Monday, July 30, 2012

QUICHE and VARIATIONS

Quiche & Variations
 
After you fill the quiche use your hands and fingers to sink the bits of filling that might protrude above the liquid filling down so that they are covered. Picky, yes, but just sayin'.
Garnish each plate with a muffin and a piece of fruit.

Quiche Lorraine:
This is the basic quiche recipe. From the late and lamented Victorian Sampler Tea Room in Eureka Springs, AR.

1 (9-inch) pastry shell, baked to light brown
5 or 6 slices bacon, fried crisp and crumbled
1/2 small onion, chopped
3 Tbsp. green pepper, diced
1 c. mushrooms, sliced
2 or 3 Tbsp. butter, melted
1 1/2 c. Swiss cheese, grated
1 c. mild Cheddar cheese, grated
3 eggs, slightly beaten
1 1/2 c. sour cream
Dash of salt
Dash of garlic powder
Dash of white pepper
Dash of Tabasco Sauce

Saute onion, green pepper and mushrooms in melted butter. Recently I've discovered this can be accomplished in the microwave oven-slice butter over onions and green pepper and zap 3 or 4 minutes on HIGH zap sliced mushrooms for 2 or 3 minutes on HIGH and drain off liquid. Combine eggs, sour cream and seasonings and thoroughly mix with wire whip or at low speed with electric mixer. Stir in vegetables, cheeses and bacon and pour into pastry shell. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes until set and lightly browned on top. Serves 5 or 6.

Quiche Variations:
From our basic Quiche Lorraine most of the quiche of the day entrees for the Tea Room are made. Eliminate bacon, onion, green pepper and mushrooms and substitute as follows. (As you can see Jim's formula can be adapted for virtually anything. Use 2 cups filling and seasoning of choice. Smoked salmon, scallops (cooked), crab or faux crab, sausage, just follow your instincts. and don't add too much additional liquid.)

Vegetable Quiche:
(A Tea Room favorite)
Equal quantities for a total of approximately 2 cups per quiche - onion, cauliflower, broccoli, zucchini, carrots, chopped or sliced and sauteed or zapped in the microwave oven with butter until crisp-tender. Season as desired.

Broccoli-Mushroom Quiche:
1 c. mushrooms, sauteed or zapped in microwave and drained of excess liquid
1 c. broccoli, sauteed or zapped in microwave oven with butter
Seasoning (as desired)

Ham "Quiche:
1 cup cooked ham, shaved and chopped and tossed with 1 1/2 Tbsp. flour
1/2 c. onion and 1/2 c. green pepper, chopped and sauteed in butter
Seasoning (as desired)
Quiche Florentine:
1 c. cooked spinach, chopped and well-drained
1 c. (before sauteeing) mushrooms, sliced
5 or 6 slices bacon, fried crisp and crumbled
1/2 small onion, chopped

Shrimp-Artichoke Quiche:
1 or 1 1/2 c. shrimp, cooked, peeled and deveined
1/2 small onion, chopped
1 c. artichoke hearts, drained and chopped (we use a 15 oz. can for two quiche)

Monday, July 23, 2012

HAMBURGER STEAK



Hamburger Steak n’ Onion Gravy 
Maw Joad's version from the Grapes of Wrath would have been Hamburger patties, dusted with flour, fried till brown; add water and make a gravy.  This one is a little more substantial.

1 pound ground beef
1 egg
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt1/2 teaspoon onion powder1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 cup thinly sliced onion
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup beef broth
1 tablespoon cooking sherry
1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt

In a large bowl, mix together the ground beef, egg, bread crumbs, pepper, salt, onion powder, garlic powder, and Worcestershire sauce. Form into 8 balls, and flatten into patties.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Fry the patties and onion in the oil until patties are nicely browned, about 4 minutes per side. Remove the beef patties to a plate, and keep warm.

Sprinkle flour over the onions and drippings in the skillet. Stir in flour with a fork, scraping bits of beef off of the bottom as you stir. Gradually mix in the beef broth and sherry. Season with seasoned salt. Simmer and stir over medium-low heat for about 5 minutes, until the gravy thickens. Turn heat to low, return patties to the gravy, cover, and simmer for another 15 minutes.

WILTED LETTUCE

Wilted Lettuce

Although this calls for Romaine the event of spring was to take the first tender "leaf" lettuce  to make into a Wilted Lettuce salad.

4 hearts romaine, chopped
4 slices bacon
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup vinegar
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Place romaine in a serving bowl. In a skillet over medium heat, cook bacon until crispy. Remove bacon and crumble over greens. To the pan, add sugar and vinegar, and simmer until sugar is dissolved, scraping up bacon bits that cling to the bottom of the pan. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Pour hot dressing over greens and toss. Serve immediately.

NOTE. Hard Boiled Eggs or poached eggs are a wonderful addition.

Saturday, July 21, 2012

FRENCH ONION SALISBURY STEAKS

French Onion Salisbury Steaks on Cheese Toasts
Cheese toasts? That's toast with cheese melted on it.
4 Serves

1 1/4 lbs ground chuck
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
2 tablespoons scallions, minced
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups onions, sliced
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 cups beef broth
1/4 cup dry red wine
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon dried thyme leaves
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 cheese toasts
4 teaspoons minced fresh parsley ( garnish)
4 teaspoons Parmesan cheese, shredded

Combine chuck, parsley, scallion, salt, and pepper. Divide evenly into 4 portions and shape into 3/4 to 1-inch thick oval patties.

Place 2 tablespoons of flour in a shallow dish; dredge each patty in flour. Reserve 1 teaspoon flour. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a sautè pan.
Add onions and sugar to pan; sautè.

Sprinkle onions with reserved flour; cook 1 minute. Stir in broth and wine, and then add the salt and thyme.

Return meat to pan and bring soup to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer 10 minutes.

Serve steaks on Cheese Toasts with onion soup ladled over.

Garnish with parsley and Parmesan.

CHICKEN SALAD

Chicken Salad, Red Grapes and Walnuts

4 to 6 servings
 
4 cups cubed (1/2 inch) cooked chicken (about 1 3/4 pound)
1 cup walnuts, chopped, (toasted, if you like)
1 celery rib, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices (1 cup)
2 tablespoons finely chopped, or two green onions
2 cups halved seedless red grapes
3/4 cup mayonnaise
3 tablespoons vinegar
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh tarragon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
 
Toss all ingredients together.

APPLESAUCE COOKIES

Applesauce Cookies

½ stick unsalted butter, melted
1 cup packed light brown sugar
½ cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
½ cup chunky-style applesauce
1½ cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1¼ cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon coarse salt
1 cup golden raisins
¼ teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper, and place parchment paper on a wire cooling rack.

Mix the butter and sugars on low speed in the bowl of a standing mixer until combined.  Add egg and applesauce and beat for about 2 to 3 minutes, until thoroughly blended.

Mix in the dry ingredients — oats, flour, baking soda and powder, and salt — and then stir in the raisins.

Drop 1½-inch balls of dough onto your baking sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart.  Bake until golden and just set, 13 to 15 minutes. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring them to the wire rack. Let cookies cool completely.

PORK RILLETTES


Pork Rillettes

5 lbs. Boneless Pork Butt
1 lb. Mirepoix. (2 parts onion, one part each carrots and celery) I estimate about 2 onions and 2 carrots and 4 stalks of celery. 
3 cloves garlic, mashed
1 tsp. Thyme
2 or three bay leaves
12 cups beef or chicken broth
Salt and pepper to taste

Cut up your meat into about 10 more or less equally sized portions. Put in a pot with all the other ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat immediately to a simmer. Cover and let it gently do it’s thing for about 8 hours. At very low heat. Test a piece, it should fall apart with very little encouragement. Refrigerate it overnight.
Next morning skim off all the fat and save it. Remove the meat and set it aside. Save the broth because it makes a luscious soup base. No need to save the vegetables, but you can eat them if you like.
Now the real work: Remove all the fat and any other waste from the pieces of meat, then squeeze, mash, and if necessary chop and stir until the meat is fairly smooth enough to tolerate being spread on a cracker or slice of bread.

If you feel you need to do so, add some of the broth to make it spreadable. You can make it ultra-smooth by buzzing it up in the processor.
Pack the spread into a pot, or pots of some kind, melt the fat and pour it over the meat, that will seal from oxygen and help preserve it. Refrigerate. When ready to serve remove the fat and spread on crackers, toasts etc. I like bread and butter pickles, onions, chopped eggs etc. on mine.