Nouveau Quiche

I've always found baked egg dishes to be impressive and deceptively difficult. Give me a few eggs and I'll take a scramble, soft boiled egg or even a classic french omelet to task with ease, but somehow baked eggs, souffle, and—most notably—quiche, have always seemed just beyond my reach. I'll happily leave the breakfast-style eggs to the restaurants if it saves me the trouble of poaching or buying oven-safe ramekins, but the quiche I just can't get over. It seems like the perfect vehicle for any number of ingredients regardless of season (I've always noted that in my imaginary restaurant there would be a Quiche of the Day), and can be served for breakfast, lunch or dinner. It goes well with soup or salad and a myriad sides, not mention it can sit alongside a sweet or a savory dish, and even act as an appetizer. Nothing seems like a more impressive dish for entertaining than quiche, with its aura of mystery and difficulty (is it eggs? cream? a batter? doesn't it take forever?), and I wanted to solve the mystery.

After researching a few recipes and quiche making methodologies that suggested everything from baking it with a water bath to avoiding opening the oven door, I decided to consult an expert. The one person I imagined could probably bake a quiche with her eyes closed is Martha Stewart, but since I don't know her personally, I decided to look into some of her recipes. Her website is a wonderful resource for cooks of all levels, and since her media empire runs the gamut from the fussy and complicated to the easy and delicious, it was the perfect place to look. Her site has slide shows for pretty much anything you can imagine, and quiche recipes are no exception. As expected, there are complicated and complex quiches using up to 10 eggs in addition to crème fraîche and milk, but fortunately for people like me, the Everyday Food arm of her vast empire came to the rescue once again.

Among the many recipes was an unbelievably easy one for an asparagus, leek and Gruyere quiche with a shockingly low ingredient count. I was dubious of its simplicity since it really only used four eggs and a little half and half to create the filling, which differed vastly from all of the other recipes I'd seen. The first step was making a pie crust, which I managed to avoid completely by buying one (baking is not my forte). Then I whisked together the eggs and half and half, sauteed the asparagus and leeks until just slightly softened and added them to the egg mixture. The Gruyere lined the bottom of the crust, creating a nice barrier from the wet egg mixture and keeping it nice and dry. Then in went the filling and the whole thing baked in the oven for 50 minutes.

The result was unbelievable. It was a perfectly soft, custardy quiche, still moist but perfectly set (a small miracle for my uncalibrated oven). The top was slightly browned in spots, the crust was crispy, and the asparagus was cooked without being rubbery. The flavor was spot on, and I can't tell you how well it re-heated (actually I can can: super well, even in the arcane microwave at work). It would be an absolute breeze to take this recipe and swap out the ingredients for whatever you have on hand. I'm already planning on doing something with swiss chard or kale, and definitely something with zucchini and tomatoes later in the summer. If you've feared this moment as I have for so long, I suggest you get a glass of white wine and throw caution to the wind. Sip your wine, pretend you're in France and make an awesome quiche. While it bakes you can toss together a salad, and in an hour you'll have an easy Parisian dinner right in your own home. Give it a try or put together your own. I either way, I promise you'll impress even yourself.

Asparagus, Leek and Gruyere Quiche
adapted from Everyday Food

1 tablespoon butter
1 leek (white and light green parts only), halved and thinly sliced, then well washed
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 bunch (1 pound) asparagus, tough ends removed, thinly sliced on the diagonal
4 large eggs
1 1/4 cups half-and-half
Ground nutmeg
9-inch pie crust, well chilled
1 cup shredded Gruyere cheese (4 ounces)
  
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, with rack in lowest position. In a large skillet, melt butter over medium. Add leek and asparagus; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until asparagus is crisp-tender, 6 to 8 minutes; let cool.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together 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; top with asparagus mixture. Pour egg mixture on top.

3. Bake until center of quiche is just set, 50 to 60 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through. Let stand 15 minutes before serving. (To store, let cool, then refrigerate, up to 1 day. Reheat at 350 degrees until warm in center, about 30 minutes.) Enjoy!

-Laura

The Comforts of Home

Some of you may recall the dish pictured above from the early days of this blog (see the original here). It appeared on the site before I owned a fancy camera, lived in Hells Kitchen, or even had anyone reading this blog but me and that guy in Kuala Lumpur (how he found it remains a mystery). It was one of the dishes that I most wanted to share with the world because to me it's the ultimate comfort food. I figure now that I have more people reading I should resurrect the recipe so everyone can enjoy it. My grandmother used to make it for us after long road trips and eventually taught me how to make it. My mother tells me that I make it just like my grandmother and that's why she asks that I make a batch every time she visits. I'd like to think I've mastered it, but try as I might to think so, I can't help feeling that it would taste better if it came off the stove of an eighty year-old woman in a bathrobe, flashing a loving smile and happily watching me enjoy each bite.

It's during these lean times that a dish like this can be extra handy. As I mentioned in the original post, it began as peasant food. Nothing more is needed than a sack of potatoes (6 or 7 potatoes could easily feed 4 adults), a few eggs and some frying oil. It's affordable, filling, warm, and exceptionally easy to make considering the returns you get on flavor. It's even easy clean-up, since all you need to do is slice the potatoes and fry them up in a non-stick skillet. It's essentially a scramble with potatoes, only here the egg plays second fiddle to the delicious potatoes. The secret is to use Yukon Gold potatoes, which already have an inherent sweetness to them. A little bit of sugar added to the seasoning enhances that natural sweetness, and plays nicely with the salt and pepper also used, for some of that "salty-sweet" flavor that's so popular right now.

I like to eat this dish as a main course by itself, just a heaping plateful of golden goodness, but there are plenty of alternatives. Of course it can be a side dish or starter, but it can also be an ultra-carbo load sandwich. My mother likes to pile the mixture onto a crunchy, warm baguette for a crispy outside and soft, delicate inside, while my dad liked to top it with tomato sauce. When I get carried away and make too much, I like to take the leftovers and wrap them in a tortilla with a little hot sauce. If there's cheese lying around I'll stuff some of that in there for a breakfast burrito of sorts, and if I'm feeling less frugal I'll stick some sliced avocado in there, too. So as you can see, it's actually a super versatile dish. So, just in case you need a reminder of how the recipe goes, or if it's your first time seeing it, here it is again. I hope you take it and make it your own, and that it gives you as much comfort as it always has me.

Patatas Revueltas con Huevo (Potato and Egg Scramble) 

(Makes 1 very large or 2 single servings)

3 large Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and sliced no thicker than 1/8” 

vegetable oil 

2 eggs 

Salt 

2 Tbsp sugar 

1. Heat oil on medium-high heat in a large pan. 

2. Salt (to taste) and sugar potatoes then carefully add to the oil. The oil should almost cover the potatoes but not quite (they will shrink as they cook). When the potatoes are about halfway cooked through and the bottom layer is crunchy and browned, flip them over and cook until done. 

3. Remove potatoes from the oil and onto a plate, then drain oil from pan (you can save it for future use) and return it to the heat (on low). Add potatoes back to the pan and crack both eggs over them. Break the yolks with a spatula and toss everything to combine, repeating every 5 seconds or so until eggs are just cooked through and soft. Enjoy!

-Laura

How To Get A Good Egg...Every Time.

I don't know about professional chefs, but most home cooks have some sort of culinary Achilles heel. Excluding my dislike for baking, for a long time my cooking weakness was hard and soft boiled eggs. My mother on the other hand has somehow always had the ability to properly cook an egg without giving it a second thought. No matter how many soft boiled eggs I asked for as a child, she never once over or under cooked even one. For years I tried to replicate her soft-boiled eggs, firm and perfectly white on the outside, with a bright, runny, canary yellow center. My soft-boiled eggs are the ugly stepchildren of hers, with the whites firming up as if only by chance and the yolks not quite the viscous texture it should be when properly done. When I tried to remedy this I ended up over correcting and throwing away an entire carton of dry, inedible eggs.

I had better luck with hard-boiling, but it was always hit or miss. Sometimes I'd under-cook and have to deal with a creamy-to-a-fault yolk, or over-cook and be forced to consume the rubbery whites and green, powdery yolks. That was, at least, until last year when I was informed of the 12 minute method. For anyone that has had trouble perfecting their hard-boiled egg technique, the 12 minute method is like sweet salvation. It's fool proof every time, guaranteed to give you a soft egg white with a perfectly amber and flaky yolk. I heard about it for about a year before bothering to try it, assuming that it was helpful but probably not perfect every time.

Well, needless to say I was wrong and I haven't looked back since. The technique came in handy last week as I worked on styling a shoot for Parents magazine (I'll let you know when it hits stands!), where among other things I needed to make and style a healthy snack for kids involving hard-boiled eggs. The 12 minute method gave me 4 perfect eggs so good, I used two for the shoot and snacked on the rest. The best part about the method is that it's easy to remember, and easy to execute. This is of course only good for chicken eggs, as smaller or larger eggs (like duck) would have varying times because of their size. The method essentially steams the eggs, instead of forcing you to time them at a rolling boil, when we know that everyone's stove is different. This eliminates the stove from the equation, and gently cooks the egg from the outside in. So, while I still haven't conquered my soft-boiled egg inadequacies, I'm halfway to winning the egg war. In the meantime, I'll just continue to force my mother to make them for me when she visits. Here's the 12 minute method for hard-boiling--I hope it helps you, and by all means, send me any soft-boiling advice you may have!

Perfect Hard-boiled Eggs (12 Minute Method)

Place eggs in a pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a rolling boil and immediately cover and remove from heat. Let sit, covered, for 12 minutes, then remove lid and run under cold water until eggs are cool. Refrigerate eggs until you need them (the longer they're cooled, the easier they'll be to peel). Enjoy!

-Laura

What's the Coal-Miner Got To Do With It?

There are some iconic dishes that, when prepared incorrectly, are just plain infuriating. The most maddening part is not only that mistakes have been made, but that they eventually become so pervasive that we begin to accept them as permissible. I'm a firm believer that shortcuts are all well and good at home, but when one is paying for food, shortcuts in the kitchen are inexcusable. After all, if I'm paying for a dish (for more than it would cost me to make it at home), I expect for it to be done properly. I've ranted on many a previous post about restaurants that--in the interest of time and cost--add certain "cheat" ingredients to their dishes. One of the worst offenders (as I've mentioned before) are establishments that cheat dishes like risotto by adding cream. Even if we can agree that a risotto dish is decent with added cream, it gives diners the perception that a risotto should be a milky, white, cream filled health hazard. The real star of the dish (super starchy arborio rice) does not shine, and no one appreciates the dishes true wonder.

These thoughts all came flooding angrily into my mind as I began researching classic spaghetti carbonara. I had a simple base recipe that I've made for years, but thought that in the interest of making the best carbonara possible, I'd look into what tips and tricks other cooks had for this fabled dish. Much to my dismay, nearly every recipe I encountered, from very reputable sources, I might add, included a substantial amount of cream. Pasta carbonara is not a cream based dish, it isn't even a cream based sauce. In fact, it only uses 5 main ingredients, none of which is cream. This dish is thought to be named for Italian immigrants who made little money working in the coal mines. The name (carbonara) is a testament to a hearty, affordable dish that coal miner's wives could make with just pasta, eggs and cheap cuts of fatty pork (anyone with extra pocket change had the luxury of adding cheese). The coalminers are reflected symbolically in the heavy use of black pepper in the dish.

Needless to say, I find the addition of cream a bit offensive to the people the dish is meant to honor. But more importantly, it gives diners the impression that this is a rich and creamy sauce like any other, when in fact it is thickened with just the use of eggs. I know that it has recently become en vogue to add heaps of cream and butter to everything and claim that it's okay, but I happen to think that some things, like the flavor of a classic dish, should be held sacred. And frankly, I think most chefs should try executing dishes perfectly the proper way before they try taking shortcuts and messing with classics. Okay, I'll step off my soapbox now. But I'd just like to encourage everyone to make this dish the right way, because it has a distinctive flavor like no other that is only clouded with the addition of fillers like cream. Here's my recipe, where I went with spinach tagliatelle instead of the classic spaghetti:

Spinach Tagliatelle alla Carbonara

1/2 lb dry spinach tagliatelle
5 strips fatty bacon, guanciale, or prosciutto, sliced
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup grated pecorino romano cheese
1 tsp cracked black pepper
salt
(1 tsp parsley garnish optional)

1. Cook pasta according to package directions in a large pot of salted boiling water. Combine eggs, pepper and cheese in a bowl and set aside.

2. Cook bacon (or guanciale or prosciutto) in a large skillet until crispy. Remove bacon to a paper towel lined plate to drain, leaving rendered fat in the skillet.

3. Remove skillet from heat and add pasta (preferably with tongs and not drained through a colander). Add egg/cheese mixture while pasta is still steaming hot and toss pasta until a sauce is formed by the eggs mixture. Add bacon, toss to combine and serve immediately. Garnish with grated cheese and parsley if desired. Enjoy!

-Laura

Girly Arms

Remember when you were a kid, and your mother, your teacher, or some other caring adult told you that lie about sticks and stones, and words never hurting you? Well, it has been my experience that words may not break your bones, but they sure do manage to pulverize your ego from time to time. This all came to mind last night as my quest to use up the contents of my fridge and freezer came to an interesting crossroads. You see, when I got home from work and opened the fridge, I came face to face with a sack of potatoes and several eggs. With my background, the obvious meal to make from these ingredients for me would be a tortilla española (kind of like a potato frittata, only it doesn't go in the oven). The problem with this dish is that it requires more than just the slightest ability to cook--it also requires muscle.

A tortilla española is traditionally fairly large, somewhere between 10 and 12 inches in diameter. It's cooked on one side in a large pan, then must be flipped out onto a large plate (without spilling hot oil over yourself) and then flipped back into the pan on the uncooked side. Growing up, my mother--who on a good day is just about 5 feet tall--would always summon my father to do the tortilla flipping. If it's done incorrectly, a spoiled dinner is the least of your problems--you've also got egg on your face and an arm covered in hot grease.


This all proved to be a problem as I considered making a tortilla last night for dinner. All of a sudden I was remembering my junior year of college and how two of my ridiculously in shape roommates used to make fun of my arms. After four days of being called girly arms, and three days of wearing long sleeves in June, I finally agreed to go to the gym with them. It only took two days of painful and intense weightlifting for me to feign a cold (in June) and give up on our group exercise. Although I'm no longer self-conscious about my arms, I do acknowledge that they continue to be the weakest part of my body. After some thought, I decided that I needed to be a big girl and take the bull by the horns. After all, if my grandmother and other tiny women all over Spain can flip a tortilla, then so can I.

So, with my mind made up, I made a traditional tortilla but decided to use up one more ingredient in my fridge and added in some chorizo. When the time came to flip, I suited up with an oven mitt in one hand and a kitchen towel in the other. It turns out that I had nothing to worry about--the flip came off without a hitch, and the tortilla was perfect. So if any of you girly arms out there want to give it a try, just be careful, and here's how to go about it:

Tortilla Española (with chorizo)

3 large Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
4 eggs, beaten and seasoned with salt
1/2 cup chorizo, chopped
2 cups vegetable oil
salt

1. Heat oil on medium high heat. Meanwhile, season potatoes with salt and add them to the hot oil.

2. Cook potatoes, flipping them occasionally until soft and just cooked through, then remove them from the oil with a slotted spoon and set aside on a plate to cool for a few minutes. Drain the pan of all oil but 2 teaspoons and return it to the heat.

3. Add the potatoes and chorizo to the egg and carefully stir to combine. Pour the egg mixture back into the hot pan, shaking it occasionally to make sure the tortilla does not stick.

4. When the tortilla stays together and moves easily in the pan, check to make sure there is no excess oil bubbling up around the edges. Then flip it out onto a large plate or lid, and return it to the pan, uncooked side down. Cook until the bottom side is done and the tortilla easily slides out of the pan (shouldn't be more than 3 minutes). Enjoy!

-Laura

1080 Recipes

One of my favorite things to order when I'm in Spain are revueltos. A revuelto is basically a scramble of eggs with various ingredients, including everything from mushrooms, to capers, to blood sausage. These dishes are especially popular in the bars and taverns of old Madrid, home of some of the oldest bars in Europe. It has recently become en vogue to dine in these dark and cavernous underground spots prior to a night of bar hopping, always making sure to order several dishes in preparation for a night of heavy drinking.

Despite how easy they are to make, for some odd reason, I'd never actually made a revuelto at home. That all changed with my recent purchase of 1080 Recipes, one of the most popular Spanish cookbooks of all time. The English translation was finally released in the United States and I couldn't wait to get my hands on it. Unfortunately, between being sick and looking for an apartment, testing it out had to be put on the back burner (so to speak) for a few weeks. But, having just found an apartment (in Hell's Kitchen, no less--how apropos) I now have more time to cook. Since I'll be trying desperately to use everything in my fridge before moving (it breaks my heart when fresh meat and produce goes to waste), I'll evidently be challenging myself to make successful meals out of a random assortment of ingredients for the next few weeks.

My first self imposed challenge came this week with asparagus that was holding on for dear life in my crisper. Even though asparagus is out of season now (it'll be amazing come April), I found a really good organic bunch a few days ago and have been dying to use it. Turning to my new resource, I excitedly searched for an asparagus revuelto in 1080 Recipes. As luck would have it, there was a perfect recipe, and it included potatoes (which were about to start sprouting evil little eyes), so I could kill two birds with one stone. I didn't actually end up following the recipe exactly, because a few of the times seemed a bit off. It said to blanch the chopped asparagus for 10-20 minutes, which is definitely overkill for even the thickest of stems. It also ran a pretty long cooking time for the eggs, and underestimated (in my mind, anyway) the time it takes to fry up potatoes. So I pretty much ignored the actual recipe and went with my own instinct. And thank goodness for that, since the asparagus was ready in about 4 minutes, the eggs cooked through in about 5, and the potatoes took closer to 20 minutes than the book's suggested 5-8. In the end though, the dish came together nicely and fairly quickly. Revuelto's are a great idea for a quick last minute dinner, and who doesn't like breakfast for dinner? Here's how to make this one:

Asparagus and Potato Revuelto

6 eggs, beaten
2 cups chopped asparagus
3 medium sized potatoes, peeled and diced
vegetable oil (at least 5 cups for deep frying)
salt
pepper

1. Heat oil in a heavy pot or frying pan and deep fry potatoes in oil until golden brown and cooked through.

2. Meanwhile, bring a pot of salted water to a boil and blanch asparagus until tender, about 5 minutes.

3. When the potatoes are done frying, remove them from the oil and set aside on a paper towel covered plate to drain. Season with salt. Remove oil from pan, leaving about 3 teaspoons still in the pan.

4. Reheat remaining oil in the pan and saute asparagus for about a minute on medium heat, seasoning with pepper. Add eggs--and additional oil if it's dried up a bit. Keep eggs in constant motion (with a spatula or wooden spoon) until almost entirely cooked through, then add potatoes and finish cooking eggs off the heat. Enjoy!

-Laura