Tag Archives: Modern Baker Challenge

Modern Baker Challenge: Lime-Scented Wafers

Posted on January 22, 2012 by | 9 Comments

I don’t make cookies as often as you might expect–for someone who blogs a lot about baking, if you poke around here enough you’ll note that my posts on this topic are scant.  It’s probably just a matter of taking the easy way out–I just prefer something I can stir together and dump into a pan all at one go.  (So when I figured out that you can basically bake muffins as a quick bread, you can guess what happened).

Lime Scented Wafers (1 of 5)

However, I did sign up for the Modern Baker Challenge, and a few weeks ago, you might just recall, was Christmas, so it’s practically obligatory to turn a few batches of cookies out of the oven.  With no particular plan in mind I leafed through my second copy of the Modern Baker down in DC. (It’s not because I’m obsessed that I have a spare:  Nick Malgieri was kind enough to send all us participants a personalized signed copy so I now have two, which turned out to be quite convenient).  I paused at the page for the lime-scented wafers–citrusy, simple, with a single batch turning out enough to feed a crowd, this seemed like the perfect option.

Lime Scented Wafers (2 of 5)

This is nothing more than a basic roll cookie–formed into a tube, chilled, and sliced–scented with lime juice, coated in lime zest and sugar crust.  Pretty simple, but like many things that are simple, difficult to get absolutely perfect.  Aesthetically at least.  It might be failure begetting failure, with me making bar cookies too infrequently to get the technique down, but my carefully rolled cylinders always emerge from the fridge flattened at the base.  So instead of crisp little cookie disks I get something looking either like a deflated tire or worse, a badly drawn rectangle.  I tried to smoosh them back into the desired shape as I placed them one by one onto the baking sheet but it got to be tedious, and with the dough softening more and more I wasn’t improving matters.  For those of you baking along, I also ended up using only about half of the lime sugar coating.    I meant to find some creative use for it, but with kitchen real estate being very tight in a full house, down the garbage disposal it eventually went.  If you make these, I’d say you only need half the quantity called for.

Lime Scented Wafers (3 of 5)

Fortunately, I am not a professional baker, and my in-laws are not so fussy about the details as long as the cookie tastes as it should.  (Substance over form here, people).  Crisp and fragrant, with a crunchy sugar edge, it was a welcome component of my husband’s family’s traditional “Platter of Sin.”  They softened a bit after a few days, but were still being happily nibbled on.

Lime Scented Wafers (4 of 5)

So while these cookies were definitely not a disappointment (and there was an impressive quantity of them), I’d still say I have to work out a few kinks before I become a cookie-making superhero.  In the meantime, if there’s any secret tricks you’d care to share, I’m all ears.

I leave you with a shot of the infamous Platter of Sin.  And be assured, that’s only a small portion of it, lest you have any fears that it’s not sinful enough.

Lime Scented Wafers (5 of 5)

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Modern Baker Challenge: Pine Nut Macaroons

Posted on December 2, 2011 by | 11 Comments

As you may know, we’re baking along with the Modern Baker Challenge, chapter by chapter through the recipes in Nick Malgieri‘s The Modern Baker.  Our fearless leader Phyl decided that, it being December and all, cookies were the next sugar-topped mountain to climb.  Marie’s already made sour cream brownies (as she put it, “better than anything out of a box”), and now it’s my turn to make Pine Nut Macaroons, basically almond cookies studded with those familiar teardrop-shaped nibs.

My love of anything almond started when I tried the soft, aromatic marzipan on a trip to Toledo, during my study abroad year in Spain–where some believe it may even have originated.  (Previously, I had thought marzipan equalled those rock-hard sugar decorations atop grocery store cakes and couldn’t really figure out why anyone would intentionally eat them–and this coming from someone with a sweet tooth).  I was possibly charmed into loving marzipan with the mere explanation that in Spain it used to be sold at pharmacies as it was considered a cure for chronic fatigue and other such maladies.  This is obviously a clever way to justify ”self-medicating” yourself into a sugar high.

Pine Nut Macaroons (5 of 6)

As I have plenty of pine nuts in the fridge (they are so pricey, I can’t afford to let them go rancid), when I was “assigned” these cookies in our virtual challenge, I charged full steam ahead.  I measured out (almost) all my ingredients, and then realized I didn’t have the one ingredient that got me going down this path to begin with:  almond paste.  (Jump first, then look, is that how it goes?)  Fortunately, I recalled that our same fearless leader had posted, about a year ago, how to make your own.  And as long as you have a food processor, it’s blindingly simple.  Kicked up with a bit of almond extract, it’s got all that almondy-amaretto flavor I love, and I can see why Phyl now makes his own.

Making the cookies is easy too, though this is one of these cases where simplicity just makes technique and proper proportion all the more important.  Here’s where I hit another minor (but very minor) snag.  I couldn’t find my quarter-cup measures for the sugar (thus, eyeballing it with a half-cup measure because I didn’t want to measure out my sugar/life in coffeespoons).*  I probably added not quite enough in the end.   What’s more, I have a bad feeling I added just a touch too much egg-white liquid.  The result was that, even piped out, my cookies didn’t hold together into the nice tight orbs featured in the cookbook’s photo, but flattened out even before they confronted the heat of the oven.  I thought about scraping my flat little circles back into the bowl to add more sugar and firm them up.  But I decided that was probably a bit obsessive, and too much effort for a Monday night.

Pine Nut Macaroons (2 of 6)

But it was OK.  My vision of these cookies was for a textured exterior, but soft and yielding in the center.  Instead, I got shattering discs that were crisp and crunchy.  Yet, because the all-important, amaretto flavor was preserved, there was no cause to complain.

Pine Nut Macaroons (3 of 6)

That’s the thing with baking.  Sometimes you don’t come out with what you intended to make, but what you come out with can still be  just as good.   And that is success, however modest, can be success enough.  Perhaps a bit like so many other things in life.

As a side note, we’ve been plugging away at the Modern Baker for almost two years now, so it’s probably goes without saying that this book has been a hit with all Three Clever Sisters.  While we’ve been keeping our ovens hot, a paperback edition of the Modern Baker has come out, and Nick Malgieri has sent all of us “challengees”  signed copies.  Now in possession of two copies, one of mine has made its way to an excellent cook who still claims to be hapless at baking.  She’s reported that this book is clear and straightforward enough to convince even her to give it another shot.  Meanwhile, my sister-in-law, who I believe is at a cookie decorating class as I type these words, has long been greedily eyeing my other copy.  I guess , in short:  this is a great baking book for anyone, at whatever level.  (In case you’re in need of ideas these days).

*As that sentence may have been completely nonsensical, I should explain that this was an attempt to reference T.S. Elliot.  Karen’s already dared to eat a peach, so I’m just continuing in a well-worn, if slightly bookish, path here.  4 tablespoons actually equals quarter cup, but I threw caution to the wind and guesstimated, and you’ve seen the results.

Pine Nut Macaroons (4 of 6)

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Modern Baker Challenge:Sour Cream Brownies

Posted on November 27, 2011 by | 10 Comments

Lovely lovely Brownies. How I love thee.

Last week for my school, we were asked to bring something to our Staff/Student/Parent Thanksgiving Dinner. I think they wanted the savory items, but I cheated and added one more dessert on to the table that night—Sour Cream Brownies. I got these from the Modern Baker cookbook (part of our Modern Baker Challenge) and they are super easy! (I realize I may not need to add this part about anything being easy anymore seeing as my sister-in-law said that this was the one thing that all my blog entries have in common!)

I’ve never made brownies from scratch, so I was so impressed that the batter tastes so much better than that box kind. It also helped that I got Ghirardelli chocolate chips instead of the regular ones (sorry Nestle).

There is nothing too odd about the recipe or preparation. The sour cream is mixed in with the eggs and sugar and then the butter and chocolate are on the stovetop melting. They are then mixed together so when it bakes it doesn’t have any swirls that really suggest it has sour cream. Really, the sour cream (as Nick Malgieri states) just cuts back on the sweetness of the rich chocolate.

The other thing that I love about these brownies is the moistness. It’s pretty easy to burn brownies or bake them a little too long. These, however, are super soft even if you leave them in a little too long. I kept them in maybe a minute or two longer for fear of them not being cooked all the way through. Usually this makes the edges really tough, but this wasn’t the case at all with these brownies. Every brownie was super moist.

Now, I stated earlier that the sour cream cut back on the sweetness. Because of this, I had to add more sweetness. I did this by actually making the chocolate fudge icing that is paired with the cupcakes from an earlier chapter in Modern Baker. It was probably too much for most people, but I did it anyway. Oops. A girl has to have her chocolate! I did make half frosted and half unfrosted for those people that don’t need to O.D. on their chocolate intake.

They were a huge success. There were none to take home and I made many of my students quite happy that night.

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Modern Baker Challenge: Swiss Walnut Crescents

Posted on October 7, 2011 by | 12 Comments

Every so often I realize there’s a blog post that I’ve drafted, and maybe even redrafted, and then forgotten about. And then suddenly I realize that this was eight months ago. (Or longer. I have a post on a cranberry tart from last November that it went stale–I could hardly publish it in April–though I suppose that’s less of a problem).

I’m not that delayed on everything. Though I made these Swiss Walnut Crescents from the Modern Baker puff pastry chapter back in February, we are only now officially posting for this chapter in the Modern Baker Challenge. So, I’m on time after all.

And even though I made these a while back, I remember them well (and not just because they were delicious!) Making the filling was unusual–the first step is to soak and rehydrate bread crumbs in milk. Only then do you add the chopped walnuts, sugar, and other flavorings. Who would have thought that dried bread crumbs form the base for a rich filling?


As with most of the puff pastry recipes, once you have your puff pastry dough made, the rest is smooth sailing. Compared to pie dough, puff seems to roll out almost effortlessly and doesn’t need to be treated so gingerly. Making the little crescent-shaped rolls is one of those things that looks tricky and finicky but actually effortless. Fold the top two corners of your triangle towards the center to encase the filling, then roll up your packet towards the third point of your triangle. Make sure this tip is tucked under your final roll, flush against the cookie sheet, so your pretty crescents don’t unravel during baking.

Chill the rolls in the refrigerator for an hour (though less delicate than pie dough, puff pastry is subject to the same rules: cold cold cold), paint with egg wash, and bake.

Golden brown on the outside…

And on the inside: just look at these flaky layers!

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Modern Baker Challenge: Perfect Pound Cake

Posted on September 27, 2011 by | 14 Comments

There seem to be three sorts:  the people who celebrate their birthday the whole month long, the ones who keep mum but maybe hope for a bit of festivity, and those who actively try to keep it under wraps.

Someone I work with, who we’ll say was in “category three,” celebrated a birthday last week,  or rather had her birthday celebration foisted on her. (She was outed by facebook).  As word spread, a lovely bouquet of flowers appeared mid-afternoon.  Meanwhile, I was brainstorming about what to bake.  (You know us…we love an excuse, though Karen is the champion of the stealth work celebration–remember her posts here, and here?)

I figured it was an ideal chance to skip ahead a few chapters in the Modern Baker Challenge and make Malgieri’s Perfect Pound Cake. 

It was pretty perfect.

This recipe requires a bit more effort than your average pound cake, but when would you step it up if not for someone’s birthday? 

Malgieri adapted this recipe from his aunt, and while each step is easy, there are quite a few.  First you have to beat the yolk and sugar together, then beat the flour, vanilla and lemon extracts, and butter together, then whip the egg whites into a stiff-peak meringue, then stir it all together, and beat another five minutes.  I’ll admit this last step mystifies me–why go to the trouble to beat the egg whites into a meringue, only to beat the combined batter another five minutes?  Usually you are instructed to fold egg whites in very gently, so as not to deflate the batter–what’s going on?

I still don’t understand the science, but I can tell you the cake was worth it (and all the mixing bowls).  The texture is what really grabbed me:  not heavy like you often risk with a pound cake, but of course, not airy or spongy either.  It seemed almost like a dense foam baked into a cake.  (An odd description, I’ll admit, but I can’t think of a better way to put it).  What’s more:  tender, surely thanks to the cake flour, and rich, with all that butter.

The cake was a day late, of course, but I like to think that it just extended the birthday celebration.  I’d love to make this again, ideally toasting the slices and serving warm and fragrant with a bright, intense berry coulis.  Now that would be festive!

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Modern Baker Challenge: Raspberry Almond Tartlets

Posted on September 4, 2011 by | 17 Comments

What is it about diminutive little desserts that are so irresistible?  I don’t know if it’s because you know that you can have several without a second’s consideration, or that they are the cute baby kittens of the dessert world.  Or that since you know they are gone after two bites, you enjoy them all the more?  In any case, these were probably one of my most successful exploits in the Modern Baker Challenge, and even though I’m a bit late completing this assignment, here is definitely a case of better late than never.

Actually, I knew these were going to be delicious, and probably a top five.    Raspberries are probably my favorite berry (not unlike Karen), and my love of marzipan is well enough known that my Christmas stocking is always bursting with the stuff each year.  (Santa is on the ball!)  Why the delay then?  Making 24 tartlets seemed a bit daunting.  Plus I wasn’t sure about how excited I was to work with the sweet nut dough again–I’d had issues the last time around with stickiness and generalized uncooperativeness.

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Step by step then:  the dough was easier to work with this time.  I gave it time to properly chill and probably am just a bit more experienced with working with dough in general.  (As I knew that I could always resort to pressing in the dough, I was a bit more relaxed about the whole adventure).  Not having a set of biscuit cutters, I started using a baby bottle rim to cut out the dough, which turned out to be a bit too small.  Using a larger lid ended up working, but re-rolling the dough ended up warming it so much that it was unworkably sticky.  Back to the fridge to cool off.  So in short I made it a bit more difficult than it needed to be, but it got done.  All 24 pieces.  Ugh.

This was sort of the story of these tarts–no particular step was hard, but there were a lot of them, and each step was repeated 24 times.  24 tart shells, 24 dollops of jam in the base, 24 times nestling in raspberries, 24 generous spoonfuls of almond filling, 24 sprinkles of sliced almonds. 

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But then I could bake them off.  I wasn’t able to perfectly cover the  berries with the filling and sliced almonds as directed, but it didn’t seem to matter.  And while it will seem ridiculous to admit that I used frozen berries in August (when I live 10 minutes from an organic raspberry pick-your-own operation), I did.  It added about 10-15 minutes to the baking time, but worked out perfectly.

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I took these into work as I couldn’t trust myself around them.  What was the reaction?  The day after I brought them in people were still dropping by my office to tell me how wonderful they were, and others who heard about it and missed out demanded to know why I hadn’t informed them.  I then got some gentle inquiries as to whether I would be planning to do any baking over the three-day weekend. 

Lesson is that raspberry almond tartlets can make you very popular in the office.  But office politics may be complicated if you don’t have enough for all, and you may end up getting some extra “assignments.”   With these delicate considerations, you may just opt to hoard them for yourself.

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Modern Baker Challenge: Whipped Cream Layer Cake

Posted on July 14, 2011 by | 21 Comments

As per usual, rather than complete the assignment of the day (pies!  this shouldn’t be hard!) I am jumping ahead in the Modern Baker Challenge.  I have been looking ahead at the Cakes chapter with excitement and trepidation.  Excitement because–well, do I have explain?  CAKE!  Trepidation because, who is going to eat all this sugary output?

I had a flash of inspiration when preparing for an upcoming family get-together over the 4th of July weekend.  A captive audience in a town of under 3000 in rural Vermont combined with the need to use up 2 cups of delicious Jersey cream from the Berkshires led to Nick Malgieri’s Whipped Cream Layer Cake (with Whipped Cream Caramel Frosting).

This cake is made by folding whipped cream into the batter, a method which instantly caught my interest for its departure from the usual butter and milk combination.   (In fact, the whipped cream fills the role of both).  You have the pleasure of making something unique without having to hunt down bizarre ingredients or successfully accomplish some complicated tour-de-force in the kitchen.  And it’s incredibly easy, especially if you ignore Malgieri’s instructions to whip 1 1/2c of cream by hand and use your hand mixer.

Slightly more nervewracking was making the caramel concentrate for the frosting.  (First you make what you might think of as a “flavor base” of caramel mixed with a half a cup of cream; once cool you whip this together with even more heavy cream).  I always worry when making caramel thanks to an attempt making flan in high school which resulted in me splattering myself with burnt hot sugar. (Really, it wasn’t that bad, maybe a few tiny welts on my left hand, but the memory is vivid).  Even without the threat of self-injury, it’s really easy to burn your caramel as it continues to darken even after you’ve turned off the flame.

Once you make the caramel, you heat the cream and add it to the burnt sugar.  While the cream warmed, I ran the sides of the caramel pot under cold water to cool things down and stop the cooking as I was afraid I’d let the whole hot mess go too far.  I think it may have helped, and even better, adding the cream to the liquid sugar was surprisingly undramatic.  (Nick warns you to beware, as adding hot cream to hot caramel may cause a rapid foaming up of molten hot caramel over the sides of your pot!  Flashbacks!).  I did have to stir a bit to get things mixed, since the caramel was cooler than it might otherwise have been, but it all worked out.

Lest you think I am able to perform magic feats of keeping a frosted cake in perfect condition (and unmelted) on a 2 hour drive to Vermont, I’ll admit that I carried the baked cake up in the buff and held the caramel base in a small pyrex bowl in the cooler.  Two days later I mixed in two cups of cream into the caramel bases, whipped it up and frosted the cake. 

As you can see, my sous-chef was happy to help frost the cake and was very excited to help me carry the finished work to the table. 

Despite being baked on a Friday night and being served on a Sunday, the cake was perfectly fresh, light, and moist.  Its subtle vanilla flavor melded well with the golden caramel flavored icing, and with 12 at the table, it soon enough disappeared.

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Modern Baker: Roman Almond and Pine Nut Tart

Posted on May 29, 2011 by | 9 Comments

I thought I would be a much more active participant in this chapter of the Modern Baker Challenge:  Sweet Tarts and Pies.  Certainly more than the prior chapter, Savory Tarts and Pies.  Sugar!  Yet, for reasons I can’t quite put my finger on, it’s not come to pass.  I like to offload much of my baking at work (sort of as a self-preservation strategy–I don’t trust myself with all those calories around) and considering I walk to the commuter rail and then have to switch to the T (Boston’s name for the subway), taking in pie is a bit of a pain.  And probably would turn to a crumble by the time I get there.   I should just take a cue from Abby and Renee–they’ve been making mini-versions of all the recipes in this chapter (and it’s not like I haven’t done the relatively easy math to figure out how to downsize myself either).  Who knows.

It might seem odd that one of the few tarts I’ve made, then, is the Roman Almond and Pine Nut Tart.  As opposed to say, a rich chocolate tart or a classic and homey apple pie.  But we know I’ll always go for something with an international pedigree.  Especially if it’s Italian.  The combination of Roman and pine nuts brings up memories:  my friend Raffaella, who lives in Rome and whose family has a small vacation home south of the city.  I was lucky enough to be invited to spend a few days there with her and her father one summer when I was visiting, and we sat on the steps of the rear patio in the waning evening snacking on pine nuts we plucked out of cones from the pine trees growing in the backyard.

I still hadn’t really appreciated don’t think most of us usually think of pine nuts as a dessert ingredient–it’s more associated with savory dishes, and in particular pesto.  But if you google a bit, it turns out they have their “sweet side” so to speak–make a cookie rolled it in pine nuts; make a cake or two or three; use it to enhance a crumble, or if you’re still sceptical, try a dessert with chocolate (on the undisputable theory that it’s got to be good if it has chocolate).   Have I, uh, made my point?

But enough about other desserts, and back to the task at hand!   Verdict is I loved this tart as much as I expected to.  The toasted nutty flavors, the sweet crust, the satisfying bite.  While the almond filling is the star player in this tart, the pine nuts play an important role–they provide a nice contrasting texture, as well as dressing it up a little.  (Frankly, this pie is a bit monotone, and a monotone tan at that.  I know looks aren’t everything, but tan isn’t exactly the most exciting of hues).

Probably because the filling is egg and nut based, this bakes up quite firmly, almost like a very moist cake (and very easy to transport to work, where it was well received despite a few questions as to exactly what it was.  Probably those pine nuts, and the fact that I forgot to sprinkle with powdered sugar).  I used canned almond paste (Solo brand, which was on special at Christmas, though you can make your own too) which is an attractive off-white gel with little brown specks in it.  Yes, lovely.  It’s almost pourable, so I didn’t know how it would turn out given that the recipe directs you to “chop” your almond paste.  Fortunately, it turned out perfectly.  As a bonus, I had 4 ounces left over, which is exactly what is needed for the raspberry almond mini-tarts later in this chapter.  That leftover waits to be used in the freezer.  And waits…

One final note–you may have been with me the whole time on this pine-nut-in-sweets concept, but were thinking to yourself, “has she seen how much pine nuts cost lately?”  I know:  $21.00 a pound is the most recent price I saw in the bulk bin.  But despite appearances, the amount of nuts you need isn’t all that much.  But if you’d prefer a substitute, I’d suggest slivered almonds.  They are similar in size to pine nuts (perhaps about twice as long), will clearly harmonize with the almond filling, and still provide the tender, toasty, contrasting bite on top.

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Modern Baker Challenge: Gruyere, Scallion, and Walnut Tart

Posted on March 6, 2011 by | 10 Comments

Marie’s latest post on the Modern Baker Challenge was a gentle reminder that I have been delinquent in posting (and, let’s face it, even making) recipes from the current chapter that participants are meant to be baking from, savory tarts.  In fact, all of us have fallen behind, Marie’s valiant efforts notwithstanding.  Of course, it’s no surprise that we’d be, well, slightly less motivated with resepct to this chapter.  Most importantly, where is the sugar?  But a little more legitimately, some of my lack of motivation has to do with the fact that many of the recipes in this chapter are more summery in nature–while I am certainly missing heavy ripe tomatoes and firm fresh zucchini, anything I were to make with their glum wintery alter egos would just be disappointing.  

But there are some recipes in this chapter that are just right for when it’s been cold enough that anything in the 40s is cause to rejoice.  So I settled on Nick Malgieri’s recipe for a Gruyere, Scallion, and Walnut tart.  I modified it slightly, making two mini-tarts, and using dough leftover from a Julia Child leek quiche that I recently made.   Just enough for a rather rich dish, and given how much gruyere costs, a good way to experiment before commiting to a full recipe.  (Yes, it’s quite handy to have “cracked the code,” as it were, to figure out how many mini-tarts equal a 10″ tart.  Six, by the way, just to recap).

What I liked best about this recipe is how easy it is to break down into a simple formula (which then could be easily varied upon)–sprinkle some cheese and an aromatic vegetable, and nuts on the base of the tart (here, of course, Gruyere, walnut and sauteed scallion), then beat egg and cream together and pour on top.  

My two tarts puffed up dramatically in the oven,  into a golden, barely browned dome, and just as quickly deflated as they cooled.  To ensure that you can present your tart with panache, but still fit it into your schedule, have all the components ready beforehand, and simply assmeble and bake at the last minute.  (I usually do this with quiche–make the filling and the crust the day before, then bake the following day).  You may have to add a few minutes to the cooking time to account for the chill you’ve put on your ingredients while they rested in the fridge, but I think a little longer wait time is a small price to pay for a freshly baked tart.

It’s also worth taking the time to toast the walnuts beforehand.  I tell you this as someone who did not do so (Do as I say, kids, not as I do!)  My weeknight cooking, much like many others’, is a scramble to get things in the oven while catching up with two very little but very rambunctious boys after a day at work.  Things slip, steps are inadvertently skipped.  Not perfect, but I can tell you that if you do not toast the walnuts beforehand, they get a bit of a rubbery taste and texture as they bake into the tart.  On the other hand, “life happens” (to propogate another cliche) and these transgressions aside, it was still much better than a microwave meal, fresh from…the freezer case at the grocery store?

My husband enjoyed this just as much the next day when he took his mini-tart to work.  (Thanks to his job, his dinner portion often ends up as the next day’s lunch).  I like to think that, presentation aside, having a homemade tart at midday makes up a little for a late night before.  Enjoy the little luxuries you can, right?

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Modern Baker Challenge: Roasted Pepper and Goat Cheese Tart

Posted on February 26, 2011 by | 5 Comments

The Three Clever Sisters have had a hard time keeping up with the Modern Baker challenge. Usually before a chapter we busily email eachother tagging the recipes we want to make and making sure we get first dibs. Well, it wasn’t so on this chapter. I’m not sure what happened, but (I think) I may be the only one that cooked this one.
Who wouldn’t want to make something that called for almost three tubs of goat cheese. The woman at the counter definitely quizzed me on why I was buying so much. I replied “for a recipe” but I then thought afterwards to myself “Why is it so bad to buy three tubs?”
This is the part that is going to make food bloggers everywhere cringe. I didn’t make the crust. I’m sorry. I didn’t. I don’t want to lie and it be blatently obvious that it wasn’t done. I knew in the back of my head that if I bought the crust then I would actually make this recipe. If I had to make it from scratch, well, you never know with me. I would have found an excuse.
I actually used my toaster oven to roast my peppers. This took a while and I thought after they came out that perhaps I should have kept them in longer. It was easy to get most of the skin off (the recipe said it would just sort of fall off) but the bottom part of the pepper was the hardest and I think I could have missed a spot of two. oops.
If you don’t read carefully you can totally miss the part of the recipe that says “refrigerate for up to three days”-yeah. Didn’t see that the first two times I browsed this recipe. No problem. Waited a couple of days to really let the garlic marinate with the peppers.
After that it was ridiculously easy. Really I’m assuming the hardest part is making the crust and I didn’t do that. So I’m embarressed to say after peeling the peppers you just put them in the crust with the eggs and cheese. Bam. Done. The convection oven was my friend this time. I repeat this time. Really quick. The recipe said that it would take 30 minutes and my oven took maybe 15 so that was nice.

The first layer of cheese and peppers.


Hopefully this can be of use to other people in my family. I know mom can eats logs of eggs so hopefully this quiche will be to her liking!

My husband thought it was de-lish..

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