Tomato Quiche~ ElephantEats.com

As I mentioned in my last post, Nate and I have had quite a lot happening around here lately.

Some of you may have already know based on my comments on other blogs, but I officially got a new job offer! I was kind of passively looking because while my current job wasn’t horrible, it also wasn’t ideal. I’m so so excited for this new opportunity! There seems like there will be more room for growth. Althought I’m still working at my “old” job for another couple weeks, I have a new hire appt tomororw and I get my new ID badge and stuff!

Tomato Quiche ~ ElephantEats.com

This new job is the first place I’ll have worked where the people there will only know me by my married name :) At my current job they still refer to me by my old name, and it’s kind of annoying me at this point that they can’t remember. Although maybe I shouldn’t be so harsh because I was initialling a document the other day and used my old initials and totally didn’t even notice…it even took me another minute to realize after Nate said “oh, come on, Amy!”

Tomato Quiche ~ ElephantEats.com

So what does this all have to do with this recipe? Well, just that if you’re busy you shouldn’t assume because a recipe’s title contains the word “quiche” that it will be quick to make. I mistakenly went to prepare this at around 7pm the other night thinking I could whip it right up. It wasn’t until I actually read the recipe (after having already started it) that I realized you have to essentially make a homemade tomato sauce before assembling the quiche. And if I had made a homemade crust it would have been even more effort.

I will say however, that if you take into account the correct amount of time it will take, it’s TOTALLY worth it. Nate and I both thought this was outstanding. The tomato sauce, while incredibly basic, was so delicious. I kind of want to make it again to just put over pasta. What’s great about this quiche is that you can make it in the winter with canned tomatoes or in the summer with fresh and it’s delicious both ways. It’s fancy and tasty enough that you could definitely make it for company. It would be great to serve at brunch as well as dinner!

Tomato Quiche ~ ElephantEats.com

This is one of the recipes Nate sent me in the morning during his breakfast perusal of the New York Times. As I’ve mentioned before, I find their recipes highly reliable.

I thought to make this quiche because I’ve had a premade pie-crust in my freezer forever. I don’t know why I bought it. If I’m going to make a pie, I would totally make the crust from scratch, so I think I actually bought it to make a quiche. With a store-bought crust, a typical quiche is a great weeknight meal. This one requires slightly more effort but please do it!!

P.S. You can make the tomato sauce ahead of time and then it’s really not bad for a weeknight dinner :)

Tomato Quiche ~ ElephantEats.com

Winter Tomato Quiche

From NY Times with some shortcuts by me

Print this recipe!

 Serves 6-8

1 9- or 10-inch whole wheat Mediterranean pie crust, gluten-free whole grain
Mediterranean pie crust, or yeasted whole wheat olive oil pastry (*I used a regular old frozen pie crust in pan)
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
2 to 3 garlic cloves (to taste), minced
1 14.5-ounce can chopped tomatoes in juice, with juice (*I used the ones with rosemary and oregano)
1 tablespoon tomato paste
Pinch of sugar
Salt to taste
1 sprig fresh basil or rosemary
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
Freshly ground pepper
2 eggs
2 egg yolks
3/4 cup low-fat (1 or 2 percent) milk
2 ounces Gruyère cheese, grated (1/2 cup, tightly packed)
1 ounce Parmesan cheese, grated (1/4 cup, tightly packed)

If making crust, roll out the crust and line a 9- or 10-inch tart pan. Refrigerate uncovered (place in freezer if using the yeasted crust) while you make the filling. If using a premade frozen crust in pan, defrost in fridge and don’t take it out until you’re ready to use it.

Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a wide, heavy saucepan and add the onion. Cook, stirring, until it begins to soften, 2 to 3 minutes. Add a pinch of salt and continue to cook, stirring often, until tender, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile pulse the tomatoes in a food processor fitted with the steel blade or in a mini-processor.

Add the garlic to the onions and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add to the canned tomatoes and turn up the heat slightly. Add the tomato paste, sugar, salt, basil or rosemary spring and thyme and simmer briskly, stirring often, until the tomatoes have cooked down and smell fragrant, about 15 minutes. Taste and adjust salt, and add pepper. Remove from the heat. Remove the basil or rosemary sprig and, if you used rosemary, remove any rosemary needles that may have detached from the sprig. Allow to cool slightly. You should have about 1 cup of the sauce.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Beat the eggs and egg yolks in a large bowl. Brush the bottom of the crust with a small amount of the beaten egg and pre-bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes.

Beat the milk into the eggs. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt, freshly ground pepper to taste and beat together. Stir in the cheeses and the tomato sauce and combine well. Scrape into the crust, using a rubber spatula to scrape out every last bit from the bowl. Place the tart on a sheet pan for easier handling and place in the oven. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until set. Remove from the heat and allow to sit for at least 15 minutes before cutting.

Advance preparation: The tomato sauce can be made through Step 3 up to three days ahead and refrigerated uncovered. It can also be frozen. Allow to come to room temperature before making the tart. The tart will keep for a couple of days in the refrigerator. Reheat gently in a low oven or serve at room temperature.

Twice Baked Sweet Potato with Apple

Nate and I went upstate last weekend with a couple of our friends to Poet’s Walk Park…where Nate and I were exactly one year ago when Nate proposed.

Nate wanted to go back to shoot a couple things for the wedding video (which is now officially done, and completely awesome!!!) and we needed the help of our friends to do this. We also wanted to take a few pics at the proposal location since we completely forgot to snap a pic of it when it was actually happening. Oops :)

The bridge where Nate proposed…one year later!

This park is fairly small but it has gorgeous views.

It was a two hour drive north of the city, so we thought we’d take advantage and stop at Fishkille Farms on the way home to do a little apple picking! Rosh Hashannah, the Jewish New Year, was coming up and apples are traditional to eat (with honey) for a “sweet” New Year.

Nate and bridesmaid, Kim, showing their apple excitement!

We picked a ton! I wanted to make sure we got enough for eating plain and for cooking, although i didn’t have anything specific in mind yet.

We also got some hot cider for me (cold for Nate) and some fresh cider donuts. YUM!

I knew I wanted to make a recipe to use apples. On Rosh Hashannah, since all my family and jewish friends were travelling, I decided to just make a nice dinner for the two of us.

I roasted up a chicken and set off the fire alarm. The recipe had me cooking it at 450° with just the chicken in the pan, nothing under it. After it completely smoked out our apt, I looked up what to do and someone suggested putting a layer of potatoes under the chicken and roasting it at 425°. Luckily I had one lone potato sitting on the counter so i sliced it up and put it under the chicken and shoved it back in the oven.

Twice Baked Sweet Potato with Apple

Success! Well kinda. It stopped the chicken from smoking, but when I checked the temperature of the chicken after the allotted time, it was at the correct temp. I took it out of the oven and the breast was perfectly cooked, but other parts were still raw! Ugh, I’m never cooking a chicken again. I’d rather just buy a rotisserie one from the market.

Anyway, I wanted some nice side dishes to go with dinner and since I had some freshly picked apples to use, I pulled out this apple cookbook that I got last year that hasn’t ever gotten used, and found a really tasty recipe for The Best Twice-Baked Potatoes.

Twice Baked Sweet Potato with Apple

They were really good. I think I was expecting them to be more sweet with the apples and the sweet potato, but they were definitely more on the savory side, but still delicious! I highly recommend these as a side dish for your next holiday meal…or even just an every day dinner :)

Twice-Baked Sweet Potatoes with Apple

Very slightly adapted from The Comfort of Apples Cookbook

Print this recipe!

Serves 6-8

1/4 cup olive oil
4 medium yams (about 3 pounds total)
salt and pepper
1 1/2 cups light cream
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1 1/2 Tbsp minced fresh thyme
3 cups peeled and diced apples (1/4 inch dice)
3/4 cup bread in small chunks
3/4 cup parmesan in 1-inch chunks
1/2 cup parsley

Preheat oven to 400.

Line a baking sheet with foil and spread with olive oil. Roll the yams in the oil to coat and season well with salt and pepper. Bake until tender, about 1 hour, and remove from oven. **Alternatively, pierce potatoes several times with the tip of a knife, wrap in paper towels and microwave until soft.

Bring the cream to a simmer over medium-high heat in a small saucepan, and whisk in the butter. Reduce heat to medium, add the garlic, thyme, and apples, and season with salt and pepper. Cook until apples are tender, 8-10 min.

Slice each yam in half and scoop out the hot insides into a medium bowl. Fold in the hot cream mixture. Spoon the mixture back into the potato shells.

Place the bread, parmesan, and parsley in a food processor and pulse until fine. Sprinkle the breadcrumb mixture over the potatoes, return to oven, and bake until yams are lightly browned and crisp, about 1/2 hour.

Sorry I’ve been MIA on the blog lately. I’ve just been so busy travelling back and forth and just catching up on stuff when I’m actually home. Between the Boston marathon last weekend and a bridal shower this weekend in Florida, my free time has been lacking.

FL bridal shower

Proudly wearing my "Bride 2 Be" sash

Anyway, since I haven’t gotten a food post together I thought I’d entertain you with some pictures. This weekend I headed down to Florida to attend a bridal shower my mom’s friends threw for me. It was super nice of them to do this! I’ll be having another shower in NJ in a few months for my friends and family up north.

FL bridal shower cup

They played a game where I had to guess Nate’s answers to some questions they had secretly asked him a month ago :)

FL bridal shower ribbon hat

Me wearing the ribbon "hat" made by fashioning all gift ribbons into a hat...or in this case making a hat out of a purse I got as part of a present.

My personal favorite: When did Amy know she wanted to marry you?

Nate’s answer: 1 year into the relationship.

Uh…Nate proposed about 1 year and a couple weeks into the relationship. He sure did cut it close!

He also rated our first date on a bad/good/great scale as “good.” Thanks a lot, Nate! He claims it’s because of the food, and not because of the company.

That combined with a few other answers he gave make him very close to sharing the couch with L.C. tonight ;)

Hope you’ve enjoyed seeing what’s been keeping me busy…I promise I’ll be back soon with a yummy Fudgey cheesecake concoction before the next busy weekend (this time with our wedding food-tasting!) begins…