Broccoli and Cheddar Quiche

I made a quiche this time! It came out fantastic! I initially wanted to try a quiche with an authentic French cheese like Gruyere, but after some advice from my parents, I decided to stick with a more mild cheese!
 
The quiche was very easy to put together! I started with a premade pie crust.
 
 

 
 
 

 

Next, I mixed the filling!
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
I steamed the broccoli for a short amount of time and then added it to the pie crust.
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
After that, I poured the egg filling over the broccoli and then added more cheddar on top.
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
I then popped it in my preheated oven and it cooked up perfectly and the cheese was a golden-brown color!
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Everyone who tried it thought it was delicious!
 
Serves 8
 
Ingredients:
 

1 pie crust

3 eggs

1 egg yolk

1 1/2 cups half and half

1/2 pound broccoli florets

4 ounces grated sharp cheddar

1/4 cup fresh chervil, roughly chopped

Salt and freshly cracked black pepper

 
Preparation:
 

1.  Preheat the oven to 375°F.
2. Roll out the pie crust slightly, so it fits into a fluted 10-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Chill.
3. Blanch the broccoli in salted boiling water for 2 minutes. Shock in ice water. Drain, and pat dry.
4. Scatter the cheese and chervil on the bottom of the crust. Arrange the broccoli around the crust, florets pointing up.
5. Whisk together the eggs, yolk, and half and half. Season with salt and pepper. Pour into the crust.
6. Place the tart shell on a baking sheet, and bake for 1 hour and 20 minutes.

Credit to: www.seriouseats.com

 
 

 

Boeuf Bourguignon

It seems to me like this recipe is one of the most popular French dishes, so I had to try it! It came out really well, although I had some trouble with spilling the sauce...
 
Here is the first step in which I blanched the bacon to remove the smoky flavor.


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Next, I browned up the bacon and then the beef.
 

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

After that, I removed the meat from the pan and browned up the vegetables in the same pan.
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Here is everything all mixed together! I then put this in the oven for about 1 1/2 hours to allow the meat to absorb the juices before I removed the juice from the dish, simmered it down and then added it back.
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

I decided to plate the stew on a bed of rice!
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Overall, my family thought this dish was a success, although it was a bit bland and may have needed more time cooking!
 
Serves 6-8
 
Ingredients:
 

• 6 oz bacon
• 2 to 3 Tbsp olive oil
• 4 lbs trimmed beef chuck, cut into 2-inch cubes, patted dry with paper towels
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 2 cups sliced onions
• 1 cup sliced carrots
• 1 bottle of red wine (pinot noir works best for this)
• 2 cups beef stock  or canned beef broth
• 1 cup chopped tomatoes, fresh or canned
• 1 medium herb bouquet (tie 8 parsley sprigs, 1 large bay leaf, 1 tsp dried thyme, 2 whole cloves or allspice berries, and 3 large cloves of smashed garlic together wrapped and tied in cheesecloth)
• Beurre manié: 3 Tbsp flour blended to a paste with 2 Tbsp butter
• 24 pearl onions
• Chicken stock
• Butter
• 1 1/2 pounds of button or cremini mushrooms, quartered

Preparation:

 

1 Blanch the bacon to remove its smoky taste. Drop bacon slices into 2 quarts of cold water, bring to a boil, and simmer 6 to 8 minutes. Drain, rinse in cold water, and dry on paper towels.

2 In a large frying pan, sauté the blanched bacon to brown slightly in a little oil; set them aside and add later to simmer with the beef, using the rendered fat in browning. Brown the chunks of beef on all sides in the bacon fat and olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and put them into a heavy-bottomed Dutch oven or covered casserole pan. Cut the bacon into 1-inch pieces and add to the pan.

3 Remove all but a little fat from the frying pan, add the sliced vegetables and brown them, and add to the meat. Deglaze the pan with wine, pouring it into the casserole along with enough stock to almost cover the meat. Stir in the tomatoes and add the herb bouquet. Bring to a simmer, cover, and simmer slowly on the lowest heat possible, either on the stove or in a preheated 325°F oven, until the meat is tender, about 1 to 2 hours.

4 While the stew is cooking, prepare the onions. Blanch the onions in boiling water for 1 minute. Drain and rinse in cold water to stop the cooking. Slice the end tips off of the onions, peel the onions and score the root end with 1/4 inch cuts. Sauté onions in a single layer in a tablespoon or two of butter until lightly browned. Add chicken stock or water half way up the sides of the onions. Add a teaspoon of sugar, and season with salt and pepper. Cover and simmer slowly for 25 minutes or until tender. The onions should absorb most of the water. If there is water remaining after cooking, drain the excess. Set aside.

5 Prepare the mushrooms a few minutes before serving the stew. Sauté quartered mushrooms in a few tablespoons of butter and olive oil until browned and cooked through.

6 When the stew meat has cooked sufficiently, remove all solids from the sauce (except the beef) by draining through a colander set over a saucepan. Return the beef to the casserole. Press juices out of the residue into the cooking liquid, then remove any visible fat and boil down the liquid to 3 cups. Off heat, whisk in the beurre manié, then simmer for 2 minutes as the sauce thickens lightly. Correct seasoning and pour over the meat, folding in the onions and mushrooms. To serve, bring to a simmer, basting meat and vegetables with the sauce for several minutes until hot throughout.

Serve with rice, bread, or potatoes (unless you are doing the low-carb version!).

 
Credit to: www.simplyrecipes.com

 
 
 

 



 
 

Dinner Crepes

I recently tried making crepes from scratch, with some success! After burning a few, I figured out how to cook the batter thoroughly and then remove it from the pan in one piece!

Here is the crepe batter, which came together very easily! I had some problems with the flour not mixing in, but in the end the lumps did not make a difference in my final product. 



I pre-heated the pan and used non-stick cooking spray, which helped enormously!



The batter was very thin and spread out easily to make a nice, thin crepe.



Here are some of my finished crepes!

I ended up filling my crepes like tacos (not French, but delicious:-)) but dinner crepes can be filled with virtually anything!



Everyone who tried the final product enjoyed them!

Serves 6

Ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour 2 eggs 1/2 cup milk 1/2 cup water 1/4 tsp salt 2 tbs butter, melted Preparation:

 

 

 

1.	In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour and the eggs. Gradually add in the milk and water, stirring to combine. Add the salt and butter; beat until smooth.
2.	Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each crepe. Tilt the pan with a circular motion so that the batter coats the surface evenly.
3.	Cook the crepe for about 2 minutes, until the bottom is light brown. Loosen with a spatula, turn and cook the other side. Serve hot. Credit to: www.allrecipes.com

Coq au Vin

While on vacation, I decided to try making this chicken and wine dish. I completely forgot to take photos of the process, but I have one of the end result! I served it with a baguette like the one I previously baked and everyone thought the dish tasted good.

Here is the finished product!



The only problem with this dish was an excess of carrots, but I fixed that by garnishing with extra bacon!

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1/2 lb bacon slices

20 pearl onions, peeled, or 1 large yellow onion, sliced

3 lbs chicken thighs and legs, excess fat trimmed, skin ON

6 garlic cloves, peeled

Salt and pepper to taste

2 cups chicken stock

2 cups red wine (pinot noir, burgundy, or zinfandel)

2 bay leaves

Several fresh thyme sprigs

Several fresh parsley sprigs

1/2 lb button mushrooms, trimmed and roughly chopped

2 Tbsp butter

Chopped fresh parsley for garnish

 

Preparation:

 

1 Blanch the bacon to remove some of its saltiness. Drop the bacon into a saucepan of cold water, covered by a couple of inches. Bring to a boil, simmer for 5 minutes, drain. Rinse in cold water, pat dry with paper towels. Cut the bacon into 1 inch by 1/4 inch pieces.

2 Brown bacon on medium high heat in a dutch oven big enough to hold the chicken, about 10 minutes. Remove the cooked bacon, set aside. Keep the bacon fat in the pan. Working in batches if necessary, add onions and chicken, skin side down. Brown the chicken well, on all sides, about 10 minutes. Halfway through the browning, add the garlic and sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper. (Note: it is best to add salt while cooking, not just at the very end. It brings out the flavor of the chicken.)

3 Spoon off any excess fat. Add the chicken stock, wine, and herbs. Add back the bacon. Lower heat to a simmer. Cover and cook for 20 minutes, or until chicken is tender and cooked through. Remove chicken and onions to a separate platter. Remove the bay leaves, herb sprigs, garlic, and discard.

4 Add mushrooms to the remaining liquid and turn the heat to high. Boil quickly and reduce the liquid by three fourths until it becomes thick and saucy. Lower the heat, stir in the butter. Return the chicken and onions to the pan to reheat and coat with sauce. Adjust seasoning. Garnish with parsley and serve.

 

Credit to: http://www.simplyrecipes.com