Potato and Leek Soup with Buttermilk and Lemon Oil

Potato Soup

I know it’s been a while, but it’s hard to cook without a kitchen….and when you’re living out of three homes. Last weekend, we finally made the move into our house! Prior to this, we were living partly out of my parents home, partly out of the home we just bought, and partly out of our townhome (an hour and a half away). Since I haven’t really been able to cook in the new kitchen yet due to appliance issues that have made my kitchen nonfunctional (will be  resolved asap), this recipe is one I made while living part-time at my parents house.

My dad gets the Wall Street Journal every morning. While I’m not very business savvy, I always enjoy the Personal Journal section. Part of the reason is that they always have intriguing health and cooking articles (my two passions). This recipe came from the Personal Journal section of the Wall Street Journal and was a request by my dad. It was  a bit of a shame that I could not find green garlic in the grocery store, but I think the recipe worked out just as well with leeks (and I love the smell of leeks cooking). It was definitely a great comfort food recipe, one that doesn’t take very much time at all and one that I will be returning to many times when the weather gets cold again.

Potato and Leek (originally Green Garlic)  Soup with Buttermilk and Lemon Oil

Ingredients
4 Tbsp butter
2 cups thinly sliced green garlic (one pound) or 3 cups thinlly sliced leeks
1 cup diced yellow onion
1 tsp salt
4 large waxy potatoes, cut into 1/4 inch cubes
4 cups water
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup chopped parsley
2 Tbsp creme fraiche
T Tbsp lemon olive oil or extra virgin olive oil

Directions:
Set a heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add butter, green garlic or leeks and onions and season with salt. Cover and cook until soft, about 8 minutes.
Stir in the potatoes and cook for 2-3 minutes to warm.
Add water and buttermilk. Bring to a boil and simmir until potatoes are completely soft, about 25-30 minutes.
Mash soup with potato masher or a strong wire whisk until chunky.
Thin soup with additional awter or buttermilk if needed. Adjust seasoning with salt, pepper and garlic salt.
Stir in parsley.
Serve soup with dollop of creme fraiche if available and drizzle of oil.

Source: Chef Naomi Pomeroy of Beast in Portland restaurant via the Wall Street Journal

Red Pepper and Leek Mini-Quiches

 

Leek and Red Pepper Mini Quiches

This is one of the last recipes  that I plan on posting from my sister-in-law’s baby shower…but I just had to post it. These were so delicious that my husband even ate a few and he absolutely refuses to eat quiche usually. Truth be told, I have never cooked with leeks but that has now changed since making these. Smelling the leeks while cooking the quiches, I knew that this was going to be good.

These would be perfect as a fancy brunch dish or just a good start to a weekend. I’m looking forward to trying out different combination of vegetables in them.

Leek and Red Pepper Mini Quiches

Ingredients

For the cheddar pastry

1/4 lb. white cheddar cheese, cut into chunks
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more as needed
1/4 tsp. salt
8 Tbs. (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 to 3 Tbs. cold water

For the filling:
1 1/2 Tbs. unsalted butter
1 leek, white portion only, or 2 large shallots, finely chopped
1/2 small red bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1/4-inch dice
1/4 lb. dry-aged white cheddar cheese, grated
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
3/4 tsp. Dijon mustard
3/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper

Directions:

To make the cheddar pastry, in a food processor, pulse the cheese until crumbly. Add the flour and salt and pulse until the cheese is finely crumbled. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles fluffy bread crumbs. Drizzle the egg over the mixture and pulse twice. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Sprinkle 2 Tbs. water over the mixture and pulse until a rough mass forms. If the mixture doesn’t come together, add another 1 Tbs. water.

Place the pastry on a lightly floured work surface and shape into a smooth ball. Divide in half. Roll out half the pastry into a large round 1/8 inch thick, pushing the dough outward from the center and rotating it about a quarter turn each time you roll, sprinkling more flour underneath as needed.

Using a 2-inch cookie cutter, cut out as many pastry rounds as possible and ease them very gently into the cups of a mini-muffin pan. The bottoms should remain rounded and the dough edges flush with the rims. Gather up the scraps, reroll, cut out additional rounds and line additional cups. Repeat with the remaining dough half, working in batches if necessary. You should have a total of 48 lined cups.

Preheat an oven to 400°F.

To make the filling, in a small sauté pan over medium-low heat, melt the butter. Add the leek and sauté gently, stirring occasionally, until tender but not browned, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and add the bell pepper and cheese. In another bowl or large measuring cup, whisk the eggs until blended, then whisk in the cream, mustard, salt and cayenne. Add the egg mixture to the leek mixture and whisk to combine. Pour 1 Tbs. of the filling into each of the pastry shells, evenly distributing the solids and liquid.

Bake the quiches until they are puffy and golden brown, about 20 minutes. Transfer the muffin pan to a wire rack and cool for 5 to 10 minutes (the quiches will sink a little as they cool). To loosen them from the muffin cups, run a thin-bladed knife around the sides, then carefully lift the quiches out of the cups. Arrange on a platter and serve.
Makes 48 warm bites.

Source: Williams Sonoma