Bad Muffins & Good Quiche

I bought the most adorable, WORTHLESS cookbook last week.

Isn't it cute?








It's called The Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook and the pictures are gorgeous, the recipes simple and inspiring, and the results disastrous! I have never encountered such failure in cooking. Who in the world whips muffin batter with an electric whisk and expects anything other than a brick for the finished product? I decided to give the book one more try this morning and again, terrible results. And this isn't difficult stuff here...muffins, scones, etc. The bakery is very popular in both London and New York, but something went wrong with this book. I'm very sad because I was really excited to try the lavender cupcakes and so many others.

I had to make something quick to make up for this disappointing morning in the kitchen and a quiche is always a quick fix. They turn out beautiful without fail...simple and satisfying. This almost made up for the hockey puck muffins.

Here is my favorite quiche recipe. And it always works. You can make your own crust or buy a pre-made one. I use a spelt crust from PCC or Whole Foods.

Spinach, Red Pepper, and Feta Quiche

Crust
1/3 cup plus 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter
1 tablespoon cold vegetable shortening
1 1/2 tablespoons ice water plus additional if necessary

Filling
1 red onion, chopped and caramelized(I added this and it makes it yummy!)
1/3 cup sliced red bell pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups packed fresh spinach leaves, trimmed and washed thoroughly (about 5 ounces)
4 large eggs
1/3 cup heavy cream or milk
1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
Preheat oven to 425°F.

In a bowl with a pastry blender or in a small food processor blend together flour, butter, shortening, and a pinch salt until mixture resembles meal. Add water and toss until incorporated, adding additional water if necessary to form a dough. Pat dough onto bottom and one half inch up sides of a 7 1/2-inch tart pan with removable fluted rim or a 9-inch pie plate and bake shell in bottom third of oven until set and pale golden, about 7 minutes.

While shell is baking, in a large skillet sauté bell pepper in oil over moderately high heat, stirring, 1 minute. Add spinach and sauté, stirring, until wilted and tender, about 1 minute. Remove skillet from heat and season spinach mixture with salt and pepper. In a small bowl whisk together eggs and cream.

Sprinkle feta over bottom of shell and arrange spinach mixture on top. Pour cream mixture over spinach and bake quiche on a baking sheet in middle of oven 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350°F. and bake until set, about 10 minutes.




This is a funny picture...Zig was about to dig into the quiche and I stopped him saying I need a picture of it for my recipe files. Not me and the quiche. Just the quiche. But he snapped us both. And I look funny. But the quiche looks good. And that's all that matters :)