Basic Quiche and Tart Dough

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This is another great recipe from Williams-Sonoma.

Basic Quiche and Tart Dough

This dough is perfectly tender and flakey.

  • 1 1/2 C All purpose flour
  • 4 T Unsalted butter (chilled)
  • 1/4 C Pork Lard or Shortening (chilled)
  • 1/2 t. Salt
  • 3 – 4 T ice cold water
  1. In a bowl, stir together the flour and salt. Add the butter and shortening and, using a pastry blender or 2 knives, cut them in until the mixture resembles coarse bread crumbs. (You can also do this in a food processor.)Sprinkle in the water, 1 Tbs. at a time, stirring gently with a fork after each addition and adding only enough of the water to form a rough mass.

    Using floured hands, pat the dough into a smooth, flattened disk. Use immediately, or wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 2 days.

    Makes enough dough for one 9-inch quiche or tart shell.

Macaroni and Cheese

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Macaroni and Cheese

The crispy topping and the Gruyère cheese really make this recipe special.

However, if you don’t have Gruyère on hand, feel free to experiment with other cheeses, just stick to the proportions.

  • 1 Quart whole milk
  • 8 tablespoons Unsalted butter
  • 1/2 cup flour
  • 12 ounces Gruyère cheese (grated)
  • 8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese (grated)
  • 1 pound rigatoni or elbow macaroni
  • 1 cup corn flakes (crushed)
  • white pepper and salt ( to taste)
  1. Cook the pasta according to the directions on the package.

    Grate both cheeses and reserve 1/4 C of Gruyère and 1/4 C of Cheddar to be used for the topping.

    In a zip lock bag, add the Corn Flakes and crush until you have fine crumbs. Add, the reserved cheeses. set aside.

    In a separate sauce pan or microwave proof container, heat the milk.

    In a large sauce pan , melt 7 T. butter. Add, the flour and cook over low heat for about 3 to 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Slowly stir in the heated milk, and continue to cook until mixture thickens. Remove the mixture from heat and stir in the Gruyère and Cheddar cheeses.

    Season with white pepper. Taste the cheese sauce to check the seasonings, if it needs salt add it now. Add the white pepper to taste.

    Stir in the cooked pasta until combined. Pour into a 3-quart buttered, baking dish.

    Sprinkle the corn flake and cheese topping over the pasta and dot with the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter.

    Bake in a 375 degree oven for 30 minutes or until lightly browned and bubbly.

Ham and Leek Quiche

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“Real Men don’t eat quiche”…until they’ve smelled this Ham and Leek Quiche baking in the oven!  When my husband entered our home to the aroma of this quiche baking, the temptation was too great for him and he had to give it a try.  He now requests that I bake him this wonderful quiche.  This recipe is slightly adapted from Williams Sonoma.

Ham and Leek Quiche

  • 1 batch basic quiche or tart dough
  • 1 T. Unsalted butter
  • 3 C. leeks (thinly sliced)
  • 1 C. smoked ham (diced)
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 1/2 C heavy cream
  • 1/4 C Gruyère cheese (finely shredded)
  • fresh ground pepper (to taste)
  1. Preheat oven temperature to 350°F.

    In a large sauté pan, melt the butter over medium-high heat until it turns golden. Add the leeks and sauté until wilted but still bright green, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and transfer to a bowl to cool. Sautee the diced smoked ham for 3 minutes. Add to the leek mixture.

    In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs and cream. Season with the 1/2 tsp. salt, 1 or 2 grindings of pepper. Scatter the leek mixture evenly over the bottom of the pastry shell. Pour in the egg mixture and mix lightly with a fork to distribute evenly. Sprinkle evenly with the cheese.

    Bake until the custard is set and the top is golden, 40 to 45 minutes. If the custard is set but the top has not turned golden brown, slip the quiche under the broiler for 1 to 2 minutes, watching closely. Let cool about 20 minutes in the pan on a rack before serving. Makes one 9-inch quiche.

Potato Leek Soup

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After baking a ham and leek quiche I found myself with extra leeks.  What to do?!?  I found this wonderful recipe by Alton Brown for Potato Leek Soup that was easy to make and more importantly… deliciously satisfying.  I hope you enjoy it too!

Potato Leek Soup

  • 1 Lb cleaned leeks (sliced thin)
  • 3 T Unsalted butter
  • heavy pinch kosher salt
  • 14 ounces Yukon Gold potatoes (approximately, 3 )
  • 1 quart vegetable broth
  • 1 C heavy cream
  • 1 C Buttermilk
  • 1/2 t white pepper
  • 1 T snipped chives
  1. In a 6-quart saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the leeks and a heavy pinch of salt and sweat for 5 minutes. Decrease the heat to medium-low and cook until the leeks are tender, approximately 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.

    Add the potatoes and the vegetable broth, increase the heat to medium-high, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and gently simmer until the potatoes are soft, approximately 45 minutes.

    Turn off the heat and puree the mixture with an immersion blender until smooth. Stir in the heavy cream, buttermilk, and white pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning if desired. Sprinkle with chives and serve immediately.

Tres Leches Cake

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Tres Leches Cake

Tres Leches Cake

Decadent, dreamy, luxurious. Need I say more?!

  • 1 Cup All purpose flour
  • 1-1/2 t Baking powder
  • 1/4 t Salt
  • 5 Whole Eggs
  • 1 Cup Granulated sugar (Divided)
  • 1 t pure vanilla extract
  • 1/3 Cup whole milk
  • 1 12 ounce can Evaporated Milk
  • 2 14 ounce cans Sweetened Condensed Milk
  • 3 Cups heavy cream (Separated )
  • 1 T Confectioners sugar
  • 1/2 t pure vanilla extract
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x 13 inch pan with non- stick spray.

    Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Separate eggs

    Beat egg yolks with 3/4 cup of sugar on high speed until yolks are pale yellow. Stir in milk and vanilla. Por egg mixture over the dry ingredients and gently stir until combined.

    Beat egg whites on high speed until soft peaks form. With the mixer on, pour in remaining 1/4 cup sugar and beat until egg whites are stiff but not dry.

    Gently fold egg white mixture into the batter very gently until just combined. Pour into prepared pan and spread to even out the surface.

    Bake for 35 to 40 minutes. Do not open the oven during baking, look though the glass door and watch for the edges of the cake to pull from the pan.

    After removing the cake from the oven you can leave it in the pan or turn out onto a rimmed platter. Pierce the cake all over.

    For the cream mixture:

    In a blender, combine the evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk, and 2 cups of the heavy cream. Blend on high speed for 45 seconds.

    Separate 1-1/2 cups of the cream mixture, cover and refrigerate until ready to serve the cake.

    Slowly and carefully pour the remaining cream over the warm cake. Cool to room temperature. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight.

    When ready to serve, beat one cup of heavy cream until soft peaks form. Add the confectioners sugar and 1/4 t of vanilla. Spread the whipped cream over the chilled cake. Serve with the reserved chilled milk sauce.