Vanilla mascarpone ice cream

I made this ice cream without an ice cream maker - the custard base keeps it from forming ice crystals that are too big.  Adapted from BBC Good Food.

Ingredients

3 large egg yolks
100g golden caster sugar
300ml full-fat milk
250g mascarpone
seeds ½ vanilla pod (or 2 t vanilla extract)

Instructions

1. Put the yolks and sugar into a large bowl, and beat together until pale and thick.
2. Put milk, mascarpone, and vanilla into medium saucepan and bring to the boil, stirring to combine
3. Once just boiling, take off the heat and whisk this gradually into the bowl with egg mix to make a custard.
4. Pour custard back into saucepan, and cook gently for 15 mins, stirring constantly until mix is thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon (approximately 65-70C). Don’t let it boil or the eggs will scramble. 
5. Freeze  custard for approx. 4 hrs in a container, stirring and breaking up the crystals every hour until thick and smooth. 

Quinoa salad with egg, zucchini, and avocado-cilantro dressing

This is a delicious and summery quinoa salad, adapted from 101 Cookbooks.

Ingredients

1 large avocado, ripe
juice of 1 lime
1/4 c lightly packed cilantro
1 clove garlic
1/4 c plain yogurt
1/2 c water
1/2 t salt
2 T mayonaisse
4 large eggs
1 large zucchini, cut into 3/4-inch thick coins
2 T extra-virgin olive oil
couple pinches of fine grain sea salt
1 cups quinoa, cooked according to package instructions
handful pine nuts, toasted
1/4 c feta, crumbled
1-2 c fresh spinach, chopped finely
2 T chopped cilantro
1/4 c cooked corn (optional)

Instructions

1) Prepare the avocado-cilantro dressing by blending the avocado, lime juice, cilantro, garlic, yogurt, water, salt, and mayonaise with a hand blender, and set aside.
2) Hard boil three eggs and set aside.  (Try this technique: place eggs in a medium pot and cover with cold water by 1/2 inch.  Bring to a gentle boil, turn off heat and cover.  Let sit for 7 minutes, then dunk eggs in ice water to stop cooking.)
3) Use a grill pan (or a normal pan if you don't have one) to cook zucchini: heat olive oil over medium heat and cook zucchini for ~5 minutes on each side.
4) Crack and peel each egg, then cut into quarters.
5) Toss quinoa with zucchini, spinach, feta, cilantro, and corn (if using).
6) To assemble salad, top quinoa mix with avocado sauce and slices of egg.

Spinach and Onion Tart

This tart is full of spinach and tastes great with a dash of truffle oil (if you have it).  Otherwise, I've made this recipe a lot less healthy and probably more tasty, so if you're looking for something easy on the arteries refer to the original link.  Adapted from the NYTimes Recipes for Health.

Ingredients

Crust

1.25 c flour
1T + 2t corn starch
pinch of salt
6 T butter, cut into small chunks
1 egg

Filling

12oz baby spinach
1 T olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped finely
1 t dried thyme
3 eggs
1/2 c cream
1/2 c milk
1/2 to 3/4 c gruyere, grated
1/4 to 1/2 c parmesian, grated (adjust the amount of cheese depending on how strong you like the flavor)

Instructions

1) In a large bowl, combine flour, cornstarch, and salt.

2) Using a pastry cutter or food processor, cut in the butter until the texture is like course sand.

3) Add egg and mix well with a fork - the dough should be like wet, clumpy sand.

4) Roll dough out on a lightly floured surface into a 12" circle.

5) Press dough into a greased 9" circular pan, and refrigerate for 30 minutes (or freeze for 10-15).

6) Preheat the oven to 180C, and steam spinach until wilted.  You can do this easily in the microwave by heating the spinach in two batches in a microwave-safe bowl with a few tablespoons of water, covered, for 2-3 minutes.
7) Heat olive oil over medium heat, and saute onion until translucent, about 8 minutes.
8) Combine onion with spinach, thyme, and salt and pepper to taste, and set aside.
9) Combine eggs, cream, and cheeses in a large bowl.
10) Combine spinach mixture with cheese mixture, and pour evenly into the tart pan.
11) Place in oven and bake 40-45 minutes, until the eggs are well set.  Allow to cool for several minutes before serving.

A Yummy, Easy Frittata

This recipe is very loosely adapted from 101 Cookbooks - I simplified the recipe by substituting chopped tomatoes and fresh cilantro for the "Cilantro Chile Sauce", and I also cooked the frittata entirely in the oven. Basically, this recipe can be adapted to fit your taste for various vegetables and cheeses that you might have laying around your fridge

Ingredients

6 large eggs

1 small onion, chopped

1 leek, thinly sliced

1 T olive oil

3 small potatoes, thinly sliced

1 red pepper, chopped

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 c cilantro, chopped

1/2 c canned chopped tomatoes

2 cups fresh spinach, chopped

2/3 c cheddar cheese, grated

Instructions

1) Preheat the oven to 220C. In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs with a small pinch of salt, and set aside.

2) In a large non-stick skillet, saute the onion and leek with the olive oil on medium-high heat, until the onion starts to brown, about 5-7 minutes.

3) Add the potatoes and red pepper, cover, and cook for another 5 minutes, until the potatoes are cooked through.

4) Coat a casserole dish with a thin layer of oil, then preheat in the oven for about 5 minutes.

5) Layer the frittata - pour the eggs into the pre-heated dish, then sprinkle the eggs with cilantro and tomato, then sprinkle with the onion-potato mixture, then sprinkle with the uncooked spinach, and finally top with a generous layer of cheese.

6) Bake for 10-15 minutes, until the eggs look set and the cheese is well melted.

Eggs in Tomato Sauce

For the perfect (semi) lazy morning. Recipe for eggs in tomato sauce adapted from Smitten Kitchen.

Ingredients

1 can (14oz) chopped tomatoes

1 T olive oil

1 clove garlic, minced

1 T brown sugar

pinch of salt

dash of balsamic vinegar

few T sundried tomato paste (optional)

4 large eggs

4 slices hearty bread

Instructions

1) In small skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat, then sautee garlic and cook, stirring, until slightly browned, about 1 minute. Add tomatoes, sugar, salt, and bring to a boil. Reduced heat and simmer for 10 to 20 minutes, until sauce is a thick consistency.

2) Gently crack eggs into tomato mixture, cover, and let cook 5 minutes. Remove skillet from heat, uncover, and let stand 2-3 minutes.

Serve on toast.

Japanese Pizza

This is basically a Japanese-style frittata. You can throw any vegetables in that you like, and it's delicious with any combination of sauces (sweet chili, hoisin, spicy black bean, sriracha, etc.) Adapted from 101 Cookbooks.

Ingredients

2 c cabbage, sliced thin

1 c leeks, sliced thin

2/3 c flour

3-4 T soy sauce

1/4 green onions, sliced thin

2 eggs, beaten

1+ T olive oil (for frying)

Instructions

1) Combine cabbage, leeks, green onions, flour, salt, and toss to coat evenly. Mix in eggs and soy sauce, and stir until everything is well dispersed.

2) Heat oil on medium-high in large nonstick pan. Flatten cabbage mixture into a large, thin pancake in the bottom of the pan.

3) Cook on the first side 4-5 minutes, until the bottom is lightly browned and crisp. To flip, (spray the uncooked side with olive oil spray if you have it), slide the pizza onto a plate, place another plate on top, flip, and slide the pizza back into the skillet. Press into the plate, and cook another 3-5 minutes.