Bad Behavior: Slow Roasted Tomato Quiche with Leeks and Gruyère

Like so many before me, I’m afraid to say, I have some unflattering qualities. I’m prone to interrupting and am wildly competitive. My hair makes me look like a Fraggle when I wake up and I have been told on more than one occasion that I am nearly unbearably cheerful in the morning. I think To-Do lists are fun, and find a timer a helpful addition to more situations than is healthy. And I am a hideous control freak. It’s bad. I’m working on it. Well, sort of…part of me has just given in to this reality that I have a strong, undulating need to control most situations. Like I said…it’s bad.

Such little jewels…cherry tomatoes waiting to be roasted.

As proof of this dreadful quality I input all my receipts into a monthly Excel spreadsheet. Are you shuddering yet? You should be. And yes I know about Mint but am too much of a control freak to trust it. This past weekend as I was closing out August I gasped in horror at my Groceries line item. As you would probably expect I tend to spend more on food than some people do, but August was out of control. Let’s just say if you can feed a starving child in Africa for $1 a day I could have fed a few children for a few years. And this doesn’t even address my “Eating Out” or “Fun” line items. It was time for drastic measures.

And so, with the determined resolution you could only expect from someone like myself, I put a moratorium on all food purchases. Admittedly, I have a very stocked kitchen to begin with (add “obsessive and irrational fear of second potato famine” to the list of faults), but I’m actually now having fun seeing how many gourmet meals I can create with just what’s in my kitchen at the moment.

This quiche was one of my first attempts to take a classic and fake it a bit with ingredient swaps. Craving a rich quiche, but not having any milk or cream I decided to use some yogurt, of which I have loads. The result was nearly as good as if I’d made it with the traditional heavy cream or half and half, and as an added bonus was healthier to boot.

What are your favorite “Use Up Everything In the Refrigerator” recipes?

Roasted Tomato Quiche with Leeks and Gruyère

Slow Roasted Tomato Quiche with Leeks and Gruyere

• 1 pate brisee crust
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved (learn about how to support Slave Free tomatoes here)
• 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 1 TB + drizzle Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Grind of Salt and Pepper
• 1 leek, white and light green parts finely chopped
• 1 cup Gruyère, grated (or whatever cheese you like…chevre or cheddar would also be lovely)
• 4 eggs beaten
• 3/4 plain nonfat greek yogurt

1. Preheat oven to 365.
2. Toss the tomatoes, garlic, drizzle of olive oil, and grind of salt and pepper in a cast iron pan, and roast until liquid is melted and flavor is concentrated. About 30 minutes. Set aside.
3. Meanwhile, saute the leek in remaining 1 TB olive oil, until softened, about 6 minutes. Set aside.
4. Combine the eggs and yogurt, and vigorously beat to combine, there should be no lumps from the yogurt
5. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pate brisee until a slightly larger circle than the pie plate. Fold in half for easy transfer, and move over to the pie plate. Unfold, trim the edges so even, fold crust under itself, and flute the edges.
6. Add the leeks, cheese, and tomatoes to the pate brisee. Cover with the egg/yogurt mixture and bake 20 – 25 minutes on the middle rack, until golden brown, egg set, and cheese slightly bubbling.
7. Can be served warm or room temperature.

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Saturday Musings: Kale, Sausage, and Gruyere Frittata

Kale, Sausage, and Gruyere Frittata

This morning, was the first morning since May 7, that I didn’t wake up and have something to do. The first morning I didn’t wake up with a work and Google calendar full of meetings, and lunches, and coffee, and walks, and rides, and yoga. The first morning I didn’t need to look at a clock…and damn…it felt good.

Admittedly the past month has been extra busy, complete with a jam-packed extracurricular calendar and bi-coastal family bonanza that I could only keep thinking about while humming that “Partridge and a Pear Tree” song. You know the one I mean.

Thoroughly enjoying a lazy Saturday

So with a weekend stretching in front of me…and a life maintenance list waiting to be checked, I did the very first thing that came to mind; that I wanted to do: I Shut Up and Cooked.

This frittata is very yummy and is a great way to use up what’s in your fridge. It’s quite forgiving, so don’t be afraid to experiment or tweak it slightly to suit your taste.

Kale, Sausage, and Gruyere Frittata

Serves 4, Perfect for a lazy, Saturday morning brunch

Fresh out of the oven

1/2 lb loose Italian sausage

3 tsp olive oil

1/2 cup diced onions

1 bunch of kale, rinsed and coarsely chopped (avoiding thick part of the stems)

8 large farm fresh eggs

2 TB low-fat milk (hemp milk worked fine)

Dash of black pepper, salt, and nutmeg

3/4 cup grated Gruyere

1. Cook the sausage in a 1o-inch ovenproof skillet until cooked through and no longer pink. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
2. Add 1 tsp olive oil to pan and cook the onion over medium heat until soft and slightly golden, about 3 minutes. Add the kale and saute until wilted about 3-4 minutes, stirring often. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
3. Preheat the broiler. In a large bowl whisk together the eggs, milk, pepper, salt, nutmeg, sausage, and 1/2 cup of the gruyere.
4. Return the skillet over medium heat and add remaining 2 tsp olive oil. Swirl to coat pan and edges. Pour in the egg mixture, stirring just as necessary to distribute the sausage. Arrange kale and onions over the top. Reduce heat to medium low and cook, without stirring, until the eggs begin to set, about 3 minutes.
5. Cover and continue cooking 4 minutes longer or until eggs are almost set.
   

   Allowing the egg to set

6. Sprinkle remaining gruyere over the top and place the frittata under the broiler until eggs are set and top is golden and lightly puffed, 2-3 minutes. Remove from broiler. Run a knife around the edges to loosen, and then slice into wedges.
7. Yummy warm as well as cooler later for leftovers.

Comfort food goes Chic: Creamy cauliflower & gruyere soup

Creamy cauliflower soup served with a touch of paprika and parsley

We all have that sweater…it’s a bit too big, definitely too wide, has holes in the sleeves, and a stain on the side, but to us it is perfect. Representing comfort and familiarity we pop it on feeling perfectly content, weekend after weekend, much to the groans and chagrin of our more fashion savvy friends.

The food equivalent is of course all the classic comfort foods. Decidedly homey and sometimes a tad homely they are synonymous with a simpler time where meatloaf and dinner at 5p were standard fare.

There are times, however, when we crave something rich and comforting without the heaviness or frumpiness of our favorite foods. This soup is just that.

Exquisitely satisfying and utterly delicious, it says, all at once, just like that favorite sweater, but with a touch more style, ‘welcome home’.

Creamy cauliflower & Gruyère soup

Pair with a crusty wheat bread and a sparkling wine such as Prosecco.

Serves 4.

2 TB butter

3/4 white onion, roughly chopped

2 celery ribs, chopped

1 small cauliflower, about 2 lbs, cut into small pieces

5 cups vegetable or chicken stock

1 cup heavy cream

2 cups grated Gruyère cheese (fontina also works well)

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

freshly chopped parsley

Heat the butter in a large saucepan set over medium heat. Add the onion and celery and cook for 5 minutes, until the onion has softened but not browned.

Add the cauliflower pieces and stock and bring to a boil. Let boil for 25 minutes, until the cauliflower is really soft and breaking up in the stock.

Transfer the mixture to a food processor or blender and process in batches until smooth. Return the puree to a clean saucepan. Add the cream and cheese and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until the cheese has all smoothly melted into the soup.

Season to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle into warmed served bowls and top with chopped parsley.

Adapted from Long Nights and Log Fires.