Real Men Eat Quiche

Today we had an impromptu brunch with DH's best friend - a5lo.  DH needed help moving some drywall into the basement and I'm no help with stuff like that (those things are HEAVY).  So to thank him I decided to make lunch for the three of us.  I wanted to make something that was quick, relatively simple and somewhat healthy.  I also wanted to make dessert, since having guests over is my only excuse to bake.

Nothing says Sunday brunch like quiche!  I made 2 types of quiche (bacon & mushroom, spinach & onion), salad and an apple almond tart.  I normally like to make everything from scratch, but when I'm in a hurry I do take shortcuts.  Making homemade pie crusts and puff pastry tastes better but is also time consuming.  So for today's meal I used store bought pie crust and frozen puff pastry.  It's excellent - gives the homemade vibe but is super easy to use.

I served the apple almond tart with a scoop of caramelized white chocolate ice cream.  If I wanted to get fancy, I'd glaze the tart w/ some apple jelly or drizzle it w/ dulce de leche.  But this is brunch, its supposed to be easy.

a5lo - a bachelor who doesn't cook often - was very happy with the meal and even happier when I sent him home with leftovers.  It was great to see him and  I was happy I didn't have to lift any drywall :)

Bacon & Mushroom Quiche

Ingredients:

• 4 strips bacon, diced
• 3 shallots, minced
• 3C mixed mushrooms, sliced
  
• 1C shredded fontina cheese
• 1C milk
• 4 eggs
• 1 refrigerated pie crust, unrolled and thawed
  

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 375 F degrees.
• Cook bacon in a pan over medium heat until crispy.  Drain on paper towels.
• Remove most of rendered fat from pan.  Saute shallots until translucent.
• Add mushrooms and cook until soft, add salt+pepper.  Cool slightly.
• Whisk together eggs and mlk.
  
• Press pie crust into pie plate - add cheese, mushroom mixture and bacon.  Fill with egg mixture.
• Bake in oven for 25-30min until set.  Let cool for 10-15min before serving.

Apple & Almond Tart

Ingredients:

• 2-3 tart apples (e.g. Gala)
• 1 1/2C ground almonds or almond flour
• 1/4C sugar
  
• 1 egg
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• pinch of salt
• 1/4C heavy cream
• 10" x 10" puff pastry sheet
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp nutmeg

Instructions:

• Whisk together almond flour and sugar in a medium bowl
• In another bowl, whisk egg, vanilla and salt.  Mix in half of almond mixture.  Mix in heavy cream and then remaining almond flour.  Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2-3hrs.
• Preheat oven to 430F degreess
• Peel and slice apples thinly, set aside
  
• Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.  Roll out puff pastry sheet and score a 3/4" border around the edge.
• Spread almond mixture on puff pastry and cover with a layer apple slices.  Dust apples with nutmeg, cinnamon and a light sprinkling of raw sugar.
• Bake in the oven for 30min until lightly browned.  Allow to cool for 15min and serve with a dollop of whipped cream or ice cream.
  

Slow food Sundays

On Sundays, I like slow food. I usually spend Sundays doing chores around the house, catching up on some work and watching some trashy tv. That's why Sundays are the perfect time to make something special, something that takes a little longer to make but is well worth the wait. So today I started off with breakfast - a puffed apple pancake baked in the oven. I picked up some wild blueberries at the market yesterday so I sprinkled some on top before putting it on the oven. I think next time I'll try making it with pears - we have a pear tree in the backyard which means I have lots of pears on hand.
After breakfast, I started dinner. Cooking is easy, as long as you're prepared. Mise en place - get all your ingredients ready and prepped before you start. I know it sounds easy and I'm sure you've heard it before, but its the secret to cooking. Since I had extra Guinness on hand after yesterday's Chocolate Guinness cupcakes, I decided to make some stew. Braising is one of my favorite cooking methods - slow cook in a low oven until tender. And stew is so easy and versatile, you don't even need a recipe. DH loves veggies so I usually use 3x as much vegetables to protein. I served today's stew with mashed potatoes made with cream, chives, butter & garlic. A heart healthy meal this is not. But hey, I don't eat like this every day! This stew would be just as good made with lamb or veal shanks.

Beef stew
Feel free to substitute veggies or meat as you prefer. Can be served with mashed potatoes, mashed sweet potatoes, rice, or crusty bread.

Ingredients:

• 3lb short ribs (cut into 1 inch pieces)
• 2-3 chopped carrots
• 2-3 ribs of celery, chopped
• 2 red peppers, chopped
• 2-3 medium zucchini, chopped
• 1 large onion, diced
• 3-4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2C cremini mushrooms, sliced
• 2 large tomatoes, chopped
• 1/2C flour
  
• 2C red wine
• 2C stout (e.g. Guinness)
• 1C beef stock
• 1T grainy mustard
• 2 tsp dried rosemary & thyme
• 2 bay leaves
  
• a few splashes of Worcestershire sauce
  

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 325F
• In a plastic bag, mix flour & salt+pepper
• Add meat and shake to coat
• In a Dutch oven, add 3T oil and heat to medium high. Add a few pieces of meat and brown. Remove browned meat and set aside. Continue until all meat is properly browned.
• Once all meat is browned, lower heat to medium and add onions to the pot. Cook until translucent and add garlic and rest of vegetables.
  
• Add red wine and bring to a simmer. Add the meat back to the pot, along with the remaining ingredients. Bring to a simmer.
• Move pot into oven and braise until tender, 3-4 hrs.