Pear and Leek Quiche

Ok, so this dish is one i'm super proud of. because, in a moment of sheer genius (read: staring at the things i had in my apartment) I thought to myself...this could be good....GENIUS I tell you! It was delicious. a little hint of sweet - from the pears, and not too oniony - the leeks aren't too harsh, and deliciously cheesy!

ok - fine, it could have come out better, but the tastes, combined together, were unreal. Why don't people pair (haha get it) pear and onion together more often? With Gruyere cheese?? I mean, it doesn't get much better than this.

Here are some hilarious things that you only learn by doing:

1) if you pour too much egg mixture in the dish or don't use a deep enough quiche dish, it will spill out all over the bottom of the oven. Unless - in another moment of sheer genius, you think to put the quiche on a baking tray! Then you get like a pre- meal scrambled egg! (although it will still smell like everything's burning, and will set of your smoke detector) Point 1 relates to point 5, you'll see what i mean.

2) the pears make it a little bit moister, so it will take kind of a while to cook all the way through. I don't really know what to do differently... maybe sliced thinner? maybe cooked a bit before to let go of some of the moisture? layer them thinner, rather than layering them on top of each other? or to still get that pear taste - do a thin layer on the bottom, then another on top? I don't know. Try it out for yourself!

3)when you pre-cook your crust, you might want to listen when they tell you to cover the pie with parchment paper and fill it with dried beans....otherwise it blows up and gets overly crispy, and then you feel like a dufus.

4)also - i'm not sure i'll ever again use store bought pie crust. it was just not as good as home made, too thin, and not at all flakey. oh well, it was an experiment. It certainly saves time.

5) I really should just invest in a deep dish pie pan. or, you know. hint hint...someone could get it for me...... JUST SAYIN'.

Also - This is classic quiche base (eggs, milk, flour), so you can use this in the future, and, change the veggies, spices, etc, and make your own!:

Ok - here's the recipe for Pear and Onion Quiche:

Preheat oven to 425,

3 Large leeks

1-2 bunches spring onions

3 eggs

1 Tbs flour

1 cup milk

1/2 tsp salt

2 cup shredded cheese - I used Gruyere, because I had it from the previous recipe, and i think it was good because it wasn't too intense. Cheddar would also work great, as would swiss

1 red pear

dough (either pre made, or make your own!)

1. Roll out the dough (if you made your own, otherwise, unroll) into a pie pan (about 9 inches). Make the edges all pretty. Line with parchment paper, and fill with dried beans (as in - don't just think you can stick it in the oven and have it all turn out alright, although it won't be bad, per se. Bake in 425 degree oven for about 15 mins, until lightly golden.

2. Wash the leeks really well (they're surprisingly sandy), and slice them and the spring onions very thin. (Hint - I washed the leeks after i cut them). you want to cut the white and light green parts (you can be flexible, you know, use as much or little as you want).

Saute in 1 Tablespoon butter or olive oil until tender, about 20 mins or so.

3. While those are cooking, whisk flour, milk, eggs, salt and cheese together. Add the majority of the onion mix to the egg batter, and pour in the mix into the crust.

4. Finally, core and slice a pear very thin, arrange artfully on the top, and add the remaining onion mix around it. (you can peel it if you want, but then it's not as pretty).

Bake until set in the center - about 30 - 40 mins (check after 20 or so).

If the crust starts to brown, cover with tin foil. Let it sit for 10 mins when you take it out.

Then marvel at how professional it looks, and enjoy!

Stuffed Pumpkin

So, I know it's spring, and no longer pumpkin season, but there's been one siting in our back closet since the last farmer's market of the fall. It's pretty amazing how long they can last if you don't mess them up.

anyway - some where along the way I came across this recipe from NPR, for stuffed and baked pumpkin. um, it was pretty fantastic - alt

hough, I should have baked the pumpkin for longer, probably because it was way over 3 pounds.

Also - maybe now that the last pumpkin is out of our house, it can be spring now? What do you think Momma Nature? pleeeaaaseeee????

Enjoy!

*********

Pumpkin Stuffed With Everything Good

Makes 2 very generous servings

1 pumpkin, about 3 pounds

Salt and freshly ground pepper

1/4 pound stale bread, thinly sliced and cut into 1/2-inch chunks

1/4 pound cheese, such as Gruyere, Emmenthal, cheddar, or a combination, cut into 1/2-inch chunks

2–4 garlic cloves (to taste), split, germ removed, and coarsely chopped

4 strips bacon, cooked until crisp, drained, and chopped (for the carnivores)

1 apple chopped into small pieces (bite sized or smaller)

About 1/4 cup snipped fresh chives or sliced scallions

1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme

About 1/3 cup heavy cream

Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Find a pot that's large enough to fit your pumpkin, or line a baking sheet. Using a sturdy knife cut off the top of the pumpkin, like a jack-o-lantern, and scoop out the seeds and stringy-ness inside. Season the inside of the pumpkin with salt and pepper.

Mix together dry ingredients (bread, cheese, apple/pear, garlic and spices). Stuff this mix into the pumpkin, and adjust until it's reasonably full. Stir together cream and nutmeg, and pour overtop, until it seems about right (not too liquidy).

Put the pumpkin's lid back on, and if there's room in your baking dish - fill it most of the way up with water. this will keep it moist and help with cooking. Bake for about 2 hours, or until the side mix is melty and warm and the pumpkin flesh is tender! If you want to brown the top of the stuffing, remove the lif for the last 20 mins or so.

Then take the pumpkin out (carefully, it's kind of heavy and soft), and arrange on a plate! - you might need two people for this step!). Carve out slices and enjoy!!

Happy St. Patty's Day! - Irish soda bread and Irish Potatoes!

I am so horrible at blogging. there are a number of reasons.

1) I tend to be ridiculously verbose, so it takes me so long to write things.

2) It's so nice outside today (SPRING!!!), and I spend my whole day sitting in front of a computer, so by the time I get home, I just would rather not look

at more screens.

3) I am apparently great at starting projects and not so great at finishing them. There is further evidence of this in the bags and bags of yarn projects that i started and never finished. sigh.

But! today's St. Pattys day, and thought I am in no way, shape, or form Irish, I do love food.

I've been wanting to try making Irish Soda bread since World Communion Sunday back in the fall when one of the church ladies made Irish Soda bread. yum yum yum.

Apparently there's lots of controversy over Irish Soda Bread - as in what the traditional method for making it is. It seems like traditionally ther

e would be 4 ingreds. flour, baking soda (hence the name), butter milk and something that i'm forgetting (good story, right?). No raisins, no currants, no caraway seed, etc. So, according to some, this slightly sweet recipe is an abomination. but it's also UNBELIEVABLY DELICIOUS.

so so so so yummy. CARBS!

Dense- but not too dense. and moist (although I know how some folks feel about that word), and the currants were great!

I made 2 loafs (instead of the traditional cast iron pan) and I brought one of them into work. it was GONE in TWO HOURS!! that's success, it'd say. I also got a "standing ovation email" from my roommate who brought some to work. yea. it's delicious.

It's from Epicurious.com, via Bon Appetit. You can s

ee more here:

Ingredients

-5 cups all purpose flour

-1 cup sugar

-1 tablespoon baking powder

-1 1/2 teaspoons salt

-1 teaspoon baking soda

-1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into cubes, room temperature

-2 1/2 cups raisins or currants. Soak in hot water for 15-20 minutes, drain before use.

-3 tablespoons caraway seeds (optional - I didn't use 'em)

-2 1/2 cups buttermilk

-1 large egg

Preheat oven to 350°F. Generously butter heavy ovenproof 10- to 12-

inch-diameter skillet with 2- to 2 1/2-inch-high sides. (or 2 – 9x5” bread loaf pans). Whisk first 5 ingredients in large bowl to blend. Add butter; using fingertips, rub in until coarse crumbs form. Stir in raisins and caraway seeds. Whisk buttermilk and egg in medium bowl to blend. Add to dough; using wooden spoon, stir just until well incorporated (dough will be very sticky).

Transfer dough to prepared skillet; smooth top, mounding slightly in center. Using small sharp knife dipped into flour, cut 1-inch-deep X in top center of dough. Bake until bread is cooked through and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Cool bread in skillet 10 minutes. Turn out onto rack and cool completely. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Wrap tightly in foil; store at room temperature.)

We also made Irish Potatoes!!!

They're neither potatoes nor irish - they're candy!

1/4 c butter (room temperature)

4 oz cream cheese (half a stick)

cream together

Add and cream together again:

1 tsp Vanilla

4 cups Confectioners Sugar

mix together

2 1/2 cup flaked sweetened coconut

Cool in the fridge for a bit

roll in 1 TBSP cinnamon

Eat! Nom nom nom!!