I'd Rather Cook

I'm not a foodie, and I'm not into fine dining. I'm just someone who loves the challenge of cooking.
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  • Tag: brunch

    • Cream of Asparagus Soup and the Accidental Harvest

      Posted at 12:12 pm by Anne Freestone
      May 31st
      Jump to Recipe

      Every spring, I harvest a nice crop of asparagus. What’s especially nice about it is that it’s asparagus that I never planted or cultivated. It has taken root in a couple of retaining wall planting beds on the west side of my house, the product of seed-spreading birds.

      This spring, starting my second year of early retirement, I have finally had time to really clean up those garden beds that had been neglected over the years when I was busy working, raising a son, and in the last couple of years, earning a pilot’s license. (My ultimate bucket-list item).

      But this year was the year to get all my gardens back on line. I figured I would simple uproot the crowns from my flower beds, and transplant them into the vegetable garden. Simple, right?

      Turns out, it wasn’t that simple. Those asparagus crowns were HUGE and as tough as cement. After chipping out one small piece and transplanting that, I figured it was way too much work, gave up and simply mulched over them. They still continue to come up, so I snap off asparagus spears from between my narcissus and daylillies. I figure I’ll let a few go to fern to keep the crowns going, and just live with the non traditional location of my accidental asparagus bed.

      My accidental asparagus harvest.

      A little about asparagus. Again, this was one of the vegetables I never liked until I had it prepared properly. My mother, like most women in the 1970s, always overcooked asparagus. Thus, it was limp, olive green and slimy – and for years I though I hated it. Whatever you do with asparagus, you must only cook it until it is just tender and still a fairly bright green. This only takes about 5 minutes, and sometimes less. For this soup, I would err on the side of slightly undercooking the pieces, knowing that there will be more cooking as the soup comes together.

      This soup is a great and different way of using asparagus aside from the usual steaming, roasting, etc. It makes a great brunch or lunch dish.

      Print Recipe

      Cream of Asparagus Soup

      Prep Time5 mins
      Cook Time15 mins
      Total Time20 mins
      Servings: 6
      Author: Anne Freestone

      Ingredients

      • 1 lb asparagus
      • 3&1/2 cups chicken broth, divided
      • 3 tbsp butter
      • 3 tbsp flour
      • 1/4 cup milk
      • 1/4 cup heavy cream
      • 1/2 tsp salt
      • 1/8 tsp black pepper

      Instructions

      • Trim off tough ends of asparagus and cut into 1 inch pieces. Bring about 1 to 1&1/2 cups of broth to a simmer in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add asparagus pieces and cook until just tender – they should still be fairly light green – about 5 minutes. (Tip – start with stem pieces for a minute or two before adding tips to keep from overcooking tips. Also, if asparagus is of varying diameters, start with thickest first, adding thinnest after a minute or two).
      • Remove about 1 cup of asparagus pieces and set aside. (Tip – start with the tip pieces as they make a nicer presentation at the end). Place remaining asparagus pieces with broth in a blender or food processor; blend until smooth.
      • Melt butter in a large saucepan. Whisk in flour until smooth; cook 1 minute while still whisking. Gradually whisk in remaining broth, cook until slightly thickened. Stir in asparagus puree, milk and cream, salt and pepper. Finally, add reserved asparaugs pieces and cook until heated through.
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      Posted in Brunch, Garden, Lunch, Soup | Tagged anne freestone, asparagus, brunch, cream of asparagus, lunch, soup
    • Quiche Lorraine – Not Too Cliche

      Posted at 3:46 pm by Anne Freestone
      Aug 30th
      Jump to Recipe

      This is one of those dishes with an interesting history in its development and people’s attitude toward it. I had assumed that the origin was purely French, but it turns out it’s not that simple.

      Quiche actually has its origins in the medieval kingdom of Lothringen, under German rule. This area was later renamed Lorraine by the French. The word ‘quiche’ comes from the German ‘Kuchen’, meaning cake. 

      The first quiche Lorraine was an open pie with a bottom crust of bread dough, and a filling of an egg and cream custard with smoked bacon. Cheese was added later, along with the crust changing to either pie dough or puff pastry. Then at some point, onion was added, which turns out is actually more traditional than the leeks that I and some others use.

      Quiche became popular in England sometime after the Second World War, and in the U.S. during the 1950s.  However, in the 1980s, that era of Trivial Pursuit and wine coolers, it became considered kind of a “chick thing”, not to be eaten by real men, as the saying went. It was definitely a dish associated with yuppies (I should know, I was one back then), and not everybody understood it. (Legend has it that my father in law once saw it on a menu and asked the waitress what the “quickie” was. This was before I joined the family, but this is the story my husband claims his sister told him. I’ll have to ask my sister in law to verify that.)

      Now, however, the cliche surrounding quiche seems to have faded, and just about anybody will eat it, given that it’s a dish you can put just about anything in. For me, the Lorraine will always be number one, because, well, it has bacon. (Need I say more?) There are many versions out there, mostly varying in the ratios of eggs vs milk/cream, and whether onions or leeks are used.

      This is the version I’ve come up with. You’ll notice that I specify a prebaked pie shell, in order to keep this recipe more straightforward. At some point, I may get into a pastry post, but in the meantime, there are plenty of good pie pastry recipes out there in the blogosphere. And there’s not a thing wrong with using a good quality frozen or refrigerated pie shell, either, if you’re short on time and/or patience. Heck, quiche is actually perfectly acceptable without a crust, if you have carb or gluten issues. Just grease up your baking dish so it won’t stick, and watch the time – it may bake quicker.

      So here it is, in all its rich glory. This makes a lovely brunch dish when served with fresh fruit, or even a light dinner along with a green salad.

      Print Recipe

      Quiche Lorraine

      Prep Time40 mins
      Cook Time35 mins
      Cooling time1 hr 30 mins
      Total Time2 hrs 45 mins
      Servings: 8
      Author: Anne Freestone

      Ingredients

      • 1 prebaked pie crust, 9" deep dish
      • 6 to 8 oz bacon, diced
      • 1 large or 2 small leeks, diced, white and light green parts
      • 1 small bunch fresh thyme, about 5 or 6 stems, leaves stripped from stems
      • salt, to taste
      • white pepper, to taste
      • 2 oz gruyere cheese, shredded
      • 2 oz swiss cheese, shredded
      • 2 whole eggs
      • 1 egg yolk
      • 3/4 cup heavy cream
      • 1/2 cup whole milk

      Instructions

      Crust

      • Prebake pie shell according to instructions

      Filling

      • Preheat oven to 375°
      • Dice bacon and saute on medium high heat until just short of crisp. Remove from pan to drain and cool, reserving about 2 tablespoons of bacon grease in pan.
      • Split and wash leeks to remove grit. Dice white and green parts and add to pan in which you have reserved a couple tablespoons of the bacon grease. Add thyme leaves and salt and white pepper to taste. Saute over medium heat until leeks are just starting to become translucent. Remove leek mixture from pan and cool.
      • Shred gruyere and swiss cheeses in food processor or box grater
      • Whisk eggs and egg yolk in bowl, add heavy cream and milk, along with cheeses, cooled leek mixture and cooled bacon, mix thoroughly. Pour into prebaked pie shell. Place on cookie sheet in center of oven.
      • Bake at 375° for about 30 to 40 minutes until center is set and top is golden brown.
      • Let cool and serve at room temperature.
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      Posted in Breakfast, Brunch | Tagged anne freestone, bacon, brunch, gruyere cheese, leeks, quiche, quiche lorraine, swiss cheese
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      • Dinner (5)
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      • Soup (4)
      • Cooking Discussions (3)
      • Mexican (3)
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      • Lunch (3)
      • Italian (3)
      • Appetizer (2)

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