CRUSTLESS QUICHE
Gather: new potatoes (preferably) as easier to crush down but use whatever you’ve got, milk (whichever one you use), eggs, seasoning, olive oil, onion, courgette, spinach, hard cheese (cheddar), butter/margarine.
I don’t measure much so decide on your dish size and calculate how many potatoes you need to cover the base!
Grease the dish with butter/margarine.
Boil the potatoes until just cooked, don’t want them mushy!
Then using a large serving spoon, OR WHATEVER YOU CAN FIND, push them into your greased base until every inch is covered, including the sides of the dish. Don’t break the potatoes up too much though as you need a complete surface with no leakage!
Season with rock/sea salt and black pepper.
Drizzle with olive oil and bake for fifteen to twenty minutes at 200 degrees Celsius.
Whilst that’s baking, make your quiche mix as you usually would.
Fry some onions, (one small) just until softened.
Pop a chopped courgette (small) into the pan for the last five mins just to start the cooking process. Don’t want them mushy either!
Grate enough hard cheese (mature cheddar) to cover the potato base at roughly an inch depth.
Separately, mix half to three quarters of a pint of milk (your choice – cow’s, oat, whichever you prefer) with two to three eggs depending on their size (if large just do two, you get the gist).
Whisk all that together and season to taste and by now your potato base should be ready.
Layer it with spinach first.
Then spread the cheese over the top, ensuring the spinach is completely covered.
Then scatter over the onions and courgette mix.
Finally, pour your egg and milk mix gently across everything. DO NOT ALLOW THE MIX TO GO ABOVE YOUR POTATO LAYER (sides).
Bake in the oven, at 200 degrees Celsius for 25 mins or until firm and golden brown on top. Allow to cool slightly before cutting and serving.
BALSAMIC DRESSED SALAD
Gather: olive oil, balsamic vinegar, cherry/plum tomatoes, cucumber, beetroot, half a red bell pepper, optional herbs (chives – or whatever you prefer).
Use as much of each as you want, equal or otherwise, chop to a size of your liking, and pour enough balsamic vinegar to soak into the base of it. Drizzle with olive oil.
Season with rock/sea salt and black pepper to taste.
Stir it well.
Place into the fridge to allow the flavours to infuse.
MERINGUE-BASED CHOCOLATE MOUSSE – WARNING – RAW EGG WHITES
Gather: eggs, caster sugar, dark chocolate.
It’s roughly one egg white and one ounce of caster sugar per serving although I find that two egg whites and two ounces of caster sugar usually gives me three!
Make sure your eggs are at room temperature.
In a medium bowl, separate the egg whites and put the yolks to the side.
Whisk the egg whites until firm peaks form.
Pour one ounce of caster sugar at a time into the eggs whites slowly, whisking gently as you go.
You will notice the mix begins to take on a glossy texture.
Try it if you want before adding anything else. You want sweetness but not overly sweet as you still have to add your chocolate.
Once that’s done, set it to the side (DO NOT PUT IT IN THE FRIDGE).
Melt some dark chocolate in the microwave, or in a glass bowl over a pan of hot water if you prefer.
Make sure the chocolate has cooled before you start adding to your meringue mix.
Once cooled, pour the melted chocolate slowly into your meringue mix and FOLD it in.
Folding requires either a spatula or a large serving or dessert spoon.
Take your time.
The mix will become loose but what you don’t want is for it to become a liquid then you’ve basically messed it up!
Transfer the mousse into individual ramekins and immediately put them into the fridge for at least two hours to stiffen up.
(Egg yolks can be used to make custard or my favourite is to make lemon curd).
BLACKBERRY COMPOTE
Gather: blackberries, caster sugar, water.
Best when blackberries are abundant. There should be some remaining at this time of year (August). My sister and me only picked some last week. Not the best year for them but it has been really dry. I have encouraged her to freeze some so we can make this again before or during the Christmas holidays. It’s so lovely to be able to make use of foraged goods at other times of the year.
Foraging them is best, as they’re so expensive to buy! We always leave plenty for the wildlife. Preferably pick from a less ‘travelled’ place otherwise wash thoroughly to get the dog pee off!
Place into a saucepan, again no measuring here just go with your gut and the size of your pan.
Add a little cold water and then cover lightly with caster sugar.
Heat up until bubbling and then turn the heat down and allow to gently simmer.
Sprinkle again with caster sugar until the whole surface is covered.
Allow that to simmer down and stir when all the sugar has dissolved.
The whole process usually takes just over half an hour.
DO NOT ALLOW TO BOIL DRY.
The consistency will change. Just ensure MOST of the water/juice has evaporated but not all of it.
Turn the heat off and let it sit there for a little while to cool.
It’s the sieving process which pushes the pectins out and then you’ll see a lovely compote/jam like consistency forming.
I like mine a little looser although jam is fine for this purpose.
Once you’ve sieved the pips,etc. out, use this sticky mush in a smoothie or something, never waste a thing!
Your lovely clear compote should be cooled and placed into the fridge to stiffen slightly.
And there you have four quick recipes to make a tasty meal.
If you’re in your van, this is possible. You can always bake your crustless (potato-based) pie in the airfryer and melt your chocolate over a pan of hot water.
I don’t have a microwave and I manage, just make the adjustments you need to, nothing is impossible.
DISCLAIMER: PLEASE SEE MY HOMEPAGE. ALL RECIPES TO BE ATTEMPTED WITH CAUTION AND DESIGNED FROM PERSONAL EXPERIENCE ONLY. REMEMBER THE WARNING FOR THE USE OF RAW EGGS. CHECK WITH YOUR DOCTOR REGARDING HEALTH CONDITIONS WHICH DISALLOW THE CONSUMPTION OF RAW EGGS, INCLUDING PREGNANCY.
