Showing posts with label cheese. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cheese. Show all posts

Monday, December 28, 2009

St-Morgon spinach quiche

I had a block of Saint Morgon cheese just sitting in my fridge screaming "Spread me!" It's great on crusty bread because of its creamy smooth texture, pungent aroma and delicious taste BUT (yes... there is always a but... ) with all the hearty, rich and compact holiday meals wedged in, I just couldn't imagine myself ingesting all that. So I knew I had to make something with it...

Quiche! And just like that, it was one of the things featured on the menu for my dinner with friends. Since I was going to use the oven, I thought I might as well make two. Serve one and eat one by myself freeze one for later.




St-Morgon spinach quiche
(makes 2 pies, serves 8-10 each)

  • 2 deep dish pie crusts, home-made or store-bought.
  • a drizzle of olive oil
  • 1 Tbsp butter
  • 2 onions, sliced
  • A handful of sun-dried tomatoes, chopped.
  • 1 bag frozen spinach, thawed, squeezed of excess water (about 6-7 oz, a bag is 10 oz but I took out some for something else)
  • 8 eggs
  • 1 cup table cream
  • 1 cup milk
  • 2 wedges of La Vache qui rit cheese
  • 1 block of creamy Saint Morgan cheese (this is what I had on hand. Substitute with Brie if you want)
  • 16 big pieces of sun-dried tomatoes to decorate top if desired
Thaw pie crusts and pre-bake according to package. Let cool when done. Set oven to 350*F

In a pan over medium heat, drizzle the oil n butter, when butter melts, add the onions and cook until soft, about 10, 15 minutes, stirring once in a while. Then add the handful of chopped sun-dried tomatoes, stir around for a minute, then add the spinach, mix well and take off the heat.

In a mixing bowl, whisk the eggs lightly. Add cream, milk, and break little pieces of La Vache Qui Rit, then whisk everything together.

Slice cheese (Saint Morgon) and put onto bottom of pie crusts, top with spinach mixture, and then egg mixture. Use a fork and nudge the spinach a bit so that the egg mixture fill up every space there is. Top with the rest of the tomatoes for decoration before putting them in the oven.

Bake until the center is just set. Mine baked for about 40 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes or so before serving.



***Just a little tip for the one you will be freezing. Cool it completely, cut into desired wedges then wrap individually in aluminum foil. Freeze. When you want to eat one, do not thaw, heat it as is, with the top opened, in a 350*F oven, for about 15-20 minutes, or until heated through.

Sunday, November 8, 2009

Tuna qui rit

The Laughing Cow Wedges was the only "cheese" at one point in Vietnam when I was a kid. I used to either just eat them right out of the wrapper one after another, or spread in "banh mi" for breakfast.

After moving to Canada, most probably due to the overload of varieties of other cheeses, I forgot about The Wedges. Then I eventually started dismissing the idea of "La Vache Qui Rit" being a "real" cheese, and always ignored that "spreadable cheese" section.

Fifteen years went by without a Wedge in my life, until recently "La Vache Qui Rit Light" commercials started to pop up on TV and they suddenly got me craving it. From that day on, I haven't stopped eating them. I actually had to start buying the big boxes because I inhale them so frigging fast.

I really prefer the light version. Simply spread onto toasts alone, or accompanied by a drizzle of honey, peanut butter or jam, and I am satisfied. But why stop there? They are so low in fat, I can replace them in other things....

There are loads of recipes on their website. But here is my interpretation:




Tuna Qui Rit

  • 1 can of tuna
  • 3 wedges of Laughing Cow Light
  • 1 boiled egg, chopped
  • about 10 black oloves, pitted and sliced
  • 2 hearts of artichokes, chopped
  • 2 hearts of palm, chopped
for garnish
  • some roasted red pepper, chopped
  • toasted pecan halves

Mix tuna and cheese together well until smooth with a fork. Mix in the rest of the ingredients. Serve on toasts or crackers, garnish with roasted pepper & pecan halves. Add some freshly ground black pepper if desired.



Monday, April 27, 2009

Prosciutto & ricotta wrap



  • Whole grain tortilla wrap
  • Ricotta cheese
  • Mesclun mix salad
  • Halved cherry tomatoes
  • Prosciutto slices
  • A crack of pepper
Wrap & roll!!!

A side of sliced Lebanese cukes & yellow bell peppers. Lunch is ready!!!!