Happy New Year!
Cream Cheese and Lox Quiche
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This cream cheese and lox is creamy and light. I had fun playing with the flavors usually associated with cream cheese and lox on a bagel and the result was fabulous! Make a large one and serve family style or make small individual sizes, easy serving for buffets or individual servings. Add a salad for a wonderful meal.
Quiche are wonderful for parties, luncheons and small dinners. Included here are other quiches –make several different kinds for a delicious luncheon or evening or evening meal. Quiche can be served warm or at room temperature. See recipe and links below.
Foodie Lit
Celeste Gabriel Is an artist, perhaps one of the best of her generation. She Is also impoverished and a woman, marks against her In 15th century Italy. Eleanor Chance has written a beautiful historical novel about love and art, about class and gender and about risk and achievement.
We learn much about Venice and Florence, about art and about what it means to be determined against all odds. An inspiring story for any era.
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Cream Cheese and Lox Quiche
Serves 4 as a main course or 6 witth a salad.
Crust
1 1/2 cup flour
1/2 t salt
1/2 cup cold butter, cubed
1/4 cup cold water
1 egg beaten for egg wash
Filling
4 ounces lox (smoked salmon), cut into small pieces
6 ounces cream cheese, room temperature and softened
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 shallot, minced
1 tablespoon white wine, optional
6 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup cream
6 ounces gruyere, chopped or grated
1 green onion, chopped for garnish
1 teaspoon dried dill
1 teaspoon finely ground breadcrumbs
Crust
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Mix flour and salt. Cut in butter. Add 1/4 cup cold water, a little at a time until the dough is moist and sticks together. You may use a food processor, adding flour, salt and butter. Pour in water slowly through the chute.
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Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour.
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Roll out crust to fit 8” pie pan. With a fork, prick the bottom of the crust. Crimp the edges attractively. Sprinkle breadcrumbs on top. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Filling
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Preheat oven to 350 F.
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Cut lox into small pieces. Cut in cream cheese. Set aside.
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In a skillet, add olive oil and shallot. Add white wine. Sauté until softened. Sprinkle evenly over the bottom of the crust.
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With your fingers, drop small bits of the cream cheese and lox over the shallots and crust.
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Beat eggs, salt and pepper until frothy. Add cream. Sprinkle flour over top and beat until smooth. Pour over the crust.
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Sprinkle cheese, green onion and dill on top.
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Bake for 40-50 minutes or until the quiche is set.
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Serve warm.
Note: The white wine is optional, although it adds a lovely flavor. When I have a little bit of wine left over, I freeze it in ice cube trays and then transfer the cubes to a freezer bag. I keep these cubes in the freezer and for times such as sautéing vegetable or making soup, I pop one or two intto the recipe. This saves opening a bottle of wine for just a little bit and eliminates throwing out leftover wine.
Gluten Free Crust
1 1/2 cups flour
4 tablespoons sugar
3/4 cup finely ground nuts, such as walnuts, pecans or almonds
8 tablespoons margarine or butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons ice water
1 egg white, lightly beaten
1. Combine flour, sugar and nuts in a bowl. Add margarine and work with a fork, pastry blender or hands until the mixture resembles cornmeal. Add vanilla and 1 tablespoon water, mixing until dough begins to stick together.
2. Work dough with your hands until you can form a smooth ball that sticks together. Flatten, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour or up to overnight.
3. Place dough between 2 sheets of parchment paper and roll out to a 12-13” round. Refrigerate for 15-20 minutes.
4. Peel off one side of paper and unroll over tart pan with a removable rim. Patch as needed.
5. Roll the rolling pin over top to trim off excess. Refrigerate about 1/2 hour.
6. Preheat oven to 400F. Prick crust lightly with fork and brush with egg white. Bake about 20 minutes or until lightly golden.
7. Spprinkle witth finely ground bread crumbs. Add filling and follow rest of recipe.
expandthetable suggestions
Cut Calories: Use milk instead of cream to cut the calories
Cheese Choice: Instead of Gruyere, use Swiss, Emmental or Gouda.