Recipe (Re)creation: Quiche Lorraine

I've been meaning to do this post all week, but with a newborn it has been increasingly more difficult to steal away and cook, let alone write about it.  Luckily, this afternoon I got a nice little window during Declan's nap time to make this classic french dish.  I actually begged for the recipe after a French friend brought it over for dinner and it quickly disappeared.  I figured it would be the perfect thing to make ahead and have as leftovers during the week.  I made a few changes to his recipe because I didn't have the exact quantities of some of the ingredients, but it turned out just as tasty.  Bon Appétit!

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 1 pastry circle 
• 3 eggs
• 2 -3 oz. pancetta, diced
• 5 oz. créme fraiche
• 8 oz. whole or 2% milk 
• 1 oz. gruyere cheese
• Pepper

Directions:

- Preheat oven to 425º F and take pastry circle out of the freezer to thaw.

- Place the pastry in a pie dish and press the edges down so it molds to the dish.

- Cook the pancetta in a skillet until lightly browned (5-10 minutes).

- Mix the eggs, créme fraiche, milk and cheese in a bowl.

- Place the cooked pancetta on the pastry and pour in the other mixed ingredients.

- Top with ground pepper (no need to add salt).

- Place the dish in the oven and bake for 35-45 minutes, or until cooked through.

Recipe (Re)creation: Mom's Puffy Pancake

While the holidays are always joyful, they never fail to make me miss my mom dearly. My best attempt at keeping her here in spirit is to make her signature dishes throughout the holidays.  This puffy pancake was one of my absolute favorite breakfast treats growing up.  I would beg for it every weekend and my mom made it for me and my sister every Christmas morning without fail.  This morning I am channeling my mom and spoiling myself (and family) with this beautifully delicious breakfast.  It serves two very hungry people or three to four as a small breakfast.  It looks so impressive, but it's actually quite simple (shhh) and is sure to make your family and friends feel special.  Serve with powdered sugar, a squeeze of fresh lemon juice, and any berries you have on hand.

Serves 2-4

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Optional topping:
• powdered sugar
• fresh lemon juice
• berries

Directions:

-Preheat oven to 400 degree F.
-Place the butter in a 9 inch round baking dish and place in the oven to melt.
-Brush the butter all over the bottom and sides on the dish.
-Whisk together the eggs, then add the flour, milk and salt and mix well.
-Pour into the dish and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown and puffy.
-Serve immediately with lemon juice, powdered sugar, and berries.

Recipe (Re)creation: Na'ama's Fattoush

This recipe is from Ottolenghi and Tamimi's long-awaited cookbook, Jerusalem.  I never thought I'd say it, but I like this cookbook even more than Ottolenghi's other cookbook, Plenty.  This one features both Jewish and Arab dishes, and there are both vegetarian and meat-laden dishes to keep just about everyone happy.  This fattoush salad reminds me of my trip to Lebanon and fattoush was one of my absolute favorite discoveries from the trip.  This recipe is delicious as is, but I just added a few twists to make it slightly more satisfying.  I used pita instead of naan and I toasted it so that it kept its integrity and didn't get soggy.  I also topped the salad with a little crumbled feta for some added salt and creaminess.  You can serve this salad with some grilled sausage or extra pita and hummus and you are all set for a perfect weeknight meal.

ps. Buy the Jerusalem cookbook- you won't regret it.

Serves 3-4

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup Greek yogurt
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 large pitas, toasted
• 3 large tomatoes, diced
• 4 radishes, thinly sliced
• 3 mini cucumbers, peeled and diced
• 2 green onion, sliced thinly
• 5 mint leaves
• 1/2 bunch flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic
• 3 tbsp lemon juice
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 tbsp white wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp sumac
• 1/4 cup crumbled feta (optional)
• salt & pepper

Directions:

-To make the buttermilk dressing, start 1 hour in advance.
-Whisk the milk and yogurt together in a bowl.
-Set aside, or place in the fridge until bubbles form to the surface.
-Tear the bread into bite-sized pieces and place in a large mixing bowl.
-Add the buttermilk dressing, and all the other ingredients and mix well.
-Allow flavors to mix for 10 minutes and then spoon the fattoush into serving bowls.
-Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt & pepper.
-Garnish generously with sumac and a sprinkle of feta cheese.

~Enjoy~

Restaurant (Re)creation: Wayfare Tavern's Popovers with a Neimen Marcus Twist

This was a very difficult decision for me.  I went back and forth between which popover recipe to use.   Both Wayfare Tavern (Tyler Florence's SF restaurant) and Neimen Marcus are quite famous for their buttery, soft, and crispy popovers.  Their recipes are very similar, the only main difference is that the Wayfare Tavern recipe contains butter (which clearly ups the yum factor).  It was such a close call that I decided to combine both recipes.  I followed the recipe for the Wayfare Tavern Popovers, but decided to pair them with the strawberry butter recipe which make the Neimen Marcus ones so addictive.  The final verdict- a fabulous compromise.  Hope you enjoy them!  Credits go to the cookbooks Tyler Florence Family Meal and The Neimen Marcus Cookbook

Makes 12 popovers

Ingredients:

For popovers:

• 6 large eggs, room temperature
• 3 1/2 cups whole milk, room temperature
• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 4 cups flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder

For strawberry butter:

• 1 1/2 cups butter, room temperature
• 1 cup good quality strawberry preserves

Directions:

-In a blender or standing mixer, combine eggs, milk, and melted butter.  Blend on high until smooth, about 10 seconds.

-In a large bowl, sift together the flour, salt, and baking powder.  Add the dry mixture to the wet and blend, until just combined (10-15 seconds).

-Let the batter sit at room temperature for 1 hour.

-Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.  Place an oven rack in the middle position and place an empty popover or muffin tin on the rack.  Once the pan is hot, remove it and coat evenly with nonstick spray.

-Working quickly, fill the molds almost to the top with batter.  Immediately place back in the oven and bake for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 375 degrees F and bake an additional 20-25 minutes, or until deep and golden brown.

-Do not open the door as the popovers bake, as it could cause them to collapse.  Once golden brown, remove from the pan and let cool on a wire rack.  To keep the popovers crispier for longer, use a skewer to carefully pierce the sides of the popovers allowing steam to escape.

-Meanwhile, place the butter in the bowl of an electronic mixer and beat on high until fluffy and light.  Add the preserves and beat until well combined.  With an ice cream scooper, scoop the butter into ramekins and serve immediately.

-Serve popovers with generous spoonfuls of strawberry butter.


Wayfare Tavern
558 Sacramento Street
San Francisco, CA
(415) 772-9060
www.wayfaretavern.com

Neiman Marcus
150 Stockton Street
San Francisco, CA
(415) 362-3900
www.neimenmarcus.com

Recipe (Re)creation: Easy Mini Chocolate Souffles

You will not believe how easy it is to make this souffle.  It is light and airy and wonderfully chocolatey (plus, its low-fat).  The souffle recipe is based on this recipe from Cooking Light.  It offers the perfect amount of indulgence without being too gluttonous.  I made this for Valentine's Day and it was a hit.  After it was devoured, the words uttered in our dining room were, "this needs to go into the weekly rotation."  I believe it just has.

Serves 2

Ingredients:

• Cooking spray
• 4 1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 1 1/2 tablespoons dutch process cocoa
• 2 tablespoons skim milk
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 large egg white
• 1 teaspoon powdered sugar (for sprinkling)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Coat 2 ramekins with cooking spray and sprinkle each with 3/4 tsp granulated sugar.

Combine 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, flour, cocoa and milk in a small saucepan over medium heat.  

Cook on medium heat for 2 minutes and stir until smooth.  

Remove from heat and scoop in a small bowl to cool for a few minutes and stir in vanilla extract.

Place egg white in a medium bowl (or standing mixer) and beat on high until soft peaks form.

Gradually add the remaining 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar until stiff peaks form and the mixture thickens.

Gradually stir the egg mixture into the chocolate mixture until smooth.

Evenly spoon the mixture into two ramekins.

Bake for 15 minutes, or until fluffy and set.

Sprinkle eat souffle with powdered sugar and serve immediately.

Top with berries or gelato for a fun twist.


Enjoy (AKA devour)