Keto mushroom quiche with zucchini blossoms {low carb}

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When I decided to switch to a ketogenic, low carb diet to control my type 2 diabetes, one of the things I thought I would never be able to eat again was quiche. "Crustless" didn't appeal to me as a genre. How to make a keto quiche without that traditional flaky crust? Could it be done?

After a year of experimenting, I'm here to tell you that low carb quiche made with this almond flour crust is really, really good.

The crust is so easy: You mix almond flour, grated parmesan cheese, an egg, salt and pepper, and some olive oil with a fork until it comes together. Then you press it into your pie pan or tart pan, fill it, and bake.

For quiche, I look for leftovers. Any chopped cooked vegetables will do. This quiche includes sauteed mushrooms, caramelized onions and zucchini flowers. Delicate yellow zucchini blossoms are readily available at the farmers market during the summer; farmers pick the male flowers (the ones that don't turn into zucchini) to keep the plants productive.

Most restaurants serve zucchini blossoms stuffed, battered and deep-fried, but I like to chop them and use them in zucchini flower quesadillas, pasta or scrambled eggs. In the quiche they have a very faint zucchini flavor with a tiny peppery bite. And they're gorgeous!

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Keto low carb mushroom quiche with zucchini blossoms

by Erika Kerekes August-8-2017

In this ketogenic quiche, a low carb crust made with almond flour cradles a rich savory custard dotted with mushrooms, caramelized onions and zucchini blossoms. Serve for breakfast, lunch or a light supper.

Ingredients

• 2 cups almond flour (fine)
• 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 7 eggs, divided
• 1/4 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, divided
• 1/2 cup plus 2 Tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 2 cups mushrooms, sliced or chopped
• 1 cup onions, chopped
• 3/4 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
• 10 zucchini blossoms, stems removed, roughly chopped
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

Instructions

Make the crust: Using a fork, mix together the almond flour, grated parmesan cheese, 1 egg, 1/8 teaspoon salt, 1/8 teaspoon pepper, and 1/2 cup olive oil in a large bowl. When the mixture comes together, turn it into a large pie plate or square baking dish, making sure the dough covers the bottom of the baking dish evenly and goes up the sides at least an inch. Set aside. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.Cook the vegetables: Put remaining 2 Tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and onions and cook, stirring frequently, until the mushrooms have released all their liquid and both the mushrooms and onions are softened and starting to turn brown around the edges. Remove from the heat and let cool 5 minutes.Scatter the grated cheddar cheese over the bottom of the crust. Top with the cooked mushrooms and onions, then the chopped zucchini blossoms.In a bowl, whisk together the remaining 6 eggs, heavy cream, remaining 1/8 teaspoon salt, remaining 1/8 teaspoon pepper, and mustard until smooth. Pour the cream mixture over the vegetables.Place the baking dish on top of a baking sheet lined with foil (just in case anything bubbles over). Slide the baking sheet into the oven. Bake about 45 minutes, until the center is just set - you'll be able to tell when you shake the pan and the center no longer wiggles - and the quiche is starting to brown around the edges.Remove the quiche from the oven and let cool. Do not cut into the quiche until it has reached room temperature - you want the custard to set fully.Serve at room temperature for best flavor.

Details

Prep time: 20 mins Cook time: 45 mins Total time: 1 hour 5 mins Yield: 8-10 servings

Swiss chard and bacon pie

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Last year I was lucky to work with wellness coach Rachael Pontillo of Holistically Haute Wellness. In our sessions we talked about everything from nutrition to stress relief to feeding our families.

I wasn't a perfect student, but I realized yesterday that my work with Rachael had one lasting impact: When I open the refrigerator in the morning, my first thought is "How am I going to get my leafy greens in today?" Baby steps are better than no steps at all.

I'm pretty sure this swiss chard and bacon galette wouldn't be Rachael's first choice for a greens delivery system, but it sure was delicious. Greens with bacon are better than no greens at all.

I used a prepared refrigerated pie crust because I was short on time, but feel free to use your favorite homemade pie crust recipe.

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Swiss chard and bacon galette

by Erika Penzer Kerekes January-26-2013

This free-form pie is a great way to get your greens - it uses an entire bunch of chard, including the stems.

Ingredients

• 1/4 pound bacon, diced
• 1/2 large or 1 small onion, diced
• 1 large bunch Swiss chard, any color, leaves and stems, roughly chopped
• 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (substitute Monterey jack, gruyere or your favorite cheese)
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan or Romano cheese
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• dough for 9-inch pie crust
• 1 egg, lightly beaten

Instructions

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 375 degrees.In a large skillet, cook the bacon until crisp. Remove the bacon from the pan and drain it on a plate lined with paper towel. Spill out all but 1 teaspoon of the bacon fat.Add the onion to the pan and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the chopped Swiss chard and cook until stems are tender and leaves are wilted, another 6-8 minutes. Pour the Swiss chard mixture into a large bowl and let cool 10 minutes. Add both cheeses, salt and pepper and mix well.Roll the pie crust dough out into a large circle - don't worry, it doesn't have to be pretty. Transfer the dough onto the parchment-lined baking sheet by rolling it around the rolling pin, picking it up, and then unrolling it on the parchment. Mound the Swiss chard mixture in the middle of the dough, leaving a generous border of two to three inches. Lift up the edges gently and fold them onto the filling, leaving most of the filling showing in the middle, pleating the border as you go. The edge of the galette (pie) should look very rustic and imperfect.Brush the exposed pie crust with the beaten egg and slip the galette into the oven. Bake about 45 minutes, until the filling is bubbling and the crust is golden. Cool on the pan. Serve at room temperature.

Details

Prep time: 15 mins Cook time: 45 mins Total time: 1 hour Yield: 8-10 servings

Happy birthday to In Erika's Kitchen, and pate brisee

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Celebrating the 4th "blogiversary" of In Erika's Kitchen with quiche, muffins and my good friend Sarah

I've been writing this blog for four years now.

A lot has happened in four years. My kids have gone from little to bigger. I went back to work after eight years of full-time parenting. There have been conference calls, meetings, business trips, school plays, youth orchestra concerts, playdates, family vacations, projects, dinner parties, birthday parties.

There have been good days and bad days. Good months, bad months.

Through it all, I have written my blog. It's been the one constant through four years of personal and familial shifting sands.

Two or three or four times a week, I've sat at this computer and put together pictures, words and recipes into stories to share with you. Two or three or four times a week, I've created something that had a beginning, a middle, and an end, and then I've pushed a button and sent it off into the universe. Done.

I think my blog has kept me sane.

An early-morning blog birthday breakfast with Sarah

My friend Sarah came over today for an early breakfast. The sun was up, but barely. Early morning is one of the few times two working moms can take an hour to catch up and celebrate.

Sarah brought pumpkin chocolate chip muffins. She found the recipe on my blog and has been making them for her family for years. She adjusts the recipe to suit her family's tastes: less sugar, not quite as much nutmeg, only a pinch of cloves. They taste like the ones I make, but not quite. I love that she's made my recipe her own. Her version might be even better than mine.

Sarah often makes my pumpkin chocolate chip muffins for her family

I made quiche. I am still trying to get over my fear of pie crust; if anyone can help with that, it's Clemence Gossett, owner of The Gourmandise School of Sweets and Savories in Santa Monica, whom I met early on in my blogging career. Clemence tutored me in cake decorating when I was chosen to decorate cakes with Kelly Ripa, Buddy "The Cake Boss" Valastro, and a dozen other bloggers in 2010. She is the best baking teacher I know because she demands imprecision - unusual for a baker. She wants you to understand the concepts, work by feel, get over your fears.

A few weeks ago Clemence was the featured chef at a dinner put on by Your Local Hive, a slow food group here in Los Angeles. She fed us tarts and quiche and puff pastry, and she showed us how to make a traditional pate brisee, or flaky crust. Three cups of flour, three sticks of butter. She uses California-grown and -milled flour, and only Straus Family Creamery butter. A dribble of ice water and it's done. The pastry should have visible lumps of butter - that's what makes it flaky. "Disorganized chaos," she calls it (as opposed to puff pastry, "organized chaos").

Four years of blogging - who knew I had so much to say? :)

Clemence rubbed the butter into the flour by hand at the demo, but my hands are hot - this, it turns out, is why I always have trouble with pastry. My choice is either to soak my hands in ice water before making pie crust, or to use the food processor. I chose the machine. A few quick pulses to break up the butter in the flour, a few dollops of ice water, and done. I gathered the dough into a disk, wrapped it in plastic, put it in the refrigerator to rest.

Then the quiche. Rolled the dough out, put it in a pie plate, filled it with roasted cherry tomatoes, goat cheese and a drizzle of kale pesto. Mixed eggs, egg yolks, cream and milk for the custard, poured it over, baked at 375. A truly French quiche emerged. I got the crust just right: flaky, tender, with color. Clemence hates undercooked pastry and would be proud.

Four years. I've learned a lot in four years. I've met wonderful people in four years - including all of you, who enrich my days and motivate me to keep writing. I'm grateful for that, so grateful.

What will the next four years bring? I can't wait to find out.

Swiss chard and feta pie ("chardikopita")

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I have a teenager who loves to cook vegetables. Particularly greens. Give Emery a bunch of kale, a pile of chard, a bag of spinach, and he's a happy boy. He makes Asian greens soup, spinach fried rice, mustard greens with garlic and soy sauce. When our friends around the corner clean out their organic garden and give away trash bags filled with huge chard leaves, Emery is first in line.

As it happened, I was the one who made the chard and feta pie in the picture above. Emery darted in and out of the kitchen, interrupting his homework a little too often to poke his nose into what I was doing. "It's chardikopita!" he said as he watched me add feta and dill to the lightly sauteed chard.

I love this rustic press-in crust. I tell people it's because the olive oil gives the crust a terrific flavor. The truth, however, is that I love this crust because I'm terrible with a rolling pin. Don't tell. It's a feature, not a bug.

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Swiss chard and feta pie

by Erika Kerekes March-22-2012

Lightly sauteed greens flavored with onion, dill and feta make a terrific pie filling. I eat this for breakfast, but it makes a nice light supper too.

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2/3 cup plus 2 tsp olive oil, divided
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 large yellow onion, chopped
• 1 large bunch Swiss chard, leaves and stems, roughly chopped (about 8 cups)
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup feta cheese, crumbled
• 1/4 cup fresh dill, chopped
• freshly ground pepper

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.Put the flour in a medium-sized bowl. In a small bowl, whisk together 2/3 cup of the olive oil, the cream, and the salt. Pour the olive oil mixture into the flour and stir together with a fork to make a crumbly dough. If the dough seems too dry to hold together, add water 1 teaspoon at a time until the dough is workable.Tip the dough into a 9-inch pie plate or shallow baking dish. Press the dough over the bottom and up the sides of the baking dish with your fingertips to make the crust. Set aside.In a large saucepan, heat the remaining 2 teaspoons olive oil over medium-high heat and saute the onion 4-5 minutes until it's softened. Add the chopped chard and saute a couple of minutes; the chard will wilt and shrink down considerably. When it's just wilted, remove the pan from the heat and pour the chard into the bowl that held the dough mixture - might as well not get another bowl dirty, right?Let the chard cool about 10 minutes, then add the eggs, feta, dill and a good amount of ground pepper. Mix thoroughly. Pour the chard filling into the waiting crust and pop the whole thing in the oven. Bake about 45 minutes, until the pie is set and the top is starting to turn golden. Let cool at least 30 minutes before serving to let things firm up a bit - otherwise the whole thing will collapse when you cut into it.

Details

Prep time: 30 mins Cook time: 45 mins Total time: 1 hour 15 mins Yield: 8 servings

Quiche with chanterelles

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In the fall and winter, you'll find huge golden chanterelle mushrooms at farmers' markets throughout southern California. Cantharellus californicus, a variety all our own. It grows happily at the base of California oak trees. The more rain we get, the bigger the chanterelles grow. I've seen golden chanterelles as big as dinner plates, I kid you not.

The last time my mother came to visit from New York I took her to my local farmers' market. When I started piling beautiful golden chanterelles into a bag, she protested. "They're $15 a pound!" she said with a touch of outrage. "You're going to pay that much for mushrooms?" For the first chanterelles of the season, it didn't seem like a lot. It occurred to me that while I spend very little on clothes, shoes, electronics and lipstick, I spend quite a lot on local, seasonal produce. Which, in my book, is the way it should be.

The simpler the better when it comes to golden chanterelles. I give them a quick rinse - I know people always say to brush mushrooms with a paper towel to get the dirt off, but I just can't get them clean enough without water. I saute them in butter or roast them in a hot oven. Then I add them to pasta, risotto or even pizza.

We get in a quiche mood now and again, and the last time it hit I had a big bag of fresh chanterelles. Golden chunks of mushroom in a custard studded with bits of salty bacon, all captured in a crumbly crust - now that's a meal.

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Quiche with golden chanterelles and bacon

by Erika Kerekes December-20-2011

Chunks of golden chanterelle mushrooms and crumbled bacon suspended in a creamy custard, baked up in a flaky tart crust.

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp sea salt, divided
• 2/3 cup olive oil
• scant 1/3 cup milk
• 4 slices thick-cut bacon, diced
• 1/2 pound golden chanterelle mushrooms (substitute any fresh wild mushrooms), cleaned and chopped
• 4 ounces fresh goat cheese (chevre)
• 1 bunch green onions, chopped
• 3 eggs
• 3/4 cup half-and-half
• 1/4 tsp dry mustard powder
• freshly ground pepper

Instructions

Make the crust: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and 1/4 tsp salt. In a measuring cup, lightly mix the olive oil and milk. Pour the olive oil mixture into the flour mixture and stir the dough together with a fork. When it comes together, use one hand to turn it over on itself in the bowl, kneading lightly, about 6 times. Turn the dough into a pie plate and press it up the sides and over the bottom of the baking dish, making sure there are no cracks visible. Put the unbaked crust in the refrigerator while you make the filling.Heat a large skillet over medium heat and cook the bacon until crisp. Take the bacon pieces out of the skillet and drain them on a plate lined with several layers of paper towel. Pour most of the bacon fat out of the pan, leaving just enough to saute the mushrooms. Add the chopped chanterelles to the pan and saute over medium-high heat about 10 minutes, until the mushrooms have given off their liquid and most of the moisture has boiled off. Remove the pan from the heat. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.Take the pie plate out of the refrigerator and crumble the goat cheese over the bottom crust. Scatter the green onions over the cheese, then pour in the bacon and mushrooms. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, half-and-half, dry mustard powder, remaining 1/4 tsp salt and freshly ground pepper. Pour the egg mixture over the stuff in the unbaked crust. Line a baking sheet with foil to catch any drips and put the pie plate on top of the foil. Bake the quiche about 45 minutes, until the middle is set, the top is lightly browned and the crust is golden brown. Let cool at least 30 minutes so the quiche has time to set up - otherwise it will fall apart when you cut it. Serve at room temperature.

Details

Prep time: 30 mins Cook time: 45 mins Total time: 1 hour 15 mins Yield: 8 servings

Quiche with kale and bacon

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I'm pretty sure that when my health coach Rachael Pontillo of Holistically Haute told me to try to eat more greens, she wasn't thinking about quiche. Especially not quiche with bacon.

That's okay. I didn't actually make this for myself. I live in a house with three real men. And they eat quiche. With gusto.

I first started making quiche using Mollie Katzen's recipe from The Moosewood Cookbook. Now I improvise, although the basic method is much the same. Pie crust. Cheese. Leftover cooked vegetables. Bacon, if it's for the men. A custard of eggs, milk or half-and-half or cream, a pinch of salt, lots of pepper. If I'm in a rush or feeling lazy, I use store-bought frozen pie crust. The men have never complained.

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Quiche with kale and bacon

by Erika Kerekes December-3-2011

I make quiche to use up leftover cooked vegetables. Use your favorite pie crust recipe, or buy a frozen or refrigerated crust if you're in a hurry. I use whatever cheese I have on hand, from brie to mozzarella to cheddar.

Ingredients

• Dough for single-crust pie
• 4 ounces grated cheese (try cheddar, Monterey Jack, mozzarella)
• 1 cup cooked kale, cut into small pieces (steamed or sauteed)
• 4 green onions, chopped
• 4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 3 eggs
• 3/4 cup half-and-half (whole milk works too)
• 1/2 tsp dry mustard powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp freshly ground pepper

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil. Roll out the dough and lay it into a pie pan, crimping or trimming the edge all around. Set the pie pan on the baking sheet.Scatter the grated cheese on the bottom of the unbaked pie crust, then top with the cooked kale, chopped green onions and bacon.In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs, half-and-half, dry mustard, salt and pepper. Pour the egg mixture over the contents of the pie crust.Bake the quiche about 50 minutes, until the filling is set and the top of the quiche is lightly browned. You can tell when the filling is set by jiggling the pan; when the middle no longer looks liquid, it's done. It doesn't have to be completely solid, just past the liquid stage.Remove from the oven and cool completely before cutting. Serve at room temperature.

Details

Prep time: 15 mins Cook time: 50 mins Total time: 1 hour 5 mins Yield: 8 servings

Zucchini pie with bacon

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I love zucchini, which is why I planted it in my garden. Five plants. They're thriving. For the past few months I've always had a few zucchini in the vegetable drawer. It's my own little vegetable security blanket.

I hear stories about people leaving zucchini on their neighbors' doorsteps in the middle of the night. I don't understand. Why would anyone give away zucchini rather than eating it? I can find a million things to do with zucchini. You can mix it with cheese and eggs and fry it into zucchini fritters. Shred it and make whole wheat zucchini muffins, chocolate zucchini muffins or zucchini squares. Slice it and bake it with cheese and breadcrumbs for a delicious zucchini gratin. Shave it with a vegetable peeler for a raw zucchini salad or saute it in olive oil and toss with basil and grated parmesan. Turn on the oven and make roasted tomato zucchini stew. Go all out and stuff grilled slices of zucchini with ricotta for a perfect summer hors d'oeuvre.

Or, if none of the recipes above appeal, try this zucchini pie with bacon. Fine, call it a quiche if you must. I like to think of it as pie. I made this late at night after a long day at work, so I used a frozen pie crust. If you make your own, good for you. Sometimes I do too. Not this time. Know what? It was still tasty.

If you've got an excess of zucchini in your garden, feel free to leave it on my doorstep in the middle of the night. I've got plans for it.

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Zucchini pie with bacon

by Erika Kerekes July-29-2011

Call it quiche or pie - either way you'll love the combination of shredded zucchini, smoky bacon and green onions in a cheesy custard base.

Ingredients

• 1 9-inch single pie crust (store-bought or homemade)
• 2 cups zucchini, shredded
• 1 bunch green onions, chopped
• 4 slices thick-cut cooked bacon, crumbled
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 cup half-and-half
• 1/2 tsp salt
• freshly ground pepper

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Lay the pie crust into a 9-inch pie plate and trim the excess. Put the pie plate on a foil-lined baking sheet.In a large bowl, mix together the zucchini, green onions, bacon and cheese.In a small bowl or Pyrex measuring cup, mix together the eggs, half-and-half, salt and pepper. Pour the egg mixture into the bowl with the zucchini and mix well.Pour the zucchini mixture into the prepared pie crust. Bake about 50 minutes, or until the middle of the pie is set and the top is nicely browned. Let cool to room temperature before serving.

Details

Prep time: 10 mins Cook time: 50 mins Total time: 1 hour Yield: 1 9-inch pie

Fig goat cheese pie with rosemary and Meyer lemon

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Yesterday I wrote about the Hatch green chile and bacon pie I entered in the Savory category of the KCRW Good Food pie contest. Here's the other pie I made for the contest: figs, goat cheese, rosemary and Meyer lemon. I entered this one in the Fruit category, although I guess the goat cheese could have put it in the Creamy category instead.

I've written before about my obsession with figs, and the various fig recipes I've honed over the years (fig cake, fig salad, peanut buttter and fig jam bars). I first made a version of this fig pie with goat cheese last year, at which point I called it a tart, put the goat cheese layer on the bottom, and piled fresh chopped figs on top before baking it. The tart, pie, whatever, tasted great, but I thought the top layer was too wet. Still, my coworkers devoured it when I brought it into the office, so I knew I had the basics right.

This year I made the pie in three layers instead of two. I made a quick fig compote and spread that about an inch deep on the partially pre-baked crust. Then I made a looser goat cheese custard - two eggs, a little cream - and spread that thickly over the compote. On top I arranged halved figs which I'd broiled with a little raw sugar on top. I hoped that broiling them first would do two things: first, concentrate the flavors (check); and second, keep the figs from bleeding pink juice onto the white goat cheese custard (check, mostly).

Like my Hatch green chile bacon pie, this fig pie didn't make it to the finals of the contest. But it was a hit with the crowd. Lots of people stopped to take pictures and admire it, and like the Hatch pie, it was gone within a few minutes. I may lack competitive spirit, but frankly I don't care that it didn't win. This was an extremely personal pie. I picked the figs, I grew the Meyer lemon and rosemary, and I created the recipe. It was 100 percent me.

Fig goat cheese pie with rosemary and Meyer lemon

• 2 lbs fresh figs
• 1/3 cup plus 2 Tbsp raw sugar, divided
• zest and juice of 1 large or 2 small Meyer lemons
• 2 tsp chopped fresh rosemary, divided
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2/3 cup olive oil
• 1/3 cup plus 3 Tbsp heavy cream
• 8 ounces fresh goat cheese
• 2 eggs

Make the fig compote: De-stem and roughly chop 1 pound of the figs. Put them in a saucepan with 1/3 cup of the raw sugar, half the Meyer lemon zest, half the Meyer lemon juice, and 1 tsp rosemary. Stir and let sit at room temperature about 30 minutes; the sugar will draw out the juices from the fruit and create a syrup. Put the saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat (otherwise the compote will burn) and simmer the fig mixture until the fruit is soft and the juices have thickened, about 30 minutes. Set aside to cool.

While the compote is simmering, broil the figs for the top of the pie: Preheat the broiler on high. Cut the rest of the figs in half vertically, lay them on a baking sheet cut side up, and sprinkle with 1 Tbsp of the raw sugar. Broil about 5 minutes, until the fruit is starting to brown around the edges and looks slightly shriveled. This time is approximate - it will depend on how juicy or dry your figs are when you start. Watch them carefully so they don't burn. Set the broiled figs aside to cool, and turn the oven to 400 degrees.

Make the crust: In your pie plate, combine the flour, remaining 1 tsp raw sugar, remaining 1 tsp rosemary, and salt with a fork. In a measuring cup, stir together the olive oil and 1/3 cup cream with the same fork. Pour the wet ingredients into the flour mixture in the pie plate and bring them together with the fork until they are just combined and clump together. Now use your fingers to press the dough over the bottom and up the sides of the pie plate. Don't worry if the edges look rough; that's okay, even desirable. Line the dough with foil and fill it with pie weights or dried beans. Bake the crust about 20 minutes, until the edges are starting to color. Remove the crust from the oven and set aside for a few minutes to cool a little.

While the crust is pre-baking, mix the goat cheese, eggs, 3 Tbsp cream, remaining lemon zest, and remaining lemon juice in a bowl until smooth. You'll have to work it a bit to get the goat cheese loosened up. The goat cheese mixture should have the texture of thick whipped cream - not quite pourable, but definitely spreadable.

Now assemble the pie: Spread the compote on the bottom of the crust about an inch thick (you may have leftover compote, which is a good thing, because it's outrageous over vanilla ice cream). Pour the goat cheese mixture over the compote and spread it smoothly with a spatula. Arrange the broiled fig halves cut side up over the custard in whatever pattern you like, or no pattern at all - just because I was feeling structured that day doesn't mean you have to.

Bake the pie at 400 degrees about 45 minutes, or until the goat cheese custard is set and the figs on top look caramelized. Let cool thoroughly before serving.

Hatch green chile bacon pie

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The roasted Hatch green chile and bacon pie I made for KCRW's Good Food pie contest last weekend didn't win. It didn't even make the finals. But it did get me on the radio!

Yes, today on Evan Kleiman's Good Food radio show on National Public Radio, during the wrap-up report on the pie contest, you can hear little ol' me talking about my little ol' pies. Producer Harriet Ells gave me a cool digital voice recorder to use while I was baking, and I said all kinds of stupid things that ended up on the virtual cutting room floor. But apparently I also said a few not-as-stupid things that actually sounded like they belonged on NPR and made it through the editing process. Listening to your own voice is weird - do I really sound like that? You'll have to listen and let me know. Listen to the episode online or podcast it on the Good Food website.

A few things that didn't make the broadcast, if you're interested:

1. I have no family traditions involving pie. No one in my family baked pie. The first clear pie memory I have is when I hosted my first Thanksgiving dinner in 1989 or 1990; my parents and grandparents decided to take a cruise over Thanksgiving week, leaving me on my own for the holiday. I invited a few friends and a few friends of said friends, all Thanksgiving orphans like me. I drank a few glasses of wine while getting dinner ready. A friend-of-friends showed up bearing two pies, pumpkin and pecan. I took the pumpkin pie from him, turned around, and promptly dropped it on the floor. Splat. We stared at it for a minute, then got a spoon, piled it back into the (aluminum foil, fortunately) pie plate, and called it "souffle." I no longer drink while cooking.
2. I am still not great with a rolling pin. Thus, both the pies I made for the contest used press-in crusts. I realize that this might have hurt me in the judging.
3. The Hatch green chile pie was really more of a quiche. A darn good pie, and clearly one of the popular favorites at the contest, because it was gone in a flash. But, when it comes right down to it, quiche. Connie Alvarez, one of the Good Food producers, assured me that the judges had liked it and talked about it during their tasting period. But if you listen to the broadcast, you'll hear one of the judges saying: "It's a quiche. Not a pie. A really good quiche, but not a pie." We don't know which entry he was talking about, but I think it must have been this one. Note to self for next year: yes Hatch chiles, yes bacon, no quiche.

Quiche or pie, you'll like it, I'm sure. The crust has some masa (corn flour, the kind you use for tortillas) and cornmeal, and I used both panela and cotija cheeses. These Mexican cheeses are easily found in southern California grocery stores and Mexican markets, but if you can't get hold of them, substitute mozzarella for the panela and feta for the cotija, and you'll be just fine.

Hatch chiles, for those who haven't heard of them, are the famous New Mexico chiles to which that state bows every fall. Jim, the produce manager at my beloved Bob's Market in Santa Monica, imports a few cases of them every year. They're mostly mild, but occasionally you get one that really wakes you up. I love them.

To roast the Hatch chiles, place them over an open flame on a gas stove or directly on the grate of your barbeque. When the skin is blackened on all sides, put the chiles in a bowl covered with plastic wrap and let them steam and cool for about half an hour. Slip off the blackened skins with your fingers, pull out the seeds and ribs, and dice the flesh. And if Hatch chiles aren't available in your area, use any slightly spicy green chile, like Anaheims or even poblanos.

Hatch green chile bacon pie

• 4 thick-cut slices bacon 
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup masa (corn flour)
• 1/4 cup yellow cornmeal
• 1 tsp salt, divided
• 2 pinches of dried ground chipotle powder
• 3/4 cup olive oil
• 1 cup heavy cream, divided
• 6 eggs plus 1 egg yolk
• 1/4 cup milk
• 6 Hatch green chiles, roasted, peeled and diced
• 1 bunch green onions, chopped
• 6 ounces panela cheese (or mozzarella)
• 2 ounces cotija cheese (or feta)

Dice the bacon and cook it over medium heat in a skillet until it starts to brown - do not cook it fully. Drain on a plate lined with paper towels. Set aside. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Make the crust: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, masa flour, cornmeal, 1/2 tsp salt, and a pinch of dried chipotle. In a measuring cup, whisk together the olive oil and 1/4 cup of heavy cream. Pour the liquid into the flour mixture and stir with a fork until the dough has just come together. Press the dough over the bottom and up the sides of a large pie plate. The top edge will look a little raggedy; that's fine.

Line the pie plate with a piece of foil, covering all the dough, and add some dried peans or pie weights. Bake the crust 15 minutes, then take it out of the oven. Remove the foil and weights.

While the crust is in the oven, stir together the remaining 3/4 cup cream, the other pinch of chipotle powder, eggs and yolk, milk, diced roasted Hatch green chiles, green onions, cheeses, and cooked bacon. Pour the mixture into the pre-baked pie crust and place the pie plate on a foil-lined baking sheet - this will keep your oven from getting dirty if the pie happens to bubble over.

Bake the pie about 50 minutes, until the center is set and the top is starting to brown. Cool at least one hour before serving.

Good Food pie contest: Photos

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I had a great time at the Good Food pie contest today! Neither of my pies (Hatch chile with bacon, green onions and cotija cheese on the left in the photo above; fig, goat cheese, rosemary and Meyer lemon on the right) made it to the final round, but that's fine with me. I didn't enter the contest to win. I did it to have fun, and on that count it was a smashing success. Here are a few photos from the day:

Fellow food bloggers Dorothy Reinhold of Shockingly Delicious and Chrystal Baker of The Duo Dishes at the entrance

The crowds waiting patiently for the tasting frenzy to begin

Heroic Good Food producer Harriet Ells guarding the pies

Good Food host and pie contest emcee Evan Kleiman interviewing one of the bakers

One of the pies I wanted to taste - but by the time I was done serving my own pies, it was all gone (sniff!)

This sour cherry pie was delicious - as you know, I'm deeply attached to Leona Valley cherries

Chrystal doing what food bloggers do best

Dorothy Reinhold of Shockingly Delicious with her two entries (blueberry, and something with smoked salmon)

Christina Xenos with her spanikopita (spinach pie), which took third place in the Savory category - she learned to make it from the little old ladies at the Greek Orthodox church her family attended in Ohio

Congratulations to all the winners; great job, Harriet, Evan and the KCRW crew; and huge props to all the bakers! Now I'm inspired. I already have a list going for next year....

The Good Food pie contest

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I'm all ready for tomorrow's Good Food pie contest, sponsored by Evan Kleiman's "Good Food" program on National Public Radio. Two pies baked and cooling on the counter. Two complete experiments, untested recipes I created out of thin air. Yeah, that's the way I roll. Or, in this case, do not roll, as both pies used press-in crusts. Despite my cherry pie practice earlier this summer, I'm still not much good with a rolling pin.

I entered in two categories: Fruit and Savory. I knew what I was making for the fruit pie. It's fig season, and last year I made a really good fig and goat cheese pie. Okay, I called it a tart, but really, it was a pie. I made it only a few months after I started working at Business.com, and it was one of the more unusual things I brought in for my colleagues to taste. They have sophisticated palates; they liked it.

But I thought there was one problem with that recipe: The figs were too watery. This time I got rid of some liquid ahead of time by making a fig compote for the bottom layer of the pie, rather than using fresh figs. I also decorated the top with cut figs that I broiled first. I'm pleased with the way it looks, although I won't really know what the consistency is like until tomorrow. I'm a tiny bit afraid that the goat cheese layer will be rubbery - maybe I should only have added one egg instead of two. Oh well. Too late now.

I had more trouble deciding what to make for the Savory category. I wanted to use the Hatch chiles I found at Bob's Market earlier in the week - such a rare treat, especially outside of New Mexico. I thought about making a pork and green chile stew, but in the end I was just too lazy. So I made a sort of {quiche} - I'm saying that softly because if it's really a quiche it might get me disqualified. No, it's a pie, dammit! Anyway, I mixed the roasted Hatch chiles with chopped cooked bacon, green onions, cotija and panela cheese, eggs, and cream, and baked it all in a cornmeal-enhanced pie crust. It smells unbelievably good. My family is quite irritated that I only made one and it's going to the contest instead of in their bellies.

I'm not expecting to win. But I'm expecting to have a good time and take lots of pictures. And eat lots of pie. If you're in Los Angeles and free tomorrow, come on down - it's going to be a hoot.

UPDATE, Sunday evening: Nope, I didn't win anything. But I had a really good time hanging with the other pie bakers. And I got lots of compliments on both pies. I'm already thinking of pie ideas for next year....

Fig tart with goat cheese and rosemary

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When the figs are ready, there are so many it's hard to know where to start. I get tired of jam and fig cake; though the fig cake freezes extremely well and is a great treat in, say, January, it takes up a lot of room in the freezer, so I have to time it properly.

The figs from my secret trees (okay, not such a secret, they're behind the place where I do Pilates) are mostly brown, small and sweet, not a variety I've been able to identify. Last year when I was drowning in them, I paired them with goat cheese and fresh rosemary for this fig tart. You might really want to call it fig pie, but either way, it's fig delicious and fig unusual. I brought it to work last summer and got lots of compliments.

Note: I like this simple press-in crust made with olive oil for this fig tart, because it's easy and the olive oil flavor augments the rosemary. If you prefer a different crust method, by all means use it.

Fresh fig tart with goat cheese and rosemary

• 2 cups chopped fresh figs, any variety
• 3/4 cup sugar, divided
• juice and zest of 1 lemon
• 2 Tbsp fresh rosemary, minced
• 2 tsp cornstarch
• 2 cups flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2/3 cup olive oil
• 1/3 cup milk or cream
• 4 ounces fresh goat cheese

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Mix the chopped figs in a bowl with 1/2 cup of the sugar, the lemon juice, 1 Tbsp of the chopped rosemary, and the cornstarch. Let sit about 30 minutes; the sugar will draw the juices out of the figs and make a syrup.

In a pie plate or 8-by-8-inch baking pan, stir together the flour, salt, the remaining 1 Tbsp rosemary, and the remaining 1/4 cup of the sugar with a fork. In a small bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the olive oil and milk or cream with the same fork. Pour the olive oil mixture into the flour mixture and bring the dough together with the fork; do not overmix or the crust will be tough. When all the ingredients have been incorporated but the dough is still crumbly, use your fingers to pat it up the sides and into the bottom of the pan.

In a small mixing bowl, mash the goat cheese and lemon zest with a little bit of warm water, just to thin it a little. Spread the goat cheese mixture over the crust. Pour the figs on top, with their juices.

Bake the tart 45 minutes or until the crust is browned around the edges and the fig mixture is bubbling at the sides. Let cool fully before slicing and serving. The pieces may not come out neatly, but they will taste divine nonetheless.

Apricot almond tart recipe

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The apricots are winding down. The last time I visited my special tree in my friends' front yard, everything within reach was ripe, and I picked it. To celebrate (or perhaps mourn) the end of the season, I made a simple apricot tart with almonds.

Well, not almonds exactly - almond butter. In a flash of inspiration prompted by the realization that I'd used up two pounds of butter in the past week, I decided to make a thin crumble-like topping using just almond butter, sugar, and a bit of flour. I'm told it was a spectacular combination. I didn't eat any myself, as, sadly, I'm currently trying to cut back on sweets and starches - doctor's orders. But I watched the tart disappear in my office. It was gone in less than five minutes, so I'm assuming it was all right.

Note: The crust is borrowed from Amanda Hesser's mother's peach tart, which appears in her wonderful memoir Cooking for Mr. Latte. Don't be put off by the use of olive oil - it makes a very flaky crust with a rich flavor. Also, if you use unsalted almond butter in the topping, add a pinch of salt when mixing it up.

Apricot almond tart

• 1 1/2 cups plus 3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup plus 1 Tbsp sugar
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 2 Tbsp milk or cream
• 12-15 apricots, halved and pitted
• 1/4 cup smooth almond butter (salted)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

In an 8-inch square baking pan, stir together 1 1/2 cups flour, the salt, and 1 Tbsp sugar with a fork to combine. In a measuring cup, mix together the olive oil and milk. Pour the liquids into the baking pan and use the fork to mix the dry ingredients with the liquids, stopping when the dough has just come together. With your fingers, press the dough over the bottom and up the sides of the baking pan. Lay the apricots cut-side down in rows over the dough in the pan.

In a small bowl, mix together the remaining 3 Tbsp flour, the remaining 1/4 cup sugar, and the almond butter with your fingers. Work them together until the mixture looks like wet crumbs. Drop this over the apricots evenly.

Bake the tart about 40 minutes, or until the edges of the crust are golden and the apricots are juicy and bubbling. Cool to room temperature before slicing.

Apricot