Quiche Lorraine - essentially a fancy sounding French name for what the Brits would call a bacon and egg pie! Still, the combination does produce an elegant dish that is at home for brunch, lunch or supper. Even better - you can make it ahead and even freeze it. Doesn't get much more versatile than that.
Ingredients:
1 prebaked pie shell, 9 to 10 inches
4 slices bacon cooked till quite crisp and crumbled
1 large onion, sliced about 1/4" inch thick and cooked until softened in bacon fat
6 ounces Swiss or Gruyere cheese, shredded
2 whole eggs and 2 egg yolks
2 cups heavy cream
a few gratings of nutmeg
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Combine eggs and cream either in a food processor or mix well with a whisk.
Put onion, drained of fat, in bottom of pie crust, top with bacon pieces.
Add cheese and pour in egg/cream mixture.
Bake at 450 degrees for 15 minutes, lower temperature to 350 degrees and bake for another 15 minutes or until pie seems fairly firm when shaken.
Variations:
Cooked broccoli and cheddar cheese
Smoked salmon, Swiss cheese and asparagus.
Blintzes, popular in Jewish cuisine, probably came from the Slavic people. They are often served on holidays such as Chanukah and Shavuot where dairy dishes are the tradition. Of course they are also served throughout the year for breakfast, brunch or lunch - and you don’t have to be Jewish to enjoy them! Blueberry preserves and sour cream are typical accompaniments, but you can use the preserve of your choice and fresh berries are also delicious.
Ingredients:
7½ oz. farmer cheese 16 oz. small curd cottage cheese 8 oz. cream cheese Sweet butter 8 eggs 1 tablespoon sugar 2 teaspoons salt 1½ cups sifted flour 1½ cups milk Sour cream and blueberry preserves to serve
To make filling: beat cheeses, 1 tablespoon soft butter, 2 eggs, sugar and ½ teaspoon salt together.
To make batter: beat 6 remaining eggs until frothy; add remaining 1½ teaspoons salt. Add flour, ½ cup at a time, stirring to make a smooth paste. Gradually add milk, stirring constantly.
Note: You will need a double batch of this batter for this amount of filling.
Heat a heavy 6½” non-stick skillet and grease well. Into the hot skillet pour a scant ¼ cup of batter to cover bottom of pan when batter is quickly rolled around. Tilt pan to distribute batter. Cook until pancake is firm and browned on one side. Put on buttered plate, browned side up. Grease skillet if necessary and fry another pancake the same way. While second one is cooking, spoon about 1 tablespoon filling right on edge of first pancake. Fold up once, fold over two sides, and make one more turn. Put on buttered plate. Continue until batter and filling are used up. Should pancakes develop empty spaces during frying, fill spaces with a little batter.
When ready to serve, heat a small amount of butter in a large skillet. Fry blintzes until golden-brown on all sides. Serve at once with sour cream and blueberry preserves.
Unfried blintzes keep well in the refrigerator for a day or two or they may be frozen.
