My Mother's Salmon Quiche

Tasty. Classic. Foolproof. Thanks Mom!

Makes 4–6 servings.

1 9-inch pastry shell
2 tablespoons onion, chopped
1 teaspoon butter
3–4 large eggs
½ cup milk
½ cup cream or milk
½ teaspoon salt

7 ounces canned salmon (one tall can), drained and flaked
2½ tablespoons parsley, chopped
1 cup cheddar cheese, grated (about 4 ounces)

Poke holes in your pastry shell with a fork to prevent bubbling (called docking the crust). Bake the pastry according to package directions your recipe. (Because you so totally made it from scratch...just like I do. Yep.)

Meanwhile, fry onion in butter to brown. Beat eggs with milk and cream; stir in onion and salt.

Combine salmon and parsley, and place in baked pastry shell (that was definitely made from scratch, yeah-huh). Sprinkle with cheese. Pour egg mixture over top.

Bake at 350°F for 45 minutes, or microwave on high for 17 minutes. Quiche is done when it is a custard consistency (a little jiggly in the centre). Let rest 5 minutes before serving.

Serve with a salad of simple greens. Probably also made from scratch.

Holiday Turnip

This our favorite turnip dish (favorite turnip…never before in the history of humanity have those words been paired together). It is so loved that it is hard to think of Christmas without it; my family reserves the same level of anxiety for the turnip as we do the pie (“Are you bringing it? Are you sure you can? Should I bring it just in case? OMG who is bringing the turnip thishastohappenorChristmaswillberuined!”). Well, maybe just my anxiety.

This recipe also has great versatility: not only can it be made well in advance, but it tolerates adjustments very well. Love apples? Increase them to two, or even three. Watching your calories? Cut the sugar and butter in the filling by half. Really watching your calories? Cut out the sugar and butter in the filling entirely and substitute in a couple sweeter apples, such as Spy or Golden Delicious. Don’t love apples? Try pears. Want a quick weeknight side dish? Skip the topping—and baking—entirely (microwave the apple chunks for a few minutes to soften them up).

Makes 8–12 servings…depending on how much you actually love turnip.

Filling

1 large rutabaga*, peeled and diced ½ inch cubes

2 tablespoons butter

¼ cup brown sugar

1 dash cinnamon

1 large granny smith apple, peeled and chunked

Topping

⅓ cup brown sugar

⅓ cup all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons butter, cold, cut into pieces

Boil turnip until tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Drain well and mash with butter, sugar, and cinnamon. Stir in apple chunks. To make in advance: refrigerate for up to 3 days, or freeze (in a ziplock with the air squeezed out) for up to 1 month. Warm up to at least lukewarm before adding topping.

In a small bowl, blend together the flour and sugar, then cut in the butter until crumbly. To make in advance: freeze topping separately from turnip base until ready to bake. Can be used straight from frozen.

Place warm turnip mixture in greased casserole dish (what size? It doesn’t really matter, as long as you have a half inch up top to dam boil-overs). Sprinkle with topping. Bake at 350F for 1 hour, until turnip is bubbling and topping is golden. (To cut down on oven time, heat up turnip base in a microwave until steaming, then add topping and bake for 20 to 30 minutes.)

*Rutabaga is an oversized turnip (called a swede outside of North America) about the size of a large grapefruit. It’s sweeter than regular turnip and has lovely deep yellow flesh. If you can’t find rutabagas, substitute about 4 normal (apple-sized) turnips.

Eggnog French Toast

Every year, I get one or two requests for the French toast recipe I prepare for Christmas brunch. It is the perfect recipe for Christmas morning: it takes just ten minutes to prep the night before, and in the morning all you have to do is pop it in the oven. It pleases a crowd, too; the recipe serves eight, and even those not keen on eggnog like it. Add some bacon, coffee, and mimosas, and you're done.

I highly recommend the accompanying compote; it is the magic ingredient that makes the whole meal extra special. It takes a bit more time than the French toast itself, but can easily be made a couple days in advance. If you want to cut the fat in the compote recipe a little, I have found it is safe to reduce or omit the first four tablespoons of butter without too much difference to the taste...but on Christmas Day, the butter stays!

Unfortunately, I can’t take credit for our annual tradition. I follow a Bon Appetit recipe exactly as it was printed in December 2001. (Best. issue. ever. If there is ever a fire, my order of rescue is: the kid, the hamster, the Mac, and my Dec '01 BA. Yes, I think about these things.) Luckily, BA graciously posts all their recipes for free at Epicurious. Enjoy!

Eggnog French Toast

Cranberry-Apple Compote

Black Forest Oatmeal

In a technical sense, this breakfast can be considered healthy: it has a serving of oatmeal (whole grain!), cherries (fruit!), and pudding (milk and eggs! and cocoa! antioxidants! Give a girl a break, okay?) Very healthy and balanced, indeed. This is what I tell myself when I eat it three days in a row. Which has never happened, I swear. Really. Because I’m good. But so is this oatmeal.

Ahem.

The recipe is for one serving; scale as needed.

¼ cup quick oats*

¼ cup milk or almond milk

¼ cup water

¼ to ½ tsp sugar or sweetener

1 shake of salt

½ cup chocolate pudding

⅓ cup canned sour cherries, drained (I recommend S&F brand)

1 dollop whip cream or cool whip

Combine the first five ingredients in a small pot. Bring up to a gentle boil over medium heat. Simmer, stirring constantly, for 3-5 minutes. Allow to cool to room temperature (cooling can be sped up by placing the pot in a shallow bath of cold water and stirring occasionally).

Layer all ingredients in a bowl, or if you want to get fancy, a large parfait glass. Tell yourself it’s good for you. Then eat it all. Because—every once in a while—it’s important to eat pudding and whip cream for breakfast.

*Rolled or steel-cut oats can be substituted; adjust liquid quantities and cooking times according to package directions.

Hummus bi Tahini

Hummus is one of those grocery store items that is egregiously overpriced, enjoying a markup of 500 to 1000%. But it is ridiculously easy to make with a food processor or decent blender. And like many things, homemade always tastes better. It freezes well too, so even if this recipe makes too much for you (but really, who doesn’t want to eat three cups of hummus in one sitting?), it’s still worth making at home.

Serve hummus as a dip with pita bread (Arab style, not Greek), raw veg, or pretzels. Or use it as a spread in sandwiches and wraps.

1 can (540 mL/19 ounces) chickpeas*

4 tbsp tahini**

4 tbsp fresh-squeezed lemon juice (about 1 large lemon)

2 to 4 cloves garlic, crushed

1 to 2 tbsp olive oil (do not use “light-tasting” olive oil)

couple pinches salt

pinch ground cayenne

Drain and reserve a bit of the liquid off the chickpeas, leaving enough to just cover the peas. Place the chickpeas, their liquid, and remaining ingredients in a food processor or blender. Process to a smooth purée.

Taste and adjust the salt. Adjust the consistency as necessary with the reserved chickpea liquid (note: the hummus will firm up a bit after chilling). If you want the hummus to have a light “whipped” consistency, omit the extra liquid and process for a couple extra minutes.

Chill hummus for at least an hour. To serve as a dip, spread in a shallow dish, drizzle with olive oil and top with finely chopped parsley, plus any of the following:

Sprinkling of ground paprika, cumin, or cayenne

A few whole chickpeas, reserved from the can

Oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, julienned

Artichoke hearts, julienned

Roasted red peppers, julienned

Black olives, sliced

Cucumber, diced

Green onions/scallions, sliced

Roasted garlic

Toasted pine nuts

*I swear by Unico chickpeas. So does everyone I know. The end.

**A description of tahini and where you can buy it can be found here.

A Fish By Any Other Name

In our house, we loves us some catfish. It’s a great fish all around: it has a nice meaty texture, is sweet-tasting (forget what you’ve heard about “muddy” catfish: today’s farmed catfish doesn’t carry this flavor at all), and best of all, it resists overcooking like a champ. But, but, BUT…it’s expensive. And—unless you live near an actual fishmonger—you can’t buy it without a sauce already appended, leaving those of us with kids who have, ahem, discerning tastes out of luck.

Enter basa, AKA Vietnamese catfish. This stuff is awesome: all the goodness of fresh catfish, at half the price! In fact, I like it a bit more than catfish at the counter, as it’s a bit milder and sweeter tasting, making it an easy sell to the kid. The catch? It’s frozen. I tend to think of this as an advantage, though, for two reasons. One: I don’t have to cook it the same day I bought it. Two: since nearly all fish at the counter is “previously frozen” anyway, I am no longer paying for the privilege of someone else defrosting it for me. It’s pretty easy to defrost, too; just submerge in cold tap water for an hour or two, then drain and pat dry with paper towel. Voilà! Fresh fish exactly the way I want it!

To season basa just like the store’s catfish, rub on a tablespoon of olive oil and about two teaspoons Cajun seasoning, lemon pepper, or other seasoning of your choice (I love Rachael Ray’s Israeli Spice Rub) per fillet. Cook immediately, or wrap and refrigerate for up to 24 hours after defrosting.

Cajun Seasoning

I really can’t leave anything alone, even something as convenient as a spice blend. I find commercially prepared Cajun spice too salty, so I make my own. This version is mildly spicy; increase the cayenne and add black pepper for more heat. Connoisseurs will note that this blend is not classic Cajun, due to the absence of thyme and oregano…but you may have noticed I am not actually Cajun. So there.

This recipe yields approximately 3 tablespoons of seasoning. It works well with fish, chicken, and pork.

1 tbsp paprika

2 tsp garlic powder

2 tsp chili powder

1 tsp onion powder

¼ tsp dry mustard

¼ tsp ground cayenne (or red pepper flakes)

¼ tsp celery seed

¼ tsp salt

Mix together all ingredients and store in an airtight container away from direct light and heat.