Ham Asparagus Quiche and Spinach Mushroom Quiche

Spring time always makes me think of brunch.  I love brunch any time of year, but the association of brunch and Mother's Day makes me think of it as springtime activity.

Some of my family members were in town for the weekend recently.  Saturday night we picked out our dinner at The West Side Market, then cooked it together at home.  Before they left on Sunday, we brunched.  I made food I could prep before everyone arrived.  The spread included quiche (two flavors), a potato bacon casserole, fruit with yogurt, and coffee cake.

Quiche is perfect for making ahead, it can be kept in the fridge or frozen if you're making it more than a few days in advance.  This recipe was great, the quiche was soft and moist and there was a good ratio of egg to mix-ins.  Quiche is great brunch option, but pair it with a salad and you've got yourself a nice lunch.

Cook's Notes:

1. The partially baked crust is an extra step that you can skip if you want, but I think it's worth doing.  For one thing, it keeps the bottom crust from getting soggy.  Another reason is that the unbaked pie dough can shrink, and the egg mixture might overflow behind the crust.
2. Don't overfill the crust (make sure to keep it 1/2 inch below the top).  
3. I ended up with a little egg mixture leftover so I made mini quiches.  Line a few cups in a muffin tin, sprinkle with a little cheese or other mix-ins, then fill cup 2/3 full with egg mixture.  Bake until egg is set.

Ham and Asparagus Quiche
Adapted from Baking Illustrated
Yield:  1 quiche, 8 servings

2 eggs
2 egg yolks
3/4 cup whole milk
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 tsp table salt
1/2 tsp ground pepper
A pinch fresh grated nutmeg
4 oz (1/2 cup) Gruyere cheese, grated (shredded Swiss can be substituted)
4 oz baked ham, diced small (thick cut deli ham works well)
8 asparagus spears, cut on the bias into 1/2 inch pieces (~1 cup)
9-inch partially baked pie shell (warm), baked until light golden brown, about 10 minutes  (pre-made pie shells can be used)

Adjust oven rack to center position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Blanch asparagus in 1 quart salted boiling water until crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Drain thoroughly. 

Whisk all remaining ingredients except cheese, asparagus and ham in medium bowl.  Spread cheese, asparagus and ham evenly over bottom of warm pie shell (if the pie shell has been previously baked and cooled, place it in the preheating oven for about five minutes to warm it, taking care that it does not burn).

Set shell on oven rack. Pour in custard mixture to 1/2-inch below crust rim. Bake until lightly golden brown and a knife blade inserted about one inch from the edge comes out clean, and the center feels set but soft like gelatin, 45 to 50 minutes (the center of the quiche will be surprisingly soft when it comes out of the oven, but the filling will continue to set--and sink somewhat--as it cools). Transfer quiche to rack to cool. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Variation for Mushroom and Spinach Quiche:
Replace the Gruyere, ham and asparagus with mushrooms, spinach and cheddar cheese.

1 Tbsp olive oil
8 oz mushrooms, sliced
Salt
8 cups baby spinach, wilted and squeezed dried (see Baked Spinach for instructions) or 1 box frozen
1/2 cup shredded cheddar

Heat a pan to med high heat, add olive oil.  Add mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned, season with salt. Spoon half of the spinach mixture into the crust, add the cheese, then top with the remaining spinach mixture.


Make Ahead and Reheat
Quiche can be kept in the fridge for a few days, otherwise wrap it in plastic wrap and foil and put it in the freezer.
Preheat oven to 350 F.
While oven is preheating, remove quiche from fridge to let it warm up a bit (10-15 min).
Bake quiche for 10 min (covered with foil to keep moisture in and prevent browning)

Creamy Mushroom Soup

The Hunger Games movie comes out next week and I'm so excited!  I really loved the book!

The Plain Dealer held a recipe contest for food inspired by The Hunger Games trilogy.  Entries were due on Monday and they'll post the winning recipes in the Taste section of the paper on Wednesday March 21.  The recipes had to be original, and we were allowed 50 words of description and one photo.  I submitted six recipes, I was hoping for more, but ran out of time.  I'm going to be sharing them today and all next week to celebrate the movie opening.

This is what I submitted for Creamy Mushroom Soup (contest category:  Capitol Fare).

Capitol food is so rich and luxurious that Katniss had problems eating it because she was accustomed to a bland diet.  This creamy mushroom soup is a far cry from District 12 food, it's rich, velvety and full of flavor.

Creamy Mushroom Soup

Original Recipe

Yield:  4 servings

1 lb mushrooms, sliced

1 small (~1 cup) onion, diced

4 Tbsp butter, divided

1 tsp dried thyme

3 1/2 cups chicken stock

1 cup heavy cream

Salt, to taste

Freshly ground pepper, to taste

Balsamic vinegar (optional)

In a stockpot on medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons of butter, then add the onions.  Cook until they are softened (about 5 minutes).  Turn the heat up to high, add the remaining butter and the mushrooms.  Stirring occasionally, cook the mushrooms until they brown.  Lower the temperature and add the thyme and chicken stock.  Simmer for about 10 minutes, then remove from heat.  

Puree the soup until it's smooth.  If using a blender, work in batches and have a large bowl ready for the pureed portion of the soup.  Don't fill the blender more than 1/3 to 1/2 full.  Remove the cap from the hole in the blender lid.  Put the blender lid on tight and cover the hole with a towel while pureeing.  Repeat until all of the soup is smooth.

Return the pureed soup to the pot on medium-low heat.  Stir in the heavy cream.  Reheat the soup slowly, and do not boil (lower the heat if needed).  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Serve immediately and drizzle each serving with balsamic vinegar (if using).  This soup goes great with a salad of bitter greens and pea-sized tomatoes, thin-sliced, rare roast beef, and noodles in a green sauce.

Mushroom Risotto

This mushroom risotto is creamy, earthy and delicious.  It's the perfect side dish or entree to warm you up on these cold winter days.

Don't be scared of making risotto, it's not the huge labor of love people make it out to be.  You can either make it the more traditional way (adding small amounts of stock at a time) or the easy way (dump the stock all at once).  It does take about 20 minutes for each method, but it's not all active work.  You can prep something else, while keeping your eye on the risotto.  I definitely recommend you try this recipe. 

A word of the wise when making risotto: make sure the stock is hot.  If it's not hot, you'll slow down the cooking process and your risotto will take longer to finish.

Mushroom Risotto

Adapted from Simply Recipes

4 Tbsp (half stick) butter

2 cups mixed mushroom varieties (such as white button, shiitake, chanterelle, or portabello mushrooms, cleaned, trimmed, and cut into half inch to inch pieces)

1/3 cup dry white wine

1/2 cup heavy cream

3 1/2 cups chicken stock (use vegetable stock for vegetarian option)

1 Tbsp olive oil

1/3 cup shallots, minced (can substitute onion)

1 cup arborio rice

1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley (optional)

Melt 2 Tbsp butter in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and saute about 5 minutes (if using chanterelles, dry sauté first for a minute or two and let the mushrooms cook in their own juices before adding the butter). Add white wine, bring to a boil, and reduce liquid by half, about 3-4 minutes. Lower heat to medium, add cream, and simmer 5 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and set aside.

Bring stock to a simmer in a saucepan.

In a deep, heavy, medium sized saucepan, heat oil and remaining butter on medium low. Add shallots or onions and cook until soft, about 3 minutes. Add rice and stir to coat with butter and oil. 

Adding Stock Method 1:  Add simmering stock, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring enough to keep the rice from sticking to the edges of the pan. Wait until the stock is almost completely absorbed before adding the next 1/2 cup. This process will take about 20 minutes. The rice should be just cooked and slightly chewy.

Adding Stock Method 2:  Dump all the simmering stock into the rice mixture all at once, stirring occasionally to keep the rice from sticking to the bottom of the pan.  This process will take about 20 minutes. The rice should be just cooked and slightly chewy.

Stir in the mushroom mixture and the Parmesan cheese. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve garnished with parsley (if using).