Thursday, November 1, 2012

Mushroom & Shallot Quiche (Plus Chicken Tagine)

First, Nana and I wanted to thank our fellow Doristas who reached out to check up on us after Hurricane Sandy. We experience a strong feeling of community as we post and comment each French Friday, but these recent gestures really amazed us - what a great group we have ! And we are 100% OK. Feeling even a bit guilty that we made it through so totally unscathed.  Our thoughts are with those who did not and we again thank everyone for their well wishes ~ 
Per Nana: Mushroom & Shallot Quiche

With a combination of mushrooms and shallots I knew this week's
 recipe would be tasty. Unfortunately, I did not have fresh herbs so
 I used dried thyme instead.  According to the package instructions to
 substitute dried for fresh was 2 tsp. of dry for each tbls. of fresh herb.

I personally thought that a bit too much.

The recipe was easy to make.  I made my tart crust the day before 
and put in the freezer.  Having frozen tart crust is a great way to make a
 quick dinner, especially for working mothers. I also find that my 
crust bakes well when they are frozen. The addition of the scallions on 
top not only tasted good but made  for a lovely decoration.

I will definitely be making this again.

Per Nana:
Chicken Tagine with Sweet Potatoes & Prunes

I can honestly say that this week's recipe for chicken tagine 
was terrible. Even though I love all the ingredients in it, I think
 the spices turned me off. I am thankful that I prepared only half 
the recipe, using chicken thighs and one sweet potato.
Hubby and I truly disliked the flavor of the pan juices,  entirely too sweet. 
In order to salvage the dish as best as possible, I removed the 
chicken, potatoes, and prunes and simply added them to chicken broth.
I  cooked some couscous and added that to the broth as well.
The recipe is certainly easy enough to prepare, unfortunately,
 it just wasn't to our liking. I am looking forward to the recipes for November,  
 great choices that can be worked into some of the holiday meal.
Per Tricia-
Sorry all - I am WAY behind after a business trip last week.
 I did not even get time to post Nana's Chicken experiment last week 
and feel so guilty that I'm hurrying to post both of hers now :) 
  I wonder if she has any more tart crust in her freezer ..........

18 comments:

  1. Nana - the tagine wasn't a favorite here either. But we loved the quiche (even if I didn't follow the recipe very well).

    I am so glad that you both made out well through this week's ordeal. I agree - the FFwD crew is wonderful and was moved by all of the outreach received.

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  2. Your quiche looks lovely but sorry you didn't like the tagine. I loved it, but hey, you can't like them all! Glad you are both doing ok post-Sandy.

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  3. Sometimes recipes just don´t work. The quiche looks amazing though! Wasn´t it wonderful? Have a great weekend

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  4. Nana- I made the chicken tagine for a big group on Halloween and everybody loved it!
    The mushroom quiche was a hit as well;-) I like the look of the sliced scallions on top of your quiche, also the square shape is fun.
    Glad you are both doing well, that Sandy was a beast of a storm! Have a wonderful weekend;-)

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  5. So happy that you made it through the storm so well!

    The quiche looks great, especially with the scallions on top - I forgot to pick any up - mine is not as pretty!

    Nana, I did like the recipe, but would not ever make it again, I think. So many other wonderful ways to cook with those ingredients. I think that it was a bit sweet too. Though I had fun trying something different!

    Glad you are ok!Hope your weekend is wonderful and relaxing!

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  6. So glad that you're all unscathed! That quiche looks gorgeous! I'm having mine for dinner tonight. It sure does smell good. Sorry that the tagine was a miss for you. Oh well, they can't all be winners. Onward!

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  7. Happy to hear that you both weathered the storm. Sounds like it was a bad one. Goods friends of mine are still without electricity.

    As for your pie crust, do you make it and roll it out the same day and stick it in the freezer? Or do you first make it and freeze it and then roll it out? I've really struggled with crust so I'm curious to hear how you do it. Looks delicious by the way. I'm running behind but I plan to make it this weekend.

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    Replies
    1. When I make the crust I do not roll it, I place in directly in the tart pan and then
      freeze it. The dough is pretty pliable and works well that way. I have a gadget
      to roll the dough inside the tart pan to smooth it out. We enjoyed this a lot.
      Thank you for your thoughts regarding the storm, Tricia and I are doing
      good, no problems with either water or electric, thank god.

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  8. Your dishes look delicious:) Great job! Glad you made it through the storm ok.

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    Replies
    1. Thank you, we enjoyed the quiche. Mushrooms and shallots are a good
      combination. Tricia and I had no problems with the storm but thanks for
      thinking of us. My heart goes out to all the people that lost so much.
      It is unbelievable.

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  9. I'm happy to hear your were unscathed. I'm feeling the same bit of guilt, we didn't lose power, yet 40% of our town did. I love the shape of your quiche pan. I usually substitute 1 tsp dried for 1 Tbsp fresh, so maybe that would work better for you next time. Sorry you didn't enjoy the chicken. I agree the broth was sweet, but I didn't mind it. Have a great weekend.

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  10. That's a great looking quiche! And glad to hear you guys were spared by the storm.
    I'm also glad to hear your feedback about the tagine! I didn't have the time or energy for the fight I knew I'd have on my hands to convince the kids to eat it, so I skipped it.

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  11. I'm glad you both are safe and okay. That's good to hear! And, kudos for doing a double Dorie post. Both the quiche and tagine look delicious!

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  12. Nana: your Quiche looks wonderful and delicious - I love it when you use your square baking pan! It makes for a very lovely presenatation especially with the sliced scallions on top ! The Chicken Tageine will not make a reappearance at our house either but it was an intriguing recipe to try!

    Tricia and Nana: I am relieved to read that you are all doing well, the pictures that we are seeing here from the devastating hurricane truly break my heart!

    Take care!

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  13. Nana, Your quiche looks delicious and I am glad you liked this week's FFWD recipe choice. Although I liked last week's chicken tagine, I certainly can understand how the spices may not be to everyone's liking. I am glad both your family and Tricia's family got through the storm unscathed. Such devastation. And, yes, we all were concerned about the both of you and your loved ones.

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    Replies
    1. Mary, thank you. Tricia and I certainly appreciate the well wishes and concern
      of our fellow Doristas. I agree, the devastation in those photos are unbelievable.
      Hubby and I liked this quiche, not too difficult to prepare, and great leftover.
      Have a great weekend.

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  14. So good to hear from you guys! I have friends in NYC and they said they weren't very affected at all either so don't feel guilty. My one friend said her biggest complaint was "slow internet!" Sorry you didn't like the tagine Nana, but your square quiche looks beautiful!

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  15. Thank you, we were so lucky. The photos seen on AOL are unbelievable. Tricia and I are from Staten Island, NY originally and when I read the local paper there it is heartbreaking.
    This was a good quiche, we liked it a lot and I will do a repeat of the recipe. Have a
    great weekend.

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