Shallot Gruyère Quiche

This extra-special Shallot Gruyère Quiche is perfect for a special occasion, like my Valentine’s Day Brunch. It’s made with lots of butter, cream and eggs, so it’s not an everyday sort of thing. In general, I tend to make frittatas and crustless quiche as they’re easy and healthy menu items to make ahead for guests and even quick weekday breakfast, but this quiche is neither of those things. There’s a lot of slow cooking, to the point where I often make the crust and prep the shallots a day ahead. And healthy, not so much; but it’s well spent decadence. It is memorable; perhaps the best quiche you’ve every had? The crust is feather light, the filling is flavorful and melts in your mouth- pillowy eggs and melted gruyère. Did I mention it’s worth the trouble and the calories? I did? Well good, because it really is. A version of this Shallot Gruyère Quiche came from my friend Melanie (of Mel’s granola fame). It’s from an old cookbook her mother had that was a collection of home recipes. Unfortunately that’s all she knew about it and I can’t really give credit where credit is due. I have modified it extensively … Continue reading

Decadent Mac n’ Cheese

As part of the modern update for our Midwestern potluck, my test kitchen crew and I decided we absolutely had to take on Mac n’ Cheese. Of course there are a million recipes for it out there, but hey, why not one more. In my opinion, this is where it’s at anyway. Mascarpone and good gruyère… mmmm… The funny part is, that when we tested the update for Decadent Mac n’ Cheese we originally added lobster meat for the dramatic and fancy update ingredient. Though it was good, as we sat around eating and generally enjoying the dish, we all agreed that the lobster was an example of just more, not better. Lobster is so special and delicious (and expensive, particularly when not on the East Coast) that you should probably just save it to be eaten plainish, à la my Lobster Rolls or Lobster Salad with Goat Cheese Vinaigrette. That’s not to say it wasn’t good, we just felt that we didn’t get that much bang for the extra bucks. So, if you’re trying to be extra decadent, feel free to add in a few tails of chopped meat, but in the expert opinion of Susan and Katie, it … Continue reading