Issue 12 | Post no. 4: I could subsist carefree and happily on fruit and vegetables during the summer: a bowl of peaches and blueberries for breakfast, a tomato and cucumber salad for lunch. And for supper, a bowl of warm butter beans and an ear of sweet corn on the cob. I actually eat plenty of meat, but as long as we’re milking this vegetarian fantasy, if I were allowed a dairy cow and a hen, I’d make a fire by the beach (yes, my fantasy farm is on an island off the coast of France), whip up veggie-filled, Gruyere quiches and eat happily-ever-after as Madame Crusoe.
Quiche is one of my favorite summer meals. There’s no crust to roll out and you can use up a lot of the veggies from your garden. Right now we have tons of jalapenos so I’m throwing them into every meal I make. When you remove the seeds, they add a subtle, spicy crunch to salads, pizzas, guacamole and omelets.
Our tomatoes are refusing to grow in this heat and we don’t even attempt to grow corn, so I find myself pulling off at my local market almost every night on my way home from work. Thank goodness for real-live local farmers.
Sweet Corn and Tomato Quiche
Serves six
Butter or Oil for pie plate
1 1/4 cup grated Gruyere Cheese
1/2 Sweet Onion, chopped
3 to 6 Jalapenos/Banana Peppers seeded and minced (optional)
2 ripe Tomatoes, sliced thin
2 ears Sweet Corn, off the cob
2 T chopped fresh Basil and extra leaves for chiffonade topping
4 Eggs
1 small can (5 oz.) Evaporated Milk
1/8 t freshly Ground Pepper
1/4 t SaltPre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 inch pie plate with butter, cooking spray or oil. Layer the Gruyere cheese, then onion, peppers, and the slices of one tomato. Add the corn and top with slices of the second tomato. In a medium-size bowl, crack four eggs and pour in one small can of evaporated milk. Add salt and pepper, whisk, and pour over vegetables. Add basil and another grind of pepper. Bake for 30 minutes or until center is set. Smother cooked quiche with basil chiffonade and serve immediately.
Lisa@The Cutting Edge of Ordinary
We are in the middle of a wicked heat wave and fruits and veggies have been a large part of our diet this week (with the exception of the 4th). I’m waiting on the sun to go down so I can go pick a big batch of my sugar snap peas, beans and eggplant for tomorrow nights supper. The quiche looks scrumptious!
Amy - very culinary
I promised Paul that I wouldn’t complain about the hot Sacramento summers this year, considering where we came from. Next year, though, is a different ballgame. Love quiche…and pretty much anything with Gruyere in it makes me swoon.
Kim
@Lisa, Sugar snap peas and beans sure would make Rich happy right now. Ours have bit the dust. Luckily, our eggplants are hanging in there. I’ve really enjoyed roasting those and putting them on pizzas.
@Amy, I’m still laughing, thinking about your video. If you’re reading this and you haven’t seen Amy and her husband Paul in action, check out their mango splitter parody: Very Culinary’s Mango Splitter Infomercial
Carolyn
Just decided to have quiche for breakfast(or lunch)in the morning. Even though I just had dinner, I can hardly wait. Food is not always about hunger. Alas – no Gruyere. Will need to be inventive because I am not going out tonight! But I have tomatoes from my two Earth Boxes and fresh corn in the fridge. My dessert tonight was fresh peaches and beautiful blackberries, and a repeat of that sounds like a perfect complement to the quiche. Thanks for the inspiration. I could just about live on vegetables, too.
Kelly Bragg
Kim, you could SO be a vegetarian! I know it’s not in your plans, but you are such a fabulous cook you would have ZERO trouble. So many veggies, so little time…
Had a new pasta salad on our kayak trip yesterday that was really terrific. Sun-dried tomatoes, spinach, bell peppers, purple onion, parmesan, & Caesar dressing. I make my own Caesar so that is veggie friendly (no anchovies). There are never leftovers of this pasta salad!
The quiche sounds devine! Will have to stop by the Farmer’s Market tomorrow & grab some corn.
Am roasting tomatoes right now for a tomato pie… YUM!
Benjamin Frear
Your description of being Madame Crusoe made my smile.
This is my first time to your site and I think it’s great! I love your writing and colorful photography.
lo
“Thank goodness for real-live local farmers.”
Amen and alleluiah. We’d be in a dire condition if it weren’t for all those great farmers at our market. They keep us eating locally almost all year long! And that’s a serious accomplishment in Wisconsin.
Love the look of this quiche… can’t wait for the corn & tomatoes that show up here in August. This is definitely on the menu.
Angie
I never thought of making a quiche without crust, I am doing this asap. Yours is so pretty! We’ve been eating lots of cheap fruits and veggies too. Hope your having a great summer!
Lori Lynn
I like the sound of your vegetarian day.
The photo is just so pretty with all those textures and colors. Quiche looks perfect.
LL
Kim
@Carolyn, Your comment, “Food is not always about hunger,” reminds me of the book, Women, Food and God. It’s the Oprah book du jour and it’s providing me with a wealth of Ah Ha’s! into my eating habits and self esteem. The author says we should stop eating when we are full. It’s funny how such a simple principle eludes me at every good -or sometimes bad- meal. And aren’t the peaches, blackberries and blueberries heavenly right now? BTW- what is an Earth Box? That sounds like something we could all love.
@Kelly, I think I’m living as a temporary vegetarian. I knew something serious had taken over me when, last night, I grilled two Filet Mignon – both for Rich- and I filled my plate with mounds of pink-eyed and zipper peas. Your pasta salad sounds fantastic! And a kayak trip? FUN!
@Benjamin, Welcome to the Apron. So glad you stopped by and left a note. I am a new fan of your Smart Living site- Healthy Living, Fine Food, Saving Time and Cash Clever. Do I dare shop from the Smart Cart? Perhaps I’ll dare! Your posts are full of great tips!
@lo, I’ve never been up to Wisconsin, but I’ll bet it’s beautiful and bountiful. At least I know it is inside your house! I cannot believe you made brioche buns to go with your burgers. Bravo! Love Burp- so glad I found you two through Amy’s post.
@Angie, Stopping to think about it– I AM having the most wonderful summer and I’m so grateful for all of these local fruits and vegetables. They are enriching my life, and making me feel so much more connected to this Earth. I’m only stopping by the grocery stores for quick visits these days. I’d much rather spend my time in an open air market, rummaging through a wooden crate of corn ears or large cardboard box of fragrant cantaloupe.
@Lori Lynn, When it comes to cooking, food photography and joie de vivre, you are an expert, so I thank you!
Cristie
Loved your post about fruit and vegetables! With the farmers markets in full swing I can’t seem to get enough freshness in my soul this time of year. Your quiche sounds wonderful, can’t wait to give it a try.
Carolyn
Kim, with your wonderful raised beds, you don’t need anything like an Earth Box, but for me they are indispensible and partially satisfy my gardening soul with something manageable. If I had ever learned how to use my digital camera, I would send you a photo of my tomato plants. I think I will try a winter crop this year but don’t know what I will pick. Earth Box is a planter with a built in watering system. You fill a planter with soil, I used the Farfand I recommended to you, recommended amount of nitrogen and fertilizer, and then your plants. This is covered with plastic to conserve moisture. You water through a tube, the water stores in the bottom, and the plants wick up needed water. No weeding, less watering, huge plants! Other gardening supply companies have similar systems. I am enjoying my fresh, organic, sun ripened tomatoes every day.
Tracie
I like your style, lady!
Kim
@Cristie, The freshness is in my soul, too! Despite the heat, I’m really digging my summer.
@Carolyn, what a smart idea for urban locavores and home gardeners. Here’s the Earth Box site for all who are interested: The Earth Box
@Tracie, and I like yours. The Yum Diary certainly has reaped the benefits of your retirement from the SF Station’s Food Editor desk.
Myfrenchkitchen
Oh, I DO agree with you word for word! Summer is for living on fresh foods…on an island…eating from nature(with a quiche like yours flown in every so often from the mainland! Let’s celebrate our summer dreams!
Ronelle
betty
this looks delicious! thank u so much for sharing, i am loving your bright and fun blog :O)