This year as winter concludes and perhaps like no other year, folks are dying to get together, start mingling and start enjoying good food together. Here on the East Coast, we've enjoyed several springlike days that have heightened the anticipation. You can almost feel the Cabin Fever. This is when we can start enjoying the company of friends again. And what better way to do so than an informal brunch get-together. As a host, I feel that the food for these needs to hit all the buttons -- easy to prepare and serve, enjoyable warm, cold or room temperature, make ahead and maybe best, eaten as finger food. Don't forget of course, easily paired with beverages such as wines, champagne or non-alcoholic spritzers at these events.
I particularly enjoy nibbling on goodies both savory or sweet that have been baked. These lend themselves to allowing the cook to express his/her creativity in both ingredients and methods. In these cases, the recipe serves merely as a guidepost as long as you adhere to basic principles. For instance, take quiche. This is a quintessential brunch dish, but prepared in the typical pie shape, the portions can be large and they can be awkward to serve, especially while everyone is impatiently waiting their turn at the table. Instead, how about making the quiche in a large flat pan then cutting it into personal size portions that guests can grab from the buffet table in as few or as many portions as they desire. Then the thought occurred, why not eliminate the crust? This cuts out a considerable amount of prep, not to mention calories without sacrificing much in the way of taste.
So with these thoughts in mind, I experimented and came up with the following recipe for a crustless, mixed vegetable quiche-like preparation. On hand in the refrigerator, I had sweet peppers, potatoes, spinach and the usual cheeses, herbs and spices. After that it was off to the races, and all of my test subjects agreed they'd enjoy this dish again if offered. Hope you will too.
Crustless Mini-Quiche Squares
Ingredients 3 tbs unsalted butter 1 1/2 cup peeled, diced baking potatoes 4 extra large eggs 8 oz ricotta cheese 6 oz Gruyere cheese, grated 1 tsp each salt and pepper 1 cup diced sweet pepper 1 large bunch fresh spinach, sauteed, drained and chopped 1 large sweet onion, chopped roughly 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves 4 tbs flour 1/4 tsp baking powder hot pepper flakes to taste
Preparation Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and spray a 9x13 inch flat pan with non-stick spray.
Melt half the butter over low heat and saute the potatoes in a saute pan till cooked through, turning often, 10-15 minutes. Melt the remaining butter in a small pan and set aside.
Meanwhile, whisk the eggs in a large bowl. Stir in the ricotta, Gruyere, melted butter, salt/pepper, vegetables other than potatoes and seasonings. Stir in the flour and baking powder.
Distribute the potatoes over the bottom of the baking pan. Pour the egg mixture over the potatoes. Sprinkle a little grated Gruyere over top of all. Bake till golden brown on top and puffed, 30-35 minutes. Allow to cool to room temperature, cut into pieces and serve.
