12. Bacon, Brie & Egg Pocket

 

 

I had this leftover canister of crescent roll dough which needed to be used soon, so I came up with what I thought was a brilliant idea for an egg recipe - crescent roll "tarts" filled with bacon, brie and an egg.  I mean, c'mon... BACON?  Yesssss.  BRIE?  Fatty, creamy deliciousness!  CRESCENT ROLL DOUGH?  Buttery, flaky and irresistible.  Plus, it was pretty darn easy.

 

I made two HUGE tart pockets and really only needed three pieces of bacon.  I almost exclusively use bacon from Salume Beddu - this amazing porkery here in St. Louis.  I get their bacon, salami, sausage... pretty much any pork that needs to be cured or specially prepared.  All my other pork (chops, ground pork, steaks, etc.) comes straight from the family farm, but they don't do the "fancy" stuff.  ;)  If you happen to live in St. Louis, you should check them out. 

 

Mmm... Crispy bacon waiting to
be crumbled into salty nuggets of
epic tastiness. Perfect to pair with
creamy, double cream brie cheese!

Slice some brie into smaller squares or rectangles.  I bought a
standard wedge and didn't quite use the whole thing for both tarts.

Once you have the bacon and brie ready and waiting, grab a small cookie sheet and grease that baby up!  I am a die-hard "butter" person when it comes to greasing a dish, with some exceptions for olive oil if I'm roasting fish or veggies.  Butter is natural and delicious and it's pretty dang easy to grab a hunk by the wrapper and paint it onto a flat surface.  Next, bust open a canister of crescent roll dough.  Specifically, you'll want to get the kind that comes in a sheet, rather than the kind that is perforated to tear into triangles.

 

Lay the dough down and cut straight down the middle.
Then, add brie to half of each half of dough.

Add crumbled bacon on top of the brie.

Next, you'll want to whisk up an egg and coat the edges of the dough with the egg wash.
Don't throw away the extra - you'll use it on the top of the tart to help make it golden & shiny.

Ok, so here's "part 1" of Laura gets real all over this blog post... I did not photograph the next step of the process.  GASP!  WHAT?  Sorry.  The thing of it is, the next step is where I cracked a fresh egg over the bacon and brie.  I was super pumped to get a fancy shot of that glorious yolk perched on top of this thing, but... Well, as soon as I cracked that egg, the white started going all over the place and I was forced to hurry my self up and seal the pockets.  One of these days I might start getting my husband to play photographer so we get get better procedural pictures (ever noticed that my hands are always out of the way?) but I often do these things when he is still asleep or otherwise occupied.  Also, I have to come clean and tell you I'm not 100% confident in his artistic vision.

 

Anyway... Sorry again, but you're just going to have to trust me when I say that the next thing you do is crack fresh eggs on top and gently set the yolk on the bacon (so it doesn't break) and then hurry up to fold the pockets and pinch all the edges closed.  I pinched the edges together, then folded them on top of themselves, and then used a fork to press them down.

 

Brush the tops of the tart-pockets with egg wash.

Put them in the oven at 375 for about 20 minutes
or until the crescent roll dough is golden brown.

 



BOOM!  Look at that perfectly golden pocket filled with salty, creamy goodness!  I had this with a small side salad of mixed greens with balsamic vinegar.  I almost wish I would have just drizzled balsamic vinegar over the tart...  I love me some balsamic vinegar.  Like, all the time.  On everything.

And now it's time for "part 2" of Laura gets real... Honestly?  This thing was just ok.  I know!  Crazy, right?  I mean, bacon + brie + egg + carby goodness, should totally equal ambrosia.  I didn't want to clue you guys in at the beginning, but here's my two cents:  The brie was definitely creamy and the texture was great, but the flavor was a little bland.  I think I'll be trying a different flavor of this technique using some stronger flavored ingredients.  Maybe sharp cheddar?  Pepperjack?  Feta?  Stay tuned, because I'm not giving up on this concept.  And the bright side, is I can absolutely milk this whole tart pocket (tarcket?) concept for at least half a dozen "egg a days."  Something heavenly will result.  I'm sure of it.

Love & Eggs,

Laura

This egg brought to you by Sophie, my silver cuckoo marans. She's really on my good side right now because she has been reliably laying several eggs a week since the beginning of January. 





 

 



 

 

 



6: Mediterranean Quiche

And now, the continuation of "A Tale of Two Quiches..."

In my previous post, I explained that a short weekend at the lake house means bringing some quick and easy foods.  For my recent lake-weekend, I made two different flavors of "shortcut" quiche, meaning two easy quiche flavors using pre-packaged pie crust. 

Ever since my vegetarian days, I not only have a deep, passionate love for vegetables, but I also really appreciate having meatless options available when I'm feeding groups of people.  I made the Ham & Cheddar Quiche as a more basic, popular flavor (read: something my husband would eat), and I made this Mediterranean-style quiche mostly for myself. 

One of my favorite flavor combinations is mushrooms with spinach.  Add feta, and I'm ALL ABOUT IT.  To add some color and another layer of flavor, I decided to include roasted red peppers.

Ingredients:

• 6 eggs
• Milk
• 6 oz. Feta
• Bag of fresh, baby spinach
• Sliced button or baby portabella mushrooms
• Roasted red peppers (make your own, or go "shortcut" style like I did)
• Pie crust
• Butter or olive oil for sauteing

First, I pressed the pre-made pie crust into the pie pan.  I just like to have things ready to go so that as my ingredients are prepped, I can throw them in.

After that teeny, tiny bit of "setup" I jump in to the good stuff: sauteing mushrooms and spinach in olive oil or butter.  Also known as "mmmmm... that smells/looks delicious."  I use one really big pan so that I can do everything together and still have room to stir.

Few things in the culinary world get my
juices flowing like mushrooms sauteed in
butter, especially when you add some
onion and garlic... But for this "easy quiche"
I stuck to just a few key ingredients.

Once the mushrooms are pretty well cooked,
I add handfuls of the spinach.  Mushrooms
take longer, where the spinach cooks up and
wilts very fast. As it shrinks, add another handful
at a time until the entire bag is in the pan.

Once the mushrooms and spinach look like
this, you're ready to add them to the crust.
I usually poach a few stray mushrooms in
order to conduct a "taste test." You know,
just to make sure it doesn't taste bad... ;)

You can either put half the mixture in the
bottom and add a second layer later, or
you can just create a really thick layer of
spinach and mushrooms in the bottom.
Either way, sprinkle half the feta on top.

Here, I'd like to say a few words about cheese.  I know I mentioned in my Ham & Cheddar Quiche post that I'm dedicated to "Extra Sharp" Cheddar.  The truth is, I'm fairly particular about cheese in general.  Hm... I should amend that statement... I ADORE CHEESE.  I'm not particular in the "picky eater" way.  I mean, if you put cheese anywhere NEAR my face, it will get eaten.  I don't care if it's Velveeta (yeah, yeah... I know a lot of people make fun of Velveeta or other processed cheeses, but honestly, those have their place too!) or if it is some gourmet manchego, I'll eat it.  The way in which I'm particular is simply that some brands or suppliers taste better to me than others.  Feta is one such cheese for me.  I use feta a lot more than most people probably... I love in on paninis, in omelets, on salads, with rice, in quesadillas... I just love the texture and flavor.  Seeing as how I love feta, and seeing as how I shop at no fewer than three different grocery stores, I have tried a variety of brands.  I know I talk about Trader Joe's in almost every single blog post, but seriously folks, Trader Joe's is awesome.  The "Trader Joe's" brand of almost anything is of great quality and usually has a pretty kick-ass price.  Plus, they seem to "get" their consumer.  For example, Trader Joe's has this little brick of feta.  Most often, you'll find feta in crumble form, usually sold in small tubs.  That's great for lots of things, but I went with the brick on this quiche because I've found that the denser texture holds up better in dishes that are baked or cooked longer.  Plus, you can make the chunks or pieces as big or as small as you want, and that flexibility is nice.

Once I've added all or most of the feta
on top of the spinach and mushrooms,
I slice up the roasted red peppers.  Since
this was a "quick-quiche" I used pre-made.

You can dice them up into smaller pieces,
do large chucks, or basically cut them to
your personal preference.  I went with small
strips.  I like the way they look like that.

Now, you'll probably notice in any quiches I do, that I like a really "layered" approach.  That's just my preference.  I just love using a fork to cut into a slice of quiche and seeing a thick layer of sauteed spinach, or tasting a layer of cheese.  There are times where I mix all the ingredients together, even with the eggs sometimes, in order to get a more uniform appearance.  I just think there is something to be said about cutting a piece and getting a great view of all the different tasty treats hiding inside.  Plus, it helps ensure you get a little bit of everything in each bite.

To make the egg mixture, I beat half a dozen eggs very thoroughly with some milk or cream until the mixture is kind of foamy.  It doesn't take long, especially if you get some assistance from an egg beater or mixer.  I'm not going into details here, as I already covered this bit in my previous post.



  


Next, I pour the egg mixture over the top of the quiche, gently to make sure I don't totally disrupt all the fillings.  Then I use the remaining feta over the top, and finish off with a generous sprinkling of my very favorite herb, oregano.  Seriously, people!  Basil gets all the glory.  Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love basil.  It is delicious and full of flavor that works in soooooo many different dishes and even beverages.  However, oregano is super delicious and honestly, it's almost as versatile as basil.  I use it when I saute vegetables, when I scramble eggs, on fish, on chicken, on pork... If you haven't tried a heavy-handed dose of oregano on something, you should try it!

Finally, I pop the whole thing in the oven at 250° for 45 minutes to an hour.  Personally, I like the top to have a shiny, golden brown appearance, especially on a veggie flavor.

There you have it!  An easy, vegetarian quiche that will provide a week of meals.  Oh, and it tastes fantastic too!  I should know, I ate this entire thing!  Um, not in one sitting, though.  I promise.

Love & Eggs,

Laura

These eggs brought to you by 
my backyard flock. 

5: Ham & Cheddar Quiche

 

A tale of two quiches! 

This past weekend I had the pleasure of enjoying my husband's parents' lake house with friends.  It's about three hours from home, so at first it seemed daunting to leave on a Friday night and return on a Sunday afternoon, but once I tried it, I WAS HOOKED!  There's just something about two straight days of having nowhere to be, nothing to do, no cell phone service, and no view of dirty laundry, clutter, broken things, or other lurking chores.  All that peace and relaxation makes one hour feel like three.  And c'mon... Get a load of this view!

It's so completely amazing and wonderful there, that I have subscribed to the "let's take food that is easy to make so we can spend as much time as possible sitting around drinking beer" way of thinking.  Hence, the quiches.  I have all the eggs I could want, so making a couple of these egg pies was very inexpensive and easy to do the night before we left.  It was a work-night, so I cut a few corners.  Some of the quiches I make for this blog will be of the more detailed variety, but the way I see it, people need just as many fast and convenient ideas as they need fancy home-made crusts.

The two quiches I made were a simple Ham & Cheddar, and what I like to call a "Mediterranean" quiche with mushrooms, spinach, roasted red peppers and feta.  Today, I'm covering the Ham & Cheddar, which you probably surmised from the blog post title.  You're so smart.

What you'll need (for the fast and dirty version that I made):

• Store-bought pie crust
• Pie pan
• 6 eggs
• Milk or cream
• Shredded cheddar cheese (Sharp!)
• 2-3 packages of thin-sliced ham

I'd like to say a few words about these ingredients... For one thing, I'm absolutely always in favor of doing things from scratch.  I actually quite enjoy making pie crust.  However, the store-bought kind tastes pretty good for a bottom crust (not as good as a top crust) and I don't think anyone who operates in extremes all the time has a balanced perspective.  I work a LOT and so does my husband, which leaves us without a whole lot of free time.  My house is a mess and sometimes I have to pay waaaay too much for a small bag of cat food at a drug store on the way home from work because I just can't find the motivation to go all the way to the pet store.  For these reasons, you will see some recipes on this blog that are fancy, with home-made hollandaise sauce, and other recipes that feature a slice of fat-free American cheese.  I'd like to think this makes me relatable rather than lazy, but ultimately it's your call.  Also, I've already mentioned Applegate as my regular source of meats that are unavailable from my husband's family's farm.  You'll see them a ton throughout this blog, so I'll always be sure to link up to their site, but I'm not going to continue hopping on my carnivore soap-box.  Lastly, cheddar cheese... I am of the opinion that if you're going to have cheddar cheese in anything, it really ought to be "sharp" cheddar.  I recognize that this is my personal preference, however, if you're going to read my blog, you will be subject to my tastes.  I love stronger flavors and I think that "sharp" cheddar is just as creamy as "mild" but with more tangy, saltiness.  I can pretty much guarantee that you will never see "milk" cheddar anywhere near this blog.  [end ingredient-related, rambling explanation]

The first step was to roll the pie crust out and press it into my pie pan.  Easy-peasy.  After that, I sprinkle a generous handful of shredded cheddar in the bottom.  I usually like to have a layer of cheese in the bottom of quiches because it makes a nice tasty crust/cheese layer.

The next part is kind of ridiculous, but I did it anyway.  I'm a big "presentation" person when it comes to food.  I guess it's the visual artist in me... the one who hasn't made art since college and is starved for artistic expression.  It makes me do weird, unnecessary things with food.  In this case, I chose to take the ham slices and roll them into little meaty rosette tubes.  I did half of them plain, and half of them I filled with some of the cheese.  I cut them in half and lined the edge of the pie crust, then filled in the middle.

It's like a big, salty, delicious flower!

Add more cheese!

Next up, comes the star of the show... EGGS!  Beautiful, gorgeous, richly colored, same-day fresh EGGS!  You'll see a dozen eggs in the pictures, but that's because I was making two quiches.  To be honest, I rarely treat quiches like an exact science.  The number of eggs I need usually depends on how many filling items I put it it and if I want something light and fluffy, or something more dense and hearty.


Fresh, beautiful eggs. This is actually
more than a dozen, but a few of them
are from my bantam hens, so they're
more like half an egg each.

Next, I added about 1 cup of 1% milk.
Again, this was for a dozen eggs and two
full quiches. Six eggs would need less milk.

 
Without a doubt, the best way to go is to use whole milk or cream.  However, it is usually more convenient to use what is already in the fridge.  Also, the ratio of milk/cream to eggs impacts consistency of the quiche.  The more milk you add, the more vigorously you need to beat the mixture, and it produces a lighter quiche.  If you skip the milk or use a very small portion, you end up with something of a more "frittata"density.  Which is good sometimes - especially with heavy fillings.  For this quiche, I believe I used about a cup of milk to the dozen eggs.

 How jealous are you of my gorgeous KitchenAid mixer??  It was a wedding present from one of my culinarily-inclined Aunts and I LURVE IT!  It was a limited edition "Martha Stewart" version that matched all my fab turquoise Fiesta ware.  To be perfectly honest, I was rather intimidated by this appliance for a while.  However, once I started using it - I NEVER STOPPED.  I mean, it wouldn't be hard to beat some eggs and milk, right?  However, if I throw it all in the mixer and use the whisk attachment, I can turn it on, walk away to do something else for a couple minutes (such as pre-heat the oven to 300), and when I return the eggs and milk are all frothy and perfect.  They're pricey, but they're fantastic!

Pour the eggs over the ham.  Don't over-fill
because the eggs rise quite a bit.  I actually
over-did it a little bit and there was some
egg spillage in my oven... :-/

ADD MORE CHEESE!  I like a generous
layer of cheese on the top of quiche as
much as lot a layer on the bottom.

I wish I could tell you exactly how long I keep these things in the oven, but it varies widely on the ingredients and on your personal preference.  I'd say that a good rule of thumb is to plan for at least an hour.  This one was probably in for closer to an hour and twenty minutes or so.  I basically start checking on it after an hour and wait for it to start getting a little brown on top, and for the exposed ham to look dark and crispy.  If you like your ham to be softer, then I would be sure to wrap some foil around the edges.

You can serve it hot, out of the oven.  I'm almost always making these ahead of time for something, so I let it cool on the counter, cover it with foil and toss it in the fridge.  You can can a week or more of breakfasts out of one of these babies.  Just cut a slice and nuke it.  Or, if you're serving it at a brunch or similar situation, leave the foil on and put it in the oven at a low setting (250) for an hour.

*NOM*  *NOM*  *NOM*

See you next time for the second half of our very quichey tale.

Love & Eggs,

Laura

These eggs brought to you by...
pretty much my entire flock! 

You go, girls!