SMOKED CHEESE & BACON QUICHE

Smoked cheese & bacon quiche was prepared with our cold smoked cheese. This golden brown beauty looks appetizing.

We’re putting a new flavorful twist to traditional quiche by adding a cold smoked cheese combination that’s perfect with this egg and cream based recipe. Be sure to see our previous series on cold smoking cheese on the stove top, then bring your favorite cheeses to this easy, basic recipe. We’re making smoked cheese & bacon quiche!

Smoked Cheese & Bacon Quiche- Simple Ingredients Are Best

Quiche is one of those recipes that doesn’t have a lot of rules. The base is eggs, cream and pie shell or pastry. The fillings are yours to experiment with. For our Smoked Cheese and Bacon Quiche, you’ll need the following ingredients:

• 9-inch pie crust
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• Fresh ground pepper
• Kosher salt
• ¾ cup heavy cream
• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• ¾ lb. of bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 6 eggs
• 2oz. shredded smoked swiss
• 2oz. shredded smoked muenster
• 1oz. fresh smoked mozzarella, diced

Sweating the Onions

We start off our recipe by first cooking the onion. Taking 1 yellow onion, peel the skin and dice this. Add 1 tablespoon of butter to a hot skillet. When melted, add the diced onion. Let this sweat for about 3 minutes until translucent, then stir. Cook until the onion browns and crisps slightly. This should take less than 6 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside while you begin to prepare the wet ingredients.

Basic Quiche Batter

After cooking the onion, it’s time to assemble the other ingredients to our quiche. Start with 6 large eggs in a large bowl. Add the ¾ cup of heavy cream and whisk until combined. Add the cooked onion, followed by the bacon that has been precooked and chopped. If you’re short on time, feel free to use precooked bacon strips commonly available in most grocery stores. Whisk all these ingredients together until well combined.

The final ingredients are your favorite smoked cheeses. In my version, I’m using Swiss, muenster, and fresh mozzarella, which have been previously cold smoked for about 4 hours. My technique was a stove top smoking application using a cast iron pan. You can visit our previous series on this technique. Once all the ingredients are combined, it’s time to pour the batter into the prepared pie shell. This recipe will make one 9-inch quiche. Now place in to a preheated 350°F oven for 40-45 minutes.

Smoked Cheese & Bacon Quiche- Golden, Creamy, Smoked Goodness

After cooking in a 350°F oven for about 45 minutes, a golden crust will form on the top. Allow the smoked cheese & bacon quiche to cool slightly before cutting it into serving slices. Loaded with the saltiness of the bacon, the creaminess of the smoked cheese, and the sweetness of the cooked onion, this is a great dish for brunch or dinner, or even served as an hors d’oeuvre. If you want to add more smoke flavor, feel free to ember cook the onions or smoke the bacon. Smoked Cheese & Bacon Quiche – soon to become your favorite quiche recipe!

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How To Keep A Bundt Cake From Sticking To The Pan

Discussing How to keep a Bundt cake from Sticking

 Introducing to you Peggy Hatfield, the Bella Cupcake Couture’s resident dessert couturier, and baker. Peggy became passionate about baking when she was 9 years old. She served freshly- baked treats in her small town in Alabama for 28 years before her home bakery and café was closed. But with the Bella Cupcake Couture website, she was able to share her expert reviews on the best baking tools, equipment, accessories, and the latest trends, including the know-how of baking. Bella Cupcake Couture is pleased to present to you the expert baker’s how-to guides, expert tips, and hacks for baking and dessert making.

While there are other techniques in cooking, baking is considered one of the most critical types. Baking requires precision and dedication to the entire process. If you forgot one or add too many ingredients, you can ruin the entire dish. Also, cooking a baked item for longer than the required time will also result in a big problem. That is why, in baking, you need to have lots of patience to succeed with your product.

Making A Cake

At some point, people tend to become excited when removing a just baked cake, forgetting to be more careful after the baking process is complete. The last part of the baking, which is removing your cake from the pan, requires the same level of care as was used in mixing the batter. This article provides the key tips in keeping a bundt cake from sticking to your pan.

Prevent Bundt Cake Sticking

The more careful you are in the cooking part, the more cautious you need to be removing your cake from the pan. It is frustrating when you spend your time, effort, and money , then all of a sudden, your cake decides to remain stuck in your pan, ruining your efforts.

Hey! Don’t worry because here are the effective ways to prevent your bundt cake from sticking.

For more pro baking guides and DIY tips, check out Bella Cupcake Couture at www.bellacupcakecouture.com!

Use a Simple and Nonstick Heavy Bundt Cake Pan

This step is one of the highly recommended ways on how you can prevent a cake from sticking. If you are wondering about its efficiency, you can look for reviews online to have an idea on the brand of bundt cake pan with the best value and rating for your purchase.

To maintain the pan’s efficiency, you should put extra care into cleaning it. Avoid using strong dish washing liquid and abrasive sponges because these can cause damage to the pan’s coating. The most efficient way to take care of your nonstick pan is to wash with mild soap, dry it with a soft towel, and avoid using any metal cooking tools or abrasive brushes.

Use Grease

Take note that using just any grease can also affect the quality of your nonstick pan. Nonstick cooking sprays contain chemicals that can degrade your pan’s nonstick coating. Butter may affect the quality of your cake due to the milk properties which can bind your cake to the pan. One of the highly recommended types of grease that proves best for baking is melted shortening.

Loosen the Edges of the Cake

You cannot and should not forcefully remove your cake from a pan. You need to slowly and carefully loosen the edges and let the cake sit for 5 minutes before turning it upside down on a cooling rack. The use of a plastic spatula is a must to avoid scratching your nonstick pan and cutting into your cake.

Get Your Cake Upside Down

Once the pan is upside down on a cooling rack, let it sit for another five minutes before lifting from the cake completely.

Final Notes

Removing the cake from your baking pan is critical to the final result. Following our simple steps above will ensure a perfect bundt cake. Making the investment in high-quality baking equipment adds insurance for the best product results. If it happens that your cake still sticks in your pan, don’t give up! Try and try again until you flawlessly achieve the perfection of your cake.

 

THE BEST SMOKED BANANA BREAD

Smoked Banana Bread so much flavor beyond the regular recipe

 Banana is one of the best fruits to cook with as they are very flavorful and respond exceptionally well to smoke vapor due to the heavy water content in them.  In fact, bananas have roughly 75% water per 100 grams which is one of the reasons why they are popular to use in smoothies.

Since bananas don’t take a lot of time to infuse the natural essence of wood chips, I’ll be using my Nordic Ware stove-top smoker.  The golden, wood infused pieces of banana will then be added to sweet bread ingredients to make a banana loaf.

Our recipe will include a gluten-free flour and sour cream instead of oil which gives a great texture and lets the smoked banana stand out.  You’ll need just 4 smoked bananas for this recipe.  Let’s get started with the smoking process.

Tasting Notes: Remember, the most flavorful banana loaf is made using ripe or over-ripe bananas so be sure to shop your store’s “reduced for quick sale” rack, where over-ripened fruit normally is placed.

Got 15 Minutes?

You don’t need to own a stove top smoker like my Nordic Ware Kettle Smoker to do this technique.  Simply follow our previous posting on making your own stove top smoker using a standard pot.  Once your equipment is ready, take 4 ripe bananas, remove the peels and cut length-wise in half.  I place the bottom of my smoker on a medium heat burner and add one scoop of Minuto #8 wood chips to the center bottom of the pan.  The drip pan goes on next, followed by the smoker pan with the cut banana pieces.  The bananas will smoke about 15 minutes before turning golden in color.  Be sure you don’t over smoke the bananas or you could increase the chance for a bitter flavor or remove too much water.  Turn off the heat and carefully remove the smoker pan.

With the banana slices removed from the smoker pan, I place these in a bowl.  You’ll see water quickly start rendering from the fruit as they cool down.  If you prefer a thinner batter to your bread, then go ahead and use the bananas as is in this recipe.  If you prefer a firmer bread, drain the banana slices in a colander over a bowl to remove some of the water before mashing the slices.  You want your mash to contain somewhat consistent banana pieces when finished.  Then taking a standard 9×5 loaf pan, generously butter the pan on all sides and the bottom to ensure the bread will not stick.  Set the pan aside while we get ready to make the dough.

Time for the Dough!

I’ve decided to make a thicker loaf dough so I did drain my bananas in a colander for about 5 minutes before mashing.

Start by adding 1 cup of sugar to a large bowl followed by ½ cup of softened butter.  Cream the butter and sugar together using an electric mixer fit with a paddle attachment.  Once creamed, add 2 eggs, one at a time mixing well.   The outcome should be a smooth, thickened consistency.  Feel free to use sugar substitutes if you prefer.  Stevia substitution would be 24 packets or 1/3 cup.  Do not substitute the sugar with a liquid substitute as you must have a powder for the right bread consistency.

Now it’s time to bring in some dry ingredients to our dough.  Start with 1-1/2 cups of unbleached flour or a flour of your choice in a small bowl.  I’m using coconut flour today.  Add 1 teaspoon of baking powder and 1 teaspoon of kosher salt to the flour and whisk well.  Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and combine well.  Add the mashed smoked banana which should be about 1 cup, plus ½ cup sour cream, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.  Mix well.  If you’ve used the banana without the rendered water, the dough will be quite thick.

Time to Bake Smoked Banana Bread

For the final ingredients to our dough, note these can be optional.  I’m adding ¼ cup shredded coconut and ½ cup of walnut and pecan pieces.  Mix with a spatula until blended.  Then place the dough into the prepared loaf pan spreading out so the dough is even.  I like to pound the filled pan on the counter before baking in order to ensure there are no air pockets.

Place the pan into a 350° F oven and bake until a tester inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.  This will take approximately 40-45 minutes depending on the thickness of your dough.  Remove the loaf pan from the oven and place on a cooling rack for 10 minutes.  Then carefully invert the loaf on a serving platter.  I’ve made a glaze to drizzle over the top of my loaf which is simply a ¼ cup of powdered sugar and 2 tablespoons of cream.  I add liquid in tiny amounts to get the consistency I prefer in the glaze, which is a slow drip from a spoon.  Now you’re ready to slice up this flavorful bread and impress all your guests.

What’s your favorite smoked banana recipe?  Leave us a comment to opine and subscribe to get all our postings on tips, techniques and recipes.  Bringing innovation to wood fired cooking with recipes, techniques and the science behind the fire, smoke, and flavor. That’s SmokinLicious®.

 

EMBER FIRED ZUCCHINI & RICOTTA GALETTE

Ember roasted zucchini has a unique flavor and when you add Ricotta for a Galette it is a superb recipe to entertain your guests palette

We are going French with a Galette that is simply out of this world.  With ember fired zucchini we previously cooked on our charcoal grill with straight wood, this is one recipe worth making any time of year.  Get 2 zucchini ember cooked and prepare yourself for the ultimate in wood fired flavors featuring summer zucchini!

Gather the Ingredients

For our galette, there are two separate ingredient lists needed; one for the pastry and one for the galette’s filling.

For the pastry:

• 1-1/4 cups flour, chilled in the freezer for 30 minutes
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 8 tablespoons cold butter, cubed
• ¼ cup sour cream
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• ¼ cup ice water

For the filling, you will need

• 2 ember fired zucchini sliced into ¼ inch thick rounds
• 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 garlic glove, minced
• ½ cup ricotta cheese
• ½ cup grated Parmesan
• ¼ cup shredded mozzarella
• 1 tablespoon slivered basil leaves
• Egg Wash: 1 egg yolk and 1 teaspoon water combined

Don’t Let the Word Pastry Scare You

Pastry is the first step and our recipe is very simple, so no need to get scared by the word “pastry”.  For the pastry dough, combine the flour, salt, and then cut in the butter. My technique is to use 2 butter knives to produce even mini chunks of butter.

Mix the sour cream, lemon, and water in a separate bowl, then add to the flour mixture until just combined.  Be sure not to overwork the dough.  Now refrigerate for 1 hour.

Cheesy, Creamy Goodness

While the dough chills, let’s get the filling ingredients ready that include our ember fired zucchini rounds.

First, we’ll need to combine the olive oil and garlic so we have an infused oil to add to our cheese filling.  Next, mix the ricotta, parmesan, and mozzarella cheeses together.  Add one teaspoon of the garlic oil and season with salt and pepper.  You can set this mixture aside as you wait on the dough to finish chilling.

Next up, get the rolling pin at the ready, as the dough will be rolled into the galette shape.

Perfect Balance Comes Together

With our dough chilled and then rolled into a 12-inch round, it’s time to start assembling our galette.  Place the dough on parchment lined baking sheet.  Spread the ricotta mixture over the dough leaving a 2-inch border.  The ember fired zucchini slices are next, which I add in a layered “wheel” formation, followed by a generous drizzle of garlic oil.  It’s important that everything stay even for our dough to fold over and hold in all that fabulous filling.

With the cheese filling, ember fired zucchini and garlic oil added, the final ingredient of fresh basil strips is placed on top.  Time to fold over the dough to trap all the filling inside the pastry while it cooks.  A brushing of egg wash to the pastry will ensure everything gets golden during the 40-minute cook time.  Into a 400° oven, setting the timer for 25 minutes to rotate the baking tray.  That will guarantee a consistent color to our galette.

So Good, You May Not Want to Share

With the smoky, char flavor of our coal fired zucchini, the creamy filling of 3 cheeses plus basil and garlic oil, it doesn’t get any better than this!  Our buttery galette pastry adds that sweet undertone that perfectly balances out the flavors.

Whether you serve this as an appetizer, snack or even a lunch or entrée, you’ll love how the zucchini becomes the star without tasting overly smoked.  Feel free to add a side of marinara sauce for an acid kick.