Food Republik » Breakfast

Aebelskivers – Danish Pancake Balls

Camilla — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 20:44:37 +0000

Aren’t these the cutest things?

If you’ve heard of Aebelskivers, also known as ebelskivers, you may have also heard of Solvang, California, a Danish village located on the Central Coast. Danish colonists founded the village in 1911, which has retained a Scandinavian flair ever since. My sister and I drove down there a couple months ago to check out the windmills, cheese shops and year-round Christmas stores, and took the time to enjoy a plate of these delicious pancake balls with raspberry jam. Aebelskivers are kind of like a cross between a pancake and a doughnut. When fresh, they have a delightfully crispy exterior and a slightly sweet interior, and are served sprinkled with powdered sugar. You can also fill the balls with jam, Nutella, fruit, and other fillings.

Chris grew up with Aebelskivers, not because he has Danish heritage, but because through visiting Solvang several decades ago, his grandmother acquired an aebelskiver pan, and started a tradition of making the pancake balls on family camping trips. So when Chris found a cast-iron aebelskiver pan at the local Goodwill, he snapped it up immediately.

This weekend, instead of our usual Saturday-morning pancakes, we made a batch of aebelskivers. And they were not just exciting as a novelty, but really good as well. The crust is crisp and golden, and the insides are fluffy and flavorful.

The recipe we used has the pancake balls subtly spiced with cardamom, which gives them a slightly lemony, nutmeggy flavor. To turn the balls, use a skewer to loosen the batter around the sides. Poke it through the middle of the batter right down to the bottom, and turn the entire pancake ball gently 1/4 turn. The center of the pancake ball should still be runny and the batter will run out, filling the extra space. After a minute or so, turn the ball 1/4 turn again so that the original bottom of the ball is now on the top.

You can get your own aebelskiver pan on Amazon – here’s an aebelskiver pan from Lodge and a rather cheaper pan from Norpro.

My husband reminded me that these are a lot like the takoyaki balls we enjoyed in Japan (we also had the opportunity to cook them at a Japanese inn). They are indeed made in a very similar way, but the aebelskivers are rather larger and fluffier. And they don’t have octopus in them, or shaved fish flakes, mayo and soy sauce drizzled over top. Takoyaki are very good too…but very very different.

Aebelskivers – Danish Pancake Balls
Adapted from Sunset

1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 tbsp sugar
2 3/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp ground cardamom
1/4 tsp salt
1 large egg, beaten
1 cup milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp melted butter plus extra

Whisk together first 5 ingredients in a medium bowl (dry ingredients). Then mix together the next 5 ingredients in a separate bowl. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry flour mixture and stir until incorporated.

Heat cast-iron aebelskiver pan over medium heat until it sizzles when a bit of water is dropped onto pan. Turn heat down to medium-low. Grease holes in pan by brushing melted butter on with a pastry brush. Fill holes with batter, being careful not to over-fill them, as batter will puff up slightly as it cooks.

Once a crust has formed (about 1 min), loosen the batter from the sides of the holes with a skewer. Poke the skewer into the center of the batter right down to the pan, then pull skewer up the side of the hole, turning the entire ball 1/4 turn. Batter will spill out to fill the hole in the pan. When the crust is set, turn once again to form a complete ball. Cook for a minute or two until entire ball is golden-brown all over. Using the skewer, remove from pan. Repeat with the rest of the batter, greasing the holes with butter between each batch.

Serve sprinkled with powdered sugar and a dollop of raspberry jam.

Multi-Grain Blueberry Muffins

Camilla — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 00:45:46 +0000

You know what? These muffins are good. Real good.

What you don’t see in the picture are the four muffins I’ve eaten already. And it’s been less than 12 hours since I made ‘em. Must…not…eat…another…one… Aghhh! I can’t win this fight.

Thankfully, they’re supposed to be healthy, so I don’t feel too bad about myself. Yep, these muffins have cornmeal, oatmeal, and flax meal in them, and they taste YUMMY! They’re moist, healthy, and delicious, with a complex flavor from honey as a sweetener and the genius addition of lime zest.

They have less fat added than usual muffins, just 1/4 cup of heart-healthy canola oil, and a bright kick of antioxidants from organic blueberries!

They come from this cookbook that I picked up at the bargain rack at Barnes&Noble. I don’t always find good books there, but the James Beard Foundation Award was quite a recommendation. And it was pretty bargain-priced.

I made hardly any changes to the recipe. I just subbed blueberries for the raspberries, and flax meal for the wheat bran. Flax meal does have a bit of an aftertaste, so you might want to go the wheat bran route if you don’t like it.

Multi-Grain Blueberry Muffins
Adapted ever so slightly from The New Mayo Clinic Cookbook

1/2 cup quick cooking rolled oats
1 cup low-fat milk or soy milk
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
1/4 cup wheat bran or 1/8 cup flax meal
1 tbsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup (scant) canola oil
zest of one lime
1 egg
3/4 cup blueberries

Preheat oven to 400 F.

In a microwave-safe bowl, mix oats and milk together and microwave on high for about 3 min until oats are cooked. Or cook them on the stovetop if, like me, you don’t own a microwave.

Whisk together flour, cornmeal, wheat bran/flax, baking powder and salt. On top of the combined dry ingredients, dump the cooked oats, honey, oil, lime zest, and egg. Mix just until combined. Fold in blueberries.

Grease a 12-hole muffin tin or line with muffin liners. Divide batter into muffin holes. Bake 16-18 minutes, or until gently browned on the top and a tester inserted into muffin comes out clean.

Cool and enjoy! (They’re really good warm).

Zucchini Bread

Camilla — Mon, 04 Oct 2010 22:39:16 +0000

Well, it’s a windy, blustery day that is leaving our patio plants in disarray. One of those days where you feel autumn is in the air and you want to curl up with a hot cup of chai and a warm cinnamony snack. Speaking of chai – I love tea, but what on earth happened to saucers??? I mean, where am I supposed to leave my soggy tea-bag if I want to reuse it for a second cup? I have to get out a separate salad plate to put my tea bag on while I’m drinking my first cup of tea? Seriously, they don’t make cups like they used to.

Confession – before I made this zucchini bread, I had never eaten zucchini bread before. So I had no idea what it was supposed to taste like. Now, I’ve discovered that I LOVE zucchini bread! It’s like carrot cake, but with delicious, in-season and dirt-cheap zucchinis (69 cents a pound at my local grocery). Keep the skin on, and you’ll get even more vitamins and minerals (zucchinis are a good source of Vitamin C, folate, potassium, Vitamin A and beta-carotene).

The base recipe for this bread was a Paula Deen recipe (what? It was the first recipe that came up on Google, ok?), though I’ve modified it quite a bit.

(Long list of alterations coming up; skip this paragraph if that’s boring for you) I swapped the water for buttermilk and replaced some of the white flour with whole-wheat. I also used olive oil instead of vegetable oil, and reduced the sugar by a whole cup while at the same time swapping half of the white sugar for brown. I kind of hate nutmeg (sorry nutmeg lovers!) so I upped the amount of cinnamon, omitted the nutmeg, and added a teensy bit of ground cloves.

The result is a deliciously moist cake that is not too sweet, perfect for making…Zucchini Bread French Toast!!! An absolutely delicious way of eating zucchini bread.

In fact, my craving for zucchini bread french toast is so strong that I’ve got another batch of zucchini bread in the oven right now.

For those of you who are blessed with gardens overflowing with zucchini – I’m jealous, and this is a perfect way to use up your veggies. Though of course, if you have a garden overflowing with zucchini, I’m sure you’ve already made a gazillion batches of zucchini bread, and you’re rolling your eyes right now saying, “so what, zucchini bread, whoo hoo”.

Well, try it as French toast and let me know what you think. I adore it. The egg forms a crisp crust on the outside of the bread and the inside of the bread is meltingly moist and soft with cinnamon and spice. Serve it with sliced strawberries and bananas, and the whole thing is worthy of a déjeuner chez Cora’s (a French Canadian chain of breakfast restaurants – yay Canada!).

Zucchini Bread
Adapted from a Paula Deen recipe. You can, of course, add walnuts or pecans if you wish.

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 ¼ cup whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup white sugar + 1 tablespoon
1 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 medium zucchinis, grated (about 2 cups)
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 cup olive oil
4 large eggs
1/3 cup buttermilk

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Sprinkle lemon juice on the grated zucchinis to keep them green.
2. Combine the zucchinis, olive oil, eggs and buttermilk.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flours, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, sugars, and salt.
4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry, and stir together until moistened and more or less combined.
5. Pour into 2 greased medium loaf pans. Sprinkle loaves with remaining tablespoon white sugar. Bake in oven for about 1 hour (check at 50 minutes), until tester inserted into middle of cake comes out clean.

Zucchini Bread French Toast
Serves 2

4 slices zucchini bread
3 eggs, beaten
2 tablespoons whole milk
salt

Beat the eggs with the milk and a pinch of salt. Dunk the zucchini bread slices into the egg mixture before frying on a non-stick griddle over medium heat, about 2 minutes per side until golden brown.

Serve with fresh fruit and honey or syrup.

Spinach Oeufs en Cocotte (baked eggs)

Camilla — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 17:42:32 +0000

Today, I have Boursin in the fridge. I also have 2 eggs and half a bag of baby spinach. For lunch, I thought I would make, oh, oeufs cocotte, maybe?

For some reason there’s something very elegant about serving eggs baked gently in a little ramekin, over cream and whatever else you happen to have handy. It’s the perfect leftover dish, and gives new meaning to the phrase, “throw an egg on it”. Because you really do. Just throw an egg on top of whatever you’ve got lying around that needs to be eaten, sprinkle with herbs, and voila! A dish fit for the in-laws!

PLUS, you can act all posh and cultured, and serve it with a flourish saying, “oeufs cocotte!” as if announcing the arrival of the emperor. And serve it with a little, tiny spoon. That makes it feel even posher.

The greatest thing is, it’s so easy. First, preheat oven to 400F. Butter your ramekins. Then wilt some spinach in a pan and press out excess water. Place the spinach in the ramekins. Put some garlic-herb Boursin on top of it (this is a soft French cheese). The Boursin will melt and get all creamy and herby and garlicky, and delicious.

Chop some rosemary or any other herbs you’ve got. By the way, have I told you about my amazingly sharp Misono Santoku knife I got in Japan? It’s deadly sharp. As in, no room for error sharp. As in, your nail won’t stop it sharp.

Then crack your eggs over top. Season with salt and pepper (you don’t need too much salt, as the Boursin is salted). Sprinkle the chopped herbs and some grated cheese for some extra decadence.

Place the ramekins into a larger baking dish and fill halfway with water. This is a bain-marie and will prevent the eggs from getting tough. Bake in the oven for 12-15 minutes. You’ll want to check to see how done the eggs are, and take them out when they’re to your liking.

CAREFULLY remove the pan from the oven (the water is hot!). Let cool for a minute or two, then carefully remove the hot ramekins.

EAT. The egg is perfectly cooked. Runny yolk and opaque but tender white – almost like a custard. Use your spoon and break the yolk, letting it run out over the creamy Boursin and spinach. Umm…

You don’t need a recipe for that, do you? It’s so simple. But in case you want all the info in one place, here goes:

Spinach Eggs Cocotte

2 eggs
3 handfuls spinach
2 tablespoons Boursin herb-garlic cheese
1 sprig of rosemary
1 tablespoon grated cheese
salt and pepper
butter for greasing ramekins

1. Preheat oven to 400F. Butter ramekins. Wilt spinach in some olive oil over medium heat. Place into a bowl and squeeze out excess water using the back of a spoon. Divide between 2 ramekins.

2. Put a spoonful of Boursin cheese on top of the spinach.

3. Crack eggs and place one egg in each ramekin over the Boursin.

4. Chop rosemary or other herbs. Sprinkle over eggs. Season with salt and pepper, and sprinkle on some cheese.

5. Bake in a bain-marie in the oven for 12-15 minutes.

No-Knead Bread

Camilla — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 19:26:24 +0000

Guys, guys…I am so excited!

It all started a couple days ago when Chris and I were at Marshalls and saw…guess what? This 5.5 quart Le Creuset French Oven!!! I know, at Marshalls! It was…well you know they’re never dirt cheap, but this was definitely a bargain. If any of you are near the Marshalls in Arroyo Grande, head over there – they might still be there. They had about 5 or 6 of them last weekend. Of course they might all be gone now…but who knows?

So after picking up this dream item in a beautiful fire engine red, I headed home to test it out. Guess what was the first recipe that came to mind? Okay, yes, it was Beef Bourgignon. But guess what was the SECOND recipe that came to mind? The beautiful loaf you see below. NO KNEAD BREAD.

I’ve always been intrigued by the concept behind no-knead bread. A wet dough, baked in a dutch oven, that magically comes out crispy on the outside, and light and airy and tender on the inside. Could it be possible? For the longest time I couldn’t try out the recipe, first because I was living in China and owned only a toaster oven and a single hot plate, and then because I had no dutch oven or other heavy casserole. Finally! My day has come!

I still can hardly believe that I really baked this loaf of bread. It hardly seemed to take any effort. For those of you not familiar with no-knead bread, basically the steps go like this. You take some flour, some warm water, salt and just a little bit of yeast. You mix it all together to make a wet, shaggy dough. You let this gooey mixture rest in a warm place for oh, about 18 hours. When it’s risen and full of little bubbles, you gently fold it down on itself, shape it into a ball, and let it rise 2 more hours. Then you bake it in a preheated dutch oven, first covered, then uncovered for the last half hour. Baking it first in a covered oven gives the crust the moisture it needs to become thick and crispy, while baking it with the cover off browns it and crisps it up the rest of the way.

Beautiful.

I was impressed with my first try. The only thing I might do differently next time is…well, I didn’t salt it well enough. Which is fine if you put some salted butter on it, but while the texture came out perfect, the taste of just the plain bread was just an iota bland. I didn’t measure out one teaspoon like I should have. I just sprinkled and guesstimated. My bad.

Anyway, I’m looking forward to making bakery-quality bread in my own kitchen! Thank you, Le Creuset. Thank you, Marshalls. Thank you, Jim Lahey and Matt Bittman.

No-Knead Bread
From Jim Lahey and Matt Bittman’s recipe

3 cups bread flour
1 5/8 cups lukewarm water (I just went slightly over the 1 ½ cup mark)
¼ teaspoon yeast
1 teaspoon salt

1. Mix together all of the above ingredients in a large bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, and set in a warm place to rise for the next 12-18 hours, preferably 18.

2. When dough is ready, it will be riddled with holes and bubbles and expanded to over twice its former size. Turn out the dough onto a floured surface, and gently fold the two sides over (like a brochure). Cover with plastic wrap and let it rest another 15 minutes.

3. Dust a kitchen towel (not terry) with flour and place in a bowl. Shape the dough into a ball and place it, seam side down, into the cloth lined bowl. Cover with another cloth. Let rise in a warm place for another two hours, until doubled.

4. Half an hour before dough is finished rising, preheat the oven and place a dutch oven or other heavy casserole dish, with the cover on, in the oven to heat up.

5. Carefully remove the hot casserole from oven. Turn the risen dough ball into the hot dish. Cover and bake for 30 minutes. Then remove lid and bake for another 15-30 minutes, until browned.

6. Let cool on a rack before cutting into it. Listen to the crackle of the crust as the steam escapes. That means a crispy crust.

Herbed Egg White Omelette

Camilla — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 17:38:08 +0000

Okay guys, just a disclaimer. I’m not usually a fan of low fat “diet” foods – as in, I believe in eating healthy, but to deliberately make a dish just because it’s low-fat? Ugh. But say for example, you made a key lime pie yesterday, and found yourself with four egg whites standing around today, and you’re hungry, and what? Say what? Oh an egg white omelet, you say? Well, don’t mind if I do.

Surprisingly, this didn’t end up tasting anaemic and low-fat at all. With a few really flavorful ingredients, like herbs and well, just a teensy bit of cheese, this simple dish was quite a treat.

By the way, have you noticed how the word “omelette” sounds so much more romantic than “omelet”? I prefer the frenchified spelling as it makes me feel like I might have this in an adorable bistro in Paris sometime. I lived in France for a couple years as a child, but I was too young to appreciate the culinary wonders I was exposed to on a daily basis. I did learn to love a) French flan, b) pain au chocolat, and c) a brioche slathered with butter and jam. Or Nutella. Other than that, my cravings veered more towards the frites and children’s meals options. Sigh…oh the wasted years.

Anyways, if you want to try this omelette, or omelet, or whatever, I promise you that it will pack a lot of flavor without a lot of guilt. Everyone wins!

Herbed Egg White Omelette
Serves 1

3 to 4 egg whites
2 tbsp chopped fresh herbs (basil, parsley, rosemary, thyme…though if you’re using rosemary or thyme you might want to rein it in a bit to not overpower everything)
1 generous tbsp grated Parmesan
1 generous tbsp crumbled Feta cheese
salt and freshly ground black pepper
olive oil

Beat egg whites lightly. Stir in the herbs and season lightly with salt.

Heat a bit of olive oil in a stick-resistant skillet over medium heat. When pan is hot, reduce heat to low. Pour in the eggs. I like to stir it a little at this point, letting the uncooked egg run under the cooked bits, just to get it more evenly cooked. When eggs are about 60 percent done, stop stirring so they can set in an omelette shape. When omelette is almost set on top, sprinkle on the cheeses and a generous sprinkle of freshly ground black pepper. Carefully fold omelette in half. Let cook until cheese starts to melt, maybe just a few seconds more, then flip to the other side for another few seconds.

Grab a plate and carefully transfer the hot omelette. Serve with salsa and whatever else you prefer!

Spanish Tortilla

Camilla — Thu, 27 May 2010 12:46:05 +0000

A Spanish tortilla is a beautiful thing. Crisp golden coins of potato, the fresh taste of spring onion, all cooked together in a cake held together by eggs. Yum! It’s all my favorite breakfast foods rolled into one, in a neat and portable package. Chris and I had this for brunch the other day and it was just right – the potato makes it substantial; the eggs give it richness without weighing it down. Oh, and did I mention that it’s one of the easiest things to cook EVER? And that it’s a perfect afternoon snack? And that I can imagine myself as a Spanish grandma cooking this on my vintage range for my school-age grandchild? Ohhh yeah.

Basically, you slice a couple potatoes thinly and fry them in a bit of olive oil until they’re tender and golden. Then, while they’re still warm, you toss them in with 4 beaten eggs and some chopped spring onion, a pinch of salt, and let the mixture sit until the eggs thicken up just a tad. Pour the whole thing into a skillet and cook until the eggs set around the edges. Then – oh and this is the impressive bit – you slide the whole thing out onto a plate, and invert it back into the pan. Poof! A perfectly round golden omelet. I can’t say the symmetry doesn’t appeal to me.

I adapted this from SimplyRecipes, but reduced the number of eggs. I wanted the potatoes to shine a bit more, and well, I felt a little guilty about 6 eggs for a party of two. I also didn’t bother to lay the potatoes out in the pan in a scalloped pattern – I just dumped the whole thing in and it turned out rather pretty.

I love pretty things.

Anyway, I’m sorry I’ve been a bit slow posting lately, but Chris and I have been working out of town 3 days a week, leaving me less time to shop for groceries. I’m aiming to get back to 2 posts a week, at least. This weekend, I’m planning to make a few yummy things to share with you all.

In the meantime, make a Spanish tortilla! You’ll be glad you did.

Spanish Tortilla
Adapted from SimplyRecipes

2 medium potatoes (Yukon Gold works well)
4 large eggs
2 green onions, chopped
salt and pepper
olive oil

Slice potatoes thinly. Fry in olive oil until tender and browned.

Beat eggs. Add warm potatoes and green onions. Stir around and let sit 5 minutes to thicken. Pour into skillet over medium-low heat. Cook until edges are set. Slide omelet carefully onto a plate and invert back into skillet. Cook for another minute or two until browned on the other side.

Slide onto a plate and cut into wedges. Serve!

Kumquat Marmalade

Camilla — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 05:05:27 +0000

I never ate kumquats in Toronto. Though I did always think the name was really cute. Kumquats. It’s got a deliciously whimsical ring to it, don’t you think?

My husband, who’s from California, of course had kumquats all the time, but for me, this adorable round orange fruit was a mystery. After we moved to Southern China, I became much more aware of the fruit that is available seasonally in subtropical regions (we live just a tiny bit north of Hong Kong). Now, we live in the rhythm of the seasons, eating strawberries during their all too short season in early spring, fragrant five-cornered starfruit in later spring, incredibly cheap mangoes (right now going for 50 cents a pound), and kumquats too, when they’re available.

The kumquat season is a short one, and to make them last, I decided to try my hand at making kumquat marmalade. I’m not a total newbie at making jam – I’ve made some really good strawberry jam in my day, and I figured, how different can it be? And it turns out, it’s not too hard. The only difference is you have to let the kumquats sit in the sugar syrup overnight to let the sugar fully penetrate into the membranes of the kumquat peel, which will candy and preserve it.

Kumquat Marmalade
Method adapted from Pham Fatale

2 lbs kumquats
½ lemon
8 cups sugar
6 cups water
1 tsp vanilla extract
8 1/2-pint Mason jars, sterilized

Slice the kumquats in half and remove the seeds and the tough white center membrane. Try to leave as much flesh as possible lining the peel.

In a large heavy- bottomed pot, mix the kumquats, juice of ½ lemon, water and sugar. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 15 minutes. The liquid should be syrupy. Cover and leave to steep overnight.

The next day, bring the mixture back to a boil. Add the vanilla extract. Lower heat, and simmer for about an hour, stirring periodically and removing any foam with a spoon. Check the temperature regularly with a candy thermometer – when the mixture reaches 220 F, it’s ready.

The marmalade will seem runny, but will thicken up quite a lot when it cools. To test whether it’s ready, chill a plate in the freezer for a few minutes. Place a few drops of the marmalade on the chilled plate. If the marmalade thickens to a jam-like consistency, it’s ready.

Now you need to jar the jam (hee hee alliteration!).

While the marmalade is simmering, bring another large pot of water to the boil. Boil the jars and their lids for about 10 minutes. Remove with a pair of tongs (also sterilized), and place on a clean kitchen towel.

When the marmalade is ready, pour into the jars, leaving a little air at the top of the jar. Put the lids on and tighten. Place the closed jars upright into the pot of hot water, ensuring that water covers the lids. Boil for 10 minutes. Remove (carefully! They will be hot) and let cool. The seal at the top of the jars should be vacuumed down (they should not pop when you press on them).

If the jars sealed correctly, the marmalade should keep without refrigeration for a year.

Rosemary and Gouda Buttermilk Biscuits

Camilla — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 04:26:16 +0000

I felt like scones this morning (my husband would say, “But you don’t look like one!”), but I didn’t want to use the recipe I normally use, which is for a sweet scone with currants. I was craving something more savory. Half an hour of experimentation in the kitchen, and I came up with THESE!

Now, not to toot my own horn, but these are, I think, the best biscuits I’ve ever made (by the way, what’s the difference between scones and biscuits? I have no idea.).

Using buttermilk instead of milk made the biscuits more tender and moist, and the addition of the Gouda cheese and rosemary satisfied my salty cravings and (in my opinion), upped the “foodie factor” as well. Finally, using baking soda as well as baking powder (baking soda needs to react with an acid, so I could use it since there was buttermilk in the dough) seemed to make the biscuits lighter and fluffier.

The resulting biscuits were rich, tender, and as savory as I could desire. Try them and let me know what you think!

Rosemary and Gouda Buttermilk Biscuits
Makes 8 biscuits

1 ¾ cup all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
5 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into cubes
2/3 cup buttermilk (you can make your own buttermilk by adding a tablespoon of lemon juice to 2/3 cup milk and letting it sit for 5 minutes)
1/3 cup Gouda cheese, finely diced or grated
1 1/2tsp dried rosemary (double the amount if you use fresh)
½ tsp salt
1 tbsp milk for brushing

Preheat oven to 400 F (about 200 C).

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Add the butter and rub it into the flour using your fingertips, until the mixture becomes a fine crumble, like cornmeal.

Crumble the rosemary needles in your hand and add them to the mixture. Add the cheese and toss to combine.

Pour in the buttermilk and fold in gently with a spatula until mixture forms a sticky dough. Divide roughly into 8 and drop onto a parchment lined baking sheet.

Bake for about 12 minutes until golden on top or a toothpick comes out clean.

These are best fresh out of the oven of course, though I suppose you could reheat them gently later in the day. Definitely best when the cheese is bubbling and melted though!

Emu Egg Quiche

Camilla — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 10:49:45 +0000

Check this out. No, that is not some weird oval shaped avocado up there. That, my friends, is an emu’s egg.

What, you may ask, were we doing with an emu’s egg? Well the story goes like this: my brother-in-law and his wife were taking care of their neighbor’s backyard pets while they were away on a vacation. These “pets” included a chicken coop full of chickens, and yes, an emu (it’s a big backyard). The emu lays an egg once or twice a week, and since each emu egg is about the same volume as 10-12 regular chicken eggs, they had plenty to share with us.

My husband drilled a hole in each end of the egg, and painstakingly blew out all the insides. That’s a whole lot of egg! The total volume came to about 600 ml, about 2 1/2 cups.

My brother-in-law told us that although the flavor is very similar to chicken eggs, the white of the emu egg doesn’t set quite as well as a chicken egg, so if you end up scrambling or frying the whole thing, you end up with slightly slimy fried eggs. So we decided to use it in a quiche instead, where the cream and cheese and other ingredients would compensate even if the white didn’t completely set.

Actually, we made a couple.

The result? I honestly couldn’t tell the difference between this quiche and any other normal chicken egg quiche. And the quiche itself isn’t a bad recipe.

So next time life gives you emu eggs…make quiche!

Yes, we made a broccoli/goat cheese one too, but I don’t have room to share both recipes.

Emu Egg Leek and Canadian Bacon Quiche
Williams-Sonoma Breakfasts and Brunches

1 pie crust pastry
6 slices Cdn bacon, cut into strips
1 tbsp unsalted butter
1 leek, washed and cut crosswise into slices
2/3 cup beaten emu egg, or 3 normal eggs
1 ½ cups half and half
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp freshly ground pepper
6 oz Gruyère or Jarlsberg, grated
1 ½ tsp cornstarch

Preheat oven to 425 F.

Roll out pastry and press into 9 inch tart pan. Trim pastry edges. Prick pastry all over with a fork. Line pastry with foil and pie weights (opt). Bake 8 minutes. Remove foil, bake another 4 min. Reduce oven temp to 325 F (165 C).

Sauté bacon until slightly browned, 2-3 min. Drain on paper towels.

Melt butter in pan, sauté leeks until tender, about 10 min. Set aside.

Beat eggs until frothy, add half and half, salt and pepper. Toss cheese with cornstarch. Add cheese, bacon, and leek to the liquid and stir well. Pour into pastry shell.

Bake 35-40 min until middle is set.

Cool 15 min and serve.