FLEXIBLE QUICHE

Part of our Easter Brunch spread

Quiche is such a versatile dish to have in your repertoire . They are great for an easy weeknight dinner with a little side salad or as part of weekend brunch gathering spread. I love to serve them at larger gatherings because they are great room temperature, and it is so helpful if you don't have to worry about keeping something warm. It is also easy to make meat filled or vegetarian versions. You can even keep it gluten free by using a gluten free pie shell. 

This is a basic recipe that where you fill in the blanks with your favorite fillings. For large gatherings, we usually make two so we have one with bacon and a veggie only version. 

Flexible Quiche

Ingredients

Ready for the egg mixture to be poured in. When cooking 2, it makes it easier to move in and out of the oven if you place them on a baking sheet.

3/4 cup cooked filling (not including eggs or cheese) - whatever you want to put in in, e.g. asparagus/onion/thyme, bacon/broccoli/onion, mushroom/onion or shallots

5 - 6 eggs

1 cup shredded gruyere

¾ cup half and half

Pie shell (feel free to use frozen store bought, it make everything so easy!)

Salt to taste

Directions

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Prepare your 3/4 cup of filling
Cook your filling so you end up with about 3/4 cup worth of filling. If you use asparagus or broccoli parboil them for a just a few minutes to soften just a little. If you are using bacon, slice the bacon into strips and then pan fry until crispy. Remove the bacon from the pan onto a plate or bowl lined with a paper towel to absorb excess oil. Then sauté the rest of your filling adding a little salt to taste (if using onions, get that started before your other vegetables) until everything is cooked. Set aside.

Prepare the eggs and cheese
Whisk eggs and half & half together with a little salt.
Grate cheese.

Assemble and bake
Spread most of the cheese on the bottom of the pie shell (which you can use from frozen), layer filling, then pour the egg mixture on top. Sprinkle remaining cheese on the top.  

Bake in the middle of your oven for 30 - 35 minutes until it looks firm and done. Test by poking something in the middle. Let sit for at least 15 mins before serving to finish setting.

DROOL WORTHY ROAST HAM

Photo Credit: Betty FONG

This is super simple yet the rewards ample. You simply baste the ham as it warms and crisps up in the over with a basic glaze, which will has the added benefit of scenting the air with deliciousness enticing everyone as soon as they walk in the door. It presents well on a cutting board and it yummy warm or cold. For my family it has always accompanied our Easter meal, and sometime other holiday gatherings like Thanksgiving or Christmas. It is also the perfect anchor for any large weekend brunch. 

Roast Ham

Smoked Ham

Buy the best ham you can buy, preferably local and pasture raised. It might be more expensive but it really matters as far as nutrition, flavor, texture and of course for sustainability and animal welfare. 

Glaze (courtesy of my aunt Michelle)

1 cup honey

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon dry mustard

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 

(though I will admit, the last time we made it we left out the ginger and mustard and it was still awesome)

Directions

Take your ham out of the fridge for 2 hours before you plan to put it in the oven. It will cook better and more evenly at room temperature. 

Preheat your oven to 280°F. Place your ham on the bottom of a roasting rack. I put the ham right in the rack when I pull it out of the fridge to warm up so it's ready to go later. 

Measure out all of the glaze ingredients into small sauce pan and warm gently to combine into a very thick syrup. 

Baste the entire ham with the glaze using a basting brush or baster. The glaze should be thick so it sticks to the ham versus running off. But it if is too thick to even work with, you can thin by working in a little warm water. 

Cook the glazed ham for about 12 minutes per pound, glazing every 20 - 30 minutes. If toward the end of the cook time it isn't getting crispy on the outside you can increase the temperature a bit to create a nice crispy exterior. 

Let stand until it is cool enough to touch. Then slice on a cutting board and serve. Unless you are portioning out individual plates, I recommend slicing only a portion of the ham to start and then slicing a bunch more as needed. Take a look at the photos to see what I mean. It helps the meat not dry out too much before it is eaten and it looks great. You can leave it on the cutting board if you have a nice one, or transfer to a plate. 

Photo Credit: Kasia Bloom of PROJEKT BLOOM

It is great with mashed or roasted potatoes and Roasted Carrots with Parsley Mint Yogurt Sauce. For a brunch buffet, like the Easter one we had over the weekend, I like to put out a couple types of mustard and some fresh mini rolls so our guests can make little ham sandwiches if they wish. It's a nice option to add a starch yet nothing that needs much effort or to be kept warm, like mashed or  roasted potatoes.  

SUPER SIMPLE PANCAKES (Egg-free)

Our daughter is allergic to eggs so use an easy egg-free pancake recipe in our home. The recipe is straightforward and results in delicious pancakes. Feel free to experiment with add-ins! Our daughter's must have is chocolate chips. Chopped strawberries are also great.

We have also crafted a modified version which swaps out some all purpose flour for almond flour to add nutrition. Find that recipe here: Pancakes with Almond Flour (Egg-free).

Once I was in a bind as I had no all purpose flour and had promised these to my daughter already. I improvised and made oat flour by blitzing some oats in my vitamix. It worked really well, she loved them - so that would be a nice way to make these gluten free!

Ingredients

Here they are as part of an spring brunch spread.

1 cup All Purpose Flour
1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
2 teaspoons Baking Powder
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1.5 Tablespoons Sugar
1 cup Milk (I use whole milk, non-dairy milks work too)
1.5 Tablespoons Vegetable/Olive Oil
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1/3 cup mini-chocolate chips (Optional. Quantity is really up to you!)
A little butter (or other fat) for the skillet to cook the pancakes on

Directions

Sift flour and baking soda and powder and salt in a bowl. Add sugar and whisk just to blend. If you do not have a sifter, just whisk these together.

Add vanilla, oil and milk. Whisk together. An optional addition: stir as many mini-chocolate chips you you'd like.

Heat a pan on medium-low heat. Add a little butter to the pan and spread it around. This will prevent sticking and add flavor.  This recipe works best with smaller pancakes (3"-3.5" in diameter). A small ~1.5 tablespoon ice-cream scoop portions the perfect amount (see note below on scoops), or I’d recommend a scant 1/4 cup scoop. Scoop batter onto the hot pan. Cook on one side until it starts to bubble slightly on the edges. Check the bottom, if dark enough then flip and finish cooking on remaining side until desired color is reached. Slightly browner pancakes tend to taste a little better. Add a little more butter between batches. Keep a close eye on your heat if subsequent pancakes are darkening too quickly (i.e. before any bubbling begins), lower the heat - this happens often.

We love them with a little maple syrup and blueberries or strawberries. My daughter eats them plain (with chocolate chips in the batter), with fruit on the side. 

A note on ice cream scoops

It is worth investing in a couple high quality stainless steel ice-cream scoops with a scraper in the bowl to help the filling come out with ease. They have so many uses in the kitchen! They are so handy for scooping out perfect amounts of cookie dough, cupcake batter,  pancake portions and even meatballs. You should get a few different sizes to cover all these uses. 

We recommend Piazza scoops. They are really top-notch. They look and function as they did when we first got them years ago. They feel great in your hand and work really well. A bit pricey but worth the investment since you'll use them over and over again for years to come. 

We used the #40 scoop for these pancakes. For reference the scoop is 1 1/2" in width and it holds about 1.5 tablespoons of liquid. You can purchase if from Amazon: Piazza 1/40 Stainless Steel Ice Cream Scoop. But one slightly larger or smaller will work as well.

PANCAKES WITH ALMOND FLOUR (Egg-free)

Our daughter is allergic to eggs so use an easy egg-free pancake recipe in our home. The recipe (find it here) is straightforward and results in delicious pancakes. However, it is no nutrition powerhouse, so I have been experimenting to add more nutrition into the recipe. First up was replacing a portion of all purpose flour with almond flour/meal. The results were even more delicious than the original recipe! Enjoy! 

Ingredients

2/3 cup All Purpose Flour
1/3 cup Almond Flour
1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
2 teaspoons Baking Powder
1/4 teaspoon Salt
2 Tablespoons Sugar
1 cup Milk
1.5 Tablespoons Vegetable/Olive Oil
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1/3 cup mini-chocolate chips (Optional. A must as far as my daughter is concerned. Quantity is really up to you!)

Directions

Sift flour and baking soda and powder and salt in a bowl. Some of the almond flour/meal will likely be left in the sifter, just dump what remains into the bowl. Add sugar and whisk just to blend. If you do not have a sifter, just whisk these together.

Add vanilla, oil and milk. Whisk together. An optional addition: stir as many mini-chocolate chips you you'd like.

Heat a pan on medium-low heat. Add a little butter to the pan and spread it around. This will prevent sticking and add flavor.  This recipe works best with smaller pancakes (3"-3.5" in diameter). A ~1.5 tablespoon ice-cream scoop portions the perfect amount (see note below on scoops). Scoop batter onto the pan. Cook on one side until it starts to bubble slightly on the edges. Check the bottom, if dark enough then flip and finish cooking on remaining side until desired color is reached. Slightly darker pancakes tend to taste a little better. Add a little more butter between batches. Keep a close eye on your heat if subsequent pancakes are darkening too quickly (i.e. before any bubbling begins), lower the heat. 

Serve fresh! We love them with a little maple syrup and blueberries or strawberries. My daughter eats them plain, with fruit on the side. 

Feel free to play with these. Some chopped strawberry would also be delicious stirred into the batter. 

A note on ice cream scoops

It is worth investing in a couple high quality stainless steel ice-cream scoops with a scraper in the bowl to help the filling come out with ease. They have so many uses in the kitchen! They are so handy for scooping out perfect amounts of cookie dough, cupcake batter,  pancake portions and even meatballs. You should get a few different sizes to cover all these uses. 

We recommend Piazza scoops. They are really top-notch. They look and function as they did when we first got them years ago. They feel great in your hand and work really well. A bit pricey but worth the investment since you'll use them over and over again for years to come. 

We used the #40 scoop for these pancakes. For reference the scoop is 1 1/2" in width and it holds about 1.5 tablespoons of liquid. You can purchase if from Amazon: Piazza 1/40 Stainless Steel Ice Cream Scoop. But one slightly larger or smaller will work as well.