Perfect Quiche

My quiche always came out rubbery until I came across this recipe.  The diva that gave me this ran her own restaurant.  I was adding too many eggs and not enough cream.  This quiche is wonderful. 

4 eggs

2 cups half and half

1 cup shredded cheese ( cheddar, Swiss, or your favorite blend)

1- 1 1/2  cups of crumbled crispy bacon, cooked sausage, ham, broccoli (par cooked or frozen defrosted and drained) or whatever you like for filling ( mix them together)

¾ tsp salt

¼ tsp pepper

9” unbaked pie crust (Use a frozen deep dish and let it defrost while assembling ingredients).

Sprinkle meat or vegetable filling in bottom of pie crust. 

Sprinkle cheese on top of filling.

In a pretty bowl slightly beat eggs, add in the half and half, salt and pepper 

Add other seasonings if you like.

Pour mixture into  pie crust.

Place in oven at 425 for 15 minutes. 

Reduce heat to 300 degrees and bake for an additional 30 minutes or until knife inserted ½ way to center comes out clean.  

Let rest for 10 minutes before slicing.

Baked Mini-Crab Cakes

The biggest problem with this recipe is that I only made one batch.  They disappeared faster than my kitten when the vacuum starts up.  So I'm told.  I'm not really sure where the vacuum is.  All right, truth is faster than I disappear when the vacuum starts up.

I didn't make the ones in the picture.  I don't have time for such pretty food.  I put a garlic aioli in my friend's mini-wine glass and served the cakes around it.  For that dipping sauce I just whisked together some light mayonnaise, a minced garlic clove, some lemon juice, and a splash of hot sauce.

You don't really need to chill the recipe for 30 minutes, but I like to make things ahead.  I did up to this step and brought it to my Fourth of July luxury BBQ (at Bob & Diana's, Coleen) and baked it there.  

Baked Mini-Crab Cakes

olive oil for sautéing

1/2 onion, diced

1/2 mild banana chili pepper, diced

1 Tbsp. capers

a few dashes Worcestershire sauce

a few pinches Old Bay

1 can crab

1/4 cup bread crumbs

1/4 cup light mayonnaise

1 small spoonful Dijon mustard

some nice chives from the kitchen garden, chopped

1 egg

Sauté onion, pepper, capers, Worcestershire, and Old Bay until onions are soft.  

Remove from heat and let cool.

In a pretty bowl, toss the crab with the breadcrumbs, mayonnaise, mustard, chives, and egg.

Add the cooled onion mixture to the crab mixture.

Cover and chill.

Scoop into greased mini-muffin tins.

Bake for 15 minutes until they start looking golden brown.

Make it a meal:  Serve ahead of you friend's marinated grilled chicken and pasta salad with side salad of cucumbers and tomatoes.

Wine:  Chardonny all the way.

Garlic-y Crab Dip

A bit of garlic and Old Bay make this dip divine. This conjures up images of foamy ocean waves and salty skin. Oh my. Serve it quick, before summer is over.

Garlic-y Crab Dip

8 oz. cream cheese (I use light)

1 can of crab meat

1 big spoonful of mayonnaise (more light)

1 spoonful sour cream (again with the light)

3 pinches of Old Bay Seasoning

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 Tbsp. Worcestershire

2 dashes hot sauce

Mix all the ingredients together and serve at room temperature.
Serve with crudités (raw vegetables) or crackers.

Make it a meal: Serve with a bunch of other appetizers. It's too hot for an entire meal.

Wine: Chardonnay

Crab & Cheese Strata

This recipe is simply divine. I served this at a December 24th Open Haus. Friends and family stop by for a Bloody Mary and a bite to eat as they finish their holiday chores. This dish did not last long.

Crab & Cheese Strata

2 cups good bread, cubed

1 can crab meat

2 cups Swiss cheese, shredded

1/2 cup Cheddar cheese, shredded

1 tbsp. capers

2 slices onion, chopped

3 eggs, beaten

3/4 cup milk

2 dashes dry sherry

1/2 tbsp. Dijon mustard

1 dash Worcestershire sauce

Grease a baking dish.
Toss together the bread cubes, crab meat, Swiss cheese, Cheddar cheese, capers, and onions in the baking dish.
Whisk eggs, milk, sherry, mustard, and Worcestershire sauce in a bowl.
Pour evenly over bread mixture.
Cover tightly and refrigerate at least 2 hours to 24 hours.
Bake strata uncovered at 350 degrees about 45 minutes.
Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Crab Stuffed Flounder

I have never cooked flounder before. Wow, is it easy! It comes in these gorgeous thin filets that cook up in moments. Dazzle your company with this recipe. Divas always dazzle.

Crab Stuffed Flounder

1 lb. flounder filets

1 can crab meat

1 dash dry mustard

1 dash Worcestershire sauce

1 dash salt

1 dash white pepper

4 Ritz type crackers, crushed

2 dashes parsley

1 egg white

1 tbsp. mayonnaise, light is nice

14 cup butter, melted

paprika for garnish

Rinse the filets and pat dry with a paper towel.
Place them in a lightly greased baking dish; I use spray Pam.
In a pretty bowl, combine crab, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, salt, white pepper, crackers, and parsley.
Add the egg white and mayonnaise to this mixture.
Brush the flounder with some melted butter.
Spoon the crab mixture over the filets.
Drizzle any extra butter on top of each filet, and sprinkle with paprika.
Bake at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes.

Make it a meal: Serve with steamed broccoli and cubed sweet potatoes with sage butter (see recipe).

Wine: Chardonnay

Artichoke and Crabmeat Triangles

These appetizers are quick and easy to make. The flavors are mild and gorgeous. Make them ahead of time, then pop into the oven when you are ready. They are the perfect finger food. (photo by Ian Ransley)

Artichoke and Crabmeat Triangles

½ can artichoke hearts, drained

1 can crabmeat

½ cup mayonnaise

1 shallot or a few onion slices, chopped

¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese

3 pinches Old Bay seasoning

3 English muffins, split open

Mix the first 6 ingredients in a pretty bowl.
Spread mixture onto English muffins.
Cut the muffins into quarters (hence the triangle in the name of the recipe).
Place triangles onto a baking sheet.
Bake at 375 degrees for 12-15 minutes.

Make it a meal: Serve with seafood chowder.

Wine: Chardonnay

Cajun Crab Dip

This is a darling way to serve crab. Use this when you want to spice things up. Divas always want to spice things up.

Cajun Crab Dip

8 oz. soften cream cheese
1 can crab
2 tbsp. mayo
1/4 cup hot sauce (Habanero, Tabasco)
1/2 T. Cajun seasoning


Mix and grab the Wheat Thins.

Make it a meal: Serve ahead of Crock Pot Cassoulet (see recipe)

Wine: Shiraz or Zinfandel

Crabmeat Appetizer

This recipe called for everything to be FINELY chopped. Mine does not. I will chop however coarsely or finely or whatever I want. I do not have time to discern finely. (photo by ian ransley)

The bottom line is divas don’t like to be told how to chop their vegetables.

Crabmeat Appetizer

1 lb. cooked crabmeat
1/2 cup scallions, chopped
1/4 cup red bell peppers, chopped
1/4 cup green bell pepper, chopped
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 tsp. parsley, minced
1 tsp. Old Bay seasoning
1 clove garlic, minced

Mix & chill.

Make it a meal: Divas are still steaming about how to chop their vegetables, so there is no meal per say. If you are still hungry, soak some more olives in your martini and eat them.

Wine: Chardonnay or Champagne

Hot Crab Dip

This one disappears at parties. Serve this with crackers. I like Wheat Thins because they are small. With a larger cracker, I take a bit and bits of cracker and glops of dip crumble all over the place. Most would be mortified when this happens to them at parties. Divas are, too, but they laugh it off. Then they reach for the Wheat Thins.

Reheated crab dip is great on English muffins the morning after the party.


Hot Crab Dip

8 oz. cream cheese

1 small chopped onion

3 tbsp. mayonnaise

3 tbsp. horseradish

1 can crabmeat

a few dashes of hot sauce

Mix well and bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes.

Make into a meal: Serve ahead of Elegant White Fish with steamed asparagus.

Wine: Chardonnay with the crab dip

Crab Cakes with Caper Sauce

When the man in my life has been extra good, I make him his favorite--Crab Cakes. One of the great things about this recipe is that you can make most of it ahead of time. Another great thing is using an ice cream scoop makes this so easy.

Plan ahead. Once you've formed the crab cakes, they need to be refrigerated for at least an hour and up to one day. The sauce can be made two days ahead.

Fresh crab is best, but divas don't always have time to shop for fresh Dungeness Crab on Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco or cook it or smash it. (photo by paper or plastic?)

Sauce

½ cup mayonnaise

2 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil

1 tsp. fresh lemon juice

1-2 tbsp. drained capers, coarsely chopped

1 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

1 tbsp. chopped fresh chives

Just mix this all up and serve in a pretty dish.

Cakes

2 6-oz. cans crab meat

1 shallot, chopped and sautéed

2/3 cup (plus extra for coating) breadcrumbs

1 tbsp. chopped parsley

2 tbsp. Dijon mustard

3-4 tbsp. mayonnaise (enough to bind cakes)

1 large egg, beaten to blend

1teaspoons Old Bay seasoning

oil (for frying)

Gently mix all of the ingredients.
Use an ice cream scoop to create the perfect-sized crab cakes.
Place them on a cookie sheet.
Refrigerate on to 24 hours.
Coat them with some more breadcrumbs.
Fry in oil about 2 minutes per side.
Keep early batches warm in the oven.
Serve immediately.

Make into a meal: Serve with fresh pea pods.

Wine: Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Gris

Crab Delights

Summer time is crab meat time. It reminds me of a small seafood restaurant that used to be down by Pirates Cove on the New Hampshire seacoast. The take-out-type eatery was called Jennifer's Crabs. Diva's don't eat at places where the owner admits to having crabs.

These are fun little crab appetizers. Pass them around at a party or make a meal out them by serving them with chowder. It is a nice alternative to grilled cheese and tomato soup on a cold day.

Crab Delights

1 6-oz. can crab meat, drained

shredded cheese (I like Swiss)

1/4 cup butter, softened

2 tbsp. mayonnaise

1 clove garlic, minced

a couple of pinches of parsley

5 English muffins, split in half (wheat are better for you)

Mix first 6 ingredients.
Cut the muffins into quarters.
Spread on English muffins.
Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.
Broil for 1 minute until toasted.

Wine: Chardonnay

Ciao!

Cold Crab Dip

Divas love dip, because divas love finger food. It gives them a chance to show off their hot pink manicured nails and sparkly cocktail rings.

This is a great dip for hot days. Pack it in your picnic, and nibble on it out by the lake. Crab is always welcome aboard the yacht. Divas also eat nibbly things for breakfast.

Cold Crab Dip

Whisk:

8 oz. cream cheese (preferably light since divas need to watch their waists.

3 spoonfuls of mayonnaise (again, light works)

a couple squeezes of lemon juice

4 chopped scallions

2 chopped garlic cloves

a sprinkling of cayenne

Add:

2 6-oz. cans crabmeat

Chill. I serve all my dips with small, Wheat Thin-type cracker (reduced fat, of course). Divas don't like to bite into big crackers loaded with drippy stuff, then have the cracker crumble apart into a sticky mess. Divas like bite-size.

You can also serve with crudités (pronounced crew-dee-tay). That's French for small or cut up vegetables.

Wine: Chardonnay

That's it! Ciao!