Wednesday Special Spotlight
Shines On
The inventive Sloane Taylor who brings us a meal plan for any special occasion.
Do something extra special to celebrate any occasion. This brunch will show how much you care. A few fresh flowers on the table are a nice touch.
MENU
Quiche
Fresh Fruit salad
Croissants
Raspberry Jam
Butter
Zucchini Bread for Dessert
Mimosas
Quiche
1 frozen deep-dish pie shell
1 tsp. (5g) butter
6 bacon strips, cut into ¼ in. (.64cm) pieces*
¼ cup (30g) onions, chopped
2 eggs
2 egg yolks
1¼ cups (230ml) heavy cream
3 pinches white pepper**
¾ cup (85g) swiss cheese, grated
2 tbsp. (25g) butter, cut in small bites
Preheat oven to 375° F (190°C).
Place pie shell on cookie sheet. Use a fork to poke several sets of holes in the bottom and around the sides of the shell. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside.
Melt butter in a heavy skillet. Add bacon, and ham if you’re including it, and onion when foam subsides. Cook until meat is lightly browned. Remove from skillet with a slotted spoon to paper towels.
Beat or whisk eggs, yolks, cream, and seasonings in a large bowl. Stir in cheese.
Scatter meat, into pie shell. Gently ladle in egg mixture. Sprinkle the top with butter bits.
Bake for 25 minutes or until a sharp knife inserted in the middle of the quiche comes out clean.
The dish may be served hot, warm, or room temperature. It also makes a wonderful appetizer. Leftovers reheat in the microwave beautifully.
*Diced ham, ¼ lb. (125g), is also good in this recipe in place of the bacon or along with. All other ingredients and process remains the same.
**No need to buy white pepper if you don’t have it. Use black pepper only a little more as it is not as strong as white pepper.
Fresh Fruit Salad
1 banana
1 pear
1 tbsp. (15ml) lemon juice
¼ pineapple
1 kiwi
10 seedless red grapes, halved
10 blueberries
10 raspberries, optional
Peel and slice banana into bitesize pieces. Scoop into a medium-sized bowl. Core and dice pear then add to bowl. Sprinkle lemon juice over fruit to stop it from turning brown and mix well.
Remove rind and core from pineapple then dice the fruit. Add ¼ to banana mixture. Store the extra pineapple in a glass bowl or plastic bag. Refrigerate for future use.
Peel kiwi and slice then stir into salad. Gently fold in remaining fruit.
Spoon into a glass bowl, cover with cling wrap, and chill until time to serve. Leftovers are still good the next day.
Zucchini Bread for Dessert
Make this bread a day or two in advance to free up your morning.
2 cups (200g) grated zucchini
2 cups (200g) sugar
3 cups (300g) flour
1 cup nuts, chopped, optional
¼ tsp. (1.25ml) baking powder
2 tsp. (10ml) baking soda
1 tsp. (5ml) salt
1 tbsp. (15ml) cinnamon
3 eggs
1 cup (250ml) vegetable oil
1 tbsp. (15ml) vanilla
Preheat oven to 350° F (180°C).
Grease 2 loaf pans with butter. Cut and fit a piece of parchment paper to the bottom of each pan. I do this because my pans are old and food sticks to the bottom. Nothing attractive about serving zucchini bread with a big hunk missing.
Combine all dry ingredients in a medium-sized bowl. This includes the zucchini. Adding fruit or veggies to a flour blend helps them to not sink to the bottom of the bread while baking.
Beat wet ingredients together in a large bowl.
Slowly stir dry mixture into wet mixture. Be sure to blend well.
Pour batter into pans. Bake 55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Cool on a rack before slicing. This bread freezes great.
Mimosas
1 bottle sparking white wine or champagne, cold
1 carton orange juice, cold
Tall slender glasses
Fill glasses half full with wine. Tip the glass slightly as you pour to retain the fizz. Top off with orange juice. Don’t stir. That will destroy the bubbles.
Sloane Taylor is an Award-Winning romance author with a passion that consumes her day and night. She is an avid cook and posts new recipes on her blog every Wednesday. The recipes are user friendly, meaning easy.
Learn more about Taylor’s cookbooks, Date Night Dinners, Date Night Dinners Sizzling Summer, and Recipes to Create Holidays Extraordinaire on Amazon.
Excerpts from her romance books and free reads can be found on her website, blog, and her Amazon Author Page. Connect with Taylor on Facebook and Twitter.