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.

  

Index to Carefree Gourmet Articles

Sourdough Sensations June 29, 2007

Kitty Treats June 29, 2007

Dog Treats April 20, 2007

Sandwich Plan March 23, 2007

Carefree Wacky Ingredients March 8, 2007

Homestead Hearth January 25, 2007

Carefree Cooking 101 January 11, 2007

Holiday Punch December 23, 2006

Holiday Treats December 12, 2006

Thanksgiving II November 20, 2006

Standby Favorites October 16, 2006

Cabbage October 11, 2006

Apples September 22, 2006

Kids Cook July 6, 2006

Wacky Tips June 8, 2006

Graduation May 11, 2006

African Cuisine April 13, 2006

A Bit of Irish March 23, 2006

Crazy for Carrots March 9, 2006

February Vacation February 23, 2006

Easy Budget January 12, 2006

Christmas Treats December 22, 2005

Sweet Surprises December 8, 2005

Turkey Times  November 22, 2005

Grand Champions - Part 2 - October 13, 2005

Janet Boyer September 22, 2005

Grand Champions September 5, 2005

Blueberries  August 12, 2005

Halibut and Zukes July 28, 2005

Orange Juice July 14, 2005

Happy Birthday June 30, 2005

Honey June 9, 2005

Picnic Dishes May 26, 2005

Celebration Salads May 12, 2005

Kraft Foods April 21, 2005

Shrimp April 7, 2005

Carry on Airline snacks March 25, 2005

Sandwiches March 10, 2005

Back from Vacation February 24, 2005

Super Bowl Snack Attack  January 14, 2005

Ginger Snaps December 29, 2004

Christmas Memories - December 12, 2004

Thanksgiving November 23, 2004

Glen and Meat  October 29, 2004

Blueberry Pie Champion  September 30, 2004

Fair Winners  September 2, 2004

Glen's Knives June 11, 2004

Aunt Aggie Tells All... May 13, 2004

Crazy About Catsup April 29, 2004

Carefree Clearance Special April 8, 2004

Seattle Adventure March 26, 2004

Vegas, part 2 March 12, 2004

Vegas Wind February 12, 2004

Casserole Bonanza January 11, 2004

No Fuss Dishes  December 19, 2003

Fake and Bake Christmas  December 11, 2003