This is a recipe I came across in my mother's old recipe file. It is probably from the 1960's. I wanted to try it, but I wasn't expecting much. The recipe doesn't have a lot of seasoning, so I thought it would be bland. Of course I was wrong. This dish is subtlety, but nicely, flavored and rich. It makes for an easy, albeit a bit time consuming, elegant dish.
Chicken Tarragon
6 chicken breast halves, boneless, skinless*
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 carrot, thinly sliced
1/4 teaspoon tarragon
1/2 cup white wine
5 tablespoons butter, divided
3 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
Dash of pepper
1 egg yolk, slightly beaten
3 tablespoons heavy cream
Place chicken, onion, carrot, tarragon, and wine in a large saucepan; add enough boiling water to cover. Place lid on saucepan and simmer for 25 minutes, until chicken is tender. Remove chicken, plate, and keep warm. Strain liquid. Return liquid to saucepan and boil gently until liquid is reduced to 2 cups, about an hour. In a large sauté pan, melt 3 tablespoons butter, whisk in flour, salt, and pepper. Gradually add the 2 cups of reduced liquid and continue cooking, stirring constantly until mixture is smooth and thickened. Add 2 tablespoons butter and simmer gently 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Combine egg yolk and cream; whisk into hot sauce. Pour sauce over chicken and serve.
Yields 6 portions
Note: The original recipe calls for 3 whole chicken breasts to be boned, skinned, and halved; these days most grocery stores do not carry whole chicken breast. I also find that chicken breasts can run very large, I try to find ones on the small side. Also, as shown in the photo, I prefer to use chicken breast and thighs. I use 3 half breasts and 4 boneless, skinless thighs.
Enjoy!
I recently came across a recipe for a croissant, cheese and egg bake. It sounded fabulous, but is has ham. So I altered the recipe to come up with a vegetarian version. My vegetarian daughter raved about it. There are few vegetarian recipes that I make that garner this much praise from her. Vegetarian or not this egg bake is fantastic! It is also good for more than just brunch, I made it for a meatless dinner.
Croissant Egg and Cheese Bake With Asparagus
This is an vegetarian adaptation of a recipe from a recipe found @ http://www.thecandidappetite.com/croissant-egg-and-cheese-egg-bake/
3 tablespoons butter, melted
9 mini croissants
9 slices medium or sharp cheddar cheese
18 asparagus tips
8 eggs
1 cup whole milk
1/3 cup heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
2 teaspoons Trader Joe's Everything Bagel Seasoning
Chopped fresh parsley for garnish, optional
Brush an 8x12" baker* with melted butter; set aside remaining melted butter. Split croissants in half. Working with one croissant at a time, place 1/2 slice of cheese on the bottom of a spilt croissant and one 1/2 on top. Sandwich 2 asparagus tips between the 1/2 cheese slices. Line up the asparagus and cheese croissant sandwiches in the prepared baking dish. In a medium size bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, cream, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, dried parsley, salt, snd white pepper. Pour over the croissant sandwiches in baking dish. Brush the tops of the croissants with remaining melted butter, then sprinkle with Everything Bagel seasoning. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour or overnight. Preheat oven to 375ºF. Remove cover and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until the egg mixture is puffed and set. If the tops of the croissants are browning too much while baking, but eggs aren't set, loosely cover with foil for the remaining cooking time. Remove from oven and sprinkle with fresh parsley, if using. Serve immediately.
Makes 9 servings.
*This is a dimension of a Pioneer Woman baker I have that I purchased at Walmart. Any approximately 2qt. baker should work if mini croissant can be lined up in it and deep enough for the egg mixture.
Happy Easter!
This quiche is the perfect dish for springtime. It's a great addition to an Easter brunch or a great way to use up leftover Easter ham. But don't just limit making this quiche just during springtime, it's good anytime!
I came across this recipe in my old recipe file from when I was a kid. I have been interested in cooking and baking as long as I can remember. Since my mother was a fan of quiche, I would make it for her on occasion. Although Quiche Lorraine was probably her favorite, she enjoyed other quiches, like this one, as well.
Yogurt Quiche
This recipe is very versatile. I think it would be good to add more vegetable, like corn or chopped broccoli. For a vegetarian option, just leave out the ham.
1 unbaked pie shell
1 cup mushroom, sliced
1 small onion, diced
2 tablespoons butter
2/3 cup grated Tillamook Extra Sharp Cheddar*
1/2 cup chopped ham (I use lean turkey ham)
5 eggs
1 cup plain whole milk yogurt
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1/4 teaspoon paprika
Red onion for garnish, optional
Preheat oven to 400°F. Sauté mushrooms in one tablespoon butter; spoon into the bottom of pie shell. Sauté onion in remaining tablespoon butter, then spoon on top of mushrooms. Sprinkle grated cheese and diced ham over onion layer. Whisk together eggs, yogurt, salt, white pepper, and paprika until smooth. Pour mixture over cheese and ham. Garnish with thinly sliced red onion, if using. Bake 20-25 minute, or until set.
Makes 6 servings.
*Note: The original recipe calls for Swiss cheese, which is good, but I think Tillamook extra-sharp cheddar is better.
Happy Spring!
