Weeknight Gourmet

Tim and I hosted an “Early Mother’s Day / See our New Apartment” brunch on Saturday for Tim’s parents, brother, our sister-in-law, and our beautiful little niece Kaylin.  I made two wonderful brunch dishes – a tomato, olive, and rosemary crustless quiche and an asparagus gruyere tart.  Both are really beautiful dishes and are perfect for a buffet table (sadly I was so busy cooking that I forgot to take photos of the food)!  I served the quiche and tart with a simple green salad.  We had some fruit and almond-blueberry cookies for dessert (will post on the cookies separately).

I loved the crustless quiche – you really didn’t miss the traditional crust!  I didn’t alter the recipe in any way and it turned out wonderfully.  Tomato and olive is such a great combo with the fontina and Emmentaler cheeses.  This is a great dish for a brunch party or a shower.

Since I left out the pastry on the quiche, I decided to make an asparagus tart that I have made a few times before.  It is such a pretty dish and looks far more difficult than it is to make.  All you need is puff pastry (defrosted in the fridge), shredded gruyere, asparagus, and olive oil.  The only trick is to make sure you score the pastry so that you create a border and prick the inside of the border with a fork so the area on which you place the asparagus doesn’t puff too much.

We had a great time and it was wonderful having our first get together at our new place!

Tomato, Olive and Rosemary Crustless Quiche
Food Network Kitchens

• 4 cups grape tomatoes, mixed red and yellow if possible, rinsed and patted dry
• 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/3 cup pitted black olives, such as kalamata, halved lengthwise
• 1 1/2 cups (1-inch, day-old) bread cubes, preferably sourdough
• 1 cup chopped white onion, about 1 medium
• Kosher salt
• 1 lemon, zest finely grated
• 2 cups half-and-half
• 2 large eggs
• 2 egg yolks
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 3 ounces grated Emmentaler cheese, about 3/4 cup
• 3 ounces grated fontina cheese, about 3/4 cup
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Spread the tomatoes out in a single layer on a shallow baking pan, and toss with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Roast on the top rack for 15 minutes. Add the olives, and continue to roast until the tomato skins are dark brown, black in spots, about 10 minutes more. Remove from oven, and reduce heat to 350 degrees F.

Meanwhile, pulse bread into crumbs in a food processor. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium heat; add bread crumbs and stir until evenly toasted, about 5 minutes. Evenly spread crumbs in a 9-inch glass or ceramic pie pan. Place pan on a baking sheet.

Wipe out the skillet, add the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and the onions, and season with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook, over medium-high heat until translucent and starting to brown; add lemon zest and cook for 1 minute more. Remove from heat and cool slightly.

Whisk half-and-half, eggs and yolks in large glass measuring cup. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Evenly spread the onions in the prepared pan. Combine the cheeses and scatter over the onions. Top with the roasted tomatoes and olives, and sprinkle with rosemary. Pour the custard over the fillings.

Bake until the quiche is just set in the center, about 40 to 50 minutes. Cool completely on a rack before serving.

***

Asparagus & Gruyere Tart
Everyday Food

• Flour, for work surface
• 1 sheet frozen puff pastry
• 5 1/2 ounces (2 cups) Gruyere cheese, shredded
• 1 1/2 pounds medium or thick asparagus
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. On a floured surface, roll the puff pastry into a 16-by-10-inch rectangle. Trim uneven edges. Place pastry on a baking sheet. With a sharp knife, lightly score pastry dough 1 inch in from the edges to mark a rectangle. Using a fork, pierce dough inside the markings at 1/2-inch intervals. Bake until golden, about 15 minutes.

Remove pastry shell from oven, and sprinkle with Gruyere. Trim the bottoms of the asparagus spears to fit crosswise inside the tart shell; arrange in a single layer over Gruyere, alternating ends and tips. Brush with oil, and season with salt and pepper. Bake until spears are tender, 20 to 25 minutes.