Category Archives: Food2

December 5, 2011 · 2:40 pm

Meatless Monday: Vegetarian Pancakes

The last twelve months have been an amazing food adventure. Going meatless every Monday meant putting those creative bugs to work, utilizing ingredients I’ve never used before and thinking outside of the box.

I’ve sourced local produce directly from farmers more often than I’ve bought it from a supermarket, and realized it’s always better and often cheaper buying local and seasonal.

I’ve truly become a Meatless Monday advocate, convincing friends, family and animals to go meatless one day a week. Yes — even animals! I fed my dog tofu several times this year and started including local root vegetables and rice in his diet. Thanks to the folks here at Food2, I’ve gone from amateur food writer to pro.

I’m sad to hear that the end is fast-approaching for the site. I will miss all the irreverant quirkiness! And where am I to go next? I’ll still be going meatless on Mondays, still continuing to make Korean Food at Home (the other food I love, the food I’ve spent countless hours cooking this past year).

I’m off to writing and illustrating a superhero comic book. This isn’t the last you’ve heard from me — I promise there will be more coming soon. Until then, stay tuned. I’ll be back!

Vegetarian Pancakes

Ingredients
1 cup Chinese Chives, sliced into 2″ strips
3 Korean peppers, sliced on the bias
2 California carrots, diced
1 cup sweet rice flour
pinch salt
1 cup water
2 eggs
4 eggs, beaten

Directions
Sautee vegetables in a skillet with two tablespoons of vegetable oil over medium heat. Cook for about two to three minutes, remove and set aside.

Mix batter in a mixing bowl: add flour, salt, water and eggs. Whisk until it’s nice and creamy. Reserve four eggs beaten for finishing the pancakes at the end.

Return cooked vegetables to the skillet with some vegetable oil. Pour about batter over veggies, pour beaten egg (about 1 egg per pancake).

Flip pancake over using spatula. Continue cooking for 2 minutes on each side. Remove, slice and serve!

Food2 Farewell
I’ve decided to prepare a holiday special and given the craziness that comes from shopping, re-organizing, and traveling, most individuals, including myself, don’t want to spend an entire day cooking on that special day. So I’ve started to prep my holiday meal ahead of time, by slowly purchasing groceries, cleaning, and pre-cooking them. To kick it off, I found these cute baby radishes and California carrots last week.

I blanched them in boiling water for a few minutes, threw them in an ice bath and into a ziplock bag for the freezer. I’ll see you soon little vegetables…to be continued…

Rina Oh is an artist, writer and chef and a Meatless Monday advocate. For the last year these Meatless Mondays recipes have appeared on Food2.com, a website that is owned and operated by Scripps Networks. These posts are copyrighted material and any photographs, illustrations or written material are forbidden to be used or reposted anywhere without permission. For more information on Meatless Monday, please visit meatlessmonday.com

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Filed under December 2011, Food2, Hot on the Blog, Meatless Mondays, Pancakes, Rina's Food2 recipes

October 19, 2011 · 7:05 pm

Blender Bender: Sights and Sounds from the 6th Annual Starchefs.com International Chefs Conference

At the International Chefs Congress last week I got to attend live cooking demos with way-noteworthy chefs exhibiting the new technologies used in food science stuff. I even learned how to distill beer into heavily concentrated liquor. The Inventor, Polyscience President Phillip Preston, brought with him a portable laboratory for super food enthusiasts, including gadgets as out there as a smoking gun.

Maybe I’m just a bit of a kitchen-tech nerd, but I recognized the gun. A few years ago there was this show where chefs competed for a top prize, and one year this guy showed up with all sorts of astral-looking equipment, and then whopped out liquid nitrogen and made instant ice cream.

For my daily breakfast I consumed Nespresso’s macchiato and stopped by the Emmi Roth USAcheese folks to grab me some aged gruyere every morning.

It all ended, three days later with the 2011 Vitamix Challenge being judged in a pseudo iron chef style competition. And let me tell you, the dishes were phenomenal! Last year one of the contestant’s managed to steam a fish, in the blender machine, using only boiling water and speed. Pretty neat, eh?!

The entire competition took no more than an hour from start to finish. Each contestant had some additional time to prepare mise en place ahead of time.

I saw glimpses of sausage casing and pigs blood at one end; neither my favorite ingredient, but amazing to see what looked like a vampire’s meals on display. Others brought in vacuum-sealed steaks, fine cuts of dry aged prime sirloin.

The winning dish this year came at the hands of chef Asbel Reyes of SideBern Restaurant in Tampa Florida, who made Pumpkin Banana Pie using N20 (liquid nitrogen) in the mixing process. His set up reminded me of my line cooking days: everything labeled, packed, organized and separated into steps. I remember browsing through the ingredients before the start of the competition and a nerd alert light bulb firing up.

Finally, after all that cooking, freezing, blending and plating…the dishes looked absolutely stunning:

Earth and Turf by Adam Hegsted – Coeur d’ Alene Casino and Resort, Spokane, WA

Unagi and Foie Gras Terrine with Pickled Eel, Hibiscus, and Frozen Uni Powder by Seth Siegel-Gardner – Kata Robata, Houston, TX 

Pumpkin Banana Pie by Asbel Reyes of SideBern’s Restaurant Tampa, FL 

Idiazabel Soup with blood sausage, acorn squash, apple butter, and Urfa pepper by Jamie Bissonnette – Coppa & Toro, Boston, MA

Roasted Loin of Cervena Venison, Liver Mushroom Croquette, Brussels sprouts, Woodland Mushrooms, Berries, and Vadouvan Curry Reduction by Dirk Flanigan – The Gage / Henri, Chicago, IL

Final say was up to judges, who deliberated over their many tasty bites…

And announced their winner, none other than Asbel.

The 2011 Vitamix Challenge Winner
Pastry Chef Asbel Reyes of SideBern’s Restaurant
Tampa, FL
Dish: Pumpkin Banana Pie

The winner was announced in the main stadium mid afternoon- something like half an hour after they finished the competition (Pretty short deliberation). Wyle Dusfrene, chef at WD-50 in New York, NY participated as a judge. Here’s the key reason why Asbel won: He poured N20 directly into the blender, used it multiple times during the hour-long competition, he was over prepared (chefs like this a lot), and he worked fast. I think pouring the N20 directly into the blender did the trick however. And his dish looked very pretty and tasty too. Here’s how the judges broke down the score:

Judges based the challengers on plating technique, uniqueness utilization of equipment and of course how the whole thing tasted.
Equipment use: 50%
Taste: 30%
Plating: 20%

Before I said my farewell to the amazing Disneyland of gadgets, food science and newly attained knowledge, I managed to squeeze in a visit to the main stadium and watched a video of El Huevo Roto as Andoni Luis Adruiz himself explained. The video demo of his egg shell project, made with vegetarian based powders and potions. It looked like a real egg shell. The plating technique requires “cracking the egg” in front of the customer, served tableside (are we attracting Michelin Stars?-hmmm). I was blown away and in awe. Rethinking food is the least we can say about what I witnessed. This my friends was how I spent a fun-filled three day adventure at the Starchefs.com International Chefs Conference, amazed by all the gadgets and space food that will indeed tickle the sixth sense (this year’s theme) out of you. I can’t wait to go back next year and see what the chefs are up to again. Since it wouldn’t come soon enough- I’ll spend some time experimenting on my own until then.

More info on El Huevo Roto HERE

Cheers to the geek squad for inventing all the toys a chef and foodies can dream about!

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Filed under Food2, Hot on the Blog, Molecular Gastronomy, Special Events, Starchefs International Chefs Conference, Uncategorized, Vitamix Blender Challenge

October 3, 2011 · 11:47 pm

Meatless Monday: Fennel Puff Pastry Bites

For this easy gourmet starter, I used the sort of store bought puff pastry dough you can easily find in the frozen food section at your local supermarket. I love cooking with puff pastry: it’s magical watching the yeast/baking powder-free creature rise and poof up in the oven.
I made some new friends this weekend at the Starchefs International Chefs Conference, including Emmi Rothkase who provided the Le Gruyere Switzerland AOC Reserve cheese for this recipe. It’s a ten-month aged, grass fed, perfect companion to this savory recipe. You can omit the cheese if you like, but know that the combo of savory and sweet pineapple paired with the buttery, flaky puff pastry is what makes this guy so irresistible.

Ingredients
Makes about 14 bite size servings in various shapes
Puff pastry (thaw out to package directions)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 cups fennel, shaved with a mandolin
½ cup vegetable stock
1 stem lemongrass
½ pineapple, diced
2 cups gruyere cheese
½ teaspoon kosher salt
fresh ground pepper to taste
Cooking spray

Directions
In a saute pan on the stove top, add vegetable oil and saute fennel at medium heat for about 3-4 minutes. Deglaze with vegetable stock and add lemongrass and pineapples. Reduce heat to a low-simmer and continue cooking for 30-40 minutes stirring frequently until fennel is very tender. Remove from heat and cool at room temperature.

Roll out puff pastry dough and use a cookie cutter (round-shaped) to section off your puff pastry.

In a greased (cooking spray) muffin pan, place puff pastry and dock (puncture little holes with a fork). Bake in the oven for about 10-12 minutes, or until puff pastry rises. Remove from oven, cool for a few minutes (5 minutes), unmold and place on a baking sheet. Place fennel with pineapples, sprinkle cheese, add more fennel and pineapples. The gruyere cheese will act as an instant adhesive and pull all your ingredients together once it hits the heat in the oven.

Place in a preheated oven at 350 degrees and bake for about 15 minutes. Remove, plate, and eat up!

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Filed under Food2, Meatless Mondays, October 2011, Rina's Food2 recipes

September 19, 2011 · 2:35 pm

Meatless Monday: Mixed Vegetable Medley

Here’s an easy and quick way to enjoy your summer vegetables all year long. Eat it as a side dish, or stuff your sandwich bread and pack it as a weekday lunch for the office. Don’t worry if you’re not yet a cooking expert — this recipe is so easy that even the most amateur cooks will come out looking like a pro.

Mixed Vegetable Medley
Yields 4-6 servings 

Ingredients
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
½ yellow onion, sliced
2 garlic cloves, sliced
3 Japanese eggplants, peeled and sliced (lengthwise)
½ head red cabbage, sliced (lengthwise)
2 roma tomatoes, sliced into 8 parts
½ cup fresh perilla leaves, roughly chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Directions
In a large skillet, heat olive oil and saute onions and garlic until onions are translucent for about three minutes. Add eggplant and cook for an additional 4-5 minutes. Stir in cabbage and continue cooking for an additional 10-15 minutes then add tomatoes and cook for another 5 minutes stirring frequently. Stir in perilla leaves and cook until they are wilted, about 1-2 minutes. Cooking tip: season with salt and pepper every step of the way to extract the flavors of each vegetable as it cooks!

Total cooking time 30 minutes.

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Filed under Food2, Meatless Mondays, Rina's Food2 recipes, September 2011

September 12, 2011 · 2:33 pm

Meatless Monday: Vegetable Bibimbap with Jujube and Ginseng Hot Chili Sauce

Bibimbap is a signature Korean comfort food. The word directly translates as “mixed meal.” I rummaged through my fridge and found all sorts of vegetables and herbs, and thought about making a quick and easy version here.

I went to a local market and found American ginseng over the weekend. Ginseng is used as a natural remedy to help boost the immune system and lower blood pressure. It’s a bit on the bitter side, so mix it into sauces or use as an aromatic in brasing liquids. I paired it here with Korean jujubes, persimmon vinegar (another great find) and gochujang (Korean fermented red chilli paste), and it was amazing.

Vegetable Bibimbap with Jujube and Ginseng Hot Chilli Sauce

Ingredients
For the sauce
2 tablespoons persimmon or apple vinegar
1 teaspoon fresh minced ginseng
2 jujubes, chopped
1 cup cooked medium grain rice (sticky rice)
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 California carrots, julienned
1 zucchini, julienned
1 cup daikon radish, julienne
1 cup hydrated shitake mushrooms, julienned
1 cup assorted peppers, julienned
1 egg, cooked sunnyside up (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions
In a medium non-stick skillet, add a tablespoon of oil and sauté vegetables starting with zucchini (least pungent) on medium heat, stirring occasionally. Cook for about 2-3 minutes until tender. Repeat steps for carrots, shitake mushrooms and peppers. Daikon is served raw (but you can cook them if you wish).

In a big bowl, place rice in center with vegetables surrounding it. Serve it with an egg or you may substitute it with tofu or any other legume. Mung bean sprouts are excellent also! 

Mix hot chilli sauce to desired level of spiciness and enjoy!

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Filed under Food2, Korean Food at Home, Meatless Mondays, Rina's Food2 recipes, September 2011, Uncategorized

September 7, 2011 · 2:28 pm

Tequila Tasting: Two Tequila Cocktails, with Class

Last Thursday night I went to Irving Plaza for a 901 sponsored FreeSol concert. I got a glimpse of Justin Timberlake and watched the band rock out Irving Plaza. I sampled a few tequila drinks before and during the show. And after tasting the natural sweetness blue weber agave affords a margarita at the Sidebar, I sat down with 901 Tequila president Kevin Ruder to pick his brain about this new silver spirit.

I asked Kevin if he’s visited Mexico with Justin Timberlake and if they’ve had a chance to meet the agave growers. Surprisingly they’ve visited Mexico several times, tasting various versions of the distilled agave before developing a unique flavor for 901. Check out JT’s trip here. Tequila has always been JT’s favorite drink so naturally he opted to create his own when he couldn’t find a favorite after trying at least 300 varieties.

901 is a triple distilled spirit that deserved a little extraordinary attention. I first tried this tequila in a classic margarita. Then I tried it straight up in a shooter glass. My first pour was smooth and clear. It left lovely fruit notes lingering on my taste buds.

I took the muddled strawberry concept to the next level thinking about how much I dislike a watered-down version of the original cocktail (halfway through, when the ice starts to melt). So I opted to blend my fruit, and then turned it all into strawberry ice cubes. Next, I mixed the rest of the ingredients, which include home made sparkling lemonade (thanks to my new SodaStream machine), 901 tequilla. And then finally, I garnished the finished product with fresh basil and voila! a drink that only gets better the longer it sits.

Strawberry Rock recipe:

Ingredients 
1 pound of strawberries
½ cup water
1 liter of home made sparkling lemonade
6 ounces of tequila
basil as garnish

Directions
In a blender, pulse strawberries with a few tablespoons of water at a time until mixture is smooth and creamy. Strain. Transfer mixture into ice cube trays and allow to freeze overnight.

Pour tequila and sparkling lemonade into a rocks glass. Stir. Add strawberry ice cube and garnish with basil. Allow cocktail to sit for a few minutes until ice starts to melt to fully enjoy the flavors of this drink. An occasional stir will enhance the flavor.

Next, I took the strawberry cocktail to the next level. This version I devoted to all you gastronomic geeks out there (I’m one of them!). I used lime instead of lemons, clarified it with some agar to make it crystal clear without losing any flavor.

A straight up version of strawberry purée didn’t work the first time around. It was too acidic and too thick, so I watered it down using a ratio of 1/3 water to strawberries, and then added balsamic vinegar and honey to sweeten it up. You can also use simple syrup, or even better, just more tequila.

To that mix I added xanthan gum and calcium gluconate. I waited a day, and then dropped the happy mixture into a sodium alginate bath, rinsed the pebbles in a water bath and finally they were immersed into the cocktail!

My mission was to create a unique and subtle cocktail that looks nice and is fun and exciting to drink. So there you have it: my Strawberry Bomb cocktail made with tequila, clarified lime juice, home made carbonated water, simple syrup, and faux caviar strawberries with balsamic vinegar. Next time you’re entertaining at home, whip this out and you’ll be sure to get some brownie points from your buddies. Enjoy!

Strawberry Bomb recipe:

For the reverse spherification, I went online and used Bob Stanton’s recipe.

For the lime clarification, I used Dave Arnold’s Agar Clarification Made Stupid-Simple technique found here.

Ingredients
1 pound fresh strawberries, blended, strained
½ cup water
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
4 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon calcium gluconate
2 teaspoons sodium alginate and 500ml water (about two cups)
500ml water for water bath
12 limes, juiced and clarified with 1 teaspoon of agar (about 1.5 cups of clarified lime juice)
½ cup simple syrup
1 liter carbonated water
6 ounces of tequila
2 bunches of basil

Other tools and gadgets recommended
Blender
Cheesecloth
Strainer
Plastic tube bottle or syringe
Mixing bowls
Ice
Small saucepan to boil agar solution

Directions
In a blender, pulse strawberries with water, balsamic vinegar, honey, xanthan gum and calcium gluconate for about a minute. Strain and pour into a squeeze tube bottle and refrigerate overnight.

Juice limes, strain. Boil 1/3 of liquid about 250ml (1 cup) with agar on the stovetop.

Mix with refrigerated agar to bring to room temp. Place over an ice bath and allow agar to jelly up. Break agar curds with a spatula. Place over strainer with cheesecloth beneath and gently massage mixture. Your resulting liquid should be crystal clear. Add simple syrup to the clarified lime juice. Carbonate water, add lime syrup.

Whisk in sodium alginate with water, strain and allow to sit for about 30 minutes. Drop strawberry liquid into sodium alginate bath. Allow to sit for about 2 minutes, transfer to water bath using a slotted spoon. In a martini shaker, pour 1 ½ ounces tequila, 2 tablespoons of lime juice, 1 1/2 ounces carbonated water and 1 ounce of simple syrup. Shake in martini shaker with ice. Using a slotted spoon, scoop out strawberry caviar and place into drink.

Pour into martini glass. Add strawberry balsamic caviar. Garnish with basil, and enjoy!.

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Filed under Food2, Hot on the Blog, Molecular Gastronomy, September 2011, Special Events, Uncategorized

September 5, 2011 · 2:24 pm

Meatless Monday: Roasted Purple Potatoes and Heirloom Grape Tomatoes

Purple potatoes taste delicious, come packed with antioxidants, and are reputed to help lower your blood pressure. I found these at a local farmer’s market and couldn’t resist bringing them home to try and taste for the first time. Pairing them with little heirlooms and seasoning them with olive oil, garlic, rosemary and thyme, proved a fantastic (and yummy) way to savor some of the season’s best produce.

Recipe: Rina Oh

Roasted Purple Potato with Heirloom Grape Tomatoes 

Ingredients
1 pound purple potatoes
1 pound fingerling potatoes
2 sprigs rosemary
1 sprig thyme
1 bay leaf
6 cloves garlic
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon whole peppercorns
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 cup grape tomatoes
2 tablespoons fresh sage, chopped
kosher salt
pepper

Directions
1. Par-boil purple potatoes with fingerlings in salted boiling water. Add rosemary, thyme, bay leaf, garlic and peppercorns, and cook for about 10 minutes. Remove from heat, strain and peel while potatoes are still warm/hot. Then slice purple potatoes in half lengthwise.

2. In a baking sheet, drizzle olive oil and place potatoes on top. Top potatoes with remaining olive oil and season with salt, pepper and sage. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes turning the potatoes about half way through.

3. Slice grape tomatoes in half, drizzle with olive oil, add salt, pepper and combine in a bowl with potatoes!

4. Devour.

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Filed under Food2, Meatless Mondays, Rina's Food2 recipes, September 2011

September 1, 2011 · 6:19 pm

National 901 Day: Get Your Tequila On!


Tequila cocktail recipe coming right up - above: the ingredients.

Today is National 901 Day (That’s 901 tequila day!) And in celebration of 901, there will be a free concert at Irving Plaza performed by the band FreeSol co-hosted by 901 President Kevin Ruderand CEO and founder Justin Timberlake. We’re celebrating the arrival of the premium tequila made with 100% blue weber agave, water and yeast. Over 500 accounts across the US are offering drink specials all night. I’ll be personally attending the FreeSol concert tonight which starts at 9:01pm. That’s right, 9. 0. 1. pm. I also managed to get my hands on a bottle of the silver tequila in the meantime to conjure up my own version of the premium blue weber.
If you’re out and about in NYC today, stop by for a free concert at Irving Plaza, 17 Irving Place and East 15th Street in Union Square, New York, NY. I suggest getting there a bit early as this is a free concert and it’s first come first serve type of deal.

And if you’re out and about anywhere else in the US, drink specials featuring 901 Tequila will be available at the following venues (just to name a few!):

Tico – Boston
Cutting Room – LA
Spanish Kitchen – LA
Pink Taco – LA
Ed’s Lobster Bar – NY
SideBAR – NY
Southern Hospitality – NY
Masa Azul – Chicago
Depot Nuevo – Chicago
Justine’s – Austin
All House of Blues nationwide

In the meantime here is my buffet of ingredients. Tequila, strawberries, lemons, limes, ginger, basil, simple syrup, and a few magic potions to make an interesting & adventurous cocktail recipe… Stay tuned for some high tech home made cocktails coming your way!

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Filed under Food2, Hot on the Blog, Molecular Gastronomy, September 2011, Special Events

August 22, 2011 · 12:35 am

Meatless Monday: Corn Soup with Spiced Olive Oil Grissini

Bread-making can be intimating — there’s no doubt. Worries about yeast failing to rise or bread coming out of the oven too hard have confronted even the most confident of cooks. The secret is easing your way in. 

Rather than stumbling over more complicated fare, try an easy grissini bread stick as your first attempt at home baked bread. This bread recipe can be used as a base for any variety: add your favorite spices or grated cheese, and you’ll already be on your way to mastering the art of baking breadsticks. I spiced mine up with hot pepper flakes and loads of fresh ground pepper, the perfect complements to my simple, summery corn soup. 

Recipe: Rina Oh

Corn Soup with Spiced Olive Oil Grissini
Yields 6 servings

Ingredients:
Corn Soup
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 leeks, white parts only chopped
1 medium white onion, diced
2 celery stalks, chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
6-8 cups water
4 corn ears, kernels removed and core kept aside
2 Idaho potatoes, peeled and roughly chopped
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Pepper to taste

Spiced Olive Oil Grissini
1 package of dry active yeast (about 11 grams)
1/2 cup Luke warm water
Pinch of sugar
2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon dry red pepper flakes
Pinch of paprika
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Fresh ground pepper

Directions:
Corn Soup
1. In a large saucepot, combine olive oil with onions, leeks, celery and garlic, and cook at a simmer for about ten minutes, or until vegetables are tender.

2. Add water, corn, the leftover core and potatoes. Bring mixture to a boil and reduce heat. Allow soup to cook for about 45 minutes, or until potatoes are very tender. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

3. Remove core and pulse soup in a blender for about a minute in several batches.

Spiced Olive Oil Grissini
1. Combine yeast, water and pinch of sugar. Allow yeast to rise until it doubles in size, or about 30 minutes uncovered in a warm area.

2. Combine teaspoon of salt, flour, olive oil and yeast mixture in a large mixing bowl. Knead gently for about a minute, or until dough forms slightly. Add pepper flakes, paprika and fresh ground pepper, and continue kneading gently for another minute.

3. Place a tablespoon of olive oil inside a clean mixing bowl. Place dough inside and let sit for about an hour covered in a warm area with a towel or plastic wrap.

4. In three or four batches, roll dough into elongated strips and then cut into 5 inch pieces with a pastry cutter or butter knife. Roll strips into braids, and form into desired shapes.

5. Place strips of grissini dough on baking sheets lined with cornmeal. Spray cooking spray lightly over the strips, and sprinkle with kosher salt. (You can add more spices to top the crust with more flavor!)

6. Bake in oven at 350 degrees for about 10-15 minutes until golden brown.

Rina Oh is an artist, writer and chef and a Meatless Monday advocate. For the last year these Meatless Mondays recipes have appeared on Food2.com, a website that is owned and operated by Scripps Networks. These posts are copyrighted material and any photographs, illustrations or written material are forbidden to be used or reposted anywhere without permission. For more information on Meatless Monday, please visit meatlessmonday.com

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Filed under August 2011, Food2, Meatless Mondays, Rina's Food2 recipes, Soups

August 15, 2011 · 4:47 pm

Meatless Monday: White Eggplant Quiche

I recently visited the family owned Weed Orchards in Marlborough, NY where I picked an array of local, seasonal vegetables, and discovered the amazing white eggplant. I decided to make them for myself and a few friends – if they managed to stop by before I ate it all, that is! Luckily for those who live in my neighborhood, I made sure they got a chance to taste this amazing and almost seedless version of the classic purple vegetable.

Milder, less bitter and a tad sweeter, white eggplant cooks up beautifully in quiche. If you don’t have the homebody bug like me and want to skip the batter and dough, don’t worry! A store bought pie dough will suffice your adventure!

Recipe: Rina Oh

White Eggplant Quiche

Quiche dough 
Yields 1 10″ x 2″ quiche or 3 4″ x 2″ round quiches

Ingredients:
2 cups all purpose flour
4 ounces of butter cubed
1 egg, beaten or 3 tablespoons of ice cold water
1 tablespoons of ice cold water
Pinch of salt
Pinch of sugar

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine flour with pinch of salt and sugar and place on a flat surface. Place cubed butter on top of flour and cut through using a pastry scraper until flour reaches a crumb like consistency.

Make a well in center and add egg and fold in dough. Gently knead dough for about a minute. Add the tablespoon of water at this point if the dough is too dry and cracks.

Form dough into a round shape and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

In the meantime, grease three 4″ springform pans with butter and line with parchment paper. Roll out the dough with a rolling pin until dough is about 1/8″ thick.

Place dough into pans and blind bake with beans for about 15 minutes, remove beans and dock (poke with fork on bottom). Continue baking dough without beans for an additional 10 minutes.

Remove from oven, place on cooling racks and allow to rest for about 30 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees.

Eggplant filling & quiche custard
Yields 1 10″ x 2″ quiche and some left over for healthy snacking

Ingredients:
3 eggs
1 egg yolk
½ cup cream
3 white eggplant, evenly sliced thin
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

On the stovetop, place olive oil in a medium size skillet and allow pan to get hot on high heat.

Add eggplant slices, about ½ cup and saute for a about a minute on each side. Lightly season with salt and pepper. Cook eggplant in batches for best results.

Combine eggs with yolk and cream in a mixing bowl and whisk together for about a minute.

Place eggplant into baked quiche crust and pour in the custard mixture. Bake at 300 degrees for about 25-30 minutes.

Remove from heat and place on a cooling rack for an additional hour.


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Filed under August 2011, Food2, Meatless Mondays, Rina's Food2 recipes