I believe that I mentioned in a previous post that one of TM's friends had given us a bunch of quince recently. TM recommended a quince and lamb dish that she had made with her share of the quince. And it did sound delicious. I would like to look it up and give it a try sometime. But I really wanted to try some of the quince recipes from Dessert of the Day. And they had the benefit of being quick and easy and letting me check off a few more recipes from books I already have. So I started with this very basic poached quince recipe.

For this recipe, the quince are sliced and poached in a simple syrup flavoured with vanilla and lemon. It's a pleasant way to enjoy fresh quince if you happen to have some on hand. The results are not earth-shaking, but they are good. And I appreciate that it's simple and comes together relatively quickly. And if you wanted something a bit more substantial, I could see this being a great topping for rice pudding or waffles.

Quince Poached in Vanilla Syrup

From Dessert of the Day by Kim Laidlaw

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 c. sugar
• 2 c. water
• 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
• 2 Tbsp. lemon juice¹
• 3-4 quince, peeled and sliced
• 1/2 Tbsp. grated lemon zest

Directions

1. Combine the sugar, water, and vanilla bean and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Boil for 10 minutes.
2. Reduce heat to medium-low and add the quince, lemon juice, and lemon zest and simmer until quince is tender (20-25 minutes).

---

¹ I somehow missed the lemon juice in this recipe when I made it! I still got a nice hit of lemon from the lemon zest, but the juice would have given it some extra tang. Whoops! ^Back

I had and open package of chicken bacon in the fridge that needed to be used up as well as a couple of leeks from our last produce basket, so this quiche made for an ideal breakfast option. I went with sourdough pastry again so that I could use a bit more starter as well.

The quiche was delicious. But I still think I'd make a few tweaks next time. And, surprisingly, one of those tweaks would be to add less cheese. Usually, if I'm making adjustments to the amount of cheese called for in the recipe, it's an increase to the amount, not a decrease! But I actually feel like this one went a bit too heavy on the cheese. I mean, it tasted great, but it had so much gruyère that it became almost more like a cheese pie than a quiche. And all that cheese made it a little greasy as well. So I do think I'd try cutting the cheese slightly next time.

I might also increase the egg a touch. The original recipe called for a 23cm (9") loose-bottom tart tin, but I prefer to use my 23cm deep-dish pie plate for quiche. Which, to be fair, worked fine. But I did find that, with only two eggs, the pie shell was left slightly under-filled. So I think I'd try adding an extra egg next time.

And, depending on how I was feeling, I might try making the custard with whole milk rather than half-and-half. Just to lighten it up a bit. Don't get me wrong! The half-and-half was delicious. But it did make for a very rich final result. I'd be interested to see how it turned out with milk instead.

Bacon, Leek, and Gruyère Quiche

Slightly adapted from The Breakfast Bible by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 1/2 recipe sourdough pastry (or pastry of your choice)
• 4-6 slices bacon
• 1 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 2 leeks, halved and thinly sliced (light parts only)
• 3 large eggs
• 1 c. half-and-half (10%) or milk
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 1/4 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 100g gruyère cheese, grated

Directions

1. Roll out pastry and use it to line a 23cm (9") deep-dish pie plate. Freeze for 30 minutes.
2. Place a baking sheet in the oven and preheat to 190°C (375°F).
3. Line pie shell with baking paper and fill with pie weights. Place on hot baking sheet and bake at 190°C (375°F) for 15 minutes.
4. Remove pie weights and bake for another 5 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, cook bacon until crisp and chop.
6. Drain fat from pan, return pan to heat, and melt butter over medium-low heat.
7. Add leeks and cook until softened (~10 minutes).
8. Beat eggs with half-and-half (or milk), salt, pepper, and nutmeg.
9. Once pie shell is baked, add the leeks and bacon in an even layer in the bottom.
10. Top with cheese.
11. Give the custard a final mix and pour it into the pie shell.
12. Return quiche to oven on top of hot baking sheet and bake at 190°C (375°F) for 30 minutes.

Sweet potatoes were on sale the other day, so I picked up a few on a whim. I then repeatedly failed to do anything with them. But, luckily, I managed to get it together enough to make this salad before they went off.

It was a pretty good salad too! The dressing is pretty much just maple syrup and lime juice, but I really like it! It complements the sweet potatoes well. Although, I think I would be tempted to add just a pinch of chili powder next time! I think that would go nicely with the other flavours and give it a nice little kick.

Sweet Potato Salad with Pecans and Green Onions

Slightly adapted from Vegetable of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• ~1.4kg sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 2cm cubes
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/3 c. lime juice
• 3 Tbsp. maple syrup
• 1/4 tsp. chili powder (optional)
• 1/2 c. chopped pecans, toasted
• 1/2 c. chopped green onions
• 1/4 c. chopped fresh cilantro
• pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 200°C (400°F) and line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat.
2. Toss sweet potatoes with 1 Tbsp. of the oil and the salt and arrange in a single layer on prepared baking sheet.
3. Roast at 200°C (400°F) flipping and turning once during cooking.
4. Meanwhile, combine the lime juice, mapley syrup, and chili powder (if using) and drizzle in the remaining 1/2 Tbsp. olive oil while whisking vigorously.
5. Once sweet potatoes are done, transfer them to a bowl along with the pecans, green onions, and cilantro.
6. Pour the dressing over, toss to combine, and season to taste with salt and pepper.

I have very fond memories of my mom's chicken stew with dumplings, but it's been a long time since I've had it. I don't really tend to make chicken stew. If I'm making stew, it's usually beef. And for chicken, I'm much more likely to do soup than stew these days.

This isn't my mom's recipe. But it still filled me with nostalgia. And I do really enjoy a good stew with dumplings.

Chicken Stew with Buttermilk-Chive Dumplings

Slightly adapted from Dish of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

Stew

• 1 chicken (~1kg), skinned and broken down into parts
• 1 bay leaf
• 4 peppercorns
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1/4 c. unsalted butter
• 2 leeks, halved and chopped (white parts only)
• 2 carrots, peeled and sliced
• 3 ribs celery, sliced
• 2 Tbsp. flour
• 4 c. chicken stock
• 1 russet (or other floury) potato, cut into 1cm cubes
• 2 Tbsp. heavy (35%) cream

Dumplings

• 200g all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh chives
• 1/8 tsp. ground cayenne
• 3 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 1/2 c. buttermilk

Directions

1. Put chicken pieces in a pot with bay leaf, peppercorns, and 1/4 tsp. of salt and add enough water to cover by a couple of cm.
2. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low.
3. Simmer until chicken is cooked through (~20 minutes).
4. Remove chicken, shred meat. Reserve 2 c. of poaching liquid. Set aside.
5. Melt butter over medium-high heat.
6. Add leeks, carrots, and celery and cook until softened (~5 minutes).
7. Add the flour and cook, stirring often, for 2-3 minutes.
8. Add the chicken stock and reserved poaching liquid and bring to a boil.
9. Add potato, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook until the potato begins to soften (~10 minutes).
10. Add the chicken and cream and cook until broth thickens and potatoes are tender (~5 minutes).
11. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
12. Meanwhile, sift together the flour and baking soda.
13. Add the salt, chives, and cayenne and cut in the butter.
14. Add the buttermilk and stir to combine.
15. Shape the dough into small dumplings and drop them into the soup.
16. Cover and steam for 20 minutes.

We've been on a bit of a shrimp and pasta kick lately. After six years of avoiding it due to suspected allergies, it's nice to finally be able to enjoy a bit of seafood again. And TF is a big fan of shrimp with pasta, so we've been leaning into that now that the shellfish ban has been lifted.

Spaghetti with Shrimp and Fennel

Slightly adapted from Dish of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1/2 tsp. fennel seeds
• 1 fennel bulb, cored and thinly sliced, fronds chopped and reserved separately
• 1 onion, halved and sliced
• 1/4 tsp. red chile flakes
• 1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/8 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 1 large (~800mL) can whole or diced tomatoes (preferably San Marzano)
• 1/4 c. kalamata olives (~15), pitted and quartered
• 3 Tbsp. dry white wine
• ~350g spaghetti (or other long pasta, preferably multi-grain or whole wheat)
• 350g raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
• Parmesan or pecorino Romano, to serve

Directions

1. Heat olive oil over medium heat.
2. Add fennel seeds and sizzle for 10-20 seconds.
3. Add fennel bulb, onion, chile flakes, salt, and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, for ~10 minutes.
4. Add tomatoes, olives, and wine and cook until thickened slightly (5-8 minutes).
5. Meanwhile, cook spaghetti according to package directions, reserving ~1 c. of the pasta cooking water before draining.
6. Add shrimp to sauce and cook until shrimp are just done (~3 minutes).
7. Add reserved pasta water to sauce and stir vigorously.
8. Add drained spaghetti and toss to combine.
9. Adjust seasoning to taste, top with reserved fennel fronds and Parmesan, and serve.

One of TM's friends ended up with a bumper crop of quince this year, so they've been sharing the bounty. And we got extra bonus pears along with our quince!
I have plans for the quince that should hopefully appear on the blog shortly. I actually debated doing up a simple poached quince dessert after dinner tonight. But the pears needed to be used more urgently, so I decided to start there.

I have a lot of pear recipes awaiting testing. But this one had the virtue of being very quick and easy to put together and only needing three pears, which, conveniently, was the exact number we were given. It is also delicious!

The original recipe acutally went for an almond theme. The pears were drizzled with amaretto and topped with toasted sliced almonds after roasting. I didn't have any amaretto, but I did have a bottle of Frangelico in the pantry. And I figured that pear and hazelnut is also a good combo. So I just swapped out the liqueur and replaced the almonds with chopped toasted hazelnuts. It worked very well, if I do say so myself!

Roasted Pears with Honey, Hazelnuts, and Greek Yogurt

Slightly adapted from Dessert of the Day by Kim Laidlaw

Ingredients

• 3 pears¹
• 1/3 c. honey
• 4 bay leaves
• 3 Tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into 6 pieces
• 2 Tbsp. Frangelico (hazelnut liqueur)
• 1 1/2 c. plain Greek yogurt
• 1/4 c. hazelnuts, toasted and chopped

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 190°C (375°F).
2. Peel, halve, and core the pears.
3. Bring the honey and bay leaves to a boil over medium heat.
4. Reduce heat slightly and simmer for 3-4 minutes.
5. Place the butter pieces evenly spaced in the pan and place a pear half, cut-side-down, on top of each one.
6. Cover and bake at 190°C (375°F) for 12 minutes.
7. Carefully flip pears over and baste with sauce.
8. Drizzle with Frangelico and return to oven.
9. Roast, uncovered, at 190°C (375°F) until pears are tender (~10 minutes).
10. Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly (10-15 minutes).
11. Place two pear halves in a bowl and drizzle with a little sauce.
12. Top with ~1/2 c. of yogurt, ~1 Tbsp. of hazelnuts, and a bit more sauce and serve.

---

¹ The original recipe called for 3 "ripe but firm" bosc pears. I'm not sure what variety we were given, but they definitely weren't bosc. They looked a bit like anjou, but I don't know my pears well enough to say for sure. Specifics aside, they were excellent in this application! So, personally, I wouldn't worry too much about what specific type of pears you have as long as they're good ones. ^Back

Asian Noodle Bowl (Breakfast Bible)

Personally, I don't really feel that this recipe... works as written. It calls for 1 1/2 pounds of fresh noodles (either udon, soba, or spaghetti), which works out to ~1 pound of dried. I opted for a scant pound of ramen for my take on this. And it was okay, but I really felt that there were way too many noodles for the amount of other stuff. And I even doubled the bacon and increased the eggs by 50%! (Plus, I added some toasted sesame seeds and pickled veggies.) So yeah, while I'm fine with this breakfast as a concept I think this particular implementation could use some work.

The recipe below reflects the rebalanced version. Which, to be fair, is largely the same as what I made today, just with less noodles.

Asian Noodle Bowl

Adapted from The Breakfast Bible by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 4-6 slices bacon or 100g smoked tofu, sliced
• 250g dried noodles (ramen, soba, spaghetti, etc.)
• 2 Tbsp. light soy sauce
• 2 tsp. mirin
• 1 tsp. rice vinegar
• 1/2 tsp. sugar
• 4-6 large eggs, beaten
• 2 green onions, chopped, greens and whites separated
• 1 Tbsp. toasted sesame seeds
• pickled veggies, to taste
• black pepper, to taste

Directions

1. If using bacon, fry until crisp. If using tofu, add a little bacon grease or oil to the pan and fry until browned on both sides. Chop and set aside.
2. Cook the noodles to desired doneness. Drain and set aside.
3. Combine soy sauce, mirin, vinegar, and sugar.
4. Drain all but 1 Tbsp. of fat from the pan used to cook the bacon.
5. Add the noodles, the sauce, and the white parts of the green onions and toss to combine.
6. Push the noodles to the sides of the pan and pour in the eggs.
7. Cook, without stirring, for 3-4 minutes.
8. Stir the eggs to allow some of the uncooked egg to run underneath.
9. Continue stirring ever few minutes until eggs are mostly cooked, then stir into the noodles and continue cooking until eggs are fully set.
10. Top with green parts of green onions, sesame seeds, and pickled veggies, season to taste with pepper, and serve.