Design Gourmande

A culinary break from all the land hunting stories. Segue..I have been enjoying belly dancing and zumba classes for the last few months. Even when I was in the Philippines, I joined a zumba class held at a gym-converted garage a few blocks away from home with a really cool and friendly group. I walked most mornings to get there. For tonight's dinner, after a really strenuous workout, I'd love a fresh quiche with greens. I got this recipe from my husband and I jazzed it up a little bit. Here goes:

Easy French Tuna & Potato Quiche

Ingredients:

1 pack of Pâte brisée / ready-made short crust pastry dough
1 can of tuna in brine, drained.
3 Large eggs
1 cup Crème Fraîche / heavy cream
3 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp chopped parsley
1/2 cup chopped onions / shallots
2 tsp. Dijon Mustard
1 medium sized potato boiled
1 cup Emmental / Gruyere Cheese
Salt
Fresh ground pepper

Tools:

Mixing Bowl
Pie Baking Dish
Fork, Spoon
Scissors (to cut the parchment attached to the pie crust following the outline of the baking dish)

Preparation:

Pre-heat oven to 350 Degrees F / 180 Degrees C

Set the pie crust on a baking dish and puncture with a fork. Allow to bake for a few minutes until the dough slightly dries and take it out of the oven.
Boil potato in salted water until tender and mash. (I'm re-using a left over baked potato.)

Beat the eggs and the cream together in a mixing bowl. Season with salt (be generous) and grind pepper. Add the mustard, shallots/onions, parsley, and lemon juice to the mixture.

Evenly spread the drained tuna and potato on the pie crust and sprinkle 1/2 cup grated cheese.

On top of the filling, slowly pour in the cream mixture and make sure they're even and top it with the remaining cheese.
Bake for 45 minutes or until the crust is golden brown.

Serve with a salad in vinaigrette dressing.

Bon Appetit!

Love and light,

Arni

{P.S. The crust is slightly burnt and I used a cheap short crust pastry dough. Better luck next time :)}

Happy Wednesday! I thought of posting the nachos recipe in case you're craving for something savory. It is ideal for party appetizers or any occasion. I couldn't find big tortilla chips so I got some thick taco shells from my cupboard and broke them into triangular pieces. For the cheese, I usually take the Kraft brand.

Beef Nachos Recipe

Serves 8

Ingredients:

Tortilla Chips - extra thick

Refried Black Beans 2 cups

Shredded Mexican Style Four Cheese (Monterey Jack, Asadero, Cheddar & Queso Quesadilla)

Sour Cream

Cilantro, chopped

Jalapeno

Lean Ground beef 0.3 kg

3 Shallots, sliced

2 garlic cloves, minced

Salt & Pepper

Chilli Powder

Paprika

Cumin

Lemon /Lime Juice

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1. In a pan, heat up extra virgin oil just enough to grease the pan and saute' garlic until golden brown. In high heat, add ground beef and add a dash of salt and pepper. Let it simmer allowing it to absorb the garlic flavor until it turns brownish. Add a generous dash of paprika and chilli powder. Add drops of lemon/lime juice. Mix until the spices are evenly spread throughout the meat.

2. Segregate the beef at one side of the pan and add in the sliced shallots. Lower heat to medium. They cook quickly so once it gets a bit transparent & soft, mix it with the beef. Add cumin in the amount to your liking. (I only add a small bit because my hubs is not fond of cumin).

3. Set aside the ground beef. Preheat oven to 350°F.

4. Spread black refried beans on top of the tortilla gently so that the tortilla doesn't break. Add ground beef on top and 1/4 tsp of sour cream just to make it a little creamy and sprinkle shredded cheese on top. Add jalapeno pepper on top of the cheese.

5. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes, until cheese is melted.

6. Sprinkle cilantro on top. Serve with salsa, guacamole and sour cream.

For the vegetarians, omit the beef prep 1 & 2 and it's all good to go.

Et voila!

Writing this makes me hungry. :)

Bon Appetit!

XOXO,

Arni