French Spinach and Thyme Quiche

I have such happy memories of visiting my daughters Brittany, Courtney, and Ashley in Santa Cruz, San Francisco, Berkeley, and Santa Barbara through their college years and afterwards. It was fun to see their dorm rooms, college campuses, their eventual apartments in cute neighborhoods, the restaurants and cafes they frequented, and parks they hung out at. In San Francisco in the Mission District, we visited a very popular bakery called Tartine. The owners, Chad and Elizabeth Prueitt Robertson, apprenticed at the Boulangerie Artisanal de Maures  bakery in the Var region of France. There usually is a long line of people waiting to get into this little, quaint place with it's glass cases of delicious looking temptations. I think I remember sharing a scrumptious piece of coconut cake outside at a petite table with Ashley !
   I simply had to buy their cookbook called Tartine, to see what other lovely things there were to make ! My favorite dish so far is their quiche, a sublimely creamy delight ! It has no cheese which I think helps to add to it's silkiness, but it calls for creme fraiche. I have always made a filo dough crust instead of a flaky tart dough crust that Chad and Elizabeth make, and I usually add small spinach leaves to the batter. You could add mushrooms, roasted bell peppers, asparagus, or whatever other vegetable you like.  I also doubled the amount of thyme, or you could triple it . Be creative !

                                                                Ingredients

1 Package of Filo Dough
1 cube butter, melted (You may have butter left over.)
5 eggs
3 Tbsp All-purpose flour
1 cup Creme fraiche
1 cup whole milk
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp Black pepper, freshly ground
2-3 Tbsp Fresh thyme, finely chopped (I increased the amount.)

                                                                Procedure

   Get out a pie or quiche dish. Melt the cube of butter in a little saucepan. Butter the sides and bottom of the quiche dish, Open up the package of filo dough sheets and open out flat 1/4- 1/3 of them on a baking sheet. With a pastry brush, brush the butter on the top filo sheet. Press the filo sheet to the bottom and sides of the quiche dish. Fold the sides down that are too tall and press them against the sides of the dish. Butter as many filo sheets as you want to make a 1/4 inch crust.
   Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Place one egg and the flour in the bowl of a stand mixer or in a large mixing bowl and mix at high speed or by hand with a whisk until smooth. Mix or whisk in the remaining 4 eggs until blended. In a medium bowl, whisk the creme fraiche until it is perfectly and then whisk in the milk. Pour the egg mixture through a fine mesh sieve held over the milk mixture. Whisk in the salt, pepper, and thyme. (You can prepare the custard up to 4 days in advance before baking; cover or refrigerate. The flour, thyme, and pepper will settle to the bottom of the storage container and can stick to it, so whisk well before using.)
   Pour the egg mixture into the crust. Place into the oven and bake for 10 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees F and bake until the filling is just set, about 30 minutes longer or more. The center of the quiche should feel slightly firm, rather than liquidly, when touched. Let it cool on a wire rack for at least 20 minutes to allow the custard to set up, so that it will slice neatly. It can be served warm or at room temperature. To serve a fully cooled quiche warm, cover it with an aluminum foil and reheat in a 325 degree F for about 15 minutes. I served this quiche at  intimate bridal brunches for my daughters Brittany and Ashley when they were engaged !
    May God bless you and may you be blessed with happy times around the table with friends, family,  delicious food, interesting conversations, and lots of laughter !!





 

Aunt Nina's Banana Bread Cupcakes !

   Hello friends ! Do you have happy memories of yummy foods cooked by one of your parents, a grandmother, grandfather, an aunt, or an uncle ? I can remember how happy I was when my mother would make lasagna for our annual Fourth of July block party, and being overjoyed when we had taco night at home ! My little Swedish American grandmother would make us a plate of delicious soft ginger cookies at Christmas time. Aunt Dagne was a wonderful cook, making things like her orange and avocado salad, and she always set a beautiful table. The cupcakes pictured here were inspired by my Aunt Nina's scrumptious and super moist banana bread ! The first time I tasted her banana bread was such an exciting moment for me !! I had never had such moist banana bread in my life ! Of course I HAD to have the recipe ! I believe the main reason they are so moist is because there are 6 bananas in the recipe, which I think in most banana bread recipes is less.
   I changed Aunt Nina's recipe a little by putting honey in instead of sugar, using whole wheat flour instead of white, adding coconut, sometimes chocolate chips, adding olive oil instead of shortening,  making cupcakes instead of a loaf, and topping them with a honey, cream cheese frosting and toasted coconut. Ooooh yeah !

                                                                     Ingredients

1 cup honey
1/2 cup virgin olive oil
1/2 cup melted butter
6 ripe bananas, mashed
4 eggs, well beaten
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 cup coconut flakes
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup chocolate chips (optional)
1/2 cup coconut flakes for the topping

                                                                  Banana Bread

   Preheat your oven to 325 degrees. Oil 2 loaf pans, or put cupcake papers in 2 muffin pans. In a large mixing bowl, stir together the honey, olive oil, butter, mashed bananas, and the beaten eggs. Add the flour, salt, baking soda, coconut, and walnuts. If desired, chocolate chips can be added. If making the loaves, bake the two loaves for 50-60 minutes. If making the cupcakes, bake them for 20-25 minutes. Cool the cupcakes and make the frosting. I put the extra coconut flakes on a baking sheet, turned the broiler on and put the flakes under it. Watch  very carefully until they are lightly toasted and cool them.

                                 Honey Cream Cheese Frosting (Adapted from The Splendid Table)

12 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
2 teaspoons vanilla
6 tablespoons honey
pinch of salt

   In a medium bowl, whip together the cream cheese, butter, vanilla, honey, and salt to taste. I put the frosting in a zip lock bag, cut the tip off one corner, and swirled the frosting on top of each cupcake. then I put a few toasted coconut flakes on top of each one.

   I hope you enjoy making and eating these cupcakes or banana bread. They would be fun to make with children too ! God bless you with love, joy, and peace. "She is like those merchant vessels, bringing her food from far away." Proverbs 31:14






                                                                 

Mango, Avacado,and Arugula Salad !

   Greetings my friends ! Our country is currently going through a crisis right now with the Corona Virus. We are advised to eat healthy, exercise, stay home as much as possible, wash our hands frequently, stay 6 feet away from each other, among other precautions.
    Sooo....speaking of healthy food....I believe I may have been looking for a healthy salad recipe years ago with mangos in it, when I fell upon Laylita's Mango, Avacado, and Arugula Salad at laylita.com. Her salad is gorgeous with its vibrant colors and the flavor is out of this world with the addition of a spicy orange, lime vinaigrette dressing ! She has been heavily influenced from her upbringing in Latin America with its' wonderful spices and colors !
   I tweaked this recipe a little by adding toasted pumpkin seeds, changing the orange juice in the salad dressing to orange juice concentrate, to intensify the flavor, and added chili flakes because most of the time I usually do not have a hot red chili pepper on hand. That's funny because there is a Fresno chili, and Fresno, California is where I live ! If I use arugula , I like to use baby arugula leaves because they do not have such a strong, almost hot flavor !
   I have been finding HUGE, organic mangos that are grown in the USA , in the winter, and maybe in the summer if I can recall, at Whole Foods Market. This is a great spicy, citrusy salad to take to a bar-b-que with meats or fish, or to eat with Mexican and South American food !

                                                                Ingredients

6 cups arugula leaves  (I like to use a combination of spinach and baby greens too.)
1 mango peeled and cut into long, thin slices
1 avocado peeled and sliced (It's good to slice the avocado right before serving, to prevent browning.)
1/2 red onion sliced thin (I use a mandoline slicer for beautiful slices, but be VERY careful not to cut yourself !)
1 tbs lime juice
1 tbs olive oil
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds

                                                             Spicy Orange Vinaigrette

1 tbs champagne vinegar, or cider vinegar, or lemon juice (I prefer the champagne vinegar.)
4 tbs orange juice concentrate
2 tbs lime juice, about 1/2 lime
4 tbs olive oil
1/2 tsp cumin
2 tbs chopped cilantro
1 red chili, or hot pepper, or bell pepper  (I usually use a red bell pepper for color anyway.)
1/2 tsp chili flakes (optional if not using a hot pepper)
salt and pepper

                                                                           Instructions

   Combine all the vinaigrette salad dressing ingredients in a jar, close it tight, and shake until the ingredients are well mixed. In a frying pan, turn the heat to medium-low heat. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and the pumpkin seeds. Stir and lightly toast the seeds until they are slightly golden brown. Watch them carefully ! Soak the onion slices in warm water with a dash of salt and 1 tbs lime juice for about 10 minutes. Rinse and drain the onion slices. toss the arugula or other greens with half the vinaigrette. Add the avocado slices, mango slices, and onion slices to the arugula/greens mix. Drizzle the remaining vinaigrette on top. Sprinkle the toasted pumpkin seeds on top. Serve immediately ! This salad is good with rice on the side too.
   I am praying for you, your families, and the people of the world ; for your protection, strength, endurance, peace, and joy as we weather this trial together. Remember to eat as healthy as you can ! Much love from me !