A Jeanne in the Kitchen

What is the difference between a Spanish omelette and a frittata? What is the difference between a torte and a frittata? What is the difference between a frittata and a quiche? I am finding a lot of overlap, without coming up with a lot of specific answers. But from the best that I can tell, a frittata is a quiche without a crust. Frittatas, omelettes, Spanish omelettes, tortes and quiches are all egg-based dishes with fillings that make for a hearty and delicious meal any time of day. There are four main differences between a frittata and a quiche. They are the presence of a crust, the egg-to-dairy ratio, the vessel that they’re baked in, and where they are cooked. But this still does not really help much, considering I baked my frittata in a quiche or tart pan, just like I would bake a quiche. Confusing, I know, even for me. If anyone can really explain the differences to me, I am all ears and would love to hear your thoughts. All I know is that the recipe I followed (well, sort of. Of course I changed it.) called my dish a torte, though it looks more like a frittata, or a crustless quiche to me. But whatever name it goes by, it was very good.

Mexican Vegetable Torte

The original recipe only called for zucchini. I love zucchini, but I love so many vegetables, and I felt this recipe needed more than just zucchini. So I added mushrooms, and green bell peppers, and of course garlic as well. Bottom line, make it with whatever vegetables you like. Mix and match with whatever you want and call it whatever name works for you. What you call it doesn’t matter. What matters is how it tastes. 🙂

1 1/4 lbs sliced zucchini

4-5 mushrooms sliced

1 shallot, diced fine

1 small green pepper, diced fine

1/2-3/4 TBSP garlic

1-2 jalapenos, diced fine

3 eggs, at room temperature

1/2 cup milk

salt to taste

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1 cup grated light or white cheese

1/2 cup flour

1 tsp baking powder

Spray cooking spray in a torte or quiche pan.

Preheat the oven to 350*F or 180*C.

I knew before making my torte I was going to add mushrooms and garlic, but when I was at the store, the produce manager and one of his assistants were talking about these tiny, baby green bell peppers that they weren’t sure if they would be able to sell or not, or at least not at their marked price. I overheard their conversation and asked about it, so they offered me a deal, 2 for 1. How could I resist? I bought four and one went into my torte. It was a great addition to my torte too.

Saute the vegetables in a little bit of olive oil and butter until they are soft.

Combine the eggs, milk, flour, baking powder, salt, cayenne pepper and cheese together and mix well. I changed the recipe again, here too. My original recipe did not call for milk or for baking powder, but instead called for self-rising flour. I do not really care for self-rising flour, so I added the baking powder to regular flour. I also thought the mixture was too thick and needed a little milk.

Allow the vegetables to cool slightly before adding them to the egg and cheese mixture, then mix together well.

Evenly spread the mixture into the prepared pan and bake for about 30 minutes, or until the center is set, and the top is a light golden brown.

You can enjoy this on its own for breakfast, lunch or a light snack, or you can serve it as a side dish to your favorite entree. I served it along side some cod with roasted hazelnut and lime butter, but more on that later. 🙂

As I always say, it’s OK to play with your food. I do it all the time. 🙂 Have a great day and make everyday great. Stay safe and stay well. ‘Til next time.

We have a few different swallow species here in Colorado. Some stay more in the mountain areas, while some like to visit the “lowlands” more. Here we see Barn Swallows quite often. They like to visit us from April-October. I love seeing them. I love their bright, contrasting colors of blue and rust. I almost always see them perched up high on lampposts. Often times because they are so high, it is hard for me to get good shots. But every now and then I get lucky.

Have a great day and make everyday great. Stay safe and stay well. ‘Til next time.

I hope you all enjoyed your Cinco de Mayo festivities. We had a quiet, low-key day, though I did make chicken enchiladas Chicken Enchiladas with Creamy Tomatillo Sauce and guacamole Old World/New World Fiesta for the day. And we still had some leftover Spanish rice and vegetables which I added to the meal. So we had yet another simple, but tasty Mexican celebration meal. We didn’t really celebrate though. We really do eat like this quite often. I just made a point of making Mexican food for the day.

You can make everyday special and celebrate all the little things in life that make life so good, everyday. Stay safe and stay well. ‘Til next time.

My turtles, both the Red-Eared Sliders and the Snapping turtles, are out sunning themselves these days. I am seeing quite a few turtles out and about, just enjoying their days in the sun. Some of them even look like they are smiling too. At the moment, my Red-Eared Sliders are the ones who are really out and about. The Snapping turtles haven’t fully exposed themselves yet, but I do still see them. They are still testing the waters.

Be like the turtles, and come out to enjoy the sunshine. 🙂

Since today is actually the 5th of May of Cinco de Mayo, chances are pretty good that I will be making something Mexican once again for dinner. But for now, I am just going to share some photos of past Cinco de Mayo celebrations from around the country.

And there is ALWAYS plenty of good food.

Feliz Cinco de Mayo or Happy May 5th. It is always a festive, colorful and musical day of fun celebrations.

Cinco de Mayo is a day of celebration that recognizes Mexico’s victory over the Second French Empire led by Napoleon III at the Battle of Puebla in 1862. But it is really more of a Mexican-American “holiday”, celebrated in America much more so than it is in Mexico. For many in Mexico, Cinco de Mayo isn’t a day of monumental importance or a national party. For some, it’s merely a date marked in the calendar, while for others, it’s a day to commemorate the resilience of the Mexican spirit and a taciturn reminder of the valor of the Mestizo in the face of adversity. Yet, Cinco de Mayo is not widely celebrated in Mexico outside of Puebla. Unlike Mexico’s Independence Day, Sept. 16, it is not even a federal holiday. In the United States, by contrast, more than 500 cities have annual Cinco de Mayo celebrations, with the largest in Los Angeles, drawing as many as 500,000 revelers. The United States started celebrating the day in 1863, in California in response to the resistance to French rule in Mexico and as a way to honor California’s Mexican- American heritage.

I grew up in the suburbs of Los Angeles, in Pasadena. California, and Los Angeles specifically, has a very large Mexican population. The name “Los Angels” itself means city of angels. That being said, Cinco de Mayo was always a big, festive day, and the festivities have grown ever since.

We “celebrated” the day, a couple of days early, with some good Mexican food and games after. Most people like to make fajitas, burritos, tacos, or nachos for the day. But these are the foods popular in most restaurants, and especially in Mexican restaurants, everywhere you go. These ARE NOT the only good Mexican foods around by any means of the imagination though. Mexico has lots of fabulous food. I wanted to make something less mainstream, but still authentically Mexican. I made a Mexican or Spanish chicken, with Spanish rice, some sauteed vegetables with Mexican herbs and spices and flan for dessert.

First, I marinated the chicken for about 5 hours, in a spicy tomato sauce. Then we grilled it up when we were ready to eat. I reserved some of the sauce and cooked it down to serve on top of the cooked chicken as well. My sauce was a quick version of an adobo sauce.

1 cup salsa

1 TBSP garlic

1 cup orang juice

3 TBSP onion, diced fine

1-2 tsp cumin

1 jalapeno, diced fine

1-2 tsp oregano

lemon verbena and/or cilantro, chopped

Mix everything together well and use as a marinade for the chicken, and let it marinade for at least 3-4 hours. Reserve some of the marinade for later to top the chicken once it is cooked.

When ready to cook, you can cook it any way you like, but I liked it grilled. We also heated up some tortillas on the grill while the chicken was cooking.

Next came the Spanish rice. You have seen this before, when I had my Old World/New World fiesta. Spanish Rice

We go to Mexico all the time. As you know, we LOVE diving in Cozumel. When we eat out, often the vegetables served are sauteed zucchini, crookneck and carrots, mixed with cumin, oregano, and sometimes peppers. This is exactly what I did too. I also threw in some of my lemon verbena, which is already growing wild and taking over my backyard. But I LOVE cooking with it. 🙂

Dessert was flan. You saw this from my Old World/New World fiesta as well, only I made it as individual portions, since I was only making it for only five people this time. Old World/New World Fiesta

And of course, we had margaritas too.

I love Mexican food, and we eat it all the time, so really this was just yet another normal dinner for us. And as usual, we celebrated with friends and games after. So it was a celebration of sorts, but really just a celebration of life, because life is good, and it is always better when shared over good food with good friends.

Que tengas un gran dia y haz que cada dia sea grandioso. Mantente segura y mantente bien. Hasta la proxima. Have a great day and make everyday great. Stay safe and stay well. ‘Til next time.

On a side note. Today, May 4th, would have been my mother’s 95th birthday. Sadly, I lost my mom over 18 years ago, so she is up in Heaven now. Happy, Heavenly Birthday Mom. I love you always and forever.

Spring is alive and well. I have seen so many birds all around, and a lot of Rosy Finches too. It seems like I have seen a lot more than usual, or maybe I am just noticing them more. Here are some more fun pictures of my Rosy Finches.

This one seems to be house hunting. I think he likes the view.

This guy likes to be more grounded, and prefers a garden view.

Have a rosy day, and always try to enjoy your view. 🙂

Auguste Escoffier is known as the father of modern cuisine. He invented over 5,000 recipes, published Le Guide Culinaire textbook and developed approaches to kitchen management. He redefined French cooking and established new culinary principles that encompassed refinement, organization, and innovation. His meticulous attention to detail and emphasis on quality ingredients set a new standard for professional cooking. So suffice it to say, M. Escoffier knows a few things about food and cooking.

One of the many things M. Escoffier is known for is creating the basis for all sauces, known as the Mother Sauces. There are five basic sauces, in Escoffier’s opinion, that started all the other sauces we use today. I don’t know if I agree with this theory of not, but most classically trained chefs do. We are at least taught this in culinary school. But, you all know I am a rebel, and I was most definitely a rebel in culinary school too. My favorite Chef Instructor, Chef Andre Averseign, used to tell me all the time, ” Non, non, non, Jeanne – [gee-ne], dis is not right”. Then he would taste it, and say “oh, dis is good”. 🙂

According to the French Chefs, sauces are the foundation of fine cuisine. Their preparation is considered the most important business in every large kitchen. But with any recipe, the written words, which are what we call the “recipe” are “only a guide to the real thing. The reality is in the performance. No recipe can represent the human creativity and complexity”. (p. xiv, preface, The Sauce Bible, Guide to Saucier’s Craft, by David Paul LaRousse).

The Mother Sauces are: Hollandaise, Veloute, Bechamel, Espagnole and Tomato.

Hollandaise Sauce –

A traditional Hollandaise sauce is a sauce made from egg yolks, melted butter, lemon juice or vinegar, a dash of Dijon mustard, and a dash of nutmeg. It is usually served with fish, eggs, vegetables or chicken. Despite having “Holland” in its name, it’s generally agreed among chefs that Hollandaise sauce was first born in France and was originally known as Sauce Isigny, named after a small town in Normandy famous for its butter and cream. According to history, France couldn’t produce its own butter during the First World War and imported it from Holland – which led to it being known as Hollandaise. A Bearnaise sauce is a close cousin to Hollandaise, but it is usually made with tarragon, shallots and vinegar. Rich, creamy butter sauces used for a variety of dishes today are direct descendants of both of these sauces. I love Hollandaise sauce and rich, buttery sauces in general, and make them quite often, but then I love ANYTHING with butter.

Veloute Sauce –

Veloute is another butter sauce, along the same lines as a Bearnaise sauce. Velouté much like Bechamel Sauce, is a creamy white sauce which is thickened with a roux. While both sauces are smooth, creamy and generally white or cream colored, the biggest difference between them is that veloute is made with a white stock or broth, (most commonly chicken stock or fish stock), and Bechamel is made using milk.  Veloute sauce is usually served over lighter meats, like chicken, fish and pork or vegetables. I make veloute variations quite often too. Again, it is the butter delivery system.

Bechamel Sauce –

A traditional Bechamel sauce only has three ingredients, milk, melted butter and flour, and of course simple seasonings. Often, there is a hint of fresh nutmeg used in a Bechamel sauce too. It starts with a blond roux, made by whisking flour and butter for about 2 minutes in a saucepan on the stove. That’s just long enough to cook the flour without browning it to eliminate the pasty taste that comes from raw flour. Once the roux has bubbled for a minute or two, add half the milk and whisk to eliminate any lumps. Then whisk in the remaining milk. A Bechamel sauce can be used for any of the same dishes and recipes as either a hollandaise or a veloute sauce. It is also the base for many cheese sauces too.

Espagnole Sauce –

Espagnole (pronounced like the word for Spanish: español) is a basic brown sauce that is also one of the five mother sauces of classical cuisine. It’s also the starting point for a rich and deeply flavorful sauce called demi-glace, which is traditionally served with red meats.

Making espagnole sauce is not too different from making velouté—they’re both essentially stock-based sauces thickened with roux. Where they differ is that espagnole​ is made with brown stock (i.e. beef stock), and it includes additional ingredients such as tomato purée (which adds color and acidity) and mirepoix, which is a fancy name for chopped up carrots, celery, and onions. These add a tremendous amount of flavor and aroma to the sauce.

The last of the five Mother Sauces is a tomato sauce. We ALL know what tomato sauces are, especially if we eat anything Italian. 🙂 Sauce tomat is one of the classic French mother sauces. It’s deeply tomato-y, creamy without cream, and can be used as a base for braised meat, thinned for soup, or tossed with pasta.

The French, Mother Sauce method of making a tomato sauce –

The sauce starts with lightly browning diced salt-cured pork, followed by softening the mirepoix (finely chopped onions, carrots, and celery) for a few minutes. Add garlic, a bay leaf, a few sprigs of thyme, whole tomatoes crushed in a bowl, and stock. Cover the pot and pop it in the oven for a slow simmer. 

All that deliciousness comes with a time commitment. The sauce needs to simmer for a couple of hours to build and concentrate all of those flavors, but that can be done handily in the oven, allowing you to use your time however you please instead of standing over the stove. 

So when I say “sauce it up”, now you can sauce it up in the traditional French chefs’ way too. Chef Raymond Oliver says “a sauce is not only the fluid part of a cooked dish, but the very soul of cooking”,(p. xiv, preface, The Sauce Bible, Guide to Saucier’s Craft, by David Paul LaRousse) . Now this, I do agree with. The sauce is what makes the meal. 🙂

Make your day saucy and live it up. Have a great day and make everyday great. Stay safe and stay well. ‘Til next time.

As you can probably tell, I get very excited when we have goslings. They grow up so quickly, and don’t stay little for long. So I have to capture their cuteness while I can. I am going to give you yet another gosling day, and then I will give it a little break. I mean, we do have plenty more to see than just cute, adorable goslings. But how can I resist???? 🙂

Smile and the world smiles with you. Have a great day and make everyday great. 🙂

You all know I love to recreate as much as I can from my leftovers. When I made my bruschetta to take with us for our latest wining adventure, Bruschetta we made a dent for sure, but I still had quite a bit leftover too. It was way too good to let go to waste, though I would NEVER do that anyway, and I had shrimp down that needed to be used. So the leftover tomatoes from my bruschetta got turned into bruschetta shrimp. I served it with my olive bread Herbed Olive Bread and a cool, crisp Pinot Grigio on the side. It was a perfectly refreshing and light spring meal.

I added a few more tomatoes, a little extra basil, and the cooked shrimp. Then I deglazed the skillet with some dry white wine.

When the wine was reduced by about half, I added the tomatoes to the cooked shrimp. I cooked it just long enough to heat everything up.

After everything was hot, I topped it all off with a little lemon balsamic vinegar to make all the flavors really come to life and pop, then served it all over angel hair pasta, also leftover. If you don’t have lemon balsamic vinegar, lemon juice will work just fine too.

Be creative with leftovers. Walk on the wild side and see what happens. You just may surprise yourself with what comes out of your kitchen. All you need is a little imagination, and VOILA!

Have a great day and make everyday great. Stay safe and stay well. ‘Til next time.