Quiche (法式鹹派), Phyllo Purses (酥皮小點), Crab Salad (蟹肉沙拉)

前天按網路食譜及幾本食譜書中試了幾道小菜, 有些很簡單, 有些略微費工, 但是成品都蠻好吃又好看喔, 有機會你不妨也試試.  我個人喜歡蟹肉, 所以我很喜歡這道易做又適合炎熱夏天的蟹肉沙拉, 配上Endive略苦的味道, 非常好吃, 又好看. 

1. Spinach and Gruyere Quiche (from The Big Book of Appetizers)
2. Leek and Mushroom Quiche (from SmittenKitchen.com)
[參考]: 菠菜法式鹹派食譜 (from 品味生活’s Grace)
3. Phyllo Purses with Brie, Pistachios and Apricots (from The Big Book of Appetizers)
4. Crab Salad with Endive (from Small Plate Williams Sonoma)

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Spinach and Gruyere Quiche

Flaky Pastry材料:
1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, chilled in the freezer for 1 hour
9 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick is 8 tablespoons), cut into 1/2 inch pieces and chilled in the freezer for 1 hour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup ice water

Quiche 材料:
2 Flaky Pastry
1 pound lean bacon
2 cups thinly sliced onion
2 pounds spinach, washed and tough stems removed
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
8 large eggs, beaten
1 cup half-and-half
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 cups grated Gruyere cheese (可用cream cheese and sour cream替代)

Flaky Pastry 做法:
1. Place the flour, butter and salt in the food processor until the butter is reduced to pea-sized pieces.
2. Add cold water slowly to the food processor while pulsing few times to incorporate into the mixture, and turn the pastry mixture out onto a cool work surface.  The mixture should look shaggy and dry (if the dough forms a ball, the pastry will be tough).
3. Using the heel of your hand, smear the pastry mixture against the counter until it comes together and forms a rough dough.  Shape the dough into a disk, wrap it in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

* The dough can be made up to 2 days ahead, roll them out on baking pans, and freeze them with parchment paper between the layers and the pans wrapped in plastic.  When you need a pie, remove a layer from the freezer, let it thaw on a work surface for about 30 minutes and use it as directed in your recipe.

Quiche 做法:
1. Roll out each batch of pastry and fit them into a large baking sheet with side.  The dough should fit up the sides of the pan. Seal the seams, trim the sides, and patch any holes with extra dough. Prick the bottom with a fork.  Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
2. Preheat the oven to 375 degree F
3. Line the chilled pastry with a sheet of parchment paper, leaving a 4-inch overhang around the edges.  Cover the bottom with pie weights.  Bake in the lower half of the oven until the bottom is set, about 40 minutes.
4. Remove the pie weights; place them on a heatproof plate or baking sheet to cool for 20 minutes before filling.
5. Meanwhile, heat a skillet over medium heat and fry the bacon in batch until it is crisp and brown.  Pour off the bacon fat between batches (only keep 3 tablespoons of fat).  Remove the bacon to a plate and blot with paper towels.
6. With 3 tablespoons of bacon fat in the skillet, add the onion and sauté over medium heat until tender and translucent, about 5 minutes.  Set aside.
7. In a large, hot skillet over medium heat, toss a handful of the wet spinach until it wilts, about 30 seconds.  Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper.  Add more spinach as there is room for it in the pan and sauté until it is all wilted.  Place the spinach in a colander and press on it to remove some of the water and dry it.  Lightly chop the spinach and reserve. 
8. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, half-and-half, salt, black pepper, nutmeg, and cayenne.
9. Crumble the bacon in the bottom of the pastry shell.  Lay the onions and spinach evenly over the top and sprinkle evenly with cheese.
10.  Pour the egg mixture evenly over the entire surface of the quiche.  Bake in the oven until the center is set, about 35 minutes.  Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes before cutting.

*The quiche can be made up to 24 hours in advance and kept, covered and refrigerated.  Crisp the pastry in a 350F oven for 20 minutes before cutting.

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Phyllo Purses with Brie, Pistachios and Apricots

材料: (make 8, serving 4)
1 cup apricot nectar (可用cider代替)
4 teaspoons apricot preserves
1/3 cup dried apricots, snipped into quarters with kitchen shears (可用dried figs代替)
1/4 cup white rum
1/2 cup chopped natural green pistachios (可用toasted walnuts代替)
1 stick plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, divided
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 sheets phyllo pastry, thawed in the refrigerator for 12 hours if frozen
4 oz Brie, cut into 8 square pieces (可用Gorgonzola代替)

做法:
1. Cook the apricot nectar and rum in a medium saucepan over medium heat until the mixture has reduced to 1/4 cup.  Remove from the heat and reserve.
2. Preheat the oven to 350F
3. Toss the pistachios with 2 tablespoons of the melted butter and the salt.  Transfer the nuts to a baking sheet and lightly brown in the oven for about 5 minutes.  Remove from the oven and let cool.
4. Increase the oven temperature to 425F
5. Remove the phyllo from the package, unroll it onto a work surface, and cover it with a large plastic wrap sheet.  Cover warp with a damp towel to weigh it down and keep the pastry from frying out.  Cut 4 or 5 sheets of the pastry at a time into 5-inch squares, returning it under the plastic wrap quickly.  You will need 32 of these squares.
6. Working quickly so that the phyllo doesn’t dry out, lay out 8 squares of phyllo separately.  Brush each with melted butter and place another sheet of phyllo on top of each, offsetting them so that each piece has 8 points.  Repeat with the rest of the phyllo so that each piece has 4 buttered layers.  Transfer the phyllo to 2 parchment-lined baking sheets.
7. Add a piece of Brie to the center of each phyllo stack.  Top with a few piece of dried apricot and a light scattering of the toasted pistachios, reserving about half for garnish.  Add about 1/2 teaspoon of apricot preserves to the top of each.
8. Gather the sides of the phyllo up to enclose the cheese mixture, and twist so that the package stays closed.  Brush the outside of each package with butter and bake until browned and the cheese inside has melted, about 15-20 minutes.
9. Reheat the reduced apricot nectar and drizzle it over 4 heated plates.  Place 2 Brie packages on top of the sauce and garnish with a scattering of the remaining pistachios.  Serve hot.

* The unbaked Brie bundle can be frozen, arranged on a parchment-lined baking sheet and wrapped in plastic, for 2 weeks.  They can be baked without thawing; just give them 5 more minutes in the oven.

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Crab Salad with Endive

材料: (make 24 pieces)
1/2 Fennel bulb, trimmed, quartered lengthwise, and finely chopped
1/2 lb (250g) Fresh lump crabmeat, picked over for shell fragments
1 Shallot, finely chopped
1 tablespoon Fresh chives, finely chopped, plus more for garnish
1 tablespoon Fresh Italian parsley, finely chopped
2 tablespoons Mayonnaise
1 tablespoon Crème Fraiche or sour cream
1 lemon juice
Salt and ground white pepper
6 large Belgian endive

做法:
1. In a bowl, stir together the fennel, crabmeat, shallot, 1 tablespoon chives, parsley, mayonnaise, crem fraiche, lemon juice, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.  Taste and adjust the seasonings.
2. Trim the root ends from the endive heads and separate into spears.  Arrange 24 of the largest spears on a platter.  Spoon a generous amount of crab salad onto the wide end of each spear, garnish with the remaining chives, and serve.