Spinach and Goat Cheese Quiche

I usually make my own crust, but I did not have the time to make it...I used Trader Joe's frozen Puff pastry for this recipe! And it was really good!
Next time I will give you my Whole Wheat pie crust recipe...promise!

Quiche aux Epinards et Fromage de Chevre

(2 pies)

12 eggs
1/2 lb sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded
1 long log Goat cheese, crumbled into larger chuncks
1 10-oz pack frozen chopped spinach, thawed
1 1/2 cup milk to 2 cups
1/2 cup light cream
Nutmeg to taste
Pepper to taste (no salt as cheese can be salty)
2 tomatoes, sliced
2 sheets puff pastry


Preheat the oven to 350F.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk and light cream.
Add the cheddar, spinach, nutmeg and pepper. Mix well.
Add the goat cheese.

Line the buttered and flowered pie dishes with the crusts.

Pour half the batter in each dish. Top with the slices of tomatoes.

Bake for about 1 hour, or until top is golden and puffy.
Let stand at room temperature for 5 minutes before serving.

Serve with a green salad.

You may also add sauteed bits of bacon or pancetta.

Week night dinner.

We are all busy during the week and fish is often the last thing we think about for a quick healthy meal. What a misconception! This Sole recipe takes very little time and pleases everyone at the table! And it is pretty cheap too! I made is this week for the 5 of us.

Broiled Soles

5 nice size Soles
1/2 cup White Wine
 2 cloves of Garlic, chopped very fine or pressed
2 Tbsp Dijon Mustard
1/4 cup Olive oil
1 cup Whole Wheat Panko Breadcrumb

Place the fish on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, in one single layer.

Prepare the marinade:
In a small bowl, combine the white wine, olive oil, mustard and garlic. Whisk to thicken.

Sprinkle the Panko on the fish and drizzle the marinade on top.

Broil in the oven for about 5 to 7 minutes. Serve immediately with lemon wedges.



I served the fish with wild rice and broccolini. I also made a separate lemon sauce, but the lemon wedges are perfect if you do not have the extra time for the sauce.

If you do have the time, here is the recipe!

Lemon butter sauce:

Juice of 2 lemons
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup heavy cream
Salt and pepper to taste

In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium/low heat. Add the lemon juice and the cream. Reduce the heat and cook until thickened, whisking regularly, about 15 minutes. Make sure the sauce does not boil.
Serve hot with the fish, over the rice and broccolini too!

Chicken Soup

Well, it was not THE flu but Dylan and Emilie got pretty sick last week.
It was time for me to learn to make soup! I usually don't make soups because when I try they end up pretty bland. But I have changed my technique and used - yes i admit to it! - store bought chicken broth. And it was delicious!
Organic chicken broth is recommended for this recipe.

Easy Chicken Soup

1 medium onion, sliced
1 bunch of organic carrots, sliced
1 bunch of organic celery stacks, sliced
6 organic chicken thighs, deboned and cut into 1 inch pieces
2 32-oz store bought organic chicken broth
A few sprigs of parsley (from the garden!), roughly chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

1/2 box of small pasta (kids love alphabet pasta), pre-cooked


In a heavy pot, over medium heat, saute the onion in olive oil, until soft and golden. Add the carrots, celery and saute until they get soft. Add the chicken and saute for another 5 minutes.
Add the broth and simmer on low heat for about 1hour.  At the end, add the parsley and serve.

When serving, add the pasta directly in the bowl of hot soup. If the pasta stays in the soup too long, they will get overcooked.

Birthday Cake

How is it that every Fall I wonder where time went? Last year I had the excuse of home improvements. This year?? I have been away from C&S since June!!??

Well…After school ended I took a quick break and spent a week in France. When I got back, the catering season was in full swing. The West Dennis Yacht Club was open everyday. I even hired my two nieces from Maine for the summer (thanks Aly and Jamie!).

It got so hectic that I did not even cook! Instead I was preparing food and making Club Club Sandwiches in the kitchen of the Club, assisting Franck!

Summer is now over, school has resumed and even though I am still busy at Ecoroo with Friday night dinners for the club members and weddings on Saturday (yesterday was our last wedding of the season!) I find more time for my family and my kitchen!

October has so much to offer. Seasonal products are flooding the farm stands. Apples, pears, squash and cranberries…The pumpkins that I refused to even acknowledge last month are definitely on everybody’s front steps, ours included!

Days are getting shorter and we are definitely using the grill a lot less, preferring the kitchen stove. And the Dutch oven are brought up from their summer residence (aka. The basement).

It was also Dylan’s birthday this month and I baked a vanilla cake that I topped with chocolate butter cream frosting! Here is the recipe!

Birthday Cake

Cake:

3 cups cake flour

¾ tsp salt

½ tsp baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

1 ¾ cup sugar

2 sticks butter at room temperature

7 eggs

2 Tbsp vanilla extract

1 cup sour cream

Frosting:

2 ½ sticks butter at room temperature

12 oz bittersweet chocolate

¼ cup heavy cream

1 tsp vanilla extract

¼ tsp salt

½ cup confectioner sugar

Prepare the cake:

Preheat the oven to 325F. Butter and flour 2 9-inch cake pans, 2-inch deep.

In a bowl sift together the flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda.

With an electric mixer, beat the sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well between each addition. Add the vanilla, the sour cream. Add the flour mixture in 3 additions, mixing well between each.

Pour batter into prepared pans.

Bake for 50 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes and unmold cakes on cooling racks.

Prepare the frosting:

Melt the chocolate in a double broiler. Let cool.

Whisk the chocolate and butter together. Add the salt and mix well. Add the cream and vanilla. Add the sugar. Beat on medium speed until light and fluffy. Refrigerate for about ½ hour before filling the cake.

Assemble the cake:

Place one cake on a cutting board and cut the top to have a flat top. Transfer to serving dish. Spread the frosting on top.

Cut the top of the second cake and place on top on the first one> Spread the frosting on top and around the cakes. Decorate with M&M!