Excellent Remake of an Older Appetizer

As I wrote a couple of days ago, when writing about the foods I made for an Open House, some of the foods were remakes of ones I have made many times previously. One of them was a recipe for Millard's Artichoke Quiches. Originally, the recipe was given to me, and all the neighborhood, by a neighbor named Millard. On first reading the recipe, my first thought was that the recipe should not be able to work as written. 

Still, I decided to give it a shot, and amazingly, it not only came out great - it was really fantastic. The first time I made them was with my sister-in-law, Sherri, and we made them as full-sized muffins. Nothing "mini" about them. We ate them with dinner, as a side dish, and wow, they were good. The flavors were so excellent that I tried making them in mini-muffin size for a get together, and again, they are really wonderful this way. My family and I were dripping Sriracha sauce over top of them when we ate them, certainly upping the heat. And then over the last few years I started experimenting with substitutions for the original ingredients. One was Mini Asparagus Quiches with Feta and Prosciutto, where I was pairing them with a Sauvignon Blanc wine. I made crusts for the quiches in this instance, as any bready-type food helps with absorption of alcohol. They can be made equally as well without the crusts if desired. If you read that blog, I explained my logic.

Smoky Squash & Prosciutto Mini Quiches (shown on a 4-inch square plate)

Another variation I made in past is Southwest Frittata Bites. Same basic recipe, different substitutions, and that was some time back - I cannot even recall why I opted for that mixture, but they were really good also. I guess where I am going is that this basic recipe allows for a lot of leeway in making new flavor sensations. Just try to keep the quantities of the substitutions similar. Keep the basic 4 eggs and 6 saltines. This gives the basic "quiche" base to work from. Then, play with flavor combinations: 

• Sub out the 8 ounces of cheddar cheese for other varieties of cheese. 
• Sub out the 12 ounces of artichoke hearts for about 12 ounces of other foods/flavors, like bacon, asparagus, chicken, prosciutto or other ham, OR
• Sub out the 12 ounces of artichoke hearts for a combination of things, such as a mix of prosciutto and asparagus, or a mix of canned green chilies and bacon.

If you begin to add too much for the basic 4 eggs to handle, just add another egg to balance things out.  I kept the scallions in all the recipes, sometimes adding in even more than the original called for, depending on what mixture of flavors I was working with. 
 

A CAVEAT ON RAW FOODS: 

If you should opt for something like fresh sausage, or other uncooked meat, make sure it is cooked well before it is added to this recipe. The baking time is far too short to completely cook through things like fresh pork sausage or chicken or other fresh meats or fish. Do not add anything you could not eat before adding it. The eggs in the recipe have plenty of time to set around the fillings, but the fillings need to be pre-cooked.

Smoky Squash and Prosciutto Mini Quiches

Back to the recipe I created last week, this time I wanted something really different. I baked a butternut squash and pureed it, using just ¾ cup of mashed squash. I had been using Smoked Fontina in other recipes recently and it is a really nice cheese for melting, so I thought I would shred the Smoked Fontina for a smoky flavor and use Prosciutto (actually I used Serrano Ham this time, but Prosciutto is more easily found - they are very similar in style). I also opted to add a bit of Pimenton de la Vera, or Spanish Smoked Paprika, just to help out the smoky flavor.

When I went to the store to get the Smoked Fontina - they were entirely out! So I used an 8-ounce block of Smoked Gouda, which worked wonderfully well. In fact, this particular variation may well by my all-time favorite - they were really addictive. I wanted these to look pretty in photos of the Open House, so this time I decided to slice some cherry tomatoes and set one little slice atop each scoop of the mixture before baking. The tomato does not really cook through, maintaining its red color nicely and making them very attractive.

Thoughts on "mini" muffin tins: 

I have seen all sorts of things being called "mini". Many are nowhere what I would call mini. When I write of mini-muffin tins, I mean the ones with a base of approximately one-inch in diameter, slightly more or less. It gets more confusing when looking at "Mini-Cheesecake Pans," which fall somewhere between these two in size.

Smoky Squash Prosciutto Mini Quiches

Smoky Squash & Prosciutto Mini Quiches

Makes about 30 to 35 cocktail bites

4 large eggs
6 saltine crackers, crushed
¾ cup chopped scallions
¾ cup cooked butternut squash, mashed
8 ounces smoked Fontina or Gouda cheese
½ cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
3 ounces Prosciutto or Serrano Ham, minced
1 teaspoon Pimenton de la Vera/Smoked Paprika (more or less as desired)
Dash hot sauce
-----------------
cherry tomatoes

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. With cooking spray, spray the wells of mini muffin tins, set aside.

In a mixing bowl, whisk together the first 9 ingredients until well combined. Use a small (about 2 teaspoon) "cookie scoop", or use about 2 teaspoons of the mixture into each mini-muffin well. Slice the cherry tomatoes, discarding the two ends. Place one perfect slice on top of the filling in each well. Bake the quiches for about 18 to 20 minutes, turning the pan halfway through the baking time. Out of the oven, let stand for 2 to 3 minutes, then use a sharp knife to loosen the edges, then lift each of the quiches. Set them onto a rack to cool.  

Slice cherry tomatoes, place on unbaked quiches and bake

They may be served immediately, while warm or at room temperature. They may be wrapped tightly and frozen, for up to 3 weeks. Set them onto a baking sheet to thaw slightly, then reheat at 350 degrees for 7 to 10 minutes.

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.