foodstuff: quiche de noël

during this week twenty-three years ago, i sat in fourth period french class and learned how to make quiche au jambon.

my teacher, madame shiptenko, was a passionate foodie and a lifelong francophile. she had studied cuisine in paris and absolutely loved to cook...

she regularly taught us cooking lessons in french. i'll never forget her first spectacular display: crêpes suzette. what a brilliant way to capture the attention of high school students - by bringing strong liqueur to class and dramatically setting it on fire.

the week before christmas during my freshman year, madame shiptenko taught us to make a simple but spectacular ham quiche. it was so fantastically delicious that i made it for my family just a few days later on christmas morning. everyone instantly fell in love with it...

thus, a tradition was born. i have made this quiche every year since then. twenty-three quiches to date and hopefully many more to come.

i still have the paper with the original recipe, which is the source of these images. it's withered and worn, yellowing and splattered from year after year of use in the kitchen. this recipe makes a fluffy, rich, golden brown quiche which fills the house with a heavenly smell.

merci beaucoup, madame shiptenko, for the gift of your passion. merci for the food, for the french, for the learning, for the love. i think of you every year when i make the christmas quiche...

a few innkeeper notes:

* i use a combination of emmentaler and gruyère cheese, which was the suggestion of madame.
* use icy cold water when making the pastry.
* if you are short on time, use freezer pie crust. however, if you do, don't tell madame. she will exclaim "mon dieu!" and roll her eyes to the heavens. i know it isn't the same as the buttery handmade pastry, but it's still ridiculously good.

* baking time is always longer than 30 minutes. i usually cook it for approximately 45 minutes. look for a golden brown color over the top.
* it needs time to cool when coming out of the oven. even though you may want to dive in immediately, i highly recommend letting it firm up a little before serving.
* if your pie plate isn't very deep, you risk an overflow of quiche juice. avoid making a mess in your oven by placing a cookie sheet or piece of foil on the rack underneath the quiche.

* vegetarians: skip the ham and substitute veggies. i've used caramelized onions with great success.

bon appetit, mes cheris! joyeux noël!

{camp cozy} belgian hot chocolate

i try a new hot chocolate recipe every winter.

honestly, my choices keep getting more and more decadent with each twirl around the sun.

this year i made a chocolat chaud that is by far the most creamy, rich, and robust that i have ever tasted...

{belgian hot chocolate + vanilla whipped cream}

the recipe is from the great book of chocolate by david lebovitz. it orginated from wittamer, one of the best chocolate shops in brussels. it is a beautifully simple blend of whole milk, semisweet and milk chocolate, cinnamon, and just a pinch of salt.

the result is a very, very rich drinking chocolate. i only made half of the recipe and it was absolutely too much. i definitely recommend serving it in espresso cups or something smaller than the hearty coffee mug pictured above.

i added my own homemade whipped cream to the top. heavy cream, vanilla extract, and a tiny pinch of sugar were all frothed into fluffiness by my beloved mixin' vixen. the creamy clouds were delicious and helped balance the intensity of the chocolate.

p.s. take a look at the calendar of flavors for the twenty eleven hot chocolate festival in new york. dreamy!

{dewdroplets} three

a cabinet of curiosities for your enjoyment...

{national geographic photo circa 1938 via the style rookie}

{finding joe: a film about joseph campbell and the hero's journey}

{red wine chocolate cake via smitten kitchen}

{you have nothing*you have everything via a big creative yes}

{the legion of extraordinary dancers via the wrex files}

sent with love from your innkeeper!

foodstuff: homemade nutella

this week, i bought my first jar of nutella.

ever.

yes, that's right...

{via turbosquid}

i have never once in my life purchased the rich creamy chocolate hazelnut spread and brought it into my house.

of course, i have consumed this deliciousness at restaurants on many occasions, most frequently between the layers of a warm buttery crepe.

but somehow i never brought a container of it home until now.

it's ridiculously good on lots of simple things, like toast or bananas.

well, i'm totally hooked and now i would like to try making my own...

{via babble}

this recipe, from david lebovitz, seems simple and would fill the inn with the smell of toasty hazelnuts and melted chocolate.

yes, indeed.

perhaps next year i will participate in world nutella day, where "thousands of bloggers and fans worldwide celebrate italy's edible treasure."

dear guests, are any of you nutella lovers? have you ever made your own version of this delight?

{dewdroplets} one

a cabinet of curiosities for your enjoyment...

eleanor by tuesday mourning

spicy dark chocolate coconut smoothie via always order dessert

life as a creative person is a constant dance between structure and flow. 

keep listening to when the music changes, and you'll be just fine.

via have fun * do good

a heartfelt collection of female experience via roots of she

the prague astronomical clock six hundredth anniversary show via six giraffes

wishing you a splendid weekend, my dear friends!

foodstuff: grilled corn + avocado + tomato salad

pinterest has become my primary source of delicious new recipes.

for example, the baked oatmeal i wrote about recently was a happy pinterest discovery.

it's a fun and useful tool for me because i'm such a visual gal.

when i worked as a server in upscale restaurants, i could instantly memorize a complicated dish just by looking at it. however, if you gave me a menu which used only words to describe it, i struggled to recall the components.

well, it's summer and the visual splendor of pinterest has me falling in love with beautiful fresh combinations like this...

{within the kitchen via sara mccarty}

this recipe was so easy to make and full of really bright seasonal flavors.

it was a simple process: i grilled a few ears of corn, scooped out some ripe avocado chunks, and whipped up a lime-rice wine vinegar-olive oil-avocado dressing. combined with cherry tomatoes, cilantro, salt, and pepper, the result was a bowl full of incredibly vibrant summer tastiness.

based on this experience, i look forward to discovering more savory summer treats through the lovely food pins on pinterest.

of course, i would also love to hear about your favorite summer concoctions. any recipe recommendations for the innkeeper?

foodstuff: meyer lemon pots de crème

pots de crème are one of my favorite desserts. if you are unfamiliar with this deliciousness, it is a creamy baked custard. in even simpler terms, it is french pudding.

when i worked at zuni cafe in san francisco, we had pots de crème on the dessert menu almost every night. bittersweet chocolate, dulce de leche, espresso. sometimes, at the beginning of the evening, i would stare into the dessert cooler at all of the beautiful pots lined up and ready to be scooped out by lucky patrons.

thus, i was filled with joy yesterday when we had meyer lemon pots de crème with raspberry sauce as brunch dessert at the reid ranch...

my beau-père and belle-mère made these delights using meyer lemons from my favorite tree on the ranch...

the crème was sweet, rich, fragrant citrus - a perfect late winter/early spring dessert.

i have made these before using this recipe.  initially i was scared of baking something that required a bain-marie (water bath), but it was actually easy and the results were completely worth the effort.

salut to spring baking!

tricky treats: salted honey caramels

cream + butter + sugar + honey + salt...

i have always wanted to try making caramels...

so earlier this week when i painted a caramel, i decided that the time had arrived...

i used this recipe...

and the result was buttery, salty deliciousness.

seriously.

having these in the house is dangerous.

i will be giving these away as quickly as possible.

i already gave a bag full of these treats to my best friends next door.

if you would like to make these:

caramel isn't difficult to make, but i highly recommend doing some research before you try it.

here is a list of recipes and articles i read in preparation for this yummy project:

fleur de sel caramels from nothing but bonfires

fleur de sel caramels from ina garten

ten tips for making caramel from david lebovitz

salted butter caramels from david lebovitz

salted butter caramels from chez pim

homemade caramels from giver's log

foodstuff: butternut squash soup

the first fall food i crave every year is butternut squash soup made from scratch by my beloved kevwrex.

a few days ago, i purchased a large butternut squash and propped it up on the kitchen counter to stare at him longingly.

subtle, no?

he is a talented cook and transformed that gourd into a fabulous meal last night.

i asked if i could document the process and share his recipe here at the dew drop inn.

he said yes to the photos but admitted that he doesn't use a recipe. apparently, he has made this soup so often that it has been committed to memory.

*swoon*

however, when first learning his soup techniques, he says that he referred to alton, emeril, and ina for guidance.

therefore, the following is not a recipe.

it is a visual journey through the elements of our fall feast...

{roast: butternut squash}

{sauté: mirepoix + apples}

{puree: all of the above with stock}

{garnish: sage leaves}

{combine: mixed greens + balsamic vinegar + olive oil}

{add: herbed goat cheese +  candied pecans}

{toast: slices of bread + olive oil + sea salt}

foodstuff: pumpkin cupcakes + maple cream cheese frosting

in trader joe's last week, i happened upon the last can of organic pumpkin.

it was sitting all by itself on the shelf.

i'm not completely certain, but i think it may have winked at me.

of course it had to come to my house.

since i have not baked with pumpkin for some time, i turned to the food blogosphere for inspiration.

while traipsing through pumpkin mania in the online world of fall, i found smitten kitchen's pumpkin cupcakes with maple buttercream frosting.

oh yes.

not only do i adore pumpkin, but maple anything makes me swoon.

so i spent a rainy sunday whipping up a batch of fall spiced cupcakes topped with a sweet buttery frosting...

{silicone liners + favorite apron}

{a rainbow of liners}

{fresh from the oven = knockout fall fragrance}

{sprinkled with nutmeg}

a few baking notes...

• confession: this was my first use of cake flour. what took me so long?! it's dreamy. those cakes were crazy soft.
• i used golden instead of dark brown sugar. no problem.
• instead of using individual spices, i multitasked and threw in two teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice. it had all of the spice goodness that was called for plus a dash of cardamom. yum.
• the frosting did not ultimately taste super maple-y and if when i make it again i will fix this issue.
• i think this might be the best cupcake i have made in my baking life.
• smitten kitchen recipes consistently rock.

in conclusion, these cupcakes are awesome.

if you need a new fall sweet treat recipe, this is it.

and i would be most delighted to hear about any pumpkin goodness that is emerging from your kitchen this fall...

pavlova lover

we have a wonderful friend visiting from new zealand who made a stunning delight for us this evening...

this beauty is called a 'pavlova.'  i have read about this recipe but have never tried one, so when my friend decided to bake it i was incredibly excited.

after eating the heavenly concoction tonight i must tell you this: 

it was so delicious i almost wept tears of sweet joy.

this lovely dessert is a fluffy meringue baked lightly golden brown, filled with fresh whipped cream, and topped with strawberries and kiwi.

my friend told me that this is a dessert his mum often makes and that in new zealand there are competitions at local fairs to determine who makes the best pavlova.

{i love details and stories like these.}

a side note about meringue: 

i don't think i ever ate properly made meringue when i was young.  rather, i don't recall ever eating fresh meringue.  so truthfully i always thought it was yucky and weird.  like tasteless dull styrofoam, in my memory.

thankfully this opinion changed drastically in recent years when i learned to make fresh lemon meringue pie as well as meringue mushrooms for a buche de noel.

and now, the pavlova has sealed the meringue deal.  i'm offically hooked for life.

thank you for making this light sweet airy treat, my dear new zealand baker!

summer stuff

it has been gloriously HOT here on the hill for the last few days.

there is something i love to make on a sweltering summer afternoon...

1 cup fresh lemon juice + simple syrup + 4 cups cold water

i find that every batch is different depending on the lemons, so i always taste and adjust by adding any of the above until i love it.

it is delicious just like this, but if you're feeling adventurous you can add fun things like strawberries, mint, ginger, or cucumber.

serve with lots of ice and a lemon wheel garnish.

so refreshing!

foodstuff: the results are in...

last week, i told the continuing tale of my life as a baker in this post.

i asked for your votes on what i should first attempt from peter reinhart's cookbook artisan breads every day.  

thank you for your enthusiastic responses!  i wish you could all be here to taste the results.

speaking of which, the votes are in...

cinnamon buns: 1

challah: 1

focaccia: 3

so we have a winner!

focaccia will be the first baked deliciousness from this beautiful book.  next friday i will report back with the results!

now i've got to go get ready for a secret event tomorrow which i will document and tell you all about next week.

in the meantime, here are a two caramel recipes i am daydreaming about...

david lebovitz's salted butter caramels

nothing but bonfires' fleur de sel caramels

...did i mention that candy making scares me too?

xo

foodstuff: honey olive oil pizza dough

although i have been baking since i was a wee one in my mom's kitchen, i did not start baking with yeast until approximately two years ago.

until that time, i had the idea that yeast was moody, tricky, easily destroyed, and only for advanced bakers.  i avoided recipes with yeast because i felt i couldn't stand the disappointment that my ineptitude would bring.

but then i changed.  it all started with soft pretzels.  i really wanted to make them, so i searched for a recipe and....welcome to yeast baking heaven.  warm, golden, salty deliciousness from scratch.  it was easy and from that moment i was totally hooked.

after the pretzel success, i progressed into taking a baking class from a chef in our neighborhood.  i learned to bake everything from loaves of bread to cinnamon rolls, all using a stand mixer for most of the process.  finally i realized that baking with yeast wasn't so scary after all!

thus, when friends were visiting last summer and we decided to make pizza from scratch, i was no longer afraid.  we easily made two different batches of dough and they were both simple and crazy delicious.

this recipe is from that day.  kevwrex and i now eat this fantastic pizza in regular rotation for dinner at the tree house.  it is a slightly adapted version of wolfgang puck's recipe from the cuisine at home magazine.

HONEY OLIVE OIL PIZZA DOUGH

makes 4 12" pizzas

stuff you need:

1 package of yeast

1 1/4 cup of water

1 teaspoon of honey

1 tablespoon of olive oil

1 teaspoon of salt

3 cups of flour

let's do this:

pour package of yeast into the bowl of your stand mixer...

mix in  1 1/4 cup of warm water - between 105 and 115 degrees...

stir in a teaspoon of honey...

wait a few minutes for bubbling to begin.

stir in a tablespoon of olive oil... 

stir in a teaspoon of salt...

add 3 cups of flour...

on lowest possible speed, use the paddle attachment very briefly to incorporate the ingredients.  do not over mix, only until it looks like this...

switch to the dough hook and mix on lowest speed for several minutes until most of the dough pulls cleanly away from the bowl and forms a rough ball...

remove the ball and knead until mostly smooth.

important note: if dough is crumbly and not smooth/pliable, knead in either water or olive oil.  if dough is super sticky and clinging to your hands, knead in a little flour until it is no longer sticky.  you will get better at knowing what to do here the more you make dough!

form a ball, rub the entire surface with olive oil.

place in bowl...

 cover with towel...

store in the warmest place possible.

let the dough rise for 30-60 minutes.

remove the risen dough and score into four sections...

 roll each section into a ball...

cover with plastic wrap that has been rubbed or sprayed with olive oil.  dough exposed to air at this point will dry out and get yucky!

preheat oven and baking stone/baking sheet to 500 degrees.

let dough rise for 30-60 minutes...

shape into crust.

top with favorite goodies. 

bake on pizza stone/baking sheet at 500 degrees for 10 minutes.

yum!

note: extra dough can be stored for up to a week in the refrigerator.  just let it warm up and allow it to "re-rise" before baking.