Brunch Food

I felt a bit like this today after a marathon morning of cooking making food for a shower yesterday and getting to the event on time.
I just couldn't resist trying a new recipe called Beet Pickled. It was featured in an article called Devil's Advocate, from dashrecipes.com June 2013, a supplement section in the newspaper with a new spin on deviled eggs using beets.  

I was a little worried the guests wouldn't like them but they all went. There are possibilities with this technique to dye eggs using them for Fourth of July picnic food adding a blueberry in the middle for red, white and blue and for Easter.
Ingredients:

• 1 can (15 oz.) sliced beets
• 3/4 cup white vinegar
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 8 eggs hard boiled and peeled

Directions:

• Hard boil eggs and refrigerate while making juice
• In a saucepan combine rest of ingredients including the sliced beets and simmer till sugar dissolved 
• Let cool
• Pour mixture over peeled eggs and refrigerate 8 hours or overnight
• Drain and dry eggs, cut in half  lengthwise
• Put yolks in a bowl and mash with 1/4 cup Miracle Whip, a little salt, 1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard, 1/4 cup finely chopped onions 
• Place yolks mixture back into eggs whites (now dyed red) and sprinkle with dried dill or minced chives  

Another option for making regular deviled eggs (not dying them in beet juice) is
Pesto Crunch
To the yolk mixture, add 1/4 cup mayonnaise, 1 TB. prepared pesto, salt and pepper
Melt 2 TB. butter in small fry pan, add in 1/3 cup Japanese bread crumbs, 1 TB. chopped fresh parsley, 2 tsp. fresh oregano and cook till crumbs are golden
Place yolk mixture back into eggs and sprinkle with panko crumbs

  Wild Rice and Ham Country Tart

The original recipe came from a booklet called Pillsbury Bake-Off Contest Cookbook circa 70's 

It is made with 10 inch tart pan that has a removable bottom. A time saver would make wild rice ahead.

Ingredients:

• pie crust to cover a 10 inch tart pan
• 4 large eggs
• 3/4 cup whipping cream
• 1/2 cup fat free half and half
• 1 tsp. Dijon mustard
• 1 cup each white cheddar cheese and shredded Swiss cheese 
• 1 tsp. each herbes de Provence and parsley flakes
• 1 small package whole pecans
• 1/2 small box sliced mushrooms
• 1 cup cooked wild rice
• 1 cup deli ham, diced
• optional 1/2 cup onion, diced

Directions:

• Preheat oven 425 degrees.
• Roll out pie crust on a floured wax paper surface.
• Invert dough into tart pan, press in bottom of pan and up on sides.
• With 2 pieces of foil press into pie crust (a form of blind baking) press foil into sides of tart pan and bake 10 minutes.

• Prepare filling while pie crust bakes.
• In a blender add eggs, whip cream,half and half, mustard,1 tsp. herbes de Provence and parsley flakes.
• Reduce heat to 400 degrees and remove foil from crust and bake 5 minutes longer.
• Saute mushroom in 1/2 tsp.butter. 
• Sprinkle bottom of pan with diced ham, wild rice, mushrooms and 2 cups shredded cheese.
• Add strips of foil around outside of tart pan to prevent edges from over browning 
• Here is the tricky part but this does work: move rack slightly out  from oven enough to place tart pan on it and pour filling into a measuring glass and slowly fill the tart shell with filling
• Sprinkle pecan halves over the filling.
• Move rack back slowly to correct position and bake at 400 for 30 minutes or until center comes out clean with a knife.  
• Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Brunch Bites or Baby Quiches

recipe adapted from Midwest Living April 2013

Cook's notes: This recipe allows your creative spirit to emerge. It be used as an appetizer as well as a brunch item all depends on the size of muffin pan or appetizer tins used. There are lots of options with this recipe. 

Ingredients:

Pappy's pie crust dough pieces thawed (4 come in a box) If this particular product is not in your area any other frozen pie crust dough will work 

Fillings options:

Frozen spinach thawed and squeezed dry

Cooked bacon chopped into bits

Frozen broccoli thawed, cooked and chopped fine

Deli ham chopped fine

Cooked crumbled sausage

Uncooked sweet peppers

Cheese options:

Cheddar, Swiss, Gruyere, Colby Jack

Custard Filling- this makes a large amount but can cut amount easily in half. It all depends on how many brunch bites are being made.

4 eggs

1/2 cup whipping cream

1/2 cup half and half

1 cup sour cream

1 tsp. Dijon mustard

2 tsp. herbes de Provence

Directions:

Roll out dough on floured wax paper surface and use a glass to cut out round pie crusts (the size of the rounds depends on the size of the muffin tins you use)

In  this photo I placed pie crust rounds into tin and up the sides of the pan. In bottom of the quiche placed  spinach and Swiss cheese and then poured in custard mixture.

 

Bake at 425 for 15 minues