Thursday, April 30, 2009

An early spring feast


Inspired by our vernal meal at Blue Hill, we wanted to channel the first stirrings of the season when we cooked dinner on Monday night for a friend who had yet to experience the wonders of our new apartment (and new kitchen). On weeknights, I know it'll take us a while to get dinner on the table if we're making something suitable for company, so I always try to have something to snack on while we're cooking. Ever since I saw this recipe for edamame hummus and baked wonton chips on Not Eating Out in New York, I knew I had to make them, and so I did, with a spicier spin on the hummus and black sesame gomashio on the chips. They were delicious, and so green and spring-y, despite the need to use frozen edamame instead of fresh (since only the first tendrils of spring have really poked their heads out at this point).


While we munched on the hummus and chips, I mixed up the ingredients for asparagus and gruyere crustless quiches and poured them into ramekins to bake. While the main course spent its time in the oven, I was peeling the favas I had flipped out over at Whole Foods in order to repeat my favorite recipe from last spring, for warm fava bean salad with shallot-tarragon vinaigrette. The favas turned out as wonderfully as we remembered them, and despite an eruption of excess eggy goodness in the oven, the quiches were delightful in the end. Jon followed up with a demonstration of his dessert skills: a perfect springtime strawberry-rhubarb sorbet.



ASPARAGUS AND GRUYERE CRUSTLESS QUICHE

9 extra large eggs
1/2 cup skim milk
1/4 lb gruyere, grated
1/2 bunch asparagus
salt and pepper to taste
1 tbsp butter
mixed greens tossed with a mustard vinaigrette, for serving

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Slice the asparagus into inch-long sections and steam.
3. Beat together eggs, milk, and most of the cheese, reserving enough to top each quiche after baking. Mix in the asparagus, and add salt and pepper to taste.
4. Place a pat of butter in the bottom of each ramekin, and spread it around a bit to prevent sticking. Pour egg mixture into 3 or 4 standard-size ramekins, one for each guest.
5. Bake quiches 20-25 minutes, until they set on top.
6. Sprinkle reserved gruyere on top of each quiche, and move ramekins to the broiler for 90 seconds, or until cheese melts and starts to brown.
7. Carefully slide quiches out of ramekins with the help of a fork, and plate on top of salad.

Yield: 3-4 servings

4 comments:

beautifulshell April 30, 2009 at 1:21 PM  

when do you add the asparagus? or am i missing something obvious? these sound delish!

Ali April 30, 2009 at 1:22 PM  

Ah, good, call, beautiful shell! I forgot that step. Updating now :).

Anonymous May 1, 2009 at 7:01 AM  

asparagus and gruyere sounds excellent in a crustless quiche - yum!

Ali May 1, 2009 at 10:12 AM  

Thanks, 5 Star! It was delicious...a fondue-like sort of combination.

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