Emeril Lagasse's Cookbook Sneak Peak: Leek and Bacon Quiche in a Potato Crust

Check out some of the great food making its way onto my plate from Emeril's new cookbook coming out on September 27th, 2011! It's called Sizzling Skillets and Other One-Pot Wonders. You can pre-order it now on Amazon.com.

You can find more recipes from the book on Shawnie Kelley's blog, Manges! Mangi! including Tagine of Chicken with Lemon and Olives, Portuguese Pork and Clams and Emeril's Cajun Shrimp Stew.


I often make quiche, but it's kind of the same way I make soup: whatever is in my fridge that I need to use up goes in, and out comes something reasonably edible. I prefer my quiche with heavy cream vs. soy milk or 2% milk, but I find all of the variations to be acceptable. What I never much care for is the crust. It's fine, it holds the thing together, but I don't really ENJOY it.

Well, Emeril has found a solution! Potato Crust! Potatoes last forever in the fridge, so I can have them on hand. The rest of the ingredients were familiar and things I often have in my house. Except the bacon, I left that out. I'm sure it'd be delicious with bacon; bacon and leeks go well together.

I really enjoyed the oniony flavor with the green onions and the leeks. I like savory breakfasts, or egg dinners, so this is a great recipe for me to make and munch on for a few days.

The leeks smelled AMAZING when they were cooking in the butter! The only thing I'd change is the quality of the cheese I chose: I used a standard packaged sharp cheddar. A stronger, high quality cheese would have been noticeably better. I don't say that about every recipe.

As you can probably see, I overcooked the crust just a bit. I would've gone 5-10 minutes less on the crust baking. I was afraid the potatoes wouldn't be cooked and overcompensated a bit.

This makes a big quiche, so it's great for a group offering at a party or a big family breakfast. It warms up better than any quiche I've had, so you can be like me and make it for yourself, then eat it for 4 days straight. :)

Check out the finished product below!

Leek and Bacon Quiche in a Potato Crust

Nonstick cooking spray
2 tblsp butter, plus 1 tblsp softened and 2 tblsp melted
7 eggs
2 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/4 tsp freshly ground white pepper
1/4 tsp plus a pinch of cayenne
2 lbs Idaho potatoes, peeled and set in a bowl of water to prevent browning
1 egg white, lightly beaten
8 oz bacon, diced
1 large leek, root end and dark green leaves discarded, thinly sliced and cleaned
1 c. sour cream
1 1/2 c whole milk
1 1/2 c heavy cream
1 tblsp fresh thyme leaves
1/4 c thinly sliced green onion
4 oz sharp cheddar cheese, grated (about 1 cup)

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
 
Using the cooking spray, grease the bottom and sides of a 9-inch springform pan. Grease a large sheet of parchment paper with the softened butter and cut it into pieces to fit the bottom and sides of the pan (one circle and one long rectangle). Line the pan with the parchment paper, buttered side up.

Whisk 1 egg in a medium bowl. Add 1 tsp of the salt, 1/2 tsp of the white pepper, and the pinch of cayenne.

Set a box grater on a clean kitchen towel. Grate the potatoes on the large holes of the grater onto the towel. Gather the ends of the towel up around the grated potatoes to another clean towel and squeeze again. You may need to do this in batches.

When the potatoes are dry, add them and the melted butter to the egg mixture and toss to combine. Pat the potato mixture evenly on the bottom and up the sides of the prepared pan. Place the pan on a baking sheet and bake until golden around the edges, about 30 minutes. Brush some of the beaten egg white all over the potato crust to seal any cracks. Set the crust aside to cool for at least 5 minutes (leave it on the baking sheet for easier transporting). Reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees F.

Add the bacon to a small skillet and set over medium heat. Cook until the fat is rendered and the bacon is crispy, about 10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to a paper two-lined plate and reserve. Discard all but 2 tablespoons of the bacon fat from the pan.

Add the remaining 2 tblsp butter to the pan. When the butter has melted, add the leek, 1/2 tsp of the remaining salt, and 1/4 tsp of the remaining white pepper. Cook, stirring as needed, until the leek is soft, 6-7 minutes. Remove from the heat.

In a large bowl, whisk the remaining 6 eggs with the sour cream, milk, cream, thyme, green onion, grated cheddar, and remaining 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp white pepper, and 1/4 tsp cayenne until smooth. Add the bacon and leek and stir to combine. Carefully ladle the filling into the potato crust. The filling may come up past the edges of the crust, depending on how high you pressed the potato crust. if so, don't worry.

Bake for 30 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F and cook for 25 minutes. Rotate the pan from front to back and continue to cook until the quiche is nearly set in the center, about 25 minutes longer. It will continue to set as it cools. Remove the quiche from the oven and set aside at least 20 minutes before slicing and serving.

8 servings

Emeril Lagasse's Cookbook Sneak Peak: Gigante Bean Soup with Arugula Pesto

For all you Emeril fans out there, he's got a new cookbook coming out on September 27th, 2011! It's called Sizzling Skillets and Other One-Pot Wonders. You can pre-order it now on Amazon.com.

In the past, the Emeril recipes I've tried have come from foodnetwork.com searches, one of which is a now a favorite of mine: Gingerbread with Spiced Creme Anglaise. So it was exciting to have a real cookbook in my hands again! After thoroughly perusing the cookbook, I would categorize it as advanced for 3 reasons.
1. Most of the recipes call for many steps, like soaking, refrigerating overnight, and baking one part while whisking another.
2. The recipes are ingredient-heavy. Things like white peppercorns and grapeseed oil aren't items I have in my house regularly and some of the ingredients would need to be found at a specialty store.
3. Many of the recipes call for cookware I don't own. I have a small kitchen, so I don't buy a lot of cooking accessories. (Not that I don't pine for ALL of them!) In the recipes I read through, there were mentions of Tagines, Woks, and Springform Pans.

That said, if you love to cook, and you love to take the time to cook some amazing food, this is the book for you.

The first recipe I made was Gigante Bean Soup with Arugula Pesto. Read more (including recipes) after viewing some pretty photos of this yummy soup in the making.

Emeril says you can use any number of large beans in this recipe, which is good, since I have no idea what a Gigante Bean is. My favorite large beans are Fava Beans. They have a thick skin and a creamy inside. I let them soak for something like 14 hours, because I hate having hard beans. It worked fine. You can also use large Lima Beans.

Most of the ingredients for this were accessible, except for the white peppercorns which I skipped and just used ground pepper. No harm done. I even got to use some ingredients from my CSA and from my own garden, which is always exciting! I skipped the pancetta, since I don't eat meat. If I did add it, I'd probably have cut down on the salt in the recipe, since that would add more salt.

I've made a lot of soups in my time, but it's mostly the kind where I have a bunch of stuff that's about to go bad so I put it in a pot and boil for 10 minutes and voila! Soup. This time, I followed the recipe closely and didn't take the shortcuts I normally would, and I'm happy that the extra work paid off! This is filling and wonderfully substantial, even when made vegetarian, and would be great for all seasons. The fresh vegetables meld well together and the herbs shine through. I didn't think I'd care for the peppers, but they really did add flavor and color.

I garnished with a little extra Parmesan cheese and ate it as soon as I was done shooting. Even lukewarm it was still super tasty!

I think my favorite part of the recipe was the "garnish". Emeril added an Arugula Pesto recipe that is fantastic! I would never have thought of adding pesto as a garnish to a soup, but it was perfect. I will now make it all the time, as I love arugula. I'd put it on a sandwich (ooh, a breakfast sandwich!) or crackers and cheese, or as a veggie dip....It's nice because it doesn't have any garlic in it, so there isn't the huge bite pesto usually has. It does have lemon juice which adds it's own zing without overpowering everything else. Yum. Take a look at the photos below!



While they aren't the easiest recipes in the world, they are wonderfully complex in flavor and you'll be glad you took the time to put such a great meal together. Better yet, freeze a bunch of it and have them for multiple meals! Both of these recipes probably had closer to 7-8 servings vs. the normal 4-6.

Stay tuned for more recipes from Emeril's new book coming this week!

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Gigante Bean Soup with Arugula Pesto

Gigante beans are very large white beans with a creamy, almost buttery texture. They are also known as hija or gigande beans and are a staple in Spanish and Greek cuisine. Feel free to substitute large lima beans (or in my case, Fava Beans.)

2 sprigs fresh thyme
2 sprigs fresh parsley
1 bay leaf
5 white peppercorns
4 oz. pancetta, diced small (here, optional)
2 tblsp olive oil
2 medium carrots, diced small
2 celery stalks, diced small
1 onion, diced small
1 small fennel bulb, diced small
1 lb dried gigante beans, picked over, rinsed, soaked overnight and drained
3 c. chicken stock or canned low-sodium chicken broth
2 1/2 tsp salt
1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and diced small
1 orange bell pepper, seeded and diced small
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced small
1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1/4 c. Arugula Pesto (recipe follows) for garnish

1. In the center of a piece of cheesecloth, combine the thyme, parsley, bay leaf, and peppercorns. Gather the ends together and tie securely with a piece of kitchen twine to form a sachet. Set aside.

2. In a large soup pot over medium heat, cook the pancetta in the olive oil until it is brown and crispy and has rendered most of its fat, 3-5 minutes. Remove the pancetta from the pot using a slotted spoon and transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain.

3. Add the carrots, celery, onion and fennel to the pot and saute until the vegetables begin to wilt and caramelize lightly, about 10 minutes. Add the beans, herb sachet, chicken stock, and enough water to cover the beans by one inch (about 4 cups). Season the beans with 1 1/2 tsp salt. Bring the beans to a boil, reduce the heat so that the broth just simmers, and cook uncovered until the beans are almost tender, about 1 hour. Add the bell peppers and pancetta and cook until the beans are tender, about 20 minutes longer. Remove the sachet from the pot and discard.

4. Season the soup with the pepper and the remaining tsp of salt.

5. Serve the soup in large bowls, garnished with a generous spoonful of the pesto, to taste. Serve with a loaf of warm, crusty bread.
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Arugula Pesto

4 oz baby arugula, washed and spun dry
1 oz fresh mint leaves (about 1 packed cup)
1/2 c grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1/2 c toasted pine nuts
1 tsp grated lemon zest
2 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 c extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp salt

1. Combine the arugular, mint, parmesan, pine nuts lemon zest, and lemon juice in a food processor. Puree until smooth, then add the olive oil in a slow, steady stream. Process just until the olive oil is incorporated. Add the salt and pulse just to blend.

2. Transfer the pesto to an airtight container until ready to use. The pesto can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks and in the freezer for up to 6 months. Makes 1 cup.

Food Photographer in Central Ohio: Design*Sponge Post!

I'm really excited to be featured on Design*Sponge this week! It's a site I've admired for a long time, and it's a great fit with Photo Kitchen. Here are the photos that were featured, and a few extras that were left out! If you haven't seen the full article, with the delicious local honey recipes including Ohio Honey Oat Bars (like granola bars, but better) and Homemade Ricotta and Honey Over Biscotti, click here!

Pet Photographer | Columbus Ohio

Yup, Boxer puppies really are this fun! They're sweet, playful (uh, yes, understatement!) and completely adorable! In a tiara or on the beach, this Boxer was a blast to shoot! Dogs come with shooting challenges, but that's half the fun. With over 1,000 frames shot, it was so hard to narrow down, but I managed to do it so I could share them with you.

Westerville Farmer's Market | Food Photographer Columbus Ohio

Took my weekly trip to the Westerville Farmer's Market yesterday!

I was delighted to see my good friends there too, shopping away, enjoying the chocolate covered strawberries from Sugar Inc: Artisan Tea and Bakery!

It's great seeing all those familiar faces, the vendors I love talking to, but may love their food just a bit more. :) One of my favorites being Sweet Thing Gourmet, a jam company that has put all other jams to shame. Mark, one of the owners, kindly ignored my camera and let me take a few photos of him, below.

Commercial Food Photography Studio

Recipe of the Month:
Blueberry Boy Bait

This recipe came to me by request, from a certain someone who loves blueberries. He found the recipe on SmittenKitchen, and I figured, why not? Trader Joe's had blueberries that looked too good to pass up, and I was on a baking spree anyway, so I figured I'd throw this one in the mix. It was very simple to make, and will be perfect for breakfast (like a mix between a muffin and coffee cake), and a snack, and dinner....Don't worry, it's healthy; there's fruit in it!

Here are a few photos of the batter. I always scrape the bowl clean, no batter will go to waste at my house!


And here are a few hurried shots of the final product. Every food photo shoot is a process. I start with what I like most, but then move onto different angles, and points of focus. Then I begin to add in elements and deconstruct the subject. You can't go backwards with food, so I always start with the least destructive option.
1. The first image was shot from the back of the piece of cake I cut. I say the back, because it was the side that was falling apart, but I liked how it looked anyway.
2. The second shot is of the clean side, the front. While it looks okay, I think it's too straight, and doesn't look as bite-worthy as the other side.
3. The third one is shot from higher up so the focus goes further in the background and you get to see the fork cutting into the cake. I like this one best, because it shows the product well, but is also interactive. I feel like I'm about to eat it.
4. The fourth one I shot to get closer up into the cake with the fork, but the piece in the front doesn't look all that appealing, so I'd stick with #3.


Which one do you like best?