Spinach and Edam Quiche

It's springtime (even if the weather thinks it might be summer), and that means greens and eggs are plentiful. If you like, you could substitute shredded or sliced asparagus for the spinach in this recipe - just steam it lightly first. And if Edam doesn't suit you, swap in goat cheese or Swiss instead. I used Chase Hill Farm's Dutch Gold cheese, which is much like an Edam.

5 large eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cups cream or milk (or a combination)
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 lb spinach, washed and stemmed
1 9-inch unbaked pastry shell, prepared in the pan
Olive oil
2 ounces Edam, sliced or shredded

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Combine the eggs and cream or milk in a medium bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Lightly steam the spinach (I do this in a covered bowl for 1 minute in the microwave). Pour of excess liquid and chop finely.

Lightly oil the bottom of the pastry shell. Spread the cheese over the the bottom, then the spinach. Pour the egg mixture over the cheese and spinach. Swirl around gently to mix the ingredients.

Carefully transfer the quiche to the oven. Bake for 40-50 minutes, until cooked through. Serve hot, warm, or room temperature.

Serves about 4.

Turkey and Arugula Pizza with Edam

And another one. Cold hardy greens like arugula are continuing to flourish in the garden. I like to use Chase Hill Farm's Dutch Gold cheese, which is essentially an Edam.

1 14-inch pizza crust
olive oil
4-6 oz. shredded or thinly sliced Edam
4-6 cups chopped fresh arugula (as much as you can/want to pile on)
1 1/2 cups shredded turkey
1 medium shallot, finely chopped
Salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Lightly paint the pizza crust with olive oil.

Spread half the Edam over the oiled crust. Pile with arugula. Add the turkey and shallot, then a sprinkling of salt and pepper. Top with the remaining Edam.

Bake for 15-18 minutes, until the crust is done and cheese begins to brown.

Serves 3-4.

Pizza with Roasted Tomatoes, Shallots, and Edam

As you may have noticed, I'm going through a bit of an infatuation with roasted tomatoes. There won't be many more off the vine (we had our first frost last night, but the plants seem remarkably okay; still, only a couple weeks left at most), but since frozen tomatoes roast so amazingly well I'll be making them right through the winter. Yay!

I used Chase Hill Farm's Dutch Gold for the cheese - really good. They sell it at the Greenfield farmers market, Green Fields Market, and the Clarkdale Farms farm stand; possibly other places as well.

2-3 cups coarsely chopped tomatoes (or cherry tomato halves)
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
14-inch pizza crust
4 oz. shredded Edam
1-2 tsp chopped fresh oregano (or 1/2 tsp dried)
1 large shallot, minced

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the tomatoes in a baking pan (one with sides!). Drizzle with a bit of olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper, then toss to coat. Roast for 15-20 minutes, then remove from oven.

While the tomatoes roast, lightly paint the pizza crust with olive oil, then top with the shredded Edam.

When the tomatoes are done, remove them from the pan with a slotted spoon, leaving the excess liquid behind. Spread them over the cheese on the pizza crust. Sprinkle with oregano and minced shallot.

Bake for 15-18 minutes, until crust is done.

Serves 3-4.

Blueberry Bacon Pizza

And why not? If this sounds odd to you, give it a try anyway. The flavors actually work really well together. Use "wild" low bush blueberries if you can; they are smaller and their flavor is milder, serving more as a pleasing undertone than a star.

1 14-inch pizza crust
olive oil
2-3 oz. shredded Edam or medium cheddar
1 medium shallot, minced
6 slices cooked bacon, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup blueberries (frozen is fine)
Black pepper to taste
2-3 oz. shredded or cubed mozzarella

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

Lightly paint the pizza crust with olive oil, then spread the Edam or cheddar over it. Sprinkle the shallot over the cheese, then add the bacon and blueberries, evenly distributed. Add a grind of black pepper, then top with mozzarella. Bake for about 15 minutes, until the crust is done and cheese begins to brown.

Serves 3-4.

Apple Edam Pizza

I have been toying with this recipe idea for a while, along with a few others that are variations on the theme. Finally got around to trying it out - inspired, in part, by an apple pizza blog post by Tinky Weisblat (who may be familiar to Franklin County folks as the force behind the Pudding Hollow Pudding Contest and the writer of the Recorder's Blue Plate Specials monthly features on the Food page) with a different take on the concept. (I want to try Tinky's too - it looks great!)

This came out really well and I will definitely make it again. It is simple to make and the balance between sweet apples and savory cheese and seasonings was just right. I used an unyeasted thin crust with whole wheat flour substituted for one quarter of the white flour, which worked really well with this particular combination of ingredients.

1 14-inch pizza crust (whole wheat is good)
olive oil
3-4 ounces shredded Edam (such as Chase Hill Farm's Dutch Gold)
1 medium apple, peeled, cored and sliced 1/8-1/4 inch thick
2 shallots, minced
1/4 tsp dried sage
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 450 for a standard crust or 500 for an unyeasted thin crust.

Paint the crust lightly with olive oil, then sprinkle with the Edam. Arrange the apples on top of the cheese in a single layer. Sprinkle the shallots over the apples, then carefully sprinkle the sage on top. Add salt and pepper as desired.

Bake for 12-15 minutes, until crust is done and cheese begins to brown.

Serves 2-3.

Pizza with Fresh Tomatoes, Chicken, and Edam

This was a hit with Nate and one of his friends on Friday night. And the grownups liked it, too. I used Dutch Gold cheese from Chase Hill Farm, which is an Edam. Gouda would work fairly well here, too, though it is not as strongly flavored. The tomatoes were Romas from my garden.

1 14-inch pizza crust
olive oil
4-5 plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped
3/4 cup cooked shredded chicken
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup small cubes of Edam
2-3 oz. shredded mozzarella

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Paint the crust with olive oil, then prebake for about 7 minutes.

Spread the chopped tomatoes and chicken oven the crust, then sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Add the Edam and mozzarella, then bake for about 10 minutes, until the cheese begins to brown.

Serves 3-4.

Pizza with Arugula, Chicken, and Edam

Arugula and other greens are flourishing in my garden and plentiful at the farmers market. I combined the arugula here with some cooked shredded chicken that I had in the freezer and the remains of the Dutch Gold cheese from Chase Hill Farm that I bought last week, and found that the flavors melded pleasantly.

1 14-inch pizza crust
1/2 cup tomato sauce
2 cups arugula leaves
1 cup cooked shredded chicken (or less if you like)
3/4 cup shredded Edam cheese
1/4 - 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella (optional)

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Paint the crust with a little olive oil, then spread the tomato sauce over it. Spread the arugula over the crust in a fairly even layer, then sprinkle the chicken, Edam, and mozzarella (if using) over it.

Bake for 15-18 minutes, until crust is getting crisp and cheese begins to brown.

Serves 3-4.

Leek and Edam Quiche

At the farmers market this past weekend, I picked up some early leeks from Crabapple Farm and some Edam cheese from Chase Hill Farm (they call their Edam Dutch Gold). Edam is a bit like Gouda, creamy and rich, but with a little more bite to it. Last night I combined the two, along with milk from Mapleline Farm and eggs from a friend's chickens, in a simple quiche that really highlighted the two flavors.

1 9-inch pastry shell
1 tsp butter
6 or so slender leeks (3/4" diameter or less)
3/4 cup shredded Edam cheese
3 eggs, beaten
3/4 cup whole milk or half-and-half
1/2 tsp salt
Plenty of freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Prick the pastry shell all over with a fork and pre-bake for about 10 minutes. If using homemade, line with aluminum foil and some pie weights.

While the crust pre-bakes, melt the butter in a skillet and saute the leeks until tender. Set aside.

In a small bowl, combine the eggs, milk or half-and-half, salt, and pepper and mix well.

When the crust is ready, spread the leeks in the bottom, then spread the cheese over them. Pour the egg mixture over it all. Bake for 30 minutes, until the egg is cooked through.

Serves 3-4.