Garlic and Coriander Soup

This dish is based on the bread soups made in Portugal. Remember to use the best fresh ingredients you can find!

Ingredients:
1 oz. fresh coriander (cilantro), leaves and stalks chopped separately
6 1/4 cups vegetable or chicken stock, or water
5-6 plump garlic gloves, peeled
6 eggs
10 oz. day old bread, most of the crust removed and torn into bite-size pieces
1 tsp. salt
freshly ground black pepper
6 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil, plus extra to serve

~ Place the coriander stalks in a saucepan. Add the stock or water and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes, then process in a blender or food processor and sieve back into the pan.
Crush the garlic with the salt, then stir in 1/2 cup hot stock/coriander stalk mixture, then return this crushed garlic mixture back to the pan with the hot stock. Meanwhile, poach the eggs in a frying pan of simmering water for about 3-4 minutes, until just set. Use a draining spoon to remove them from the pan and transfer to a warmed plate. Trim off any untidy bits of white.
Bring the soup back to a boil and add pepper and salt to taste. Stir in the chopped coriander leaves and remove from heat.
Place the bread in six soup bowls and drizzle olive oil over it. Ladle in the soup and stir. Add a poached egg to each bowl and serve immediately, offering olive oil at the table so that is can be drizzled over the soup to taste.

Serves 6

Pumpkin Pie

A Thanksgiving and Christmas classic. Makes one 9-inch pie.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups of pureed pumpkin
2 large eggs
1 cup whole milk
1/2 cup pure maple syrup (preferably Grade B)
1 Tbs. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
9-inch baked pie shell

~ Preheat oven to 350 F.
Whisk the pumpkin and eggs together in a medium bowl. Add milk, maple syrup, flour, cinnamon, ginger and salt, whisk to blend well. Pour into pie shell. Bake pie until center is just set, 55-60 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool. Serve with whipped cream. Serves 8.

Quiche Lorraine

Yum! I recently made this; it's very simple to put together--the longest part, for me, was the pie crust!

Ingredients:
4 eggs
2 cups milk
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. chives
pinch nutmeg
2 Tbs. flour
1/4 lb bacon
1 1/2 cups of grated Swiss cheese

~ Preheat oven to 375 F.  One 10 inch pie crust.  Cut bacon into 1 inch pieces. Cook in a skillet until fat is rendered out, but not crisp. Drain on a paper towel. Sprinkle shredded cheese in the pricked pie shell (pricked with a fork, knife, etc.). Add cooked bacon on top of the cheese.

In a blender combine: eggs, milk, salt, pepper, chives, nutmeg, flour ; blend. Pour this on top of bacon and cheese.

Bake for 35-45 minutes, or until solid in the center.
Serve hot, warm or at room temperature.

Deviled eggs

This is a wonderful finger food; colourful and pretty to look at--as well as good to eat!

Ingredients:
6 eggs, hard boiled
3 Tbs. mayonaise
1/2 tsp. dry mustard
1/4 tsp. apple cider vinegar
1/8 tsp. salt
 1/8 tsp. pepper

~ Peel eggs. Cut lengthwise in half. Slip out yolks into a small bowl; mash with fork.
Stir mayonaise, mustard, vinegar, salt and pepper into yokes. Fill whites  with yoke mixture, heaping it lightly. Top with a sprig of dill, and sprinkle with paprika. Cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours.