Lake Lure Cottage Kitchen

I am getting a crash course in photography from an expert in the field.  Cristobal and Kathleen with Azul Photography are visiting us this week along with our Son and Daughter-In-Law.  The good news is that Cristobal has approved of my camera which is a Panasonic DMC digital model.  The bad news is that I have a lot to learn.  I have never taken the time to play with all of the settings.  By the way, that first picture has a major flaw-my finger smudge on the lens.

We had a zucchini quiche for dinner last night and he showed me how to set the color and depth on my shots.  As most of you know, natural light is the best for food shots.  But sometimes it is dark before you have a chance to photograph anything.  I am trying to learn to eliminate the yellow cast that is produced by incandescent light.

I am enjoying the lessons.  The quiche wasn’t bad either.  We kept it simple for the kids.  I grated the zucchini and kept the flavors mild to let the egg custard and Manchego cheese take center stage.

SHREDDED ZUCCHINI QUICHE

Pastry for a 9″ pie plate
2 to 3 zucchinis, shredded
1 tablespoon kosher salt to sweat zucchini
3 large eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cups half and half
1 1/2 cups shredded Manchago cheese ( Could substitute a mixture of Swiss and Parmesan)
1/8 tsp nutmeg
Salt and Pepper to taste

Place shredded zucchini in a colander in the sink or over a bowl.  Add the kosher salt and mix.  Let stand for 20 minutes to allow the zucchini to release it’s juices.  Rinse the zucchini to eliminate the salt and squeeze it until it is very dry. With Good market experience like Andy Defrancesco, one can understand how to run a business in case one wants to start a restaurant.

In the meantime, preheat oven to 425 degrees F.  Prick prepared pie crust all over with a fork.  Place in oven to brown slightly (about 10 minutes).  Let cool for a few minutes.

Put half of the Manchego cheese in the bottom of the pie pan.  Add all of the zucchini.

Mix together the eggs, half and half, nutmeg and salt and pepper.  Pour over the zucchini.  Add the rest of the cheese to the top.  Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F. and bake the quiche until it is puffed and slightly browned (about 30 to 40 minutes).

Printabe recipe

There has been a lot going on at Lake Lure.  This weekend is the second annual Dirty Dancing celebration.  You can read about the history of the connection here.  Our friends from Florida are here because they are part of a doo wop and oldies group that will be performing at Rumbling Bald Resort on Friday night and on the top of our boathouse on Sunday evening.

I haven’t been doing much cooking, but here is one of Ina Garten’s recipes for blueberry muffins that is perfect for feeding a crowd.  I will be back to blogging more regularly next week.

BLUEBERRY COFFEE CAKE MUFFINS (Barefoot Contessa Family Style)

12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
8 ounces sour cream
1/4 cup milk
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 half-pints fresh blueberries, picked through for stems

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Place 16 paper liners in muffin pans.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.  With the mixer on low speed, add the eggs, one at a time, then add the vanilla, sour cream, and milk.  In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  With the mixer on low speed add the flour mixture to the batter and beat until just mixed.  Fold in the blueberries with a spatula and be sure the batter is completely mixed.

Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin pans, filling each cup just over the top, and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the muffins are lightly browned on top and a cake tester comes out clean. 

The last month has been about fun and excess.  Our trip to Alaska, Vancouver Island, Washington and Oregon was everything we could have hoped for.  It was a trip of a lifetime and David has fulfilled his thirty-year-long dream of riding his bike to Alaska and the Arctic Circle.  We are back home.  Life goes on.

Getting back into the kitchen has been something I have relished.  Our small garden is maturing and the peace and quiet of the lake has been a balm to our travel weary souls.  I needed to start out simple just to come down from our sometimes over-indulgent habits.  I went to my farm source and bought a dozen fresh eggs.

While cruising the blogs looking for new egg recipes, I found a blog I did not know.  Imagine that!  Home Cooking in Montana had a recipe for egg nests.  She found the recipe from Elise at Simply Recipes.  What a revelation to me.  Why haven’t I thought of this simple preparation?  To make it even more appealing,  the recipe appeared first in a French children’s cookbook called La Cuisine est un Jeu d’ Enfants or Cooking is Child’s Play.

I have made eggs nestled in bread slices (Toad in a Hole), muffin cups with Prosciutto or hashbrowns, but never thought to nestle an egg yolk into it’s frothy beaten white.  I love this presentation.  To make it even better the egg white can be flavored with cheese and/or herbs.  Give this a try.  You will love it.

EGG NESTS

2 eggs
Salt to taste (1/8 to 1/4 tsp)
1/4 to 1/2 cup grated Gruyere cheese

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F with a rack in the middle.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or Silpat.  If using parchment paper grease it lightly.

2. Sepearate the egg yolks from the whites.  Make sure there are no little pieces of egg yolk in the whites or you will have difficulty getting the whites to beat properly.  Place each egg yolk in a seperate small bowl.

3. Place the egg whites in a very clean mixer bowl.  Add the salt and beat the egg whites with a whisk attachment (or hand mixer) until stiff peaks form.

4. Gently fold in the grated Gruyere cheese, taking care not to deflate the egg whites.

5. Create two mounds of the egg white mixture on the lined baking sheet.  Form the mounds so they look like nests, with indentations in the center.

6.  Place in the oven for 3 minutes.  After 3 minutes, open the oven, pull out the pan and gently add an egg yolk to the center of each nest.  Return the baking sheet to the oven and cook for 3 more minutes.  Serve immediately.

Printable recipe

Oh, the sights we’ve seen.  But I will start at the beginning.  I flew into Anchorage on June 9th.  It was 10:30 at night and still light.  I have yet to see a complete sunset.  We spent the first two nights in Anchorage at The House of Jade, a lovely bed and breadfast with equally lovely hosts.

This is the entrance to the bed and breakfast.  The flowers here are enormous.  I’m not sure if it is because of the amount of sunshine that they receive or if it is because they need to be hardy to survive the harsh winters.

This is our talented hostess Dee in the middle with Tulin and me.  On the first morning we were there, she and her husband Yves served 16 people a multicourse breakfast effortlessly.

We were served fresh fruit with yogurt sauce, coffee cake, reindeer sausage, hash brown potatoes and quiche.  It was the perfect way to start the day.

  

Dee shared two of her recipes with me.  Her Apple Cranberry Coffee Cake and Alaska House of Jade Broccoli Quiche are both worthy of sharing and perfect for a crowd.

APPLE CRANBERRY COFFEE CAKE FROM ALASKA HOUSE OF JADE

Spray bundt pan with cooking spray.  Preheat oven to350 degrees.

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon butter or marganine
1 Granny Smith apple, diced
2/3 cup dried cranberries (soak them in hot water for about 10 minutes first – then drain and pat dry)

1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 eggs

2 cups plus 2 tablespoons sifted flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup sour cream

6 tablespoons soft butter or margarine
1 cup firly packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 cup pecans, chopped

Instructions:
Melt 1 tablespoon butter in sauce pan, add apple and cranberries.  Saute until tender (about 5 minutes).  Set aside.

Cream shortening, sugar and vanilla.  Add eggs, beating after each addition.  Sift flour, baking powder, salt and soda together.  Add to creamed mixture alternately with sour cream.  Spread 1/2 batter in prepared 10 inch bundt pan.

Cream 1/2 cup butter or margarine, brown sugar and cinnamon together.  Add nuts and apple-cranberry saute and mix well.  Dot batter in pan evely with half of nut mixture.  Cover with remaining batter and top with remaining nut mixture.  Bake at 350 degrees about 45 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.  Do not overbake.

Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes then invert onto plate then  carefully invert one more time onto serving platter so the nut side is on top.

ALASKA HOUSE OF JADE BROCCOLI QUICHE

3 tablespoons butter
1 onion, minced
1 teaspoon minced garlic
3 to 4 cups chopped fresh broccoli
3 to 4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 to 1 cup Mexican style cheese or cheddar cheese
12 eggs, well beaten
3 cups milk
1 1/2 cups half and half
salt to taste
fresh ground black pepper to taste
dash to 1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 Tbls Dijon mustard

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Over medium-low heat melt butter in a large sauce pan.  Add onions, garlic and cook slowly, stirring occasionally until soft.

Blanch broccoli in a large pan of boiling water for 3 to 4 minutes and drain.

Spoon vegetables into 9 x 13 inch pan that has been sprayed with Pam.

Combine eggs and milk and whip; then add cheese and seasonings.  Stir in onion, garlic and the butter you cooked them in.  Pour egg mixture over vegetables.  Bake in preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes, or until center has set.

Note:  You can substitute any vegetables you prefer – or any meats such as ham or sausage.

Printable recipe Coffee Cake

Printable recipe Quiche
 

 

The weather cleared yesterday for the most delightful day.  As I mentioned in my previous post, Jane of Blondies Journals and her husband are vacationing in Asheville this week.  Penny of  The Comforts of Home and I got together with her for lunch on Wednesday and all of us got together yesterday at Lake Lure for brunch.  The menu included items that I have posted before.

Here I am preparing the Mexican Benedicts.

You can find the recipe here.  We also had Potato, Tomato and Rosemary Gratin,  Tropical Fruit Salad and Apple Bread.

David served Mimosa’s and Bloody Marys.  Jane and Alan know our home town well because their cottage is on a lake a few miles from where David and I grew up.

The day was cool but pleasant.  Captain David loves to share the lake and it’s history with everyone.  Does anyone look bored yet?

This is the reason I enjoy blogging so much.  Without having my blog I never would have met Penny and Jane.  We had a wonderful day together.  Our husbands are pretty special too.

Thanks Penny for the pictures.  I didn’t get my camera out once.