Cauliflower Quiche

Does the sound of cauliflower just not thrill or excite you very much? Give it a chance!  I decided to experiment tonight. I had a whole head of cauliflower in my refrigerator just begging to be used for something or throw it out!  Here's what I came up with:

CAULIFLOWER QUICHE

2 cups cauliflower florets, broken up into small florets

1/3 cup of sliced or slivered almonds

1 Tbs. butter

2 green onions, tops and greens sliced thinly

1 small clove garlic

2 cups of cheddar cheese

1/4 cup Asiago cheese OR Parmesan

3 eggs

1 1/2 cups of milk (try not to use skim in a quiche)

1 tsp salt

Freshly ground pepper to taste

1/4 tsp. of oregano

2 Tbs. flour

1 big spoonful Dijon mustard

1 nicely frozen, ready to use, why make your own, deep dish frozen pie crust!! lol

 

• Steam the cauliflower florets in the microwave for about 4 minutes until soft. Drain well and set aside. 
• Melt the butter and brown the almonds, remove them from the pan to a small dish and set aside.
• Add a bit of olive oil to the same pan and saute the green onions and garlic for a minute or two to soften.

Assemble all of this on a baking sheet on your counter.

• Using a pastry brush, spread about a Tbs. of Dijon mustard around the bottom and sides of the crust.
• Layer the cauliflower in the bottom of the pan.
• Top with your sauteed onion/garlic mixture, and then distribute the shredded cheddar over the vegetables.
• Sprinkle half the toasted almonds over the top of the cheese.
• Whisk together the 3 eggs, milk, salt and pepper, oregano, and flour and pour over the top.
• Sprinkle with the Asiago or Parmesan and sprinkle with the remaining almonds.

Carry it over to your oven which has been preheating at 375 degrees. If some of the filling does not fit, don't stress.  Bake for about 55 minutes, maybe a few minutes less. The top will be beautifully browned, puffy, and delicious looking! I am serving this with a combination salad of romaine, fresh spinach, tomatoes and fresh blueberries with raspberry vinaigrette. But if blueberries are not in season, switch that out for diced pears or apple.

Have you tried my Broccoli and Swiss Cheese Quiche ???  It is delicious!  This recipe and a hundred pages of great recipes, stories and photos are included in my cookbook, "Singingirl Cooks!" It's for sale.  If you don't own a copy and would like to, ask me!

Very, very good!

Hot Habanero Mac and Cheese

Never one to leave well enough alone, I even had to take dear old Fannie Farmer's classic baked macaroni and cheese and do something different with it. You see, I had this block of Cabot Hot Habanero Cheese around and part of a box of corkscrew pasta and got a brainstorm.  This was really, really good. Definitely not for you if a little heat turns you away from a dish. And definitely not for you if you're counting calories this week. Thankfully, I do not make these kinds of calorie-laden dishes very often. But there comes a time in everyone's life when nothing else will do to accompany that main course except a helping of crunchy-topped, creamy on the inside, and spicy through and through, mac and cheese.  Of course, you can make this recipe without the habanero cheese and enjoy it just as well.  

HOT HABANERO MAC AND CHEESE

3 cups of corkscrew shaped pasta

4 Tbs. butter

4 Tbs. flour

1 whole clove of garlic, peeled

1 1/4 cups milk

1 cup half and half

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

1 1/2 cups sharp cheddar cheese

1/2 cup Cabot hot habanero cheese

1/2 cup Panko breadcrumbs

1 Tbs. butter, melted

• Preheat the oven to  400 degrees.
• Shred the cheese and pack into a 2-cup measuring cup. Set aside.
• Toss the Panko breadcrumbs with the melted butter. Set aside.
• Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain well and pour back into the pot. Set aside.
• In a large saucepan melt the butter, and add the whole clove of garlic to flavor the sauce.
• Add the flour, salt and pepper, using a whisk to stir until well blended.
• Pour the milk and half & half in gradually, whisking constantly.
• Bring to a boil, reduce heat and cook, stirring constantly, for a few minutes until very thick. Discard clove of garlic.
• Remove saucepan from heat and stir in the shredded cheese until completely melted.
• Pour this sauce over the pasta and stir to coat well.
• Transfer the mac and cheese to a buttered baking dish (or just use a cooking spray)
• Sprinkle with the Panko breadcrumbs.
• Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the top is golden brown.

Blueberry and Cheddar Cornmeal Mini-Muffins

The temptation was there.  Blueberries, finally 2 for $3.00.  They have come down in price as far as they will probably go this season.  Not that I didn't pay more for them a few weeks ago to make that incredible Fresh Blueberry Pie.  You made it, didn't you? Well, I know some of you did.  Okay, here's my corn muffin recipe tweaked just a little bit to include blueberries and a little zip from some cheddar cheese. I used sharp white cheddar, but you can use the orange cheddar. This recipe calls for buttermilk, and I don't know about you but I never, repeat, never have buttermilk in the house. If you have a recipe that calls for buttermilk, like this one, measure 1 1/2 Tbs. of cider vinegar into a measuring cup and add milk to measure one cup.  Let it stand for a few minutes. It actually smells like buttermilk, and you will never notice the difference in your recipe. Of note, I only use this method for baking. If you're making a soup that calls for buttermilk, buy the real thing.

BLUEBERRY AND CHEDDAR CORNMEAL MINI-MUFFINS

1 stick of butter

2 eggs

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 cup buttermilk

1 cup coarse or medium yellow cornmeal

1 cup sifted flour

1/3 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

2/3 cup blueberries, rinsed and dried

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Melt the butter and pour into a large mixing bowl. Let it cool for a few minutes, and then add the two eggs, beating well. Stir in the sugar, baking soda, salt and buttermilk. Stir in the cornmeal, flour, and cheese.  Fold in the berries. Coat a mini muffin pan with cooking spray, and fill each mini-muffin cup with about a quarter of a cup of batter, making sure you've got at least two berries in each muffin.  The batter should come to the top of the cup for a nice full-sized muffin. Do not use paper liners.  Bake for about 13 to 14 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Makes 30 mini muffins.  These muffins are so moist with the addition of the blueberries and cheese and the slightly crunchy texture of the cornmeal, you won't need butter. Just pop the damn thing in your mouth and get over it.

Cheddar and Jalapeno Corn Muffins

The decision is final, at least for two of the items to serve on Superbowl Sunday.  Chili and Cornbread. But since I didn't have all the ingredients for the chili at this very moment, I decided to make the corn muffins and test them out instead. Oh, are they good!!! Here's the recipe....

CHEDDAR AND JALAPENO CORN MUFFINS

1 stick of butter

2 eggs

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 cup buttermilk

1 cup coarse or medium yellow cornmeal

1 cup flour

1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar

2 Tbs. diced jalapenos (I buy a jar already to rock)

Melt the butter in the microwave in a large microwavable bowl. Let it cool for a few minutes, and then add the eggs, beating well. Stir in the sugar, baking soda, salt and buttermilk. (See my tip below for making a great substitute for buttermilk.)  Stir in the cornmeal, flour, cheese and jalapenos. Save a few sprinklings of cheese for the tops of the muffins.

Evenly distribute the batter among 12 muffin cups that have been coated with cooking spray. Don't use paper muffin liners. Sprinkle the tops with the remaining shredded cheese. Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for about 20 to 23 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Run a knife around the sides of the muffins to remove from pans and cool on a rack.

Great Tip: For recipes like this that call for buttermilk, and who has buttermilk just hanging around in their refrigerator, measure 1 1/2 Tbs. cider vinegar into a measuring cup and add enough milk to make 1 cup. Let this stand for a few minutes while you're preparing the muffins, and proceed with the recipe. It actually smells like buttermilk, and you will never notice the difference in your recipe. This method works well for things like these muffins. I have tried this with soup recipes that call for larger amounts of buttermilk and failed miserably!!! For soups and sauces that call for buttermilk, I would stick with the real thing, but for these muffins this substitution works beautifully!

Broccoli and Swiss Cheese Quiche

This has been a rough month to say the least! Whadda way to start the new year with my mother in and out of hospitals and rehab. I think I have managed to cook twice this month, this quiche being one of those times.  One of the best things about making a quiche is that you probably have just about everything you need to throw one together at any time... that is, if you keep frozen pie crusts around, and of course I do. Remember what I said in my book, I like a break once in a while too! And really, those frozen pie crusts are pretty darn good.  Combined with a great salad, dinner's ready in no time. Okay, so on with the recipe:

BROCCOLI AND SWISS CHEESE QUICHE
Cover the bottom of a one frozen deep dish pie crust shell with 2 cups of grated Gruyere or any good swiss cheese. If you like, you can use part swiss and part cheddar, your choice. Set aside.

Saute in a Tbs. of olive oil 1 small finely chopped onion, 1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning or your favorite herb blend, S&P,  and about 1 1/2 cups of chopped broccoli, stems and florets, until soft. Spread over the cheese. Set aside.

Mix together in a blender or with a wire whisk:

4 eggs
1 1/2 cups of milk
3 Tbs. flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. dry mustard OR Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp. hot sauce

Pour this mixture carefully over the cheese, onions and broccoli.  A little bit of the filling might not fit. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese. Bake at 375 degrees for approximately 55 minutes. A knife should come out clean when tested.  The quiche will be beautiful, puffy and golden brown on top from all that Parmesan you put on top, but will deflate as it cools. Serve it hot out of the oven, or just warm, or have it cold for breakfast.... really good!

Tip: Place the pie crust on a cookie sheet before setting in the oven, and you'll avoid any unwanted spills.

You can view a previous blog entry from September of 2009 entitled Yummy Pictures From the Book Singingirl Cooks for a look at some of the dishes in my book, and of course you know it's for sale. Just ask me!

Thanks and see you next time!