Flour's Country Ham, Cheddar and Tomato Quiche

This quiche is good, really good.  And not just for breakfast -- I'd happily have this with a salad for lunch or dinner.  The crust is buttery, sandy, and crumbly, and the freshness of the tomatoes nicely contrasts with the creamy filling, even after being baked.  I haven't had quiche in so long, I was imagining a big omelet in crust.  But this is a smooth, savory custard.  The amount of ham and cheese isn't over the top, and despite the richness of the dish it feels light on your stomach.  I wanted to photograph individual slices too, but there weren't any left!

The recipe for the filling looked very rich, so I subbed the heavy cream with more half and half.  Still not exactly healthy, I know, but I was afraid it might not set up if I used just milk.  I also correctly guessed there would be more filling than a standard tart pan would hold, so I opted for an 8-inch springform pan instead, making it narrower but taller.  If you do the same, just note that this will add 30 minutes to the cooking time.

My last few tips.  If you use a springform pan, wrap the outside in foil since my second try sprung a leak despite no visible crust cracks.  And like the recipe says, make your crust taller than necessary to account for some inevitable shrinkage -- mine originally came up to the rim of the pan.  An industrial-sized paper coffee filter is handy for holding pie weights during blind baking.  Also, save that leftover dough!  Any pieces of crust that break off or holes that appear after blind baking can be patched up with dough and then baked with the filling.

Update: This post made the daily Foodbuzz Top 9!

Easter Ham and Pineapple Pizza ... a.k.a. "The Debby"

When my friend Debby and I were college roommates, we'd wake up hungry after the occasional (or semi-frequent?) night of too much drinking.  Debby would phone in a Hawaiian pizza for delivery.  A short time ago, she said I should create a dish for her on the blog, something salty and sweet.

So this one's for Debby: on this Easter Sunday I skipped roasting a whole ham and made a Hawaiian pizza, which is topped with ham and pineapple.  I threw on some grape tomatoes for a quick roast on top because Debby loves tomatoes, and a few pepperoni strips for good measure.  Have a slice with some beer!

The dough recipe makes 6 small pizzas.  Not feeding a frat party?  Throw some dough balls in the freezer for when the next craving hits.  That's 4 pizzas in the making in my freezer.

Pane Bianco

I couldn't help but be impressed with the shape and layers on this bread the first time I saw it on King Arthur Flour's blog, Baking Banter.  The one on the bottom is mine, filled with sundried tomatoes, basil, and cheese.  The one on the top is better -- I'm annoyed to admit -- and made by Joe.  It's got the same ingredients in different proportions, plus ham and pepperoni.  They're like our pizzas -- I'll scoff when he goes for the meat lover's variety, and I'll choose tomato and basil or eggplant and caramelized onion.  I do love meat, just not a whole barnyard of it.  But this time it just made the bread so moist and flavorful.  Although this bread may look complicated, it's actually a cinch to pull off.  Honest!

Bottom row: The risen dough; after spreading the filling, the dough is rolled up and then snipped to reveal the layers; my loaf is shaped into a figure-8.  Top row: The dough was rolled out and spread with cheeses, sundried tomatoes, and basil; the baked loaf had layers of the filling, pepperoni and ham, and bread.   

I'm not a fan of garlic powder, so we spread half a head of mashed roasted garlic on each bread.  And in addition to the cheese blend, we added chunks of fresh mozzarella.

Got Leftovers? Make Fried Rice!

 

That's what I did after two days of eating Christmas ham. You can only eat so much leftover ham! After all, fried rice is a dish of leftovers -- throw in whatever meat and vegetables you have in the fridge. The rice, in fact, must be at least a day old or you get gluey fried rice. So save the white rice from your takeout order, or make a pot of rice the night before.  Then throw it all together, and you've got yourself a new meal.  If you don't have or don't eat ham (or shrimp), try chicken, roast pork, or your favorite vegetables.  I was also only too eager to break in the new wok I got for Christmas, and I've been wanting to cook more Chinese food (you know, heritage and all).