Odds and Ends

It has been a busy time for me, obviously, as I haven't had time to get to this blog. I opted to create an Indian Cookbook for my kids, who enjoy Indian cooking. I love it so much that sometimes it seems my blog has more Indian recipes than American or any other ethnicity. I love Indian flavors so much, so I keep on hunting down new recipes. Expect to see lots more in the next months.

One of my recent recipes, Pav Bhaji, has quickly become one of my favorites, and mainly as it is so very simple to make, in comparison to many of the Indian foods I have made. Pav Bhaji is a street food, found in many places, but originating, so they believe, in Mumbai. It is either smashed or pureed vegetables with some amazing spices that make it just exceptional. This mixture is served on or with yeast buns, made without egg. At the time I tried that recipe out, I opted to just buy some buns at the grocery, but since then I have made my own recipe for "Ladi Pav," the buns used for this dish. 

Ladi Pav or Eggless Yeast Buns

Ladi Pav or Eggless Yeast Buns

Makes 12 buns

3¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons instant yeast
2 tablespoons oil or melted ghee
1¼ cups water

In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, salt and yeast. Add in the oil and 1 cup of the water. Stir well, and when it becomes too difficult to stir, use hands to bring the dough together. If the dough will not come together, add some of the remaining water. Turn dough out onto a clean surface sprayed liberally with cooking spray. The dough should come together to a tacky dough, but not sticky. Adjust flour or water as needed. Knead the dough for about 6 to 8 minutes, then spray the top of the dough with more cooking spray and up-end the mixing bowl over top of the dough. Let rise for about an hour.

At the end of rising, remove the bowl and divide the dough into 12 equal sized pieces and roll them to smooth balls, keeping the smoothest side upmost.

Line a baking sheet with parchment, or spray the sheet with cooking spray. Set the dough balls on the sheet about 1-inch apart. It is okay if they grow and touch.

Let rise for about 30 to 40 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, then bake the buns for about 15 to 20 minutes, until golden. 

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Spring is here, though it's still a bit hard to tell up north where I live. The snow has melted down about a foot, but we still have so much snow out there it will be some time before it is gone. And who is to say whether Mother Nature has had her last say about winter? But still, Spring weather will arrive eventually, things will begin growing and we will have new vegetables to eat. One recipe that comes together in no time (particularly if you use frozen baby peas), is Peas, Sauteed with Shallot and Prosciutto.

Peas Sauteed with Shallot and Prosciutto 

Peas Sauteed with Shallot & Prosciutto

Serves 3 - 4

2 - 3 shallots, peeled and cut into long wedges
2 - 3 ounces prosciutto, cut into half inch slices
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups frozen peas
pinch salt
small pat butter. optional

Heat a skillet over medium high heat and add the olive oil. Throw in the shallots and prosciutto and quickly toss them until the shallots are mostly cooked and the prosciutto is crisped. Add in the peas and toss for 1 to 2 minutes until they are heated through. Add in the small pat of butter and pinch of salt and serve.



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Asparagus can be  found in grocery stores year 'round these days, but still, it is a vegetable that screams "Spring." Whenever you make asparagus, remember to snap off the bottom, tough portion of the stem. Hold the spear at the end, and somewhere near middle of the spear and bend until the stem snaps where it wants. This is generally the correct spot, and forcing the stem to break farther down or worse, cutting the ends, can result in some pieces that are too tough to chew.  It really takes no time to do this, and is very important.

As for making asparagus, it is very easy. Since I buy it in the store all year, I grill it in warmer weather and saute or steam it on the stove in cold weather. My favorite is grilled though, and I can't wait for it to get warm enough to get the grill out again.

Simply Grilled Asparagus

Simply Grilled Asparagus

Serves 2 to 4

1 bunch asparagus
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 fresh clove garlic
¼ to ½ teaspoon salt
a few grinds of black pepper

Snap off the ends of the asparagus, then place the spears, whole, in a gallon zip-top bag. Add the remaining ingredients to the bag, seal and move the asparagus around inside the bag to make sure all the spears are coated. Heat the grill (which is usually while I am planning to grill some meat anyway) and preferable use a grill pan for the asparagus, so you don't lose them to the coals.

Set the asparagus on the grill pan and check often while the spears are grilling. Lift a spear by the bottom end with tongs; if it will bend at all, it is done. Waiting too long to take them off will result in flabby and overcooked asparagus. Check them one by one, removing them to a plate once they will bend at all. This can take 5 to 10 minutes, depending on the thickness of the asparagus spear.

Serve at once, or squeeze on a little lime or lemon juice just before serving.


My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.

Another Stab at a Breakfast Casserole

Not quite a month ago I made a delicious breakfast casserole to mimic one I had eaten out in Washington at Tweets Cafe. It was really the first breakfast casserole of any kind I had made and while it was completely delicious, it did have some technical issues. I have no problem with posting the recipe, because it came out absolutely wonderful both in flavor and in appearance.

My Christmas Tree

As is usually the case with such things, the thoughts keep percolating somewhere in the back of my mind, and in the last couple of days, things got insistent, so I made a decision last evening that I would give it another try. Not the exact same recipe, because I was missing some key elements, most notably Poblano peppers. But, I did have eggs, and cheese and bacon. And that's where my mind shut off for the night last night. I did go so far as contemplate getting out of bed and putting some black beans to slow cook in the Crock Pot overnight, but nixed that idea. I was too tired from getting my Christmas tree together yesterday!

I got up this morning prepared to get into the kitchen and try out all the ideas I'd had since making that last casserole. Again, I was making this just for my husband and myself, so I was going to once more attempt the use of that same tiny Pyrex loaf pan I'd used last time, despite the difficulties I had then with it sticking. I cleaned that Pyrex and scrubbed it well, in hopes that this would help mitigate sticking. Instead of foil, I opted to use parchment to line the pan, but this time only lining it across the wide sides, with overhang, on the off-chance it would come out easily. I did not allow any parchment to go up the narrow sides. I greased the pan, but not the parchment once it was in place. I set the oven to 350 degrees.

Then the decision of what to put into this casserole. I liked the potatoes in the bottom, so once again I used potato, but a half of one larger potato. I fried it the same as last time, using my method for Pan Potatoes. Once done, those went into the bottom of the prepared casserole. Meanwhile, I fried up some bacon, diced small. After setting the crisp bacon aside to drain, I fried a half of a smaller onion (a larger shallot would also work) until translucent, then added in some garlic, some chopped fresh asparagus and red bell pepper, just until slightly softened, but still retaining their color.
 

Bacon & Egg Casserole

While that was in progress, I whisked together 5 eggs and added in some fresh thyme leaves, which are still alive in a pot in my sun room, despite pretty chilly temperatures. I added in about 3 tablespoons of cream (milk would do) to the eggs and whisked well. A small amount of the eggs got poured over the potatoes in the little pan, and I rapped the pan several times, coaxing the eggs into and around the potatoes. To the remaining eggs I added the drained bacon, all the vegetables in the pan, along with some cheddar cheese, stirred well and poured this over top of the potato-egg mixture already in the pan. 

Bacon & Egg Casserole

This time, I opted to cover the pan while it baked, hoping that the stored heat would help with getting the eggs set. It certainly worked. The last time, it took a solid hour and a bit of finagling to get the eggs set all the way through, but this time it took not quite 45 minutes and the top of the little casserole was beautifully puffed and rounded. I was so very pleased! Now the remaining question was, would it come out of the pan without such a struggle as last time? Why yes, it certainly did. No only did I not have to run a knife around the edges, but by lifting the ends of parchment, it lifted cleanly out, and once I set it on the cutting board, the parchment simply fell away to the sides. I was so happy, and so amazed.

 
One thing I did, because I have seen others do it, is to top the finished casserole with more cheese and pop it back in the oven to melt. I found this completely superfluous, redundant even, especially with all the garnishes that went on top, as well as an extra sprinkling of cheese. I would stick with just the half cup of cheese that went into the casserole.

Now I really want to go back to remake the first casserole, because the Poblanos in that one were just scrumptious. But for now, I could not have asked for a better turnout. And, although I am calling this casserole "Bacon and Egg Casserole," that is so inadequate, with all the great things in it!

Bacon & Egg Casserole

(with potatoes, asparagus, red bell pepper, onion, garlic and cheese 😉)

Bacon & Egg Casserole
(with Sweety Drop Peppers)

Serves 2

4 strips thick sliced bacon, diced
½ large potato, or one small
2 teaspoons olive oil
½ medium onion, or 1 large shallot, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced 
½ red bell pepper, chopped
3 - 4 asparagus spears, chopped (about ¾ cup)
5 eggs, whisked
1½ teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
3 tablespoons cream or milk
½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
salt, to taste

GARNISHES:

• A small "salad" portion per plate: choose from: lettuce, arugula, spinach, baby greens, cabbage, red cabbage, cilantro, etc. 
• scallions, sliced diagonally
• cilantro or parsley for sprinkling
• Feta or more cheddar cheese for sprinkling over top.
• sour cream or Greek yogurt
• "Sweety Drop Peppers," optional (find them on Amazon), or cherry tomatoes

Fresh from the oven

Prepare a very small loaf pan, 3.5 x 6 x 2.5-inches, approximately: Spray the pan with nonstick cooking spray. Cut a piece of parchment to fit in and across the widest sides of the pan, with at least an inch of overhang. Set aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Heat a skillet and add olive oil. Add in the potatoes and fry them on medium heat until crisp and browned, keeping a lid on and only occasionally removing the lid to stir until done, about 15 minutes. Sprinkle with salt. Remove the potatoes to the prepared loaf pan.

Place the diced bacon into a skillet and fry until crisp. Remove to paper toweling to drain; set aside. In the same pan, with the bacon grease (remove some, if it is too much), saute the onion until translucent and soft. Add in the garlic, red bell pepper and asparagus, sprinkle with salt to taste and saute quickly just to soften, but still retain vibrant color. Remove from heat to cool slightly.

In a bowl, whisk together the eggs and add in the cream and thyme leaves. Pour a small amount over the potatoes in the loaf pan. Rap the pan a few times on the counter to settle some of the egg in and around the potatoes. To the remaining eggs in the bowl, add the reserved bacon, the cheese and the onion mixture from the skillet. Stir to combine the ingredients, then pour all of the mixture over the potatoes in the loaf pan. Keeping the parchment overhang on the outside of the pan, cover the pan with foil or a silicone topper. If foil, spray the side of the foil that will touch the eggs. 

Bake the casserole for 40 to 45 minutes, or until it has puffed and is completely set in the center. 

To garnish the plate as I've done, make a small salad portion using greens of your choosing for each plate. Smear a bit of sour cream or Greek yogurt alongside the salad. Once the casserole is done, remove from the pan by using the ends of parchment and set the casserole on a cutting board. With a very sharp knife, trim the edges of the egg straight and cut the casserole in half. Set one half (should be a nice square) onto the sour cream. Sprinkle with more cheddar or with Feta or any cheese preferred. Sprinkle with scallions and cilantro and if available, the Sweety Drop Peppers or halved cherry tomatoes for color.
 

My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.

Interesting Middle Eastern Flavors

The Night Counter
by Alia Yunis

In my last post, I wrote about making Baba Ghanoush for the first time. I was surprised to like it a whole lot, since eggplant is not necessarily the first vegetable I go for. Since that post, I happened to be reading a book (on my Kindle) called "The Night Counter," by Alia Yunis. The book was a fascinating journey through the life of an elderly Lebanese woman, Fatima, and told in "stories" to "Sheherezade" over 1,001 days. The book was absolutely fascinating on many levels. The characters were interesting and engaging and became very "real" over the course of the book. Another point of interest for me was Fatima's discussion of Lebanese foods.

I was telling my husband about the story as it progressed, and I made the comment that Middle Eastern cuisine is one I know very little about, but that some of the things Fatima described sounded interesting, such as Ma'amoul and Kibbe.

Cookbooks on the Middle East

Apparently this is all it took. My husband took this upon himself as a challenge, I guess, because a couple of days ago he brought home SEVEN different cookbooks. Six of them are on Middle Eastern cuisines. One is by Maureen Abood, a Michigan based Lebanese blogger I have been following for some time. Her blog "Rose Water and Orange Blossoms," is listed at right, below, in my list of blogs. Another book is about breads (Hot Bread Kitchen) and other foods made by immigrant women in New York, because I like making bread. And he claims he has yet a few more books on the way.

I told him it gets very confusing with all these books. One or two would have been a good start. But he only knows one way to do things, and that is big and over the top! So I have been poring over all these books, reading the stories, the recipes and the spice mixtures. The latest spice mixture to catch my attention is called Bahārāt. I have no recipe just yet, as I am still in the process of reading about it, the variances in the recipe in varying Middle Eastern countries. I've looked at at least 15 different recipes for this spice, so far. I will create one that sounds good to me very soon. But meanwhile, I found some variations on recipes for Baba Ghanoush.
 

Baba Ghanoush II

I love walnuts. They are, arguably, one of my most favorite nuts, along with almonds and pistachios. Oh! And cashews. My husband does not like walnuts. If they are very apparent in a dish, he will either pick them out, or just not eat the food. I can sometimes get away with grinding them very finely into a cake or cookie batter. But he claims they are very bitter, so if he tastes "bitter," that's the end of that food for him. I found a couple of recipes in this stack of books that mention using walnuts in Baba Ghanoush, instead of sesame tahini. Since my husband only took one tiny taste of my first attempt at Baba Ghanoush, I figured I may as well just go ahead and make this variation with walnuts, because the likelihood of him actually wanting to eat it is exceedingly slim. I roasted the eggplant yesterday. While I was roasting the eggplant, I took the opportunity to roast a head of garlic, as well. I wanted to try using roasted garlic in the Baba Ghanoush, instead of fresh garlic.

I made the new version, Baba Ghanoush II, this morning, and I love it. I actually love it using either recipe. So, I am sharing this new version here.

Baba Ghanoush II

Baba Ghanoush II

Makes about 2 cups

1 medium eggplant (about 12 ounces)
3 cloves garlic, roasted or raw
1 cup shelled walnuts
½ cup coarsely chopped parsley
3 - 4 tablespoons lemon or lime juice
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon good quality olive oil

Set oven to 400 degrees. Line a smaller baking sheet with foil. Set the eggplant on the foil and bake it for about 45 to 55 minutes, or until completely soft and skin is slightly charred. 

If you are roasting the garlic, cut off the top ¼ of the whole head of garlic. Set the head of garlic on a square of foil. If there are any larger garlic bits left in the parts cut off, take them out of their husks and set them on top of the head. Sprinkle a bit of olive oil over top of the garlic, then fold the foil up over the garlic, making a tight little packet. Set it into a small ramekin and place in the oven alongside the eggplant, for about 45 minutes.

Once roasted, remove the eggplant and let it cool. At this point, removing the skin is very easy. Discard skin. Remove excess sections of seeds inside, if preferred. Separately, squeeze out all the garlic cloves from the roasted head of garlic and store them in a small glass jar with tight fitting lid, refrigerated. If being kept for more than a few days, pour olive oil over the garlic to cover and maintain freshness.

Heat a skillet over medium heat until very hot and pour in the walnuts. Use a wooden spoon and toss and stir the nuts constantly. Do not turn away for even a second, as they can, and will, burn. It will take about 4 to 5 minutes for the nuts to toast gently, evidenced by both the color and the toasty nut aroma. Pour them immediately out onto a plate to cool.

To make the Baba Ghanoush II: Once cooled, place the walnuts into a food processor and process to a very fine texture, almost a paste. Add in the parsley and pulse until well broken down in the nut paste. Add the peeled eggplant, the garlic and about 3 tablespoons of the lemon or lime juice. Add in the salt and pepper and process briefly to blend. Taste and adjust salt or add more lemon or lime juice as needed. Pour out the Baba Ghanoush to a container and stir in the olive oil. To serve, swirl the top of the dip and drizzle on more olive oil and garnish with pine nuts, if desired.

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I also made a couple of other dishes two nights ago, and one was a side dish. I wanted a vegetable to go with a lamb entree. I used asparagus, which I have not seen suggested in any of these books yet. But I did use other flavors to make the asparagus taste of the Middle East. Olive oil, garlic, saffron, pistachios, Feta cheese and Zah'tar. Zah'tar is a spice mixture (sumac, sesame, oregano, thyme & salt) I made a few years back, and while I have used it, I certainly haven't given it a really good go. In this particular application, the Zah'tar really perked up the flavors of the asparagus. Understand that this method can be used on many kinds of vegetables. I believe carrots, or squash or zucchini or various other veggies would benefit by using these flavors. Simply cook the vegetables, then drain and proceed with the recipe.

Asparagus with Feta, Pistachios & Zah'tar

Serves 2 or 3

Asparagus with Feta Pistachios & Zahtar

1 bunch asparagus
½ teaspoon salt
----------------------
1 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large clove garlic, minced finely
small pinch saffron 
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1 ounce Feta cheese, crumbled
¼ cup shelled pistachios
½ to 1 teaspoon Zah'tar

Set the olive oil in a small pan over the lowest heat possible. Add in the garlic and the saffron, rubbed between the palms to break up. Stir, then allow this mixture to "steep", without ever boiling, for about 15 to 20 minutes, minimum.

Snap off the ends of the asparagus, then cut the spears on the bias, about 4 or 5 slices per spear. Set them into a saucepan with a small amount of water, about 1 inch deep in the bottom. Sprinkle with the salt and bring to boil. Reduce heat and cover. Cook for about 5 minutes, or until just tender but still bright green.  Drain the asparagus and return the pan to the heat to dry slightly. Pour in the garlic oil and stir. Add in the pistachios and stir. Pour into a serving bowl and add the Feta over top, then sprinkle with the Zah'tar, to taste. 



My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.

Mini Quiches to Serve with a Sauvignon Blanc

The Winefest Renaissance 2015 will be held this coming Saturday, March 28th. The date is coming up quickly. While I have more than half the prep done, the rest will be crunched into the last few days as the date approaches. I have written so far about the little Mini Sausage Sliders to pair with a Barbera wine, and now switched to a Merlot for that pairing. I wrote about the little Chicken in Mole Sauce on Corn Masa Cakes, to pair with a Zinfandel wine, the Chicken & Mushroom Pate to serve with a Pinot Noir, and Mini English Muffin Pizzas to serve with a Menage a Trois 'Midnight'.
 

Chicken in Mole Sauce  |  Chicken Mushroom Pate  |  English Muffin Pizzas | Pork & Chicken Sausage Sliders

As for the mini sausage sliders, I used ground lamb and used the same seasonings and made regular hamburger sized patties, served on regular sized buns, and they were truly amazing, just FYI!

I selected only one white wine for the tastings, not realizing this until later at which point I could have made a change, but didn't. So I have one Sauvignon Blanc to serve and mused for a while on what to pair with this kind of wine. A Sauvignon Blanc can be made into a fairly austere style or a light, dry but fruity style. Often the flavors of citrus, mineral, herb or grass can be present. Fruit flavor can range from things like crisp apple or pear to lush mango or melon. While sometimes these same flavors are applied to a Chardonnay, the type of wine can be radically different. The Sauvignon Blanc will always be a lighter, drier style than a Chardonnay.

I have had many kinds of Sauvignon Blanc in past, so I am well-conversed with the flavors and variations of style. Obviously, lighter foods will pair much better with this light wine than a heavy roast beef. Chicken and fish are often recommended, as well as most seafood. When I thought about what to pair with this wine, I looked through my wine and food pairing sheets to see what to combine for best presentation. At right is the column for Sauvignon Blanc. At the top are some of the adjectives applied to this kind of wine. Just below the varietal name (Sauvignon Blanc) are some of the alternate names this varietal goes by. Below that are many types of foods that can pair well with this varietal. 

I have a recipe for Millard's Artichoke "muffins" or mini quiches that would go well enough with a Sauvignon Blanc, but opted to make substitutes and tweak the recipe to use asparagus, Feta cheese and Prosciutto, to add some salty piquancy. 

Some questions I had to resolve though:

1. While Prosciutto is not on the list at right, I could "taste" this combination in my mind and it felt right. Still....
2. Should I just leave Prosciutto out?
3. Should I make these little quiches crustless, or with a crust?

without a crust, delicious

I went through the recipe and made four separate variations, to determine which way would pair and taste best with the wine:

• asparagus and Feta quiches without a crust
• asparagus and Feta quiches with a crust
• asparagus, Feta and Prosciutto quiches without a crust
• asparagus, Feta and Prosciutto quiches with a crust

I made a simple pie crust recipe and lined 12 mini cupcake wells in one (tiny, 24-well) pan, and 12 of the wells in another (24-well) pan. I scooped in the quiche mixture without Prosciutto into all the wells, both with and without crust in one of the pans. I added Prosciutto to the remaining quiche mixture and scooped that revised mixture into the other 24-well mini cupcake tin, both with and without crust. I baked all of these, opened a bottle of chilled Sauvignon Blanc and had my husband sit with me to taste and test.

We tasted the little quiches in the order I listed them above. The asparagus and Feta quiches without a crust were very good; no complaint. The asparagus and Feta quiches with a crust tasted much better, so this was progress. The asparagus, Feta and Prosciutto quiches without a crust tasted even better still. Even without a crust, the Prosciutto and its saltiness made a whopping difference in flavor and went so wonderfully with the wine, just as I had hoped. Once we got to the asparagus, Feta and Prosciutto quiches with a crust, we both groaned in acknowledgment of how wonderful the flavors melded and how wonderfully these paired with the wine.

Mini Asparagus Quiches with Feta and Prosciutto

I opted to use the recipe for these little mini quiches with the crust and with the prosciutto. That said, if you need a gluten free appetizer, these are wonderful without the crust. If you need no meat in them, eliminate the prosciutto. If you do not line the little mini cupcake wells with a pie crust, first spray all the wells with a little nonstick spray before baking. The rest of the instructions are the same.

Mini Asparagus Quiches with Feta and Prosciutto

Makes 48
 
CRUST:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup lard or shortening
1 teaspoon salt
5 to 8 tablespoons water, or as needed

In a large bowl, mix together the flour and salt. Cut in the lard or shortening until the mixture is in nice crumbs. With a fork, stir in the water, using 5 tablespoons first and then the rest only if needed to bring together the mass into a ball. Work lightly with the dough to bring it together.

Divide the dough into 48 little balls (I measured them at 13 to 14 grams apiece, about 1-inch in diameter). Set the balls into the wells of two 24-well mini cupcake tins. Press the little balls of dough to line the mini wells completely, right up to the top. Refrigerate for an hour.

Mini Asparagus Quiches with Feta and Prosciutto

FILLING:
1 bunch asparagus (about 1 pound)
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ teaspoon salt
2 cloves garlic, minced
a few grinds of fresh black pepper
6 eggs
3 scallions
1 tablespoon capers in brine, drained, minced
1 teaspoon lime zest
8 ounces Feta cheese, grated
5 - 6 ounces Prosciutto, fat removed, minced finely

Rinse the asparagus and break off the hard bottom ends. Slice the asparagus thinly, across. Toss the little asparagus bits with the olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper. Heat a nonstick skillet and toss the asparagus mixture in the hot pan for about 1 minute, just to take the rawness off. Set aside to cool.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs until well blended and add in the scallions, capers, lime zest, grated Feta and Prosciutto. Add in the cooled asparagus and mix well. Spoon the mixture into all the pie-crust-lined, chilled mini cupcake wells. A small "cookie scoop" works well to keep portions all the same. Bake the little quiches for about 25 to 30 minutes, or until the filling is set and the crusts are golden. Serve warm or at room temperature.

NOTE: This filling could be used to fill a larger pie pan and baked. The pie pan or quiche pan can be fitted with a pie crust or not. If not, spray the pan with nonstick spray before baking. This is a quiche type of filling, so test for doneness by inserting a knife tip between the center and the edge of the pie.

MAKE AHEAD VARIATIONS

This recipe is not as conducive to making ahead, if using the crust. With the crust, the farthest in advance I would recommend is one day. Set the little quiches onto a baking sheet to reheat for about 10 or more minutes at 350 degrees. 

However, the crusts can be made, lining the mini cupcake wells, covered tightly and frozen for up to a week prior to filling and baking as in the recipe above.

I would hesitate to mix all the filling ingredients too far in advance of making these quiches, however:

• the eggs can be whisked and kept in a sealed bowl, ready to mix with the other ingredients when ready
• the Feta can be grated (on a larger holed grater) and stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 days before adding to the mixture.
• the Prosciutto can be prepped and chopped and kept in a little zip-top baggie in the refrigerator up to 3 days in advance.

Without the crusts, the little quiches can be made 2 or 3 days ahead and reheated for about 10 minutes at 350 degrees. Without the crust, I have also frozen these and reheated them in the oven.


My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.