Tag Archives: Jamie Oliver

Springtime Green Quiche

At this point in my life, I should know better than to fall for lines from cute guys with a twinkle in their eye. I’m talking about you Jamie Oliver. Through my TV screen, you smized at me, with those baby blues and told me that it was possible to use mashed avocado instead of butter in pastry dough.

I was fascinated. Could it really be true? Avocado, like butter, has a high fat and moisture content, so it seemed plausible. Jamie made a green pea and cheddar quiche using his avocado dough. I settled on leeks, asparagus and gruyere cheese for my version.

I love the flavour of leeks. Part of the onion family, leeks have a mildly sweet flavour but much less intense than onions. They add a depth of flavour to so many savoury recipes.

How to clean and slice leeks: Leeks can be quite sandy, so the best way to clean them is to cut them in half lengthwise. Trim off the roots and dark green leaves. The dark green leaves are too tough to use for sautéing, but they are perfect for adding to homemade chicken or vegetable stock, I put them in a zip-loc bag in the freezer and save them for the next time I make stock. Arrange the light-green/white part of the leeks cut-side down on the cutting board and slice them into thin half moons. Fill a large bowl with cold water and place the sliced leeks in the water. Swish them around and let sit for a few minutes. Scoop the leeks out of the water, leaving the sandy water behind.

Here’s how this Springtime Green Quiche comes together. Watch!

Yes, the pastry is really a vibrant green before it hits the heat of the oven, but it does get quite muted with baking.

The pastry rolled out beautifully, but to be honest, it tasted bland. Avocado, without any salt, lime juice or jalapeño, doesn’t have much flavour. I think that if you’re going to indulge in something decadent, like quiche, with eggs, cheese and cream, you should just go all out and use butter in the dough.

But the Libra in me feels compelled to make a counter argument. Changes to healthier eating are best taken in small steps. Announcing that you plan to cut all animal fats from your diet is unlikely to be sustainable for most of us. But looking for these micro moments, where we can make small changes gradually, eventually add up. If you’re looking to incorporate more plant based fats into your diet, this avocado pastry would be just fine. I’m going to give you two dough options in the recipe. Choose your own adventure. If you try the avocado dough, please let me know, in the comments, what you think!

I love the flavour of gruyere cheese in quiche, but feel free to substitute fontina or Monterey Jack or another good melting cheese. The asparagus on top makes for a beautiful presentation.

Click here to print recipe for Springtime Green Quiche.

Pear and Kale Salad

If we’re being completely honest here, I must confess that salads in the salt and serenity kitchen are usually served tossed, in a stainless steel mixing bowl and eaten while standing over the sink. Perhaps some of you loyal readers can relate.

I created this salad as a homework assignment for a course I am taking on food composition from the immensely talented Rachel Korinek. The objective was to focus on the macro-level of styling salad. Let the salad be the hero and fill the frame.

I went grocery shopping to get inspired. I ignored all the obvious orange fall produce like pumpkins and squash. I dislike pumpkins (well, more like detest pumpkin spice, but that’s a rant for another day) and I always cook with squash, so that didn’t present much of a challenge for me. When I saw these gorgeous Starkrimson red pears, I knew I had found my intended. The shape of pears is so graceful.

Once I had chosen my hero, I could figure out the rest. I added some pomegranates because they add shine and a beautiful jolt of red. If you have ever studied colour theory, you know that the complementary colour choice to red is green (opposites on the colour wheel). I went for a mix of greens, kale for a dark emerald shade and arugula for a a hit of brighter green.

I picked up some shallots. Their violet colour be a beautiful accent against the red and green. Pickling them would add a sour counterpoint to the sweet pears. For crunch, I candied some walnuts in maple syrup.

I decided to plate this on a cutting board (top photo), for a casual feeling. I saw Jamie Oliver do this on his show and you know how I feel about Jamie Oliver! I decided to roast the pears instead of using them raw in the salad. I sliced them two different ways for a variety of shapes.

Light and Lazy Lasagna

Snow, more snow, freezing rain, ice, slush.   Have I mentioned that I hate winter?   It’s only the middle of January and already I am sick of winter.   I am also sick of yogurt, halibut, carrot and celery sticks and cantaloupe and all those other January foods I have been filling myself with.  I am feeling cranky.  I want pasta.  I watched Rachael Ray make “Lazy Florentine Lasagna” last week and it just looked so cheesy and good. (Pet peeve here, why is her audience instructed to applaud every time she adds garlic or cheese or wine?  It makes me crazy! See I told you I was cranky.)  She broke up the lasagna noodles and just mixed everything together instead of layering it.  I wondered if I could lighten it up just a bit so I wouldn’t undo all the good I have done so far this month in the healthy eating department.  I had kamut lasagna noodles, mushrooms and spinach.

I took some of The Quickest Tomato Sauce out of the freezer and went to work.  This recipe is from his Jamie at Home cookbook and I love it.  Well, I just love anything about Jamie Oliver.  Just ask my husband.  Last summer we were in London for a wedding.   One night we went to The River Cafe for dinner.  When we first arrived and got out of the taxi, I noticed a group of people outside the restaurant.  I watched as they were ushered to a table on the outdoor patio.  As I looked more closely, I was positive I recognized one of the members of that group. Apparently my eyes grew wide, my face got a bit flushed and I was rendered speechless. I just grabbed my husband’s arm and ushered him into the restaurant.

When we got inside, I stammered to the Maitre d’, “Was that who I thought it was?”  She smiled and said, “Yes, it was Jennifer Anniston.”  I replied, “What … no not her, was that Jamie Oliver?”  “Oh, yes, she replied, he was with her group.”  Of course most normal people would have recognized Jennifer Anniston and been excited about seeing her.  I didn’t even notice her.  I only had eyes for Jamie.  My husband said he hasn’t seen a glow like that on my face since our wedding day.  Yes, I have a bit of a crush.  He is such a brilliant chef.  I just love his style of cooking; unpretentious with bold flavours shining through.   We ate inside and they were outside on the patio. I never did manage to get the courage to go over for a photo or autograph.  It was just enough for me to see him.  I had forgotten that he trained at River Café as a young chef.

This dish, inspired by Rachael and Jamie, managed to satisfy my craving for cheese and pasta and my crankiness disappeared, if only temporarily!

To print this recipe, click here.

To print Quickest Tomato Sauce recipe, click here.