Quiche Lorraine

Although quiche is a classic French cuisine, the word "quiche" originates from the German word "kuchen" meaning cake. Similar dishes were made in England as well as early as the fourteenth century. This mixture of egg, cheese, meat and/or vegetables has become a versatile dish found in many countries.

This was such a fun experience. I made the crust as well, and it all turned out so well. I personally would have preferred adding spinach and tomato, but wanted to stick to the recipe as much as possible. 

Plus I got to use my new quiche dish my mom got me! =]

117 recipes to go, 340 days!

Crépes

Every cook needs to know her kitchen. This became so true tonight. In the recipe, it said I needed to heat the stove top to "medium." I did. This apparently was not hot enough. My crépes didn't brown! (Eventually, I got them to... but at this point, they were past delicious.)


Now I know. Our "medium" heat, is not as "medium" as the book calls for. Logged away. Lesson learned. 

Although (again) the origin of crépes is unknown, we do know they came from the western part of France, specifically Brittany. 


Even though these crépes didn't turn out just absolutely delicious, it was a good learning experience. I'll know what to do differently next time. Hopefully they'll turn out perfect and paper thin. 


As for now, I'll gorge myself on the delicious strawberry purée I made for the occasion! 


338 days and 118 recipes to go!

Eggs Florentine

Finding where Eggs Florentine had come from was rather difficult. Most places assume it is simply "Eggs Benedict with spinach instead of ham." Some say it is from Ireland. However, the story of Catherine de Medici of Florence seems to be the most plausible and logical. 


As the story goes, Catherine de Medici married Henry II of France back in the 1500s and brought along her Italian cooks. When they prepared eggs with unfamiliar spinach, they were referred to as a la Florentine. (a.k.a. Eggs Florentine)


When making today's recipe, I had to replace the called for pine nuts with sunflower seeds because of tree nut allergies. I also had difficulty finding "English mustard." Instead of buying that, I figured out what was in it, and bought those ingredients. (ground mustard seed, turmeric, and flour.) 

Although not as well-received as Eggs Benedict, this was definitely enjoyed by all who tried it. 

339 days and 119 recipes to go.

A Look Ahead

Monday, after I get home from class, I plan to make Eggs Florentine. However, I am making an alteration in the recipe because I am allergic to tree nuts and don't want to risk it with the pine nuts the recipe calls for. My mom, fiancé's mom and I seem to think using sunflower seeds as a substitute will work well for this specific recipe. We'll see how that goes.
(If anyone reading has a better idea, please share!)


Tuesday, after class and the date Ben is taking me on, I'll be making crépes. (I've been kindly informed I've been pronouncing it incorrectly all my life. Most Americans pronounce it "cray-ps" but I've been told it is actually pronounced "Cree-ps." Thanks, Kels haha) I think I'm going to get strawberries to mash and have with them. I'm looking forward to both of these additions! 


With school and work hovering over me, my responsible side is forcing me to make sure I get all my homework done, too. So this first half of the year may seem slow. I plan to pick up the pace in the summer when I'll have fewer classes. (I always take classes during at least one summer session.) Hopefully I won't be terribly far behind though!


=]

I have a confession...

Up until a couple hours ago, I hadn't watched Julie & Julia because of my strong distaste for the one and only Meryl Streep. Too many people told me my blog journey was very much like the movie. And even though I'd had an idea to do this far before the movie was out, I decided the similarities were too much. I had to buckle down and watch it.


Before I knew it, I was laughing out loud and thoroughly enjoying every moment of it. It's incredibly inspiring. I'm going to have to say, it will be my next movie purchase. Through this year, when I feel bogged down by this, I will watch this movie. 


If she can do over 500 recipes, I can do 121. 


353 days. 120 recipes to go.

Eggs Benedict With Quick Hollandaise Sauce

First Recipe: Check!

What a success! Oh my gosh. I've never had anything like this before. It wasn't a difficult recipe to follow at all. The sauce was a little too oily for me (it was mostly butter), but it was definitely still delicious. 


Poaching an egg... This was much easier than I'd expected. I broke the eggs into cups in order to make it easier on myself. I broke the first yolk (but this was OK since Ben doesn't like soggy yolk anyway). The second one, however, was perfect. 


Upon a bit of research, the origin of eggs benedict is uncertain. Whether it as an old family recipe from France by Commodore E.C. Benedict or a quick cure for a hangover by a retired Wall Street Stockbroker named Lemuel Benedict, it is a delicious alteration to the normal scrambled eggs I typically make. 


120 recipes to go.

New Year's Resolution

Here we go. My plan is to work through my brand new cookbook, start to finish, no skipping, by the end of this year. For anyone who cares to see my progress, and for my own personal way of tracking, I will be blogging through out the process.


The book? The Cook's Bible by Lorraine Turner. 
Published by Parragon Publishing Company. 
ISBN: 9781407524276


The plan? Become a well-rounded kitchen diva.


The deadline? December 31, 2011.

With this inexpensive cookbook, I am going to revolutionize the way I cook, the foods I know, and the foods I've tasted. Growing up, we didn't have a lot of money. Even though I made many dinners on my own, they were the same foods over and over. At nearly 21 years of age, I adore cooking, but have minimal knowledge.


This year will change that.




Rules:
1. Absolutely no skipping around.
2. I cannot alter recipes unless it is for allergy reasons. (I am allergic to tree nuts.)
3. I must write a blog for each and every recipe. (I counted; there are 121.) 
4. I will upload pictures as much as possible. 


I hope to get my first recipe finished sometime in the next few days. I can't wait!