Friday, January 20, 2012

Bacon, Leek and Cheddar Mini Quiches

I know I promised I would be posting about my recent travels, but I have much to share about my discoveries in the Caribbean and so it is taking longer than I had anticipated.  Rather than keeping you waiting, I wanted to give you an opportunity to try another delicious appetizer I made for the holiday party in PA.

I can not explain why, but for about the past 6 months I have really wanted to bake something in mini-muffin tins, besides mini-muffins of course.  Way back in the day I had seen a variety of mini-muffin tin recipes from cornbread bites topped with a tomato relish, to bacon and egg bites.  Entertaining opportunities came and went and I had yet to try one of these easy to eat creations.  Hence, when my mother-in-law suggested making Bacon, Leek and Cheddar Mini Quiches for the party I was all for it!  I had never cooked with leeks either so that was an added bonus!
Side Note: Yes, I get excited about leeks and mini muffin tin recipes.  It is all about the small things in life. Don't judge.

 Anyway, here is the run down on the mini quiches:
  • Making the filling for the quiches is easy and can probably be done a day ahead of time and kept in the fridge if needed
  • The crust is what takes some time.  My wonderful husband helped me by rolling out the pastry and cutting the circles while I placed the dough in the tins and scooped the filling.  Having the two of us working together made this much easier and saved us some time.  If you do decide to make these, just don't leave it until the last minute
  • We froze the filled quiches and cooked them the following day and it worked perfectly.  It made it much easier to have them out hot when people were hungry, which was difficult since we had people dropping in and eating over the course of about 6 hours
  • When it comes to taste...these are delicious!  The leek and cheddar are the most prominent flavors and are a great combination with the egg.  Depending on how equally divided the filling is, the bacon promises an added bonus but is not necessarily in every bite.  
  • The quiches are slightly crispy on the outside with a fluffy, egg filled middle and are great finger foods.  Each one is bite size so it is a perfect dish for making it easy to eat, drink and chat without feeling like you are going to spill your food everywhere
  • Definitely worth trying when you have the time to assemble them!
     Bacon, Leek and Cheddar Mini Quiches
    Yields 4 dozen quiches - made in mini muffin tins

    Ingredients
    • 3/4 lb bacon, cooked crispy and diced into medium chunks
    • 3 C leeks, white and light green parts only, medium diced
    • 1-1/4 C half and half
    • 1 C grated cheddar cheese
    • 2 large eggs
    • 2 egg yolks
    • 2 T fresh thyme leaves, chopped
    • 1 t salt
    • 1/2 t fresh ground black pepper
    • 1/4 t nutmeg
    • 1 package of frozen puff pastry, using both sheets, thawed (I use Pepperidge Farms)
    • cooking spray
    • flour as needed for rolling pastry
    Directions
    1. In a medium skillet, cook the bacon until browned and crispy - about 6 to 8 minutes.  Using a slotted spoon transfer to a paper towel lined plate.
    2. Pour off all of the excess fat, reserving about 1-2 tablespoons in the skillet
    3. Return the skillet to heat and, stirring occasionally, cook the leeks until softened, about 5 minutes.  Set aside and allow to cool slightly
    4. While leeks are cooling, combine the half and half, egg, egg yolks, thyme, salt, pepper, and nutmeg in a medium bowl
    5. Add cooled leeks and bacon to the liquid mixture and stir to combine
    To assemble the mini quiches:
    1. Spray the mini muffin tins with cooking spray.  If you do not have 4 dozen mini muffin tins, assemble the quiches in batches and store mixture in the fridge while one batch cooks
    2. To assemble, roll out one thawed puff pastry sheet on a floured surface sing a floured rolling pin.  Roll until the pastry measures about 10"x18".  I realize this seems rather large, but trust the capabilities of your puff pastry and make sure it is well floured to make it easy to roll out to this size!
    3. Once pastry is rolled, use a 3 inch circle cookie cutter (or something around 3 inches) to stamp out 3 inch circles of dough.  Each rolled out pastry will yield about 2 dozen quiches
    4. Gently press the rounds into the mini muffin tins so the pastry comes slightly above the min quiche holes
    5. Fill each dough round with about 1 T of the filling.  It is okay if the filling comes up to the edge of the dough.
    6. Bake the quiches immediately, or freeze them to bake at a later time.  They will keep for about a month if you choose to freeze them.  If you have limited tins you can freeze these in batches.  Simply place the filled tins in the freezer for about an hour.  Once frozen, remove the quiches from the tin and store in an airtight container.  Repeat after assembling all batches.  When baking, quiches will need to be returned in batches to the mini muffin tin.
    7. To bake the quiches, preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Bake until the filling is puffed up and the crust is golden, about 20 minutes if you bake immediately, about 30-35 minutes if the quiches are frozen.  If you choose to freeze the quiche, do not thaw before baking.  Simply place frozen quiches back into the muffin tins (if removed for freezing) and bake as mentioned above.
    BON APPETIT!

      Thursday, January 12, 2012

      Pumpkin Garlic Knots

      Happy New Year Everyone!  I just returned from a wonderful trip to the Caribbean where I spent some time in St. Kitts and Nevis as well as in St. Thomas and St. JohnEach place was spectacular and unique and I can't wait to share my experiences with you.  Look for some getaway updates soon!
      Ingredients for your next creation
      In the mean time, I wanted to share a recipe with you that I tried during the holidays this year.  I found this recipe through foodgawker.com on the blog Handle the Heat.
      This is definitely a website I plan to follow from now on and I know I will make these Pumpkin Garlic Knots for many years to come!  They were a hit at both Thanksgiving and Christmas and could easily be made throughout the year by omitting the pumpkin, although I have yet to try this.
      These knots were my first attempt at a yeast bread without my trusty bread maker and it was so easy!  The knots are slightly crispy on the outside and as you take a bite you are hit with the wonderful flavors of garlic and oregano.  As you reach the fluffy middle of the bread, the garlic and oregano flavors begin to subside leaving you with slight pumpkin flavor and a whole lot of satisfaction. 




      Pumpkin Garlic Knots
      Yield: 2 batches - about 18 knots total

      Ingredients:
      • 1 C warm water
      • 1 envelope active dry yeast
      • 2 T honey
      • 1/2 C canned pumpkin
      • 2 T plus 1/3 C olive oil
      • 1-1/2 t coarse kosher salt
      • 3-1/2 C bread flour
      • 3 cloves garlic, minced (I really enjoy garlic, so the second time around I added more)
      • salt & freshly ground pepper
      • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
      Directions:

      1. For the dough: Pour the warm water into a medium bowl and whisk in the yeast. Let sit until frothy, about 10 minutes. Note-the water doesn't get extremely frothy although bubbles will be present. Whisk in the honey, 2 tablespoons olive oil, and pumpkin puree.

      This is considered "frothy" in step 1
      2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients then pour in your wet ingredients.

      3. Using a rubber spatula, mix ingredients together. When you can no longer mix, use your hands to start kneading the dough. Knead the dough until it comes together in a smooth and elastic ball, adding flour as necessary to prevent sticking.

      4. Lightly oil another large bowl and put your dough ball inside it -- flipping over once to coat both sides lightly with oil. Cover with a damp towel and let rise for about 2 hours; or until nearly doubled in size.  It is okay if it needs to sit slightly longer than two hours.
      5. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.  If you are making the knots all at once, proceed to step 6. If you plan on only making one batch, divide the dough into two equal pieces. If you're planning to use the other half the next day, just put it in a large zip-lock bag and store in the fridge. You may also freeze the dough for up to three weeks. 
      6. To create the garlic knots: tear off sections of dough (2 tablespoons at a time) and roll them into a long snake shape. Tie that snake in a knot. Set aside and continue with the rest of the dough.  As you make knots, place them on a cookie sheet.

      7. Once you've made all your knots, put the pan in the oven and let bake until golden brown on the tops, about 10-15 minutes depending on size of knots.

       8. While the knots are baking, in a bowl mix together the 1/3 cup olive oil with minced garlic, salt, pepper, and oregano. When the knots are done, use a pastry brush to coat the knots with olive oil mixture.

      9. Serve and Enjoy!! 

      Bon Appetit!