If the price of eggs cut into your Easter egg hunt plans last week, you are not alone.
With prices skyrocketing, some opted for decorating potatoes, marshmallows and even rocks as popular alternatives. As of this writing, sales of Michaels’ plastic egg craft kits were up 20% over last year, according to the Associated Press.
This year’s average price in the U.S. for a dozen eggs rose to $6.23 from $2.99 last year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, with California’s average as high as $8.97. Officials are promising a drop in prices after Easter, however, with the expected decline in demand. That’s good news for those of us who love an egg in all its many luscious, incredible, edible forms.
I found the lovely dish featured here – one as suitable for company brunch as it is for family meal time – in “Easy Everyday” (Rodale, $29.99) by recipe developer and blogger (howsweeteats.com) Jessica Merchant.
“Puff pastry is an ingredient that I always have in my fridge and use in the kitchen constantly,” she writes. “And as someone who has always struck out with classic piecrust, it saves me every single time.
“Using puff pastry to make a big sheet-pan quiche is a fabulous way to serve a crowd, and it looks so impressive,” she added. “Not to mention that it tastes incredible, with its flaky, buttery layers. It is almost like using a croissant crust in your quiche.”
Merchant uses the recipe for weekday breakfasts or even dinners, cutting leftovers into squares and reheating, although it does lose some of its flakiness, she admits.
The 100 recipes in “Easy Everyday” adhere to Merchant’s promise that dinners should never take more than 30 to 45 minutes to prepare, with breakfasts and lunches considerably less. Her big three tenets are the key to her menu planning: versatility, ease of preparation and leftover quality.
This week, Merchant highlighted two recipes from her cookbook with a YouTube presentation sponsored by Melissa’s Produce, the country’s largest distributor of exotic fruits and vegetables, located in nearby Vernon.
First up: her hummus crunch bowl with her smashed feta vinaigrette (“the dressing that will make a dish pop,” she said), roasted red peppers and kalamata olives over couscous with crunchy pita chips over all.
“I love texture. I love hearing that crunch,” she warbled.
She then put together her Caprese cottage cheese toast in minutes. Burst tomatoes, fresh basil, balsamic drizzle, hot honey … not your grandma’s cottage cheese. To watch the presentation, search Jessica Merchant on YouTube.
Fullerton’s Judy Bart Kancigor is the author of “Cooking Jewish” and “The Perfect Passover Cookbook.” Her website is cookingjewish.com.
THE EASIEST FANCY PUFF PASTRY QUICHE
From “Easy Everyday” by Jessica Merchant; yield: 4 to 8 servings
Ingredients:
• 6 slices bacon
• 1 pound asparagus, cut into thirds
• Kosher salt and black pepper
• 1 sheet puff pastry, thawed if frozen
• 8 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
• 1/2 cup freshly grated white Cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Gruyere cheese
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh herbs, like parsley, thyme and chives, plus more for serving Yield: 4 to 8 servings
Chef’s note: For best results, use puff pastry that comes in one single sheet. Find it in the refrigerated section of your grocery store with prepared piecrust.
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees
2. Heat skillet over medium-low heat and add bacon. Cook, stirring often, until fat is rendered and bacon is crispy, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove bacon with slotted spoon and place on paper towel to drain excess grease. Chop.
3. Add asparagus to same skillet with pinch of salt and pepper. Cook about 5 minutes, just to soften slightly. Remove with slotted spoon and place on paper towel with bacon. Lay puff pastry in 9 x 13-inch sheet pan. Pastry may go up sides of pan a bit. Poke all over with fork; this helps to keep it from bubbling up.
4. Whisk together eggs, cream, cheese, garlic and herbs until combined. Stir in pinch of salt and pepper. Stir in bacon and asparagus. Pour egg mixture into puff pastry crust. Bake 25 to 30 minutes, until center is no longer jiggly and crust is golden. Remove and let cool slightly. Sprinkle with additional herbs. Slice into 8 squares to serve. This lasts in fridge for 2 to 3 days.
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