October 16, 2006 - Standby Favorite Recipes
The Carefree Gourmet -
by Joyce McCombs
The recipes I’m sharing today have never let me down and are ones
I know I can take to work or a potluck or even (gasp!) make at
home with minimal fuss and maximum yum factor. I’m pleased to have
had success just last week with two of these old stand by
favorites, and hope they prove as easy for you to make and rely on
as they are for me.
I made a quiche a while back for a working lunch meeting, and I’m
still hearing about it from my library colleague and favorite book
buddy, Tiki Levinson. At a recent gathering, she gently but
insistently reminded me that I still owed her the dang recipe, and
as she seemed to be in the midst of a serious quiche craving, I
thought I’d better get it in the column quick! This is the most
reliable, expandable and delicious quiche I’ve ever tried. It’s
not just the ingredients (which can vary wildly, depending on
what’s in the pantry or the checkbook) that make this so tasty.
One secret is the half and half, one is the crust procedure and
one is the oven temperature. The half and half creates an even,
silky texture that has great mouth feel. Sprinkling the flour and
cheese over the bottom keeps the crust from getting soggy. And the
“hot oven first, reduced heat later” routine helps the quiche set
up quickly at the edges without drying out the middle. Try this
method with smoked salmon and bits of cream cheese, or cooked
hamburger and cheddar cheese, or turkey and pepper jack, too.
Now if I could just get the Carefree Spouse to like “egg pie”, I
could enjoy it myself more often! Enjoy this, TL!
Tiki’s Favorite “Quichie
1 refrigerated pie crust
1/2 yellow onion, finely diced
6 large fresh mushrooms, sliced OR
1 small can sliced mushrooms, drained
6 slices cooked bacon, chopped OR
1 bottle real bacon pieces
1 cup shredded Swiss cheese
4 large eggs
1 pint half and half
1/2 cup milk
1 tablespoon dried parsley OR
1 tablespoon dried basil OR
a combination of both
salt and pepper
Preheat the oven to 425. Place crust in 9 inch pie pan and crimp
the edges, taking care not to stretch or tear. Dust crust lightly
with flour, sprinkle Swiss cheese evenly over bottom and set
aside.
Heat a tablespoon of butter and a tablespoon of olive oil together
in a heavy skillet over medium high heat. Add onions; reduce heat
to medium and sauté ten to twelve minutes until very tender. Add
mushrooms and stir until they just begin brown, about five more
minutes. Add bacon bits, stir to combine, then remove from heat
and set aside to cool slightly.
Beat eggs in large bowl with wire whisk until light, then slowly
add half and half and then the milk until well combined. Add
parsley, and salt and pepper.
Place pie pan on cookie sheet lined with foil. Place cooled onion
mixture evenly over cheese layer in pie crust, then fill with egg
mixture. Do not stir. (Any egg mixture that doesn’t fit can be
cooked as scrambled eggs.)
Bake for 15 minutes at 425, then reduce heat to 350 and bake 30
minutes or until quiche is puffed and slightly browned, and center
is firm. Remove from oven and let rest at least ten minutes before
cutting into wedges.
For crustless quiche, use a glass pie plate or baking dish, and
coat bottom and sides well with butter to prevent sticking and
promote browning.
Delta Special Blueberry Sauce
I served this for dessert last week at our staff training workshop
at the library, and I was pleased it got rave reviews. I usually
use lemon juice with any kind of berry sauce, but I just happened
to have limes in the house and the combination sounded tasty. My
guests from the Alaska State Library sure thought it was, too,
much to my relief. I used allspice, but any one of the dark, warm
spices compliment blueberries, so choose your favorite and give
this a try.
2 to 3 cups wild Alaska blueberries
1/2 to 1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon allspice (or nutmeg, ginger, cloves or cinnamon)
2 teaspoons lime (or lemon) juice
pinch of salt
2 tablespoons cornstarch dissolved in
1/4 cup water
Northern Lights Dairy Vanilla Ice Cream (no substitutes!)
Wash and pick over berries, then place in small saucepan and cover
with water. Add least amount of sugar (to start with), allspice,
salt and lime juice. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat to
very low. Berries will burst and release juice after a few
minutes. Test for sweetness desired and add more sugar if needed.
Let sauce simmer on very low heat about 40 minutes, stirring
occasionally to prevent sticking. Strain mixture to remove berry
pulp and any woody stems, pressing with spatula to remove all
juice. Return to pan over medium heat and return to slow boil. Add
cornstarch mixture a bit at a time (you may not need it all) until
desired thickness is reached, and whisk until mixture is clear,
not cloudy. Remove from heat at once and let cool. Serve warm over
world class vanilla ice cream made from happy Delta cows.
Pumpkin Bisque
This recipe has been around longer than I have, and it’s actually
appeared here several times over the past 19 years (whew!), so
please forgive me if it’s old news to you. If you haven’t tried it
and have a hard time thinking of pumpkin anywhere but in a pie at
Thanksgiving, give this a try. It’ll chase the autumn chill from
you in record time. Feel free to substitute any other kind of milk
for the half and half if you’re watching calories. As long as you
have about 4 cups to work with, things will work out fine. And
don’t worry about the catsup. I know it seems strange, but it adds
the exact amount of acidity needed to balance the sweetness of the
pumpkin and tomatoes and curry are fast friends, too.
2 large yellow onions, finely diced
2 teaspoons mild curry powder (or more to taste)
2 cups chicken stock OR
2 cups water
1 large can pumpkin OR
2 boxes frozen squash/pumpkin
1/4 cup catsup
1 pint half and half
up to 2 more cups milk
2 tablespoons parsley
In a heavy Dutch oven or large saucepan, sauté the onion in butter
over medium low heat until very tender and golden. Sprinkle with
curry powder and stir until fragrant, about three minutes. Add
chicken stock (or water) and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low
and add pumpkin and catsup. Stir until smooth (mixture will be
thick). Stir in half and half, then use as much milk as needed to
reach desired consistency. Taste for salt - if using chicken stock
it may not be needed. Simmer for at least 20 minutes to let
flavors blend. Stir in parsley just before serving. Garnish with
sour cream, French fried onions or croutons.
ANZAC Granola Bars
I’ve been on the lookout for a new and different bar cookie recipe
lately and this one caught my eye. I had no idea granola bars had
been around since World War 1, but the cookbook I was reading
recently told the whole story. These bars were made “down under”
for the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) and shipped
overseas for the troops as a tasty reminder of home. In fact, they
were the only cookies that didn’t get moldy from the humidity.
Even though humidity isn’t a problem here in the Interior, finding
a sturdy, portable, and tasty cookie is always a challenge. I
think these would stand up to the rigors of a snow machine trip
this winter, or even in Mom’s purse on the long drive to Fairbanks
and back.
Preheat oven to 375 and line a 9 x 13 inch pan with baking
parchment (or coat well with nonstick spray).
Combine in large bowl:
2 cups mixed dried fruit, cut into small bits
3/4 cup oatmeal (not quick cooking)
1 cup coarsely chopped cashews
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup shelled, unsalted sunflower seeds
1/3 cup whole wheat flour
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
In separate small bowl beat together until smooth:
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup honey
1 egg
Pour over oat mixture and mix very well. (It will look like wet
granola - not cookie dough). Press evenly into prepared pan.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, rotating pan 180 degrees after 15
minutes for even browning. Cool on rack 15 minutes, then invert
pan to remove cookies. Peel off parchment if using and turn entire
block back over in one piece to continue cooling on wire rack. Cut
into 24 bars and store in airtight container.
Thinking about granola bars sends me right down the cereal aisle
of my imagination. There must be some interesting ways to use
America’s favorite breakfast and snack food besides dumping it in
a bowl and splashing it with moo juice. I’ll do a little research
and see if I can find some new crispy, crunchy, whole grain,
flakey goodness ideas to broaden our culinary horizons next time.
