Scrumptious Street

Oyster Mushroom, Asparagus and Fontina Quiche

The Spring vegetables are looking fantastic here in the Bay Area and on a recent trip to the Farmer's Market I discovered these gorgeous Oyster Mushrooms.  Also finding beautiful tender asparagus there, a simple dish to boast the vegetables was in order.  I think egg dishes are wonderful ways to show off delicate vegetables and this time a beautiful quiche was my canvas.

I often go for a frittata for speed, but a quiche is perfect when you want simplicity yet a sense of elegance and sophistication.  A flaky, buttery crust adds so much texture to an airy custard studded with crisp and delicious tender vegetables.  Here's the final "Oyster Mushroom and Asparagus Quiche".

The great thing about egg dishes is that you can honestly just hunt in the markets for whatever looks beautiful, fresh, perfect and tasty and then whip one up depending on the time you have.  An omelette, a frittata, a quiche, a tart... you name it.  Actually, a quiche is a savory tart.  Did you know that?

Here's my very simple recipe with spectacular and scrumptious results.  It'd be perfect for brunch this weekend!

Ingredients

Serves about 4, makes 1 quiche

1 9" pie crust, rolled flat to 1/4" thickness

1 bunch fresh asparagus, washed, and chopped using tips and tender parts of stalks

6 oz. fresh oyster mushrooms, wiped with damp towel and chopped

1 T. butter

1 T. olive oil

1/4 tsp. kosher salt

1/8 tsp. ground white pepper

3 medium eggs

1 1/4 c. milk

1/2 c. grated Fontina cheese

1 tsp. fresh thyme, chopped

1/2 tsp. fresh tarragon, chopped

1/4 c. grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 400˚F.  After dough is rolled out, press the dough into a quiche pan or tart pan with removable bottom.  Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes to rest after pressing into the pan.  Line the dough with aluminum foil with enough to cover the top and sides of the dough and fill with dried beans to weight the dough.  I use dried chick peas, see photo here.   This process is called "blind baking" and helps make sure your crust will be fully cooked and is not soggy. Bake the crust for 20 minutes and then remove from oven and cool.  Reduce the oven temperature to 350˚F.

2. In a skillet, heat the butter and oil over medium high heat and  saute the asparagus and mushrooms until tender.  Season with the salt and white pepper and set aside.

3. In a bowl, whisk the eggs and milk.  I'd recommend whole milk here, don't go with skim.  Stir in the Fontina cheese and chopped herbs.  Sprinkle with a little more ground white pepper.

4.  Over the quiche crust has cooled, remove the beans and foil and spread the sauteed mushrooms and asparagus into an even layer on the crust.  Pour in the egg custard mixture and distribute evenly with a fork or rubber spatula.  Sprinkle the parmigiano-reggiano cheese on top.

5.  Gently place the entire quiche pan onto a rimmed baking sheet.  This will catch any possible leaks or spills.  Bake in the oven about 40-45 minutes or until the quiche is golden brown and knife comes out cleanly.  After baking, remove from the oven and cool another 10 minutes.  Then, if using a tart pan with two pieces, take out the bottom from the rim and slide the quiche onto a cutting board.  Cut into wedges and serve immediately.

Wimbledon Frittata Muffins

No, I wasn't at Wimbledon, but I am a huge tennis fan and this year was a fantastic tournament.  Sunday's Gentlemen's Singles Final match was truly epic and I had a conundrum:  it was on in New York starting 9 a.m. EDT and by mid-match we were hungry but glued to the television.  So, in an effort to make a meal we could eat in front of the TV (a CARDINAL SIN at Scrumptious Street ha ha for those who clicked that link) I tried out something new.  Here is a photo of my "Frittata Muffins".

I almost didn't post this, but Mr. Scrumptious lovingly reminded me that not all delicious food must be beautiful and that an idea that's perfectly executed in my mind but less than perfect in reality doesn't have to remain a secret.  Wise man, that Mr. Scrumptious.

The idea was that I'd have a frittata taste and style, but poured into muffin tins so that it would be puffy, airy and light and we could eat with our hands.  As they were progressing, I kept getting more and more excited, because they did EXACTLY what I thought and hoped they would.  After several minutes of baking they browned and then puffed up, just like muffins do so that there was a beautiful dome on top.  I watched through the light and never opened the door and saw them becoming crispy, golden and the perfect model of a frittata muffin.  I squealed in delight and triumph.  When they were finished, I removed them and set them on the counter, ready to position my camera.  And promptly, quietly, without warning and by the time I'd turned around, they had collapsed.  As did my excitement and demeanor.  Alas, I should have realized that for my idea to work, I needed to treat them as a soufflé.  And, I thought I was so clever by placing the muffin tin in the oven while it was preheating so that the tin would be hot when I poured in the egg, so they'd get brown even on the bottom, like a regular frittata. That part did work great!
   
I was ready to hide them away from you all in shame, when Mr. Scrumptious reminded me that not everything has to be perfect and that sometimes sharing the mistakes is good too.  We can all learn from this one, including the fact that eggs are infinitely delicate, even though they seem robust.  It all depends on how you treat them.  So, I should have tried it by separating the yolks and vigorously whisking the whites and adding it all so slowly.  But, in my haste not to miss anything good in the match, it didn't occur to me until too late.

Nevertheless, here is the recipe.  I will surely try them again and see if I can get them to stay aloft.  My solution to the problem was to serve them in lettuce "cups" with a light mustard vinaigrette dressing.  It turned out to be spectacular.  So, even though not perfectly executed, delicious and pretty in its own rustic way, I guess.

Ingredients:
Makes 6 "muffins"

4 eggs
1/2 c. milk
1 T. minced fresh herbs, lemon thyme and tarragon from my herb garden here
1 oz. diced provolone cheese
1/4 tsp. dried mustard
2 scallions, white part only
1/8 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 white asparagus spear from a jar
butter lettuce leaves for eating

Dijon vinaigrette:
1/2 lemon, squeezed for juice
1 tsp. dijon mustard
1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil, streamed in
salt and pepper to taste

Method:
1. Brush the cups of a muffin tin with olive oil and place a muffin tin in the oven and preheat to 400˚F.
2.  Mince the herbs, cut the asparagus into about 8 chunks and chop the cheese.  Whisk together the eggs, milk, salt, pepper and mustard in a liquid measuring cup with spout.  Stir in the herbs and cheese.
3. When oven is preheated, pour the egg mixture directly into the muffin tin cups. Spread the asparagus into two of the muffin tin cups.
4. Place muffin tin in the oven and bake 14-15 minutes, or until golden brown.  Make the vinaigrette and toss the lettuce leaves in the dressing.
5. Remove the muffin tin from oven and let the "muffins" cool slightly until you can run a knife around the edge and scoop them out with a spoon.  Place in the lettuce leaves and eat immediately.

By the way, even if I had done them like a soufflé, I still would likely have only gotten 3-4 minutes before they collapsed.  C'est la vie.

 

Anyway You Like 'Em Pannekoek (pancakes)

Mr. Scrumptious and I revere Pannekoek.  Literally translated, they mean "pan cakes" and are South African from Dutch roots, of course.  They are like crêpes when sweet, also very much like galettes when savory, but are not made of buckwheat flour.  They are like thin pancakes (not flapjacks) or German Pfannkuchen.  No matter the language, the country or the filling, there is something immensely satisfying, comforting and delicious about making a bowl of light and airy batter which you can turn into a soft and delicate snack, meal, appetizer or entree filled with your favorite savory stuffings.  Or your favorite sweet accents for desserts.

The sheer magnitude of variations left up to your imagination and edible wares and stores?  Bliss!!  This is not something I grew up making in my family.  This is not something my parents grew up making in their families.  In the States, it's usually pancakes or flapjacks, which mean thick and heavy and topped with butter, syrup or fruit.  These little babies are delicate and light, really meant to ensconce whatever beauty or treasure you tuck inside or eat with them. 

Mr. Scrumptious grew up eating these, as basic as flapjacks to kids from the States and his family always dusted them with cinnamon and sugar.   When I lived in Germany for a couple of years, I had them with sprinklings of confectioner's sugar and squeezes of fresh lemon juice.  Trust me, that's AMAZING.  So, a few months ago on a Sunday night we decided to make them.  We had so much fun standing at the stove together, making the pannekoek one at a time and eating them right there standing over the counter.  We'd make one and dust it with cinnamon and sugar, split it in half and each have a piece.  The next one would be confectioner's sugar and lemon we'd cut in half and share.  And Repeat.  We did this for nearly an hour.  We had so much fun, loving the intimacy, the playfulness and the simplicity of the delicious food. 

A couple of weeks ago we both got the craving again and decided this time we'd document it for the blog.  We also made a savory version, with mushrooms, leeks, basil and pinenuts.

Oh, it is so joyful to make these, to stuff or accent as you wish and to share them with someone you love.   There are few expressions of love that are quite as simple and powerful as making food together and feeding each other by hand.  Unfortunately, I only photographed the food, we didn't get any feeding shots.  Probably best.

Our recipe, however, is from an Afrikaans cookbook.  That means it's only in metric system and I'm translating as I go.  You may want to find an imperial version out there.  Otherwise, pull out your handy kitchen scale that converts between metric and imperial and you're all set.

Pannekoek Recipe:
Makes 8-10 large pancakes

250 ml flour
1 ml baking powder
2.5 ml (1/2 t.) salt
250 ml milk
2 small eggs
cinnamon-sugar if desired

Method:

1. Add flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl and stir with a spoon to mix.  Put in the milk and eggs and whisk until very smooth and the lumps are gone from the batter.  Whisk genty, you don't want to make the batter stiff, just light and fully mixed.

2. Cover the batter with plastic wrap and put in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.  Letting it stand for at least 4 hours is better, it helps make the batter fluffier.

3. Heat a large non-stick skillet over low-medium heat and add nonstick spray or a little margarine, depending on your preference.  Pour a very thin layer of batter in the pan when hot and tilt the pan to evenly coat the bottom of the pan.  Wait a couple of minutes until the first side is golden brown and comes free of the pan.

4. If you're Mr. Scrumptious, pull the skillet off the stovetop, turn sideways, stick out your tongue in concentration and toss the pannekoek in the air, flipping with your wrist and making it land on the opposite side.  Giggle whether success or failure at this point.  Cook the other side until very light brown and then slide onto a plate.

5. Dust your sweet topping of choice or fill with a savory stuffing of your choice and roll the pannekoek up into a long, thin tube.  Eat directly or cut in half and mouth-feed your loved one.

6. Repeat until you've eaten every last bite and don't wipe that smile off your face for the rest of the day!

We had three varieties: 1) cinammon and sugar 2) powdered sugar and lemon juice and 3) mushroom, leeks, basil and pinenuts with a tomato-garlic-cream dipping sauce.  On the savory ones, I did lightly saute the mushrooms and leeks first and used toasted pinenuts.  I left the basil raw for maximum flavor.  I didn't note the measurements for any of the fillings.  Just use your tastebuds and your judgement and you'll be fine. Have fun!

Green Eggs and ... Brioche

I think almost everyone I know who loves food, or is a food blogger, really enjoys brunch.  I am no exception.  Many of us relish that time in the late morning-early afternoon where we're spending time with our loved ones, easing into the day instead of racing and thinking about simple and satisfying food.  As I've mentioned before, I love all variations of eggs but frittatas are one of my favorites.  They are also more photogenic than many other egg dishes, so I thought I'd share this one with you too.  This one is the "Leek and Herb Frittata".

This is really very simple and you can use almost any herb or fresh and bright green flavorings you have on hand.  The special twist here that you should definitely include is the stone ground mustard.  It gives the frittata a surprising and delightful taste, with a gentle tanginess that is soft and subtle.

Ingredients
Serves 2-4

4 eggs, whisked
1/3 c. whole milk
1 tsp. stone ground mustard
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 fresh leek, rinsed and finely minced
1 tsp. minced fresh herbs such as tarragon or parsley
1 oz. goat or mild cheese (optional)
1 T. butter

Method:

1. Pre-heat oven to 350˚ Farenheit.  Clean, peel and rinse the leek, using the tender white part and the light green part of the stalk.  Don't use any of the tough dark green stalk.  Mince the leeks and the herbs.

2. Whisk together the eggs, milk, kosher salt and pepper in a small bowl.  Put a teaspoon of stone ground mustard in a small bowl and stir in a little milk with a spoon to make it smooth.  Add it all to the egg mixture and whisk until eggs are light and fluffy.  Add the leek, herbs and cheese if using.

3. Take out a small oven-safe skillet and spray with vegetable no-stick spray. Heat the skillet on the stovetop on medium-high.  Add the butter and melt. When hot, add in the egg and herb mixture.  Reduce the flame to medium-low.  Let the eggs cook until the bottom forms a nice light-brown crust, about 3-4 minutes.  Slide a small rubber spatula under the edge of the egg.  If the egg comes away from the pan slightly, it's ready for the next step. 

4. Remove the skillet from the stovetop and place in the middle of the pre-heated oven.  Bake 14-16 minutes until the center of the eggs is firm and the top is a gentle gold color.  Remove the skillet from the oven and let it cool slightly.  Take a small rubber spatula and slide it all around the edges of the egg and under the bottom to loosen it from the pan.  Slide the frittata onto a cutting board and cut into pieces.  Garnish with more fresh herbs and another ground of pepper if desired.

You can serve this either warm or at room temperature.  It was a simple and delicious meal, perfect with a mimosa and the beautiful brioche from my favorite local bakery.