Bacon and Broccoli Quiche

A quiche seems like one of the quintessential French dishes adopted by American cuisine during the 20th century, savory cream and egg custard filling in an open face pastry crust. However pastries filled with savory custard date back to at the Romans and the term quiche comes from the German word kuchen for cake, as the modern idea of quiche came about in medieval German cuisine. Any number of different meat, cheese and vegetable variations may be made into a quiche, though bacon and cheese is especially classic given the popularity of quiche Lorraine. I am fond of quiches with vegetables such as broccoli, asparagus, leek, onion or mushrooms in addition to desired meats and/or cheeses.

The bacon and broccoli can easily be substituted for any number of alternative meats, cheese or vegetables depending upon availability and personal preference.

1 c flour

½ c butter, cubed

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp pepper

1 tsp fresh herbs, finely chopped

cold water

3 eggs

1 c cream

1 head broccoli

2 strips bacon, thinly sliced

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp pepper

1. Combine flour, salt, pepper and herbs in food processor and pulse to combine. Add butter and pulse until well combined with flour. Add water 1 tbsp at a time while pulsing until flour mixture just begins to hold together. Remove from processor, form dough into ball, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes.

2. Place flattened dough in between two sheets of parchment paper and roll dough into a 12" circle. Place rolled dough on a 9" pie pan, gently press dough into the shape of the pan and form edge of dough as desired. Refrigerate the dough in the pie pan for 30 minutes before baking.

3. Place bacon in a medium frying pan over medium heat and brown bacon, stirring frequently to prevent sticking. Once bacon has browned, combine bacon with broccoli and set aside. Whisk cream, eggs, salt and pepper until thoroughly combined and set aside.

4. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Pre-bake crust until set and lightly golden brown, 10-12 minutes. Once crust has set, remove from oven, leaving oven on. Arrange broccoli and bacon evenly along the bottom of the crust. Pour egg mixture over broccoli and bacon. Return quiche to the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes, until firm and clean to a knife. Remove quiche from the oven and let cool for about 15 minutes before serving.

5. Serve quiche warm, room temperature or chilled.

Makes one 9" quiche

Rustic Peach Berry Tart

Peaches are such a classic summer fruit and so fitting for an early August dessert. Both the botanical term persica and the word peach derive from an early belief in Europe that peaches originated in Persia. Originally domesticated in China thousands of years ago, peaches, a member of the rose family, made their way to Persia and the Mediterranean along the Silk Road. Domesticated peaches are classified as either clingstone, flesh clinging to the stone, or freestone, flesh free of the stone. Berries are a lovely compliment peaches and taste delicious on the shortbread like crust of this peach berry tart.

Any berry may be used in addition to or in place of strawberries.

1 ¼ c flour

2 tbsp sugar

5 tbsp butter

1 egg

1 tbsp milk

¼ tsp salt

2 peaches, pitted and sliced into ½ inch pieces

½ c strawberries, trimmed and quartered

¼ tsp cinnamon

2 tbsp brown sugar

½ tsp corn starch

2 tbsp butter, softened

1. Combine flour, sugar and salt in a medium-mixing bowl. Add the butter and gently combine well with the flour mixture. Add the egg and milk; gently combine until the dough holds together. Press the dough evenly into a pie pan and place the crust into the fridge for about ½ an hour.

2. Meanwhile preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Combine peaches and strawberries in medium mixing bowl. Add the cinnamon, brown sugar and cornstarch and combine well.

3. When the oven is preheated, remove the crust from the fridge and spread fruit evenly over the dough. Dot the softened butter over the fruit. Place the tart in the oven and bake until golden brown, about 15-20 minutes.

4. Remove pie from oven. Let cool for about 20 minutes before serving. Serve warm, room temperature or chilled.

Makes ones 9" tart

Chapatis : Whole Wheat Flatbread

Chapatis are a version of roti or any unleavened flat bread found in South Asian cuisine. Common to Indian cooking, chapatis vary in shape and ingredients depending upon the region; however, they are all made of whole wheat flour and cooked on a hot skillet. Flatbreads, like chapatis are important parts of the meal, as they serve as both the carbohydrate and eating utensil. Though they are superb with any number of Indian dishes, chapatis can be eaten at almost any time with almost anything. They are a great alternative to other flatbreads, crackers and leavened breads. Fresh handmade chapatis are delicious and easy to make. Chapatis are delicious served with curries such as matar saag paneer or hummus and baba ghanoush.

2 c wheat flour

2 tbsp ghee or softened butter

½ c yogurt

1 tsp salt

1. Combine flour and salt. Thoroughly work in ghee or butter using fingers. Slowly add yogurt to flour mixture until dough holds together, more or less yogurt may be used as necessary. Continue kneading dough until elastic and dry to the touch. Wrap dough is plastic wrap and set aside for 1-2 hours.

2. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Roll dough into 1" balls. Place dough ball between two sheets of parchment paper and roll dough into 8-10" rounds, about 1/8" thick.

3. Place chapati on skillet and cook until both sides are golden brown, about 1 minute per side. After cooking, wrap chapati in a towel or plastic bag to keep them soft. Repeat steps 2 and 3 until all dough has been cooked.

4. Serve chapatis warm or room temperature. Chapatis will keep for 3-4 days but are best eaten fresh.

Makes 12-16 chapatis

Southwestern Wheat Tortillas

I have many fond memories of my father in the kitchen making fresh tortillas. Generally, we would not eat them with a meal but instead fresh and hot, on their own or slathered with butter. My father taught me a few important lessons for making homemade tortillas, add warm water slowly, let the dough rest before rolling and roll the tortillas as thin as possible. Now, whenever I make tortillas, I always think of making tortillas in the kitchen I grew up in and what my father taught me. Tortillas, a flatbread originating in the New World, are eaten in many countries, with variances in ingredients, size and thickness, depending upon the region. These tortillas are made from wheat flour and use a leavening agent to make them puffy, thick and chewy as is common in regions of the Southwestern States, Belize and Guatemala. Tortillas are delicious with any number of accompaniments such as fresh corn salad and stewed pork and beans or simply on their own.

For Burt, who loves tortillas.

2 c flour

1 ½ tsp powder

1 tsp salt

2 tbsp vegetable oil

warm water

1. Combine flour, salt and baking powder in a bowl. Add oil and evenly mix with dry ingredients. Add warm water, 1 tbsp at a time, thoroughly combining ingredients with water each time until dough holds together. Once dough is combined, knead dough until elastic, 2-3 minutes. Cover dough and set aside for at least 30 minutes.

2. Roll dough into cylinder, about 1" thick. Cut cylinder into 1" wide segments. Roll segments into round balls and cover with a towel. Heat large grill or skillet over medium-high heat.

3. Place a ball in between 2 12" squares of parchment paper and roll balls as thin as possible to form tortillas, 10-12" diameter. Place tortilla on skillet and cook until golden brown, 30 seconds to one minute per side. Remove tortilla when cooked and place in a clean dishtowel to keep warm.

4. Repeat step 3 until all tortillas have been cooked.

5. Fresh tortillas are delicious warm or room temperature, plain or with any number of accompaniments. Tortillas will keep for a few days in a plastic bag, though are best eaten fresh.

Makes 6-8 tortillas

Pizza

Homemade pizza is fairly easy and enjoyable to make, as there are endless delicious toppings. Pizza is essentially a flat bread covered with various toppings, a method which many cultures and cuisines share and has been popular in the Mediterranean region for centuries. Modern pizza owes its origin to Neapolitan cuisine, first with tomato and later with cheese. This pizza dough recipe is based on a Cook's Illustrated recipe I found in Baking Illustrated. I made a classic Margherita pizza with tomato sauce, basil and fresh mozzarella, originally served in 1889 to Queen Margherita of Savoy to resemble an Italian flag. Other pizza toppings which are delicious as well include butternut squash with goat cheese and roasted cherry tomatoes with fresh mozzarella. I generally serve pizza with salad, such as caesar or arugula with oranges and almonds.

For Heather, who requested a pizza dough recipe.

2 c flour plus more for shaping dough

1 tsp salt

1 ¼ tsp yeast

¼ c water, warm

½ c water, room temperature

1 tbsp honey

1 tbsp olive oil plus more for bowl

1. Place warm water in a small mixing bowl. Sprinkle yeast on water and let stand until yeast swells and dissolves, 5-10 minutes. Combine flour and salt in mixing bowl.

2. Once yeast is ready, add room temperature water, olive oil and honey. Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients and gently mix to combine. Knead dough until dry to touch and elastic, about 7 minutes, adding additional flour as necessary. Place kneaded dough in a large well-oiled mixing bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled in size, about 2 hours.

3. Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Preheat baking stone as well, if one is being used for pizza.

4. Punch dough down to deflate, turn onto a floured working surface, divide into two equal balls and cover with a damp towel. Let dough relax in balls for 10-20 minutes.

5. Working with each ball by hand, shape the dough into a 10" round or other size and shape as desired. Place dough on a flour pizza peel, if using a baking stone, or a parchment lined cookie sheet. Brush the surface of formed pizza dough with olive oil.

6. Place desired toppings on pizza and bake until done, 8-12 minutes depending upon thickness of pizza and toppings.

Makes 2 10" pizzas

Gnocchi

Although gnocchi has been eaten in Italy since Roman times, gnocchi has only been relatively recently made with potato due to the introduction of the potato to Europe from the Americas in the 16th century. Prior to the potato, gnocchi was made with semolina or wheat flour. I was first introduced to true Italian gnocchi while in the Cinque Terre region of Italy where it was eaten most commonly with basil pesto. Now I like to make my own gnocchi because, though labor intensive, it is simple to prepare and very satisfying. Both arugula pesto and roasted cherry tomatoes make lovely sauces for the gnocchi.

I eat gnocchi with a variety of toppings including pesto, marinara and garlic butter. One batch will serve 2 easily with enough to freeze for a later meal.

1 ½ lbs russet potatoes

1 egg

1 ¼ c flour plus more for dusting

1 tsp salt

olive oil

1. Boil potatoes in water under tender, 30-45 minutes. Once tender, remove from water and peel. Pass potatoes through a potato ricer, food mill or grater and place in a large mixing bowl.

2. Add egg, flour and salt to mixing bowl and gently combine into dough. Knead dough gently until dry to touch and elastic, 4-5 minutes. Form into a ball and place under a damp towel in a mixing bowl. Allow dough to rest for no more than 30 minutes.

3. Using flour for dusting as needed, roll the dough into fist size balls and keep balls under a damp towel. Roll ball into a long dowel with a ¾-1 inch diameter. Cut the dowel into 1-inch segments. Using a flour-dipped fork, roll each segment under the fork until an oblong dumpling or gnocchi is formed. Place gnocchi on a clean cookie sheet. Repeat process with rest of dough.

4. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Working in batches, drop gnocchi into boiling water and cook until the gnocchi float, 1-2 minutes. Drain cooked gnocchi and toss with olive oil under ready to eat.

5. To freeze gnocchi: place uncooked gnocchi on a cookie sheet or similar flat pan in the freezer. Once frozen, place gnocchi in a freezer bag and return to freezer. Gnocchi may be frozen for up to 3 months. Cook frozen gnocchi as you would fresh.

Makes about 4 dozen gnocchi

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Although I do not have a particularly strong sweet tooth, I do love making sweets. Chocolate chip cookies might be one of my favorite things to bake, a simple yet classic cookie. A few years ago, the magazine Cooks Illustrated gave me the idea to freeze cookie balls for future use, so as to always be able to have fresh baked cookies on the ready. It might be one of the most useful tips I have learned because it means I am able to make a full batch of cookies but only bake them on an as needed basis. Given that I am usually cooking for a limited amount of people, frozen cookie balls are a perfect solution to fresh cookie issues.

Frozen dough does not seem to bake any longer than fresh dough. Make sure the dry ingredients and any additional flour is well combined before choosing to add more.

2 - 2 ½ c white flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 c brown sugar

½ c granulated sugar

1 ½ tsp vanilla

½ tsp salt

1 c butter, softened

2 eggs

2 c semi-sweet chocolate chips or chunks

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a small mixing bowl, combine 2 c flour, baking soda and salt and set aside.

2. Next, thoroughly combine butter and sugars until light and creamy. Add vanilla and eggs and continue combining until light and creamy.

3. Slowly begin to add dry ingredients to wet ingredients, being sure the ingredients are well mixed. Add additional flour, in small amounts, as necessary until the cookie dough just comes together to form balls without being too wet but still being moist and sticky. Once dough has reached desired consistency, add chocolate chips and stir to combine. Roll dough into one-inch balls.

4. To bake: place cookie balls on baking sheets allowing for two inches between cookies. Bake cookies between 5-10 minutes depending upon oven temperature variations and personal preference, watching carefully as they tend to bake quickly.

5. To freeze: place cookie balls on a baking sheet or baking pan which will be able to fit into your freezer. Cookie balls may be placed close together. Place the full sheet or pan in the freezer and freeze cookie balls for at least four hours. Once cookie balls are frozen, transfer to a zip lock bag and return to freezer. Follow baking instructions above. Cookie balls may be frozen up to 4 months.

Makes about 4 dozen cookies