The Cookbook

[George K]

@Rainman said in The Cookbook:

George, any history in regards to the plate?
Family heirloom maybe?

Nice comment, but you're waaayy off.

This was a cheapo set that I got (I think on w00t!) for everyday use.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IR2E21G?tag=duckduckgo-osx-20&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1

I think I paid around $50 for the set. It's serviceable and doesn't look too cheap.

[George K]

Tonight's dinner (along with a salad) is "Cowboy Quiche"

Ingredients:

1 whole unbaked pie crust (enough for a deep dish pan)
2 whole yellow onions, sliced
2 tbsp. butter
8 slices bacon
8 whole large eggs
1 1/2 c. heavy cream or half-and-half
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 c. grated sharp cheddar cheese

Directions:

Fry the onions in the butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat for at least 15 to 20 minutes (maybe longer), stirring occasionally, until the onions are deep golden brown. Set aside to cool.

Fry the bacon until chewy. Chop into large bite-sized pieces and set aside to cool.

Roll out the pie crust and press it into a large fluted deep tart pan (or a deep dish pie pan).

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Whip the eggs, cream, salt and pepper in a large bowl, then mix in the onions, bacon, and cheese. Pour the mixture into the pie crust.

Place the pan on a rimmed baking sheet, cover lightly with aluminum foil, and bake it for about 40 to 45 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the quiche is set and the crust is golden brown. (The quiche will still seem slightly loose, but will continue to set once remove from the oven.)

Remove from the oven and allow to sit for 10 to 15 minutes. If using a tart pan, remove the quiche from the pan, cut into slices with a sharp serrated knife, and serve!

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Notes:

1. This is A LOT of quiche. Easily enough for two quiches (which is what I ended up doing.
2. I used frozen pie crusts, and both of them filled up fine with the recipe.
3. "8 slices of bacon?" Nah, I used the whole 1 pound - for two quiches. I was only a bit decadent.
4. I added some scallions because, well, why the hell not?

[Mik]

Damn. That sounds and looks great.

[George K]

@Mik said in The Cookbook:

Damn. That sounds and looks great.

Mrs. George says "too many onions."

As if that's a bad thing.

Sheesh...

[Mik]

Must be 'Too Many Onions Tuesday'. There were too many onions in my Tom Kha soup today.

[Horace]

More like TMO Kha.

[brenda]

@Mik said in The Cookbook:

Damn. That sounds and looks great.

Amen! I love that kind of thing, and you made it just the way I'd like it: extra onion, scallions, yummo!

[Catseye3]

And teh BAY-KUN!!!

[George K]

This recipe was A LOT of food.

Mrs. George and I ate less than one of the two quiches. I'm going to have the leftovers from quiche #1 for lunch tomorrow. I froze the other one in 3 portions.

[brenda]

@George-K said in The Cookbook:

This recipe was A LOT of food.

Mrs. George and I ate less than one of the two quiches. I'm going to have the leftovers from quiche #1 for lunch tomorrow. I froze the other one in 3 portions.

Quiche is great to freeze and reheat. You'll love the convenience later.

[brenda]

@Catseye3 said in The Cookbook:

And teh BAY-KUN!!!

Indeed! Moar bacon!

[Mik]

@Horace said in The Cookbook:

More like TMO Kha.

[taiwan_girl]

@George-K I like quiche. Dont like a whole lot of cheese, but maybe I can adapt the recipe. Thanks!!

[George K]

@brenda said in The Cookbook:

@George-K said in The Cookbook:

This recipe was A LOT of food.

Mrs. George and I ate less than one of the two quiches. I'm going to have the leftovers from quiche #1 for lunch tomorrow. I froze the other one in 3 portions.

Quiche is great to freeze and reheat. You'll love the convenience later.

Mrs. George said this quiche is a def "not again" recipe. And if it's "not again," it's not worth the work - cooking those onions took a LONG time, and constant attention so they didn't burn.

Sigh - I loved it.

But, I ended up freezing one entire quiche, so I'll have a nice lunch for a few days. In fact, I had some today - it was wonderful (if you like onions, that is, LOL).

[George K]

Turkey...

I came across this recipe from America's Test Kitchen. Looks intriguing, and I think I'll give it a shot. I mean, what could possibly go wrong, right?

Turkey Breast en Cocotte with Pan Gravy

NGREDIENTS

1 turkey breast, whole, bone-in (6- to 7-pound)
Salt and ground black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped medium
1 medium carrot, chopped medium
1 celery rib, chopped medium
6 medium garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
2 sprigs fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
¼ cup unbleached all-purpose flour
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth

DIRECTIONS

Adjust an oven rack to the lowest position and heat the oven to 250 degrees. Using kitchen shears or a chef’s knife, trim the rib bones and any excess fat from the turkey, following the illustration at right. Pat the turkey dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper.

Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add the turkey, breast side down and scatter the onion, carrot, celery, garlic, thyme, and bay leaf around the turkey. Cook, turning the breast on its sides and stirring the vegetables as needed, until the turkey and vegetables are well browned, 12 to 16 minutes, reducing the heat if the pot begins to scorch. Turn turkey so breast side is facing up.

Off the heat, place a large sheet of foil over the pot and press to seal, then cover tightly with the lid. Transfer the pot to the oven and cook until the thickest part of the breast registers 160 to 165 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 hours.

Remove the pot from the oven. Transfer the turkey to a cutting board, tent loosely with foil, and let rest while making the gravy.

Place the pot with the juices and vegetables over medium-high heat and simmer until almost all of the liquid has evaporated, 15 to 20 minutes. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, until browned, 2 to 5 minutes. Slowly whisk in the chicken broth, bring to a simmer and cook, stirring often, until the gravy is thickened and measures about 2 1/2 cups, 10 to 15 minutes.

Strain the gravy through a fine-mesh strainer and season with salt and pepper to taste. Carve the turkey and serve, passing the gravy separately.

Link to video

[Jolly]

@George-K said in The Cookbook:

Trying this out...

French Onion Soup Casserole Recipe

1/4 cup unsalted butter
5 medium Vidalia onions, thinly sliced (about 3 lb.)
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
3 thyme sprigs
2 flat-leaf parsley sprigs
2 bay leaves
1 (16-oz.) baguette, thinly sliced
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
3 cups reduced-sodium beef broth
1/2 cup sherry
8 ounces Gruyère cheese, shredded (about 2 cups)
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

Melt butter in a Dutch oven over medium-low; add onions, salt, pepper, thyme and parsley sprigs, and bay leaves; cook, stirring often, until onions are golden brown, about 1 hour.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350°F. Arrange baguette slices in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake in preheated oven until lightly toasted, 12 minutes. Set aside.

Remove and discard thyme and parsley sprigs and bay leaves from onion mixture. Add flour, and cook, stirring constantly, 2 minutes. Add broth and sherry; bring to a boil over high. Boil, stirring constantly, until slightly thickened, 2 to 3 minutes.

Layer half of the toasted baguette slices in a 13- x 9-inch baking dish. Spoon onion mixture evenly over bread. Top evenly with remaining baguette slices. Sprinkle with cheese; cover with aluminum foil. Bake in preheated oven 30 minutes. Increase heat to broil. Remove foil; broil until cheese is bubbly, about 3 minutes. Sprinkle with thyme leaves.

My mistakes: I didn't use enough onion. I used 3 large-ish onions. Should have used 5. I didn't have any sherry, so I just used more beef broth. Should be OK. Also, I couldn't find gruyere, so Swiss it was.

I'll let you know how it is after it cools down a bit.

Have you had enough time to form an opinion?

[George K]

@Jolly said in The Cookbook:

Have you had enough time to form an opinion?

It was...okay. It was a nice lunch time meal. I may revisit it in a few months, but it didn't blow me away.

[brenda]

LOL, George. I just made a copy of that turkey recipe today, too.

[George K]

@brenda said in The Cookbook:

LOL, George. I just made a copy of that turkey recipe today, too.

I have a frozen breast (sit down, Larry) coming tomorrow via Instacart. I'm going to throw it in the fridge to thaw, and as soon as it's done, I'm making this. I've never had a Dutch Oven, and I ordered one just for this meal.

My only concern is that the skin won't be browned enough. 4-6 minutes under the broiler should fix that, right?

[brenda]

@George-K

Ayup, that's a good plan, George. It should brown and crisp it.

I have some roaster pans that double as Dutch Ovens, and I love them. You will love yours, too. This is a good time of year to get one. You've got a whole season to use it now.