Ingredient of the Month // Asparagus

It is fresh at farmer's markets this time of year and I love incorporating it into spring and early summer dishes. Asparagus is delicious just grilled with a little oil, salt and pepper but the whole point of the Ingredient of the Month is to try something new. So, I've made a quiche!

I've made mini quiches before but I actually haven't made a proper pie-sized one. I was very nervous about the crust sticking to the pie pan, but the instructions on the box, the recipe and a few different sites I visited never said anything about greasing the pan. To my relief, the crust came off the sides of the porcelain dish cleanly (and deliciously).

I used purple asparagus because I've never cooked with it before. When I asked the gentleman at the farmer's market what the difference was his reply was "it's just purple". Luckily, he was right! The flavor is the same as green asparagus. Has anyone ever tried white asparagus?

Asparagus, Spring Onion and Gruyere Quiche
adapted from Martha Stewart Living

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp butter
• 2 spring onions, washed, white parts sliced
• salt and pepper
• 1 pound asparagus, washed, tough ends removed and then sliced thinly on the bias/diagonal
• 4 large eggs
• 1 and 1/4 cup Half and Half
• ground nutmeg
• pie crust
• 1 cup shredded gruyere cheese

Process
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees with the racks in the lowest position possible (I had one at the very top and one at the very bottom... the quiche goes on the one on the bottom.

In a large skillet melt the butter over medium. Add the sliced onion and asparagus and cook until asparagus is crisp-tender (about 5-6 minutes). Let cool.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, half and half, 1/2 teaspoon salt, teaspoon pepper, and a pinch of nutmeg. Place pie crust on a rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle with cheese, then asparagus mixture, then pour egg mixture on top. (I did the cheese last... I think putting it down first would have helped keep moisture from getting to the bottom of the quiche... but that is just a guess).

Bake until the center is just set, 50-60 minutes (50 was just right for ours). Rotate the sheet once halfway through. Let quiche sit for 15 minutes (while you take pictures of it), slice into 6 servings and enjoy!

Home Away From Home

The folks at DogVacay are doing a series called Home Away From Home and I am excited to be a part of it. DogVacay specializes in dog daycare and dog boarding services where pup parents can search for suitable sitters themselves! DogVacay have asked several bloggers to share what makes us feel like home when we are away on vacation or business. Are you surprised that mine is food related?

We often rent homes or condos for our vacations so it isn't too much of a stretch to feel "homey" (unless you can't find something in the kitchen!) but I always have an added sense of comfort when I find the local bakery. To me, home is a freshly baked croissant and a coffee. Bonus points for fresh produce from a local market. 

I love enjoying a vacation croissant and coffee on a deck or patio enjoying the view and listening to the natural sounds around us. A cabin in the woods is my ideal retreat! Well, as long as it has internet too!!

Even on trips to New York City my Dad and I would wake up, leave the hotel, find a bodega and grab breakfast sandwiches for my Mom and Sister and bring coffees back to the room! 

What makes you feel at home when you are away? Do you bring something from home with you?

Color Me Domestic - Spanish Breakfast Brussels Sprouts

I learned three things last night. One, this little vegetable is technically called Brussels Sprouts (Brussels being plural and capitalized). Two they're outrageously easy to prepare. Three, they are delicious.

I have eaten them at restaurants but haven't prepared them at home. I consulted my sister-in-law Katie for her recipe and it is easy enough to text it.

Since I was fairly confident Danny hadn't had them before I wanted to serve them with foods I knew he'd like that had strong flavors. I chose chorizo sausage and eggs (we have several left over from brunch ingredients).

The verdict? Danny wants this meal every night and told me to save it for the menu of every restaurant I open in the future.

Spanish Breakfast Brussels Sprouts (serves two with no left-overs)

Ingredients

2 cups Brussels Sprouts (trimmed and quartered)

1 tbsp olive oil

Salt & Pepper

1/2 a lemon

1/3 lb bulk chorizo sausage (or about half of a packaged sausage)

eggs (1-2 per person)

Process

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Rinse the Brussels Sprouts, trim and quarter them and toss them in olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place in a roasting pan and roast, tossing occasionally for 20-25 minutes.

Meanwhile cook the chorizo sausage breaking it into small pieces. Chorizo is a spicy red color so to tell it is done you'd need to break apart a piece or two to check. It is pork based so the meat should be totally white. It will take about 15 minutes on medium heat.

Remove the Brussels Sprouts from the oven and toss with juice of half a lemon. The chorizo should be finished now so toss it with the Brussels Sprouts and place back into the oven with the temperature off to keep them warm. 

Cook one or two eggs per person over easy to medium in the same pan used to brown the chorizo. If you are comfortable poaching eggs that is another tasty option.

To serve dish out the Brussels Sprouts and chorizo into bowls and top with the egg. Mix up the egg with the veggies and sausage and enjoy!

The dish can easily be served for breakfast or for everyone's favorite "Brinner" (Breakfast for Dinner). Or lunch! It is that good.

Color Me Domestic - Bite Sized Brunch

I've mentioned before how the small square footage of our apartment limits our entertaining options but yesterday we hosted a highly successful brunch meet and greet for EGBOK Mission.

For nearly 3 hours our guests asked questions, learned about day to day life in Cambodia and discussed ways to engage our peers with the organization.

Because we were all sitting around the coffee table the menu had to be finger foods. And, per usual, I prepared what I thought was too much food for our 10 guests but thankfully everyone brought their appetites.

What's breakfast without eggs? The Salmon Dill and Peppered Bacon and Cheddar mini omelets were tasty two bite starters. Along with them hashbrown patties and fruit kebobos rounded out the meal. I used the pros at Little Goat and Kingsbury Street Cafe to make scones and they were delicious (selfishly there are left over scones that I will not be sharing). And for dessert was a Lemon Sauce Crepe Cake!

The bloody Mary bar and lemongrass gin and champagne cocktail were hits and can be credited for fueling some of the discussion. 

I'll share all the recipes soon but today I'll start with the Salmon Dill mini omelets (original recipe from Inspired Edibles) 

Salmon Dill Mini Omelets (makes 12 muffin omelets or 24 mini omelets)

Ingredients

1 large onion, chopped

3 cloves of garlic, minced

6 eggs

heaping 1/2 cup of whole milk ricotta cheese

1/4 cup whole milk

1/4 cup half & half

1 1/5 cups smoked salmon broken into bite sized pieces

2 tbsp fresh dill, chopped

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

salt & pepper

Process

Heat oven to 350 degrees and spray muffin tin with non-stick spray

Saute garlic and onion over low-medium heat until translucent (about 5-7 minutes)

Whisk together the eggs, milk and half and half then add ricotta cheese and combine. Mix in the salmon, dill and red pepper flakes and a dash of salt and pepper.

Distribute mixture into muffin tin filling 90% of the cup and bake for 25-35 minutes until puffed and barely brown around the edges.

Color Me Domestic - Saucy Poached Eggs

I adore eggs. I love them cooked any way with nearly any topping. So when I found this recipe for Spaghetti Sauce Poached Eggs I couldn't pass it up.

When you are cooking for one or two a whole jar of spaghetti sauce is way too much for the small portions of pasta cooked. Typically I end up with 4 open jars in my refrigerator. This is a fantastic way to use up sauce during the same week it was opened.

Spaghetti Sauce Poached Eggs

Ingredients:

 - left over spaghetti sauce (figure 1/3 cup per egg)

 - eggs 

 - extra veggies in your fridge

Process:

Heat a medium sized frying pan to medium and saute your extra veggies in just a little bit of olive oil or butter for about 5 minutes. Add in appropriate amount of spaghetti sauce for the number of eggs being cooked and heat it for about 3 minutes while stirring the sauce in the pan.

Using the back of a spoon create a small cradle in sauce and crack one egg into it. Repeat for each egg. Season all eggs with salt and pepper and cover the pan to cook.

Medium to hard cooked eggs will take about 6 minutes - if you prefer a runnier egg try 4 minutes or until the white part is no longer transparent.

Serve with toast or english muffins or whatever you've got!

Color Me Domestic - Crepes with Hot Lemon Sauce

 

Breakfast in our house is either a yogurt and granola during the week or on weekends either a homemade egg creation or something from one of the several cafes within walking distance. 

This Sunday however I was well rested and mentally prepared to try something new. The experiment was crepes and it was ultimately successful.

In my first attempt at the batter I added twice the amount of butter that is called for... we're going to blame that on the lack of caffeine intake that early in the morning. Then when I had the ratio right I was struggling with lumpy batter and couldn't get it to smooth out. I read that a smooth, bubble and clump free, batter is the key to perfect crepes so this vexed me. Until I re-read my recipe in which they told me to use a blender. 

Wha-la a minute with my trusty immersion blender and the batter was ready to go. Well, to wait. The batter sits for 30 minutes before it gets cooked.

So, I took this opportunity to get my sauce slash jam ready. Hot lemon sauce is from the Joy of Cooking and is simply, lemon peel, sugar, water, egg yolks and butter, cooked at low heat for 30-45 minutes until it is a jam consistency. It does require constant stirring so I enlisted my sous-chef to stir with the promise of crepe samples along the way.

Then the other trick to crepes is the pan temperature. Put a half a teaspoon of butter in the pan and turn your burner to medium heat. The pan is the right temperature when the butter has melted and begins to brown but not smoke. If you notice that your crepes are taking less time, turn your heat down slightly to adjust. And if you loose control of your temperature... grab another pan and try the butter trick again. 

The method is easy, you add about 1/4 cup of batter to a 10 inch pan and then just swirl it around until the surface of the pan is covered. the first side will take a minute to 90 seconds and the second side will take about a minute. Any spatula will do just be gentle with the crepe and don't be afraid to pick it up with your hands if that is easier. (You can find examples on you tube if you are really lost)

Crepes

1 cup all purpose flour

1 cup milk (works best with whole milk)

1/2 cup luke warm water

4 large eggs

1/4 cup of butter, melted

1/2 teaspoon salt

Blend it together or whisk it until totally smooth then let it sit for 30 minutes under plastic wrap. The batter will stay for up to 2 days in the refrigerator too.

If you are doing sweet fillings for your crepes - add 3 tablespoons of sugar and reduce the salt to 1/8 teaspoon.

Make sure the pan is at the right temperature and get going!

We tried a Hot Lemon Sauce / Jam with our crepes and it was delicious so here is that recipe too!

Hot Lemon Sauce

2/3 cup sugar

grated zest of 1 lemon

1/4 cup strained fresh lemon juice (no pulp)

2 tablespoons water

3 large egg yolks (whisked)

1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut into pieces

Add the sugar, lemon, lemon juice and water to a small saucepan. Whisk in the egg yolks until throurghly blended. Add the cut butter and set the saucepan over low heat. Stir constantly but gently and bring the sauce to a boil and cook until thickened (about 1 minute after boiling - 45 minutes total).

Serve it on crepes, cakes or cookies! The sauce is good for about 3 days in the refrigerator and can be reheated in a saucepan for use.

Bon Appetit!