tasty)

salt and pepper

Unroll one pie crust into a pie plate, prick with fork, and bake at 400 for about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring a pot of salted water to a boil, add potatoes and boil until tender.

Meanwhile, sauté onion in butter until tender, add peas and carrots and sauté for a a few minutes.

In a large bowl, combine onion, carrots, peas, chicken, and cream of mushroom soup. Drain potatoes and mix in bowl. Pour mixture into the pre-baked pie crust. Next, unroll the other pie crust on top, folding up the overlapping edges. Brush the top crust with a little milk or a beaten egg (this is just for looks... either will do). Now cut 4 slits in the top crust to let air escape. Bake for 45 minutes or until crust is brown and filling is bubbly.

VEGETARIAN OPTION: omit meat, use a cream of veggie soup, and make it a veggie pot pie!

Spinach Zucchini Goat Cheese Walnut Quiche

Super long name, but not super difficult... I combined a few different quiche recipes and it turned out okay... I only used 1 round of fresh goat cheese- next time I'll use two.

Spinach Zucchini Goat Cheese Walnut Quiche

-1 medium zucchini, thinly sliced

-1 tablespoon butter or olive oil

-1 unbaked pie crust

-2 rounds fresh goat cheese (about 6-8 oz)

-3 eggs

-8 oz crème fraiche

-salt and pepper

-2 cups fresh spinach, chopped

-toasted chopped walnuts

Sautee the zucchini in butter or olive oil until tender, set aside to cool slightly. Wipe out sautee pan and reheat. Toast the walnuts until slightly browned... be careful not to walk away, they burn quickly! Set nuts aside. Roll pie crust into a pie dish and sprinkle with 2/3 of the goat cheese. Lay zucchini over cheese. In a medium bowl, beat eggs, crème fraiche, salt and pepper. Stir in chopped spinach until well coated. Pour mixture over the zucchini and top with remaining goat cheese and finally walnuts. Bake at 350° for 30-40 minutes.

Spinach Quiche

Doug made this for supper last night... it was really good! It is another recipe from Pamela.

Spinach Quiche

10 oz. frozen spinach, thawed

2 T. minced scallions or shallots

2 T. butter

salt, pepper & nutmeg

3 eggs

milk (enough to make 1-1/2 cups with the eggs)

1/4 cup grated Swiss cheese

8" baked pie crust

Saute spinach & scallions in butter until tender; season to taste with salt, pepper & dash of nutmeg; let cool briefly. Combine eggs & milk; add to spinach. Sprinkle cheese in pie crust; pour in spinach mixture to within 1/8" of rim. Bake in upper middle level of oven at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 30-35 min, until quiche has puffed & top has browned. Serves 6.

Tomato Goat Cheese Tart

We had this yummy dish as part of our supper tonight. It is a recipe from Pamela.

Tomato Goat Cheese Tart

1 piecrust

1 T. Dijon mustard (Grey Poupon or similar)

3 large tomatoes, thinly sliced

5 oz. soft goat cheese

garlic powder, oregano & basil

2 T. olive oil

Place piecrust in a tart dish; prick with a fork; spread on mustard; arrange tomato slices in concentric circles; crumble cheese on top; sprinkle with a little garlic powder, oregano & basil; drizzle with oil; salt & pepper. Bake at 450 degrees for 10 min; lower heat to 350 degrees and cook for another 20 min. Serves 4.

Mushroom Gruyère Quiche

We made this quiche this weekend and it was pretty good ! I still had a lot of mushrooms from the market, so I only used those (rather than the mixture)- they were white. Next time I might add a little bacon to it, but it was good just as it was. I liked the oven roasting method... it was much quicker and easier than browning in batches in my tiny sauté pan like I did for the mushroom bacon tart. Additionally, I don't have a kitchen scale, so I just kind of guessed on the amount of mushrooms. And I didn't have thyme so I used some herbes de Provence and some fresh Italian parsley. And one more thing- I didn't prebake the shell.

Here's the recipe:

Mushroom Gruyère Quiche
1/4 pound cremini mushrooms, cut into quarters or eighths, depending on size

1/4 pound portobello mushroom caps, diced
1/4 pound shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and discarded, cut into quarters
1/2 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 frozen 9-inch pie crust, thawed
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 eggs
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
4 ounces gruyère cheese, shredded (about 1.5 cups)
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme

Preheat oven to 400°F. In a large bowl, toss cut mushrooms with onion, olive oil, salt and pepper, then place on a rimmed baking sheet in a single layer. Roast for about 15 minutes, or until cooked and firm. Remove from oven and set aside. Prick pie shell all over with a fork. Prebake shell for 10 to 15 minutes, until lightly browned. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F. Whisk together heavy cream and eggs with thyme, salt and pepper. In a large bowl, combine roasted mushrooms, onion, gruyere and thyme. Spread this mixture in the bottom of the pie shell in an even layer. Pour cream-egg mixture over the mushroom mixture, ensuring that all of the mushroom mixture is covered. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the center of the quiche comes out clean. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Mushroom and Bacon Tart

We had this for supper tonight… it was surprisingly good!

Mushroom and Bacon Tart

3 slices bacon, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 medium onion, thinly sliced

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

3 cups (10 oz) thinly sliced white mushrooms

2 tablespoons heavy cream

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 pie crust

2 plum tomatoes, sliced ¼ inch thick

3 oz (3/4 cup) cheddar cheese, grated (I used Emmental since you can't really find cheddar in France)

1 large egg, lightly beaten, for egg wash

Cook bacon in a skillet over medium heat until crisp, about 8 minutes. Transfer bacon to a bowl with a slotted spoon. Add garlic and onion to skillet and cook until onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Add to bowl. Melt ½ tablespoon butter in skillet and add half of the mushrooms, cook until golden on edges and softened. Transfer to bowl. Repeat with remaining half butter and mushrooms. During last 30 seconds of cooking, add cream and Dijon mustard. Add to bowl. Place pie crust in pie dish and pour in the bacon/onion/mushroom mixture. Tuck in tomatoes into mixture and top with cheese. Fold sides of crust over and brush with beaten egg. Cook at 375 for 55 minutes or until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbling. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Quick Quiche

We found this recipe in a free French evening newspaper in Lyon last summer... each night they would feature a quick dinner recipe. I've translated it for you :)

Quiche

1 prepared pie crust

3 eggs

8 oz crème fraiche (found at stores like Whole Foods)

¼ cup grated cheese, divided

½ cup diced vegetables and/or cooked meat (we usually use bacon, ham, or chicken or the meat and tomatoes and onions for the vegetables)

salt, pepper to taste (we also use “Herbes de Provence”)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Layer half of the cheese on the bottom of the pie crust, topped with the vegetables and/or meat. In a medium bowl, whisk together crème fraiche, eggs, salt, and pepper. Pour egg mixture on top of vegetables/meat and top with rest of cheese. Bake 35 minutes or until golden brown.