Fare Exchange: Today's offerings: Quiche in a blender and Ritz in a pie

TO REACH USFare Exchange is a longtime meeting place for people who love to cook and love to eat. We welcome both your recipes and your requests. Be sure to include precise instructions for every recipe you send.• Mailing address: Jane Henegar, 913 Mount Olive Road, Lookout Mountain, GA 30750• E-mail: chattfare@gmail.com

photo Jane Henegar

Good morning, September cooks. We enter today's column at the Lost and Found - or should we say Lost and Not Yet Found?

An anonymous pair of readers wants a recipe for saffron rice made with saffron threads, a cream cheese and shrimp mold for crackers and a chicken liver dish that begins with "R" and has a Japanese twist to it.


Becky McGee's recipe came with some fine Chattanooga memories attached, memories of Celia Marks, longtime Chattanooga Times food columnist and cookbook author. McGee explained, "This is a recipe Celia Marks shared with me years ago (1979) and I have enjoyed it and thought perhaps others might, too. It is most excellent and super easy to prepare."

Sidney's Blender Quiche

3 eggs

1/3 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg

1/2 cup (1 stick) melted butter

1/3 teaspoon dry mustard

1/2 cup Bisquick

1 cup shredded cheese (Gruyere, Swiss or cheddar)

1 1/2 cups milk

1 cup chopped ham or crumbled crisp bacon

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup blanched fresh baby spinach, drained well and chopped

Pepper to taste

Dash of cayenne pepper

1 medium chopped onion sautéed in 2 to 3 tablespoons butter

Place ingredients except ham or bacon, spinach, cheese and onion in blender and blend well. Pour into well-greased quiche pan (about 2 inches deep). Sprinkle over the top onion, spinach, ham or bacon and cheese; bake in heated 350-degree oven 45 minutes. Cool 10 minutes before cutting.

Makes 4 servings. Serve with a green salad and dessert.


Many of us cook by blog, grateful for the familiar personalities cooks express in their writing. If you know - or are - a local food blogger, such as the one whose recipe follows, please let us know. Rosemary Palmer's blog is notjustpaperandpaint.com. She is a DIY craftsperson but always includes a recipe or two. This one is a Ritz-cracker meringue pie, similar to the legendary local dish, Fehn's macaroon pie, but with a chocolate twist.

Cocoa Ritz Pie

3 egg whites at room temperature*

1 cup sugar

1 cup pecans, finely chopped

23 Ritz crackers, finely crushed

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

* Egg whites can be brought to room temperature quickly if you place them in a glass or metal bowl and set it in another bowl of warm water for 5 to 10 minutes.

Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Gently fold in other ingredients. Pour filling into a greased 8-inch pie pan and bake 25 to 30 minutes at 325 degrees. The pie will just start to turn brown as it is getting done. Place on wire rack and cool completely before adding topping.

Chocolate Whipped Cream Topping

3/4 cup heavy whipping cream

2 tablespoons sugar

2 to 4 tablespoons instant cocoa*

* The instant cocoa can be added to your taste. Remember that this is sweet also, so if you add 4 tablespoons of instant cocoa, decrease the amount of sugar slightly.

Start whipping the cream until it just becomes frothy. Add the sugar and instant cocoa and continue whipping until stiff peaks form. Spread this over the cool pie and refrigerate immediately.

Variation: Toasted pecan pieces may be added for garnish on top.

Refrigerate any leftovers.

To freeze the pie, first off, do not add the whipped topping before freezing. After letting the pie cool completely, wrap in a couple of layers of Saran Wrap, then aluminum foil and freeze.

To thaw, just let it sit on the counter, still wrapped, at room temperature for a couple of hours.

Add topping and serve, or refrigerate until serving.


Two Regular Readers came home from a recent dinner party with rave reviews. "Our hostess said that the best part of the party was that everybody had a part in the meal, but we think the best part was the way she and her lovely daughter orchestrated it all. We began with Machego cheese with fresh figs and orange fig preserves and crackers. Hickory-grilled salmon was well-marinated in a soy-ginger marinade and served with quinoa salad, pressure-cooked green beans and a green salad and bread. Fresh blueberry kuchen was for dessert. We wanted to share her quinoa salad. She added pine nuts, she said, because it was a special occasion."

Quinoa Salad with Pine Nuts

12 cups water (yes, it's a lot, but it rinses out the bitter taste)

1 1/2 cups quinoa, rinsed

5 small cucumbers, peeled, ends trimmed, cut into 1/4-inch cubes

1 small Vidalia onion, cut into 1/4-inch cubes

1 large tomato, cored, seeded, and diced

1 bunch parsley leaves, chopped

2 bunches mint leaves, chopped

3/4 cup toasted pine nuts

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1 lemon, juiced

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Hearts of romaine or endive, trimmed and separated into individual spears

Bring the water to a boil in a large saucepan. Add the quinoa, stir once, and return to a boil. Cook uncovered, over medium heat for 12 minutes. Strain and rinse well with cold water, shaking the sieve well to remove all moisture.

When dry, transfer the quinoa to a large bowl. Add the cucumbers, onion, tomato, parsley, mint, pine nuts, olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice, salt and pepper and toss well. Spoon onto endive spears, top with avocado, and serve with additional vinaigrette if desired.


Ever had one of those meals that was so good, you just had to try it at home? Ever received a recipe so good that you just had to share it? Peggy White had such a meal recently and found the following recipe Just That Good. Carol Tracy was the cook. To make this salad a one-dish meal, White suggested that one might add chunks of chicken, but it is also a fine accompaniment to grilled chicken.

Armenian Artichoke-Rice Salad

1 package chicken-flavored Rice-a-Roni

2 green onions, thinly sliced

1/2 green pepper, chopped

8 green olives, sliced

1 jar marinated artichoke hearts, chopped (reserve marinade)

1 small package slivered almonds

1/2 teaspoon curry powder

1/3 cup mayonnaise

Cook rice as directed, omitting butter. Remove from heat and let cool. Add onions, peppers, olives, artichokes and almonds. Combine the marinade from artichoke hearts with curry powder and mayonnaise. Toss with rice mixture. Refrigerate for several hours, even 24. Keeps well for weeks.

Makes 6 or more servings.


An anonymous reader's page of ham recipes, sent as part of the discussion of red-eye gravy, included this method of cooking slices of ham.

For Barbecued Ham Slices, ask a butcher for individual ham slices weighing 5 to 6 ounces each; allow 1 slice per person. Using kitchen scissors or a sharp knife, cut through the rind and fat all around; this will prevent ham from curling. Arrange slices on part of barbecue grill that is not too hot. Cook about 20 to 30 minutes, stirring frequently. Slices of pineapple or apricot halves go well with ham.

And so, today as always, here's to good friends, good food and generous cooks who share their recipes. Will there be more helpings next week? Yes.

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