Bacon, Spinach and Mushroom Quiche

One might think of a quiche as an elegant and more refined alternative to that of an egg scramble. It is. However, if it is not as easy, it is more so. The best thing about a quiche is that it is perfect for breakfast, lunch and dinner, may be served solely or accompianed by a green or fruit salad to complete a main course and can include any ingredients in your fridge or that you can think up. If you are taking a vegetarian route a Greek quiche with feta cheese, kalamata olives, tomatoes, onions and peppers is fabulous. Or a fresh seafood quiche with scallops, prawns and crab meat and sauteed leeks is my favorite. This Bacon, Spinach and Mushroom Quiche tends to be the one that I make most often, as the ingredients are popular to most, and I generally have them all on hand. This is a great way to push your imagination and an easy way to use up ingredients you have in the refrigerator while creating a dish that will impress your family and friends. Served warm or room temperature, this is a perfect option for a weekend brunch or as an appetizer at a dinner party. I make one once a week and keep it in the fridge for a delicious and quick breakfast each morning. Bon Appetit!

Quiche Ingredients
2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 sweet white onion, diced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
8 ounces of mushrooms, sliced
2 Tablespoons butter
8 slices of slightly undercooked bacon, roughly chopped (To cook the bacon place on a cooling rack on top of a sheet pan, and bake in the oven at 350 degrees for approximately 10 minutes, or until the bacon is almost done. It will fully cook within the quiche.)
2 sprigs finely minced fresh rosemary (approximately 1 teaspoon dried)
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon coriander
Salt and pepper to taste
8 ounces baby spinach leaves, washed, drained and patted dry

4 eggs plus 2 egg yolks
2 1/2 cups half & half
Several dashes Tabasco sauce (optional)

4 ounces diced brie cheese
2 ounces shredded parmesano-reggiano

1 pie crust (Recipe below, but go right ahead and purchase a pie crust if you so prefer)

Quiche Preparation
In a large pan over medium heat saute the onion in the olive oil for approximately 5 minutes, or until onions are completely translucent. Add in the garlic, careful that it does not burn, and saute for additional 2 minutes. Add in the mushrooms and the butter and saute, stirring often, approximtely 7-8 minutes, or until the mushrooms are completely tender. Add in the chopped bacon, herbs, salt and pepper to taste, and incorporate all the ingredients. In gradual handfuls add in the spinach leaves, and saute until the leaves have all gone limp and the volume decreased by half in the cooking process. Remove from heat. Pour the mixture into the empty pie crust.

In a seperate bowl, throroughly whisk together the eggs, half & half and Tabasco sauce. Pour into the crust over the spinach/bacon/mushroom mixture, carefully combining all ingredients. Stir in the brie and parmesano-reggiano cheeses.

Crust Ingredients
1 stick chilled butter, diced
1 cup flour
Pinch of salt

2-4 Tablespoons of ice cold water

Flour for rolling
Butter for the quiche dish

Crust Preparation
In a large bowl combine the flour, butter and salt and mix by hand, crumbling the butter into the flour until the texture likens that of corn meal. Add in 2 Tablespoons of the cold water and mix until the dough begins to lump together and form a ball. Add more water in stages if the dough appears too dry. On a large floured surface roll out the dough until it is large enough to generously fold into a traditional quiche dish. Butter the quiche dish and gently place the rolled crust into the form, trimming any excess on the edges.

Bake the quiche at 375 degrees for approximately 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Rest for approximately 15 minutes before slicing. May be served warm or at room temperature.

Serves: 8

Crab Cakes with Lemon Aioli

My family and I absolutely love crab cakes. They are absolutely perfect for an appetizer, several served with a salad and grilled asparagus for a main course, or even perfect turned into a burger for a more casual meal, using the aioli in lieu of mayonnaise on the bun. Buying a whole crab from the store, poaching it and then extracting the meat can be cumbersome, and buying crab meat fresh from the fish market can be very costly. I found a wonderful alternative by using canned crab meat in my recipe. Definitely choose the highest quality of canned crab, as not to compromise the flavor. I found the best to be from Trader Joe's. An entire one-pound can of crab meat is just $10, and the freshness and flavor is wonderful. I serve my crab cakes with a lemon aioli; so easy to make and enhances the cakes with the additional creaminess and tang of the lemon. You will most definitely impress yourself, your family or your guests with the simplicity and flavor of this recipe.

Ingredients
2 shallots, minced
1/2 red bell pepper, minced
1 egg
1 pound lump crab meta
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon Worchestershire sauce
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 lemon, juiced
1/2 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
1 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning
1/3 cup panko bread crumbs
1/2 tsp dried ginger powder

Grapeseed or high-temperature oil for frying
Flour for dusting the crab cakes before frying

Preparation
In a large bowl combine all ingredients. Form the crab mixture into large 2 Tablespoon portions into balls and then flatten and shape into a cake, about 1/4 inch thick. Dust each crab cake on both sides with the flour. In a large skillet, on medium heat, bring the oil up to temperature, and fry the crab cakes in small batches, 4 minutes on the first side and 2-3 minutes on the other side until they are a deep golden brown. Rest them on a paper towel to remove excess oil. Serve with Lemon Aioli (recipe follows).

Yields: 18 crab cakes*

*Depending on how large you make the crab cakes, and how many you are serving, there are sure to be leftovers. Freeze them, uncooked, layering in parchment, in an airtight container, for whenever you need them. Simply defrost on the counter for about an hour and follow cooking instructions from there.

Lemon Aioli
In a food processor pulse together and refrigerate:
2 cups mayonnaise
Zest of 2 lemons
3-4 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
Salt and pepper to taste

Orange Beef and Broccoli

 

Beef and Broccoli is one of my sister, Hilary's, favorite recipes. She always orders it when we go out to an Asian restaurant. For a great night of dinner at her house several months ago I recreated her favorite, but added a twist of citrus with organic oranges. This simple ingredient took this somewhat generic dish to the next level, and was a great way to counteract the additional spice that I added to the dish creating the perfect balance. This is it for an easy dinner party recipe, or simply, as we enjoyed it, at home on the couch on a cold night. It feels like "comfort food" without the regret. I served it on a bed of brown rice, but if you are looking to avoid carbohydrates, simply double the amount of broccoli or add water chesnuts, red peppers or bamboo shoots and it is a meal in itself. If you prefer chicken or prawns to beef, both which I always have on hand, either are a  perfect substitute.

 

Sauce Ingredients

Zest of 1 orange

Juice of 1 orange

2 Tablespoons corn starch

2 Tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce

1/3 cup orange marmalade

1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger

4 cloves grated fresh garlic

1 Tablespoon Thai chili sauce, or to taste (Local markets carry a variety; I prefer Mae Ploy, as it also has a hint of sweet to match the heat)

 

Sauce Preparation

Wisk all of the sauce ingredients together, making sure that the marmalade is completely absorbed, and set aside.

 

Main Ingredients

3 Tablespoons sesame seed oil

1 red onion, thinly julienned

1 Tablespoon chopped garlic

1 pound thinly sliced beef, cut into strips (I love to use flank steak in this recipe; it is already thin, so the preparation is so easy)

2 large heads of broccoli, including stems, chopped into bite-sized pieces

 

Garnishes (optional)

Toasted sesame seeds

3/4 cup chopped, salted cashews

4 scallions chopped

 

Preparation

In a large pan or wok, over medium to medium-high heat, saute the red onion in the sesame oil for approximately 2-3 minutes, simply to take away the bite. Add in the chopped garlic and the beef and saute for approximately 2 minutes; when it is just starting to brown. Add in the broccoli and continue sauteing for approximately 8-10 minutes, or until the broccoli reaches desired tenderness. Add the prepared sauce into the pan, making sure to coat all ingredients and bringing the sauce up to temperature. Serve over a bed of brown rice and garnish with toasted sesame seeds, chopped cashews and chopped scallions.

 

Serves: 4