Orange-Strawberry Quiche

Have you ever had a dessert quiche?  I hadn't until Talia invented one.  We were talking about healthful options for her class project and she suggested this one - entirely her own invention.  I was pretty impressed with the creativity, and entirely unsure how we would go about making such a thing, but serendipity showed up and voila:

It's a pretty basic little quiche, with strawberries as the filling.  Just after she'd first suggested this combination, we were at the grocery store and saw a tart recipe with an orange custard filling.  Borrowing from that idea, we added orange zest to the cream, heated it a bit and added it to the filling.

The recipe, as with most first tries, is not yet ready for prime-time, but there was quite a deal of pride in preparing this dessert for her grandparents.  Confession?  I was not really sure this would be good.  But it was.  We'll probably try it again soon, with a slightly sweeter crust and see what comes of it.

Here's to invention: the necessary ingredient.

Apple Pockets

If you've ever had a chausson aux pommes, an apple turnover, an apple-pocket or any other crusty, flaky, hand-held apple-filled pastry, you know how wonderful it is when you bite through the crispy outside and hit that thick, sweet apple filling.  Hungry?  We made some quick and simple pastries this week. 

This all began with four apples that had been in the crisper a little too long.  We peeled them, cut off the bad spots, chopped them roughly into 1/2 inch cubes and put them in a sauce pan with 2 TB of butter, 2 TB sugar and a dash of cinnamon and a little cardamom.  While they cooked, we got some eggs ready and rolled out the puff pastry that had been sitting on the counter for a while, warming up to room temperature.

When the apples started to get a little soft around the edges and juicy, I sprinkled about 1 TB corn starch over the pan, stirred and cooked it for a moment longer to let the juices come together to a filling-like consistency then took it off the heat to cool a bit.

We rolled the dough out to about 14 x 16 inches and cut it into 8 long rectangles (cut once down the middle, along the longest dimension, then cut each half into 4 slices).

Using one lightly beaten egg, my daughter painted a frame around each rectangle and I put a heaping spoonful of apples in the middle (a little shy of 1/4 cup).

My son folded the pockets over and crimped the edges with a fork.  Then she painted the top of each pocket with more egg wash and he sprinkled sugar on the tops.

Into the oven (375*) for about 16 minutes and they came out looking lovely...

I'd be embarassed to tell you how quickly these disappeared.  Let's just say I don't have a lot of tips about storage for these treats!

Apple Pockets (makes 8)

Let one sheet of frozen puff pastry come to room temperature (10-30 minutes, depending on location)

Set the oven to 375*

Peel and cut 4 apples into 1/2-inch pieces

In a saucepan, combine:

apples

2 TB butter

2 TB sugar

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground cardamom

Cook over medium-low heat until the apples are soft around the edges and release their juice, about 10 minutes.  Sprinkle 1 TB cornstarch over the pan and stir.  The sauce should become thick.  Remove from heat and cool.

Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface until you have a sheet about 14x16 inches.  Cut into 8 long rectangles.

Assemble as described above.

Bake on a parchment-lined cooking sheet (jelly-roll pan with edges is best) until golden brown on top, about 15 minutes.

Creme Brulee

With some obsessions, you know exactly when they began.  The first time.  The initial discovery.  With others, the beginnnig is less dramatic, it builds up over time until there's no more ignoring it.  Creme brulee is like that for me.  I don't remember the first time I had it and it probably wasn't any good.  But somewhere along the line, I had a few good ones and that combination of silky custard and crackly crust took hold.

Until now, I've reserved that pleasure for restaurants.  After all, who keeps a kitchen blow-torch at home?  Right?  It turns out, one of my best friends does.  And when she mentioned in an offhand way that they were easy to use, my curiosity was piqued.

Then I got one as a birthday gift.

You know what comes next, right?

The custards were easy enough to make, basically some egg and yolks, sugar and cream with a splash of vanilla and grand marinier.  They baked in the oven for about 40 minutes while we made and ate dinner.  Sugar sprinkled on top,

Then it was time for the heat!  I was pretty hesitant at first, and the button was hard to hold in, which makes it less appealing to the kid-chefs who were just *dying* to try!  But once we got the hang of it, the sugar toasted up quickly and lovely it was.

There are few sounds more satisfying than cracking through that sugar crust with your spoon.  Stepping on top-side frozen puddles in the winter, dropping a sheet of ice on the ground and hearing it splinter, cracking a creme brulee.  Ahhh.

As one kid-chef noted, the flavor is similar to that of palmiers, but the creamy texture of the custard was fantastic.  I wouldn't hesitate to make these for a dinner party because the custards can be made in advance and crusted just before serving.

Thanks for the inspiration, Ali.  Thanks for the torch, Neil.

Here's hoping you get a homemade creme brulee soon chez vous!

Wolf River Apples

It's time for summer apples around here - those small, early ones that are just starting to ripen.  I got these at the farmer's market on Saturday from a couple who were displaying several baskets of little apples with different names.

Ever since I read Michael Pollen's book The Botany of Desire, I've wanted to discover and taste new varieties of apples.  Even with the newly expanded collection of apples at the store (Jazz, Ambrosia, Honey Crisp) I can't help but wonder how different our apple choices would be if the Golden and Red Delicious hadn't been so perfect for...grocery stores.

So of course, I was a sucker for the hand-written sign next to these lovelies:

Wolf River Antique Apples - Best for Pies

I  cut out the cores and the little worm holes and sliced them up.  I love slicing apples for pies.  One summer, I worked in a bakery - minimum wage, no training - and loved it.  It was consistently 120 degrees in the back of this small place, no place to sit but the sacks of flour, which are not as soft as you might imagine, and lots of repetitive tasks, like washing pots and pans over and over.  I loved it.  That's where I learned to make apple pies, peel an apple skin off in one piece and get pretty even slices in a flash (but that's a story for another post!).  Back to Wolf River....

Uncooked, they had a slightly citrus, starchy flavor.  We ate a few slices with some New Moon Cheese from Chapel Hill Creamery (my favorite!) and they were great against the fresh creamy taste of the cheese.

I tossed the apples with some butter, brown sugar, oats and cinnamon, covered them and put them in the oven at 375.  My best guess at a recipe on this one:

5 small apples, sliced

2 TB butter, melted

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2-3/4 cups oats (rolled, not quick)

They baked for about 20 minutes and the apples got pretty steamy in the dish - they might have stayed more firm if I'd peeled them, but I like the skin.  They were not a juicy apple, keeping a relatively firm texture in spite of the steam, so I do think they'd be "best in pies".  Next time, I'd add a little salt to bring out their flavor more, and maybe experiment with some of the curry/pepper/spicy combinations I've seen drifting from dinner into dessert lately.

Worth the adventure.  Can't wait to see what kind of apples they have next time.