Last night on a subway halfway under the East River a quick purse excavation confirmed what we suddenly feared -- a distinct lack of house keys on our person. The day's lunch of leftover Easter ham and homemade challah bread satisfied our epicurean side but was woefully inadequate when it came to blood sugar maintenance -- hence the walking away, the leaving the keys behind and the "aw, crap!"

We panic a tad in moments like this and scramble right to our happy comfort place -- mentally cataloging the contents of our fridge, flipping the pieces this way and that until they interlocked and a picture formed.

The ham, gotta get through the ham. Well it could go with the red cabbage ... no, no ... the scallions. And eggs, oh right! We remembered to buy eggs. Tortilla espanola? Oh wait, got it -- still have that puff pastry left over from the Eccles cakes and that makes ... sacre damn bleu! We've got the makings for a serious quiche -- if we can actually get into the house.

By some strange miracle (we like to think it's The Secret, of course) our beloved husband materialized on the same train car two stops before ours, and in lieu of a civilized "Hi honey, how was your day?" we collapsed into him sighing "We'regonnahavequichetonightpleasedon'targue." Once in the house, we made a beeline for the Julia Child to verify proportions, and got to rolling, chopping, whisking -- grateful not to have to think, just to act. Half an hour later, there was a ridiculously delicious quiche in front of us, without single extra cent or second spent at the grocery store.

Perhaps y'all are more forward-thinking than some of us, but when do you actually decide what's going to be for dinner that night? Do you cook it all up on Sunday, and apportion throughout the week? Do you daydream about what's on hand and pick up any extra ingredients on the way home? Or do you stand in front of the fridge, staring, and make do with what's in front of you?




Get the Ham and Gruyere Quiche recipe after the jump.

I am a puff pastry virgin. I've never worked with the stuff (although I have a box hanging out in my freezer at the moment, waiting for the time when I'm ready to play with it). Mandy at Fresh From the Oven takes it a step further, by making her own puff pastry from scratch (rolling it out during the Super Bowl, no less).

Thanks Mandy, for adding such a gorgeous image to our Flickr pool!

It's a shame that I didn't see this vegan turkey recipe before I tried making the rather... interesting... Tofurkey shortly before this past Thanksgiving. The Tofurkey was a tofu-based "roast" with a wild rice stuffing and a faux-giblet gravy on the side. The vegan turkey from Two Vegan sisters almost reverses the order of ingredients, ending up with something that sounds much more appetizing. At the center of their "turkey," they used seitan, a wheat-based meat substitute, and covered it in a layer of stuffing that was shaped into a turkey-like mass and had turkey/stuffing legs added. The whole construction was covered with a layer of homemade (vegan) puff pastry and baked until golden. A turkey and stuffing savory pastry? It seems hard to go wrong with that!

And if you're not a vegan, this idea could still work for you. I can picture sausages or even real turkey in the center of this faux bird. It would certainly be an interesting take on the traditional bird at your next family dinner!

[via the ppk blog]

Croissants are one of the scarier things that a home baker can consider making. The dough is essentially that of puff pastry, loaded with butter and folded multiple times to create flaky layers, but also has yeast added to it, which for all practical purposes just adds one more element that could go wrong. Fortunately for anyone brave enough to give them a try, homemade croissants are not actually as difficult as they look as long as you are willing to be patient and make sure that you don't skip any steps in the process to save time. Bea, from La Tartine Gourmande, made up this batch and accompanied her tempting photos of the delicate pastries with an excellent guide on how to make them. Her croissants are light and tender, with a crisp flakiness to them and, of course, a very buttery flavor. This particular batch is slightly sweet and has a touch of sugar and a lot of vanilla added to it, so they're not going to be the best choice for a turkey sandwich at lunch time, but they will be perfect for breakfast.

If only there was slightly more time during the average morning to bake elegant breakfasts, we might all switch from whatever we currently scarf down - cereal, toast, eggs, donuts, etc. - before heading out the door to breakfast tarts. Sam of Becks and Posh created this truly stunning breakfast tart, an artful arrangement of bacon, mushrooms, tomatoes and an egg on a crust of pre-baked puff pastry. The puff pastry is pre-baked to prevent it from getting soggy under the weight of the toppings, which are prepared as the crust bakes. The finished dish, egg included, are popped into the oven just until the egg is set and everything is warmed though. Sam doesn't include the recipe, but if you're willing to experiment a bit, it shouldn't be too hard to recreate her steps at home. Just remember to take her advice: don't be impatient, don't be lazy and don't overcook the egg. You'll be eating your own tart in no time.

The clock is counting down slowly, but surely, on tomato season, making fresh tomatoes something of a precious commodity. Perhaps this is one of the reasons that Bea, of La Tartine Gourmande, referred to her Roasted Tomato, Red Onion and Arugula Tart as the jewel of summer. The tart is a simple one to make, so you won't have to expend much energy in making it before you get to enjoy it. It uses a sheet of puff pastry as the base and is topped with slow-roasted cherry tomatoes and garlic, sauteed onions and mozzarella cheese. The finished dish is topped with a bit of parmesan cheese and some arugula, to provide a sharp contrast to the relative richness of the tart. If you opt not to make the whole tart, at least consider just making the roasted tomatoes, which would be lovely on a sandwich or as part of a pasta dish.

I fell in love with eclairs when I was just a teenager, working in a deli. We'd get a shipment of pastries from a local pastry shop once a week, and I quickly learned that these delicacies of pate a choux, pastry cream and dark chocolate were best fresh. If no one else was around, I'd sometimes pay half-price for one of them and eat it for breakfast (technically, against the rules, but in the spirit of understanding my product, no?). Days later I felt badly selling them, the pastry no longer flaky and light, the cream no longer vanilla-scented but more like deli-fridge-scented.

When I saw these treats from Renaissance Culinaire, I knew they were fresh. You can just taste chocolate ganache, can't you? It would be a crime to let these go until tomorrow. Next time you make cream puffs, Amber, I'll be happy to help you save them from languishing uneaten...

Nika's Culinaria is a gorgeous blog dedicated to culinary photography. She experiments with zoom, light, focus and, of course, delectable goodies. Since there are so many sweets around this time of year, the savory but oh-so-sweet looking Basil, Lime, Brie and Puff Pastry appetizers really caught my eye. I love the layering, the coloring and the way she managed to capture the flakiness of the puff pastry. I'm not biased in any way because I own the same plate that she used to stage the photo. No recipe is needed to recreate these simple, savory snacks, but I can still only imagine the delicious blend of the flavors until I have an opportunity to try these out at my next party.