It’s Friday.  I know you weren’t expecting this, but it’s time for a Pop Quiz.  

Don’t worry.  If you’ve done the reading this should be easy… (I hated when teachers would say that to me). 

Pop Quiz

1) True or False:  The joining of chocolate and coffee is like a cosmic combination of all that is good, just, and rock and roll in the universe. 

2) Fill in the Blank:  Breakfast is the most _________________ . 

3)  Multiple Choice:  The best choice for this weekend’s breakfast treat is:

a) stale Cheerios.  

b) Gerard Butler and hot fudge sauce. 

c) breakfast sandwiches made on Cheddar Black Pepper Biscuits.  

Now… here are the answers: 

1)  True….. duh!  2) Breakfast is the most important meal that ever was.  3) c… if and only if b is unavailable.  

Perfect score?  We’re best friends.  Take note. 

Breakfast.  Be still my heart.  I love you breakfast.  

The combination of cheddar with buttery biscuits is divine.  Add a little kick of black pepper and holy yum!  These biscuits are made with both all-purpose and whole wheat flour.  I like the nuttiness of whole wheat flour.  Now you know.  The combination results in a dense but buttery and delicious biscuit.  They’re the perfect holder of turkey bacon and a fried egg.  Make a sandwich.  Dooooo it!

Cheddar Black Pepper Biscuits

     makes 10 to 12 biscuits

     Print this Recipe!

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup white whole wheat flour (use all-purpose if you don’t have whole wheat)

2 Tablespoons sugar

4 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

3/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup shortening, cold and cut into cubes

1/4 cup butter, cold and cut into cubes

1 egg, beaten

3/4 cup buttermilk, cold

3/4 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

a touch of heavy cream and black pepper for topping the biscuits before baking

In a mixing bowl, sift together flours, sugar, baking powder, cream of tartar and salt.  Cut in shortening and butter until mixture resembles coarse meal.  Add the cheddar and black pepper and toss to combine.  In another bowl, combine egg and milk and beat lightly with a fork.  Add to flour mixture all at once, stirring enough to make a soft dough.

Turn out onto a floured board and knead about 15 times.  Roll or pat out into a 1-inch thickness.  Cut into 2-inch rounds using a biscuit cutter or cut into 2×2-inch squares.  Reshape and roll dough to create more biscuits with excess scraps.  Brush tops with a bit of heavy cream and a sprinkle of fresh ground black pepper.  Place on an ungreased baking sheet and bake at 425 degrees F for 12-15 minutes.  Serve immediately with softened butter or top with bacon and a fried egg as breakfast sandwiches.

These eggs aren’t the only thing that’s scrambled.  

My brains…. also pretty scrambled right now.  

As far as I see it, there are two solutions to the scrambled brain mess that I’ve got going on inside my head right now: a whole weekend worth of sleep or a bag of fun size Snickers bars.  

Aaaand Snickers it is… but first, let me show you what I eat morning, noon and night:  scrambled eggs.  

Are you picky about how you cook your eggs?  Maybe a little?  That’s no crime… everyone likes their eggs a different way.  I’m more of a dry scramble kind of girl.  Here’s my step-by-step guide to eggs for one.  

Start with good quality eggs.  Fresh medium or large eggs from the farmer’s market are mighty fine.  

 Break three eggs into a bowl. 

Beat eggs lightly with a fork.  

Melt just over a tablespoon of butter in a pan over low heat.  Add eggs and stir eggs immediately and constantly with a wooden spoon.  

It may take 3 to 4 minutes for the eggs to become just set but still creamy.  At this point add a scant tablespoon of heavy cream,  a small pat of butter and a generous pinch of salt.  Continue to stir.

When eggs are scrambled to your liking, remove from the pan, top with a touch more salt and fresh ground pepper, and serve with buttered toast.  I garnished my eggs with nasturtium petals (they’re pretty), but chives are also lovely.

((Yes… I just wrote a post about scrambled eggs.  That just happened.))

I’m not sure exactly how to say this, so I’m just going to go ahead and put it out there.

For the first time in…. ever… I had fun at a baby shower.   Real time, legitimate good times at a baby shower.  I wasn’t even faking it, not even a little bit.

I’m going to stand by what may be an unpopular position.  In the past I’ve found most baby showers I’ve had to attend, a troubling combination of boring and humiliating.  Between standing around listening to various labor horror stories and playing disgusting baby games that involve Tootsie Rolls and diapers, I typically just barely manage a fake smile.

This weekend’s baby shower was different.  My friends Mitch and Lara got together, got married, and made another human that Lara is currently growing in her belly.  These people are filled with hilarity, and an uncommon and humble goodness.  Watching them open their baby gifts with grace and a downright speedy efficiency (thanks!), I couldn’t help but imagine their little girl filling the onesies, hats and socks they received.  While it may sound silly, the reality of this impending life became more lovely and amazing as each gift was opened.

That I may or may not have been able to cheat at one of the baby team relay games has very little to do with me having a great time at the shower.  Don’t press me on this.  Please.

Now, without a well-crafted transition, I bring you Crustless But Still Dang Good Quiche.

Yes, I think the best part of a slice of quiche is the crust.  Yes, I still made this quiche without crust.  Sometimes crust, with all of its cutting butter and dusting and rolling pins, seem just a little too daunting for my late morning weekend breakfast.  It turns out, if you slather the pie plate with butter, the quiche will bake up beautifully and when sliced, jump out of the dish with no problem.

I used a combination of spinach, mushroom, walnuts and blue cheese in this quiche.  Feel free to play around with any ingredients you might have on hand.  Next time I make this, I’m going to stay away from blue cheese.  The flavor almost took over the whole quiche.  I think a nice cheddar or gruyere would work better.

Crustless Quiche with Spinach, Mushrooms and Walnuts

adapted from The Good Egg

Print this recipe!

1 10-12 ounce bag of spinach, stems trimmed

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 cups chopped mushrooms

1 garlic clove, minced

salt and pepper

3 large eggs

1 cup half and half

1 cup crumbled blue cheese (I would suggest using cheddar or gruyere instead)

3 Tablespoons chopped walnuts or lightly toasted pine nuts

butter for greasing the pie plate

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Butter a 9-inch pie dish and set aside.

Place the spinach in a large pot, cover and cook over medium heat just until wilted, about 3 minutes.  Remove from the heat and spoon into a strainer set over  a bowl.  Let cool.

Press hard on the spinach in the strainer with the back of a spoon to remove most of the moisture, then squeeze in your hands to remove more.  Turn out onto a cutting board and coarsely chop  Place between two layers of paper towels or wrap in a clean kitchen towel and press to remove more moisture.  You should have about 1 cup packed spinach.  Set aside.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring until tender, about 5 minutes.  Add the garlic and cook for 1 minutes more.  Add the spinach and cook, stirring, until any remaining moisture has evaporated, about 2 minutes.  Remove from heat.  Add a pinch of salt (the cheese is salty, so you won’t need much) and pepper to taste.

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs until light.  Stir in the half and half.  Spoon the spinach mixture evenly into the buttered pie dish.  Sprinkle with the cheese and nuts.  Pour in the egg mixture.

Bake the quiche until puffed and golden brown, about 35 minutes.  Serve warm or at room temperature, cut into generous wedges.

My Mom used to crawl in the bed at night, after a long day of being a mail carrier, a wife and mother and exclaim “Best part of the day!” just before she drifted off to sleep.  To her,  it seemed like there was no greater reward that peaceful rest at the end of the day.

As a kid, I had a hard time relating to my Mom’s Ode to Bedtime.  I was sure that I could have, at the very least, squeezed one more episode of The Cosby Show into my night.  Nope.  Bedtime was bedtime, not because there were overly strict bedtime rules, but because my Mom was just dog tired.

Nowadays I feel like I have a better understanding of my Mom’s nighttime sentiments.  My head hits the pillow after a long day and I’m asleep before I can even turn the bedside lamp off… and I don’t even have little kids yet!

You were right Momma.  Sometimes crawling under the covers is the best part of the day.

Other times, quiche is the best part of the day.  True.

In exciting, not sleepy or quiche related news:  my Mom, after over 30 years of delivering mail, retires from the Post Office… today!  Holy heck Mom!  Way to go!  Thanks for working hard for the family all those years.   I couldn’t be happier for you.  I hope you find a new “best part of the day”.  For reals, I love you Mom!

Thanks for letting me get that off my chest.  Moms are important.  I have a good one.

Speaking of good.  Um… I should warn you about this quiche.  It’s not good.  It’s so crazy great you might hurt yourself!  Truly.  Between the puff pastry, bacon, creme fraiche and Gruyere, this quiche just about made me cry.

Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Creme Fraiche Quiche

The Gourmet Cookbook

Print this recipe!

3/4 pound bacon (12 slices) cut crosswise into 3/4-inch wide pieces

1 sheet frozen puff pastry ( from a 17 1/4-ounce package), thawed (I love Dufour puff pastry)

6 large eggs

2 (10-ounce) containers creme fraiche (2 1/4 cups)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1 cup coursely grated Gruyere (about 4 ounces)

Put a baking sheet on a middle rack and preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Cook bacon in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until crisp, about 10 minutes.

With a slotted spoon, transfer to paper towels to drain.

Roll out pastry on a lightly floured surface into a 13-inch square.  Because pastry sheets are in a squares, it is easier to roll it into a larger square and then trim it into a round.  Fit pastry into pie pan and trim the pastry so that just about 1/4-inch of puff pastry hangs over the sides.

Whisk eggs in a medium bowl until well combined, then whisk in creme fraiche, salt and nutmeg until just smooth.  Pour filling through a fine-mesh strainer into pastry shell.  Sprinkle bacon evenly over filling and top with Gruyere.

Bake quiche on heated baking sheet until center is set (it should not jiggle when shaken), 45 minutes to 1 hour.  Quiche will puff up while in he oven and sink a bit once it’s out and cooled.  Transfer to rack to cool to warm or room temperature.

This list of things that I’ve stolen in my life is pretty small.

There was that piece of candy that I stole from Fedco when I was 7. My Dad caught me chomping on it in the back seat of the car and I got the big morality talk. Lesson: never steal anything too chewy.

There were the Girl Scout cookies I stole from my big sister’s room when she was out on a secret date. I was the natural suspect. I got a good talking to for that one. When I pulled the same cookie thievery the next week, well…. my parents made sure I learned my lesson that time.

Then there were all the times I would sneak into my Mom’s secret chocolate stashes. My Mom’s hiding places were no match for my ability to find a stool and wiggle my way around cabinets looking for sweets.

Thinking back on it, my thievery always involved something delicious that I wanted to put in my tummy. I was pathetically predictable in that sense.

I was once again tempted by the thievery gods this weekend while walking around my neighborhood. There’s citrus EVERYWHERE. Just about every other yard has a blooming orange or lemon tree just begging to be plucked. Isn’t sneaking into someones yard to yank their produce considered theft? I thought back to all of the stern reprimands and spankings I got from stealing yummies as a kid and thought better of sneaking into my neighbor’s yard.

Instead, I forked over some cash at the farmer’s market and felt just fine about making this Honey- Lime Curd.

Does this sort of concession mean my bad girl days are long gone? Sigh….

Honey-Lime Curd with Creme Fraiche

This recipe is alluringly tart. It’s pretty. It’s smooth, and the sweetness is beautifully rounded out by the honey. You could substitute lemons for limes if that’s what you have on hand. Serve this curd on warm scones or with creme fraiche and shortbread cookies. Lovely!

Print this recipe!

5 large egg yolks

1 large egg

2/3 cup fresh lime juice

1 teaspoon finely grated lime zest, plus more for garnish

1/4 cup plus 2 Tablespoons honey

4 Tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces

Creme Fraiche for serving

In a medium saucepan, bring 1 inch of water to a boil.

In a medium heatproof bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the whole egg, the fresh lime juice, the teaspoon of lime zest and the honey.

Set the bowl with the lime mixture over the boiling water, creating a double boiler. Reduce the heat to moderate and cook the lime mixture, whisking constantly until the curd has thickened to the consistency of mayonnaise, about 7 minutes.

Remove the bowl from the heat and whisk in the butter pieces until smoothly combined. Pass the curd through a fine mesh strainer into a medium bowl.

Ladle the strained curd into 4 cups or ramekins. Press a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the lime curd to prevent a skin from forming; refrigerate until chilled, at least 3 hours.

Top the curd with dollops of creme fraiche and garnish with remaining lime zest.

Serve with shortbread cookies or atop hot, sexy scones.