Baked Sunday Mornings: Caramel Popcorn with Peanuts and Chocolate

SALTY PEANUTS, CRUNCHY POPCORN, AND 2 KINDS OF CHOCOLATE...WHO CAN RESIST?

What a lot of fun to munch on freshly made caramel popcorn with peanuts!

As a young child, one of my favorite treats, which I purchased for a dime at the neighborhood grocery store, Ernie's Market, was a box of Cracker Jack, a candy coated popcorn and peanut snack that always had a little prize inside.  These prizes were actually sought after...kinda like kids going to McDonald's today and getting a toy in their Happy Meals.  Those prizes have now been reduced to paper "prizes" with jokes and riddles, but they are still fun to find amidst all the good eating.

The original Cracker Jack made in the late 1800's was coated with a molasses mixture and the name came from the word "crackerjack," a colloquialism meaning excellent quality.

Almost everyone has enjoyed singing the song, "Take Me Out to the Ball Game." The song has a line that reads, "buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jack!"

And do you remember Sailor Jack and his dog, Bingo?  I've not purchased Cracker Jack in a long time, but I'm guessing their image continues on the packaging.

4 COOKIE SHEETS WERE FILLED WITH THIS CARAMEL CORN AND PEANUT MIXTURE...ENOUGH FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY

We all love caramel corn.  We enjoy it a fairs, on boardwalks, at carnivals, while shopping or sightseeing, and now, in front of the TV, especially during sports events.

And that's where I recently used this Baked recipe...as part of our Superbowl buffet.  YUM!  (I cheated a little as I looked ahead and found this recipe on our baking list, and decided to make it a few weeks in advance, for good reason.)

Last Fall, I made huge batches of my usual caramel corn recipe and mixed in fall candies, pretzels, nuts, etc. that was extremely popular at our house.  I gave it away by the bags to family and friends.  And it is light enough to be inexpensively mailed away to family not living nearby.

MAKES ME WANT TO EAT SOME MORE!

It was fun to compare today's recipe with my usual caramel corn and peanut recipe.  My usual uses light brown sugar and does not have molasses in its ingredient list.  These richer additions did change the taste...I'd call it a richer, more adult flavor.  Also I cook my go-to recipe just a little hotter, and just a little longer in the oven which makes it a little more crunchy.  I like today's recipe...the flavor reminds me more of Cracker Jack, but next time, I will keep it in the oven longer to crunch up just a little more.

HONEY WAS MY OFFICIAL TASTER AND SHE'S HOLDING UP A PIECE FOR YOU TO SEE

Then, today's biggest difference was the addition of chocolate...2 kinds, milk and dark.  Because we were expecting a crowd for Superbowl Sunday, I made a huge bowl without the chocolates, and a huger bowl  with the chocolates drizzled over the top.  We love them both.  I did find, that on our warm AZ day...almost 80^ on Superbowl Sunday, that the chocolate did not really firm up until the next day, even though tempered chocolate does set up quite quickly under normal conditions.  My kitchen was also unusually warm due to Superbowl cooking too.  Next time, I need to plan ahead or have a large space available in the fridge for this recipe, ensuring that the chocolate will set up. 

My only other change:  I added lots more peanuts that are so yummy when caramelized...at least 4 times the suggested amount.  Everyone loves those peanuts especially while watching the ballgames.  I had several comments that this caramel corn has a great flavor...all the family enjoyed this snack.

For sure I'll make this again...in fact, Honey turns 2 tomorrow, and she's having a Candy Shop birthday party...this Caramel Popcorn with Peanuts and Chocolate will be a perfect party food.   Isn't it great to try new recipes that get used again and again?  I already know that Honey loves this one!  This time, since it is very warm again today, I'll find some fridge space to make sure the chocolate is firm.

French Friday with Dorie: Cheese-Topped (French) Onion Soup

PATIENTLY COOKED ONION SOUP--DELICIOUS!

We love soup at our house, in fact, soup is daughter #2's favorite food.  She  makes tasty broths, loves lots of added vegetables, and eats it by the pot.  But for some reason, French Onion Soup has not made it into our regular rotation, even though it is a healthy, comforting food.

When I was young my mom  found ways to use the hundreds of pounds of onions that my Dad would harvest from our garden.  I especially remember one year having onion and cheese casseroles (something like mac and cheese), liver ‘n onions once a week (my Mom made us eat this dish for good health), onions in salads, pickled onions, onions sauteed with tomatoes (and a little sugar), and onion soup.  But I don’t remember her onion soup being as good as today’s French onion soup.  It did not have the scrumptious toasted bread topped with the melted cheese that turned this simple dish into gourmet food.

NO CARAMEL COLOR AT 1 HOUR

I read through Dorie’s recipe and was very careful to caramelize the onions very slowly and carefully over low heat.  I did not want any burned piece of onion that would make my soup taste bitter.  But I must have had too low a heat because after an hour my four pounds of sliced Spanish onions looked almost as fresh as when I first added them to my Dutch oven.  Dorie cautioned that it might take an hour or more to achieve a deep caramel color and we should not try to speed up this process by using a higher heat.

NO CARAMEL COLOR AT ALMOST 4 HOURS

I was working on office papers and would be up for awhile, but I wanted the soup to be finished so I did adjust the heat upwards thinking that my low was just too low...on my scale from 1 to 10, the knob had been at a 3.  I turned it to 4.

At midnight there was just a hint of color, poor Hubby woke up from smelling too many onions, so I needed to be done.   After letting it cool, I put the whole pan into the fridge and decided to work on it the next day.

FINALLY FINISHED AT ALMOST 6 HOURS

The next afternoon I was watching my grandkiddies who wanted to play outside so I took advantage of that time to put my onions back on the heat, this time at a 5...a mid range, definitely not on low.  While we played, the onions simmered for another hour...this is now 5 hours of cooking and finally they began to get some good color.  And I deserved good color after all this time, so I let them cook and I stirred every 10 minutes for another 40 minutes.  Almost 6 hours to caramelize my onions, but it was worth it.  They were sweet, really sweet, and dark and rich tasting.  The added chicken broth took on the caramel color as the soup sat for an hour or two before dinner, but I was thinking that a beef broth would have created an even darker, richer color.

I'VE JUST ADDED THE BROTH, BUT AFTER SITTING FOR 2 HOURS IT BECAME DARKER AS IT TOOK ON SOME OF THE CARAMEL COLOR

It would be a couple of hours before dinner so the kiddies and I had an outing to purchase a French baguette which complemented our French soup.  We also bought Gruyere cheese which is a mild and fabulous melting Swiss cheese that the French people love to use in many of their dishes....kinda like AZ folks using CA cheese...they are good neighbors.  After returning home, we heated our soup to boiling, grated the cheese,  and we filled our broiler safe bowls with the hot soup.  Then we topped the soup with a slice of toasted bread and crowned our creation with the grated cheese. 
 

HOT AND WITH CHEESE MELTING DOWN THE TOAST AND INTO THE SOUP--DELICIOUS!

After a few minutes under the broiler our cheese-topped onion soup was ready to eat.  YUM!  The stringy, melted cheese (melted down over the bread and into the soup) on the toasty bread that had sopped up lots of very flavorful soup was delicious.  9 year old Penguin quickly finished her bowl and declared it good!  Her dad arrived and ate two bowls....also said it was good, in fact, really good. I agreed.  Other family came and went and by the time I was ready to clean up, the entire pot of soup had been eaten.

It was so good that I did not mind my house smelling like onions for 2 days.  When I make this soup another time, I’ll cook it very slowly again; won’t change a thing, except that I’ll begin caramelizing my onions after breakfast rather than after dinner, and I might cook them outside.

Tuesdays with Julia and Dorie: Chocolate Truffle Tartlets

MY "HAPPY ANNIVERSARY" DESSERT FOR KRIS AND HUBBY

 HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO ME & HUBBY!

Hubby called and invited me out to lunch or to dinner, which ever I would prefer.  I chose dinner and told him I would bake a luscious treat for our special day, an after dinner dessert.

I baked the Chocolate Truffle Tartlets which will be posted in just a few days, and from their photo, they appeared to be a decadent delight that Hubby would enjoy.  Good choice!

READY FOR PRE-BAKING

HOT OUT OF THE OVEN

Hubby and I are both chocolaholics.  Everyone who has married into our family has been fairly warned in advance that there will be chocolate, in some form, at almost every family meal.  My Frolicking Night Owl daughter has trained her 3 kiddies to love dark chocolate which they all prefer...milk chocolate usually does not cut it in our family.

Even though it was a special day, it was also a very stressful day...a day of one problem after another.  I'd finally had it...felt like I could explode.  So I hit the kitchen and quickly forgot the day's issues as I tasted and smelled, stirred and rolled chocolate for a couple of hours.  Then I cooked a wonderful anniversary dinner that complemented our chocolate tarts.

Hubby walked through the door just as everything was ready and was surprised by the table all set and ready for dinner with my special meal...He was expecting to go out for the evening, but loved the idea of eating in.  He brought flowers for our table, more for our front entry, and even more for our bathroom...so thoughtful and so beautiful.   As he got himself ready for dinner I plated my special desserts.  I liked the Baker's Extravaganza idea...if I'd had another hour I'd have done it...sounds fabulous, but there needs to be a "next time" for this dessert.

I added mini scoops of "homemade" rocky road ice cream to the tart tops which insured that we would eat dessert first, before the ice cream melted.  Another good idea!  I would never have been able to eat the whole thing at the end of our meal, but when we were starving at the beginning, our tarts were devoured and loved...every bite.

FILLED AND READY TO BAKE

Hubby wondered if the tart was a type of brownie?  No.  To me it was more like a very rich baked pudding...well, truffle is the recipe's description.  And it was perfect with ice cream.  The crunches of white chocolate, milk chocolate, and (dark chocolate, almond) biscotti chunks were inspired additions by the recipe's creator, David Ogonowski.

THE TARTS BAKED NICELY IN 14 MINUTES at 300^

Some notes:

The tart dough was delicious and did turn out very pretty, but it is not the easiest to work with...needs a gentle touch and sometimes a bit of patching here and there.  It reminds me of a mix between a rolled out crust dough and a press in dough.  About half my crusts rolled out perfectly, and the other half tore in a place or two...not to worry, they patched up just fine.

I froze the tart dough in the pans for 20 minutes before pre-baking.  I tried a couple without pricking and they baked as nicely as the pricked ones.  Also, nothing seeped through the pricked holes...I thought it might as we were instructed by the recipe to use a lined jelly-roll pan while baking.

Then, when the tarts were finished and being removed from their pans, all went very well  (I kept the removable bottoms in the pans and all tarts came out perfectly)  but I was careful and used a gentle touch.  I felt like the crusts, which are light and flaky, could easily crush or break.  (I rolled out to 1/8" thickness.)

COMPARING MY TARTS TO THE PHOTO IN OUR BOOK...I DECIDED THE BOOK SHOWED PRE-BAKED TARTS

So far, 2 out of 2 five star recipes for this book.  Glad to enjoy today's baking experience for both the crust and the tart filling...both are terrific!

I'm sure to see some very fancy and delicious looking tarts in all your posts.  I'm already dreaming about baking these tarts again!

This week's selection for Tuesdays with Dorie: Baking with Julia was Chocolate Truffle Tartlets hosted by Spike of Spike Bakes, here, Steph of A Whisk and a Spoon, here, Jaime of Good Eats, here, and Sweet Treats, and Jessica of Cookbookhabit, here.  Or, you can purchase BAKING WITH JULIA and join our group for some truly great baking experiences.

Please check out their sites for the recipe for this week's challenge.

French Friday with Dorie: Catching up on Creme Brulee

CREME BRULEE WITH A CRACKLY CARAMELIZED BROWN SUGAR TO

I’m quite proud of myself.  Even with my hectic life, which seems to get more hurried with more seemingly  important things as the years march on, I’ve only missed 3 FFwD experiences.  Since this is one of those really crazy weeks where I do not have time to shop or to think carefully about a new-to-me recipe, I’ve decided to catch up on a recipe that I’m really sorry to have missed.  Note to self: By catching up on this recipe, but by missing today’s...I’ve still missed out on 3 recipes!

Creme Brulee has always been a family favorite.  For Christmas several years ago, we gave our kids and extended family members  all-the-things-you-need-to-make-Creme-Brulee gift boxes.  There were pretty ramekins, torches, and recipe books for everyone.  We all enjoyed Creme Brulee in all its varieties and flavors.

The favorite part of this dessert making was the torching, or caramelizing, of the sugar to produce the crackling top.  We’ve used many kinds of sugars which all work well and give different flavors or intensities of flavors.   For Dorie’s recipe we are asked to use brown sugar or Brownulated sugar, which is a granulated brown sugar that works the same as the cheaper, more common brown sugar.  At our house, we’ve also used methods similar to Dorie’s Bonne Idee where fruit or berries are used as part of the custard or to top this dessert.  All are fabulous. 

HOT OUT OF THE OVEN

But, I’ve never used jam or jelly on my ramekin bottom, and the biggest, newest idea, is to bake these custards at only 200^ for an hour without a water bath.  I’ve just placed my Creme Brulee’s into the oven and I’m very interested to see how they turn out using Dorie’s new-to-me method.  If it works, which coming from Dorie, I expect that it will, my Creme Brulee baking will have just become soooooo much easier.

I love the new methods from Dorie, and  the tips I get for you all which make all this FFwD experience so great.

Dorie instructs us to bake the brulees for 50-60 minutes at 200^.  After checking mine at 50 minutes they are nowhere near set, or done.  I set the timer for an additional 15 minutes...same thing happened when I again checked...reset the timer for an additional 15 minutes...same thing so at 1 ½ hours baking time,  I got a little smarter and decided you check your write-ups and found that several of you had the same problem back in December when you all posted this experience.  And I recalled talking to my Frolicking Night Owl Daughter when we went to her house to taste her brulees...she made a couple of varieties...and she had also commented that her Dorie brulees had not set well.

So, I saw where a couple of you turned up the oven temp to 250^...I did that and have reset the timer for an additional 15 minutes....I’m trying to be patient....this is just a custard and it will set at some point, right???

THE MOST FUN PART--THE TORCH

OK...Finally...after 1 hour and 45+ minutes and an upward temperature adjustment, my Creme Brulee has finished baking.  After cooling I will refrigerate them for several hours.  Hubby is working out of town today and will be back late...I hope to have a lovely, comforting dessert waiting for him.  And I might let him be the torch man, which is giving up a lot as it is the most fun part of this dessert...but after a long day on the road it will be a treat for him.

Thanks to my cyber friends...you all saved my day or at least this dessert.

Hope you all have a fun Presidents’ Day weekend!

Note to Self:  This brulee is very sweet and the jam on the bottom adds too much extra sweetness.  The jam becomes liquid during baking and creates extra moisture that this recipe does not need--hampers the set up process, and any that makes its way to the top melts the topping sugar before the torch can caramelize it.  A drier fresh fruit would be a better choice.   The whole idea is lovely and otherwise this is an elegant dessert.

In summary I did not like the jam on the bottom and the temperature was too low.  But, the brulees did not need a water bath and that was a much easier way to bake these desserts...so I"m happy to have learned something new.

Baked Sunday Mornings: Chocolate Whoopie Pies

I LOVE THESE WHOOPIE PIES.  THEY CAN BE DECORATED FOR ANY HOLIDAY

I love these Chocolate Whoopie Pies which are perfect as a Valentine for someone  loved.  These almost melt in your mouth "pies" have great flavor, are relatively simple to make, yet look like a special, more complex treat.  

And what could be better than chocolate, butter, sugar....little clouds of heaven.

And I just read that the biggest chocolate day of the year is Valentine's Day, followed by Easter.  So, these are perfect as a preview for Cupid's day.

I'M FILLING,  SANDWICHING,  AND DECORATING

Last year about this time we made the Red Velvet Whoopie Pies which were fun and tasty.  I remember liking the cream cheese filling, but also remember that after the first day, these whoopie pies did not hold up  well and were not so good.  They were definitely day-old baked goods.

As a comparison, today's whoopie pies seem to be lighter, being made with oil, where last year's included oil, butter, and shortening...all with different properties.  In my opinion, today's Whoppie Pies are a better recipe than those we baked last year. Today's Chocolate Whoopie Pies are actually great!

To make these pies for Valentine's Day,  I used a red cherry flavoring in the filling ...one that is popular as an Italian soda or coffee flavoring.  This added ingredient turned the filling a pretty pink...not shown very well in the photos... and gave a subtle cherry flavor.  I wished I'd added a little to the chocolate batter and even more to the filling.  Then, Valentine sprinkles were added to finish the look.  Heart shapes would also be fun to bake...maybe next year.

This recipe makes about 4 dozen sandwiches  using about a tablespoon of batter for each half.  This size baked perfectly in 10 minutes.  I would say the yield is greater than the recipe states.  

THESE ARE READY FOR SOMEONE I LOVE

I'm sure my creative cyber friends have some good ideas for these whoopie pies.  I'm excited to see their versions of this recipe.

Note:  The buttercream filling really tasted like butter, as it should, but...the butter was the strongest flavor in this cookie.  It overpowered the chocolate.  Next time I might consider a different filling.  (It was good buttercream filling, but I wanted to have a more chocolatey flavor.)

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY TO EVERYONE!!!

French Friday with Dorie: Nutella Tartine

OUR FRENCH LUNCH THAT I WOULD LABEL DESSERT...YUM!

It's my day with Honey and we are making a fancy French Toast, not the dipped in eggs and fried kind, but traditional toast, or Nutella Tartine, for lunch.

I first got into Nutella several years ago, when we  brought home our adopted daughters #4 and #5 from an Eastern European orphanage. Upon arrival, they struggled with our American diet.  America has such an abundance of good foods to choose from, yet we quickly learned that while in the orphanage "prison" where our girls were rarely allowed out, their palates had not developed a liking for even regular foods.  They had lived on bland, unsweetened mush for breakfast, the same mush for dinner and nothing in between, and some days, the menu was just "nothing."  But the children dream about chocolates and oranges and strawberries...mostly sweet foods and candies, and on rare occasions, possibly at Christmastime, charities brought treats to the children, and these were usually some version of hazelnut chocolates.  The flavor of Nutella was the flavor of fairytales.

FRESH OUT-OF-THE-OVEN BAGUETTE--I READ YESTERDAY THAT THE FRENCH OFTEN EAT THEIR BAGUETTES WITH CHOCOLATE

It did not take the girls long to figure out that Nutella was a dream come true.  In their country, hazelnuts, which grow on bushes, are plentiful and used in chocolates and desserts and are readily available if one can afford such luxuries.  I often came home to find empty Nutella jars carefully placed back in the cupboard where I was expected to discover that their contents had magically disappeared.  To this day, Nutella is a favorite food for the girls and also for all their European friends.  If I place a jar of Nutella in their Christmas stockings or as a fun additional birthday gift, the girls feel loved.

HONEY STIRS THE NUTELLA

I too enjoy Nutella, especially the homemade version.  We like to spread it along with a few white chocolate chips inside croissants, give them 10 seconds or so in the microwave until the chocolate spread is melted, and then bam them with powdered sugar and cocoa.  This simple, yet dreamed about, dessert is mentioned in a more sophisticated form by Dorie where she writes about a patisserie-bought pain au chocolat, a croissant with a rectangle of chocolate in the middle." 

HONEY MAKES SURE THE NUTELLA IS GOOD

After melting the Nutella inside the croissant we like to additionally stuff it with sliced fresh strawberries or bananas...and the result is divine.  But I'd never thought to add chopped hazel nuts as a garnish. YUM!

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER

Today will be more simple.  Honey and I made from scratch baguette breads and I have sliced rounds that are just Honey's size.  After toasting our rounds, we spread them with freshly made raspberry jam, drizzled the hazelnut spread over the tops, and then we garnished our toasts with Fleur de Sel and  toasted, chopped Hazelnuts.  Honey bagan her lunch by carefully picking off each nut piece and eating it like it was a new delicacy.

The important verdict is in.  Honey loves this lunch treat!  We will make it for whoever shows up to visit us today as this particular delicacy only takes a couple of minutes to prepare.  Nice.

Note:  Sunday we will enjoy a family from Moldova, the smallest of all the Eastern European countries; coming for a cookout dinner.  I'm thinking they will enjoy the croissant version of this tartine as an appetizer with some fresh fruit.   I was wondering what they might like and now I have this great idea because of today's French cooking.

THE TASTIEST LUNCH HONEY HAS EATEN IN A LONG TIME!

This Nutella Tartine would make a perfect Valentiine's Day breakfast for the one I love.  Perfect with a cup of hot cocoa. And with fresh raspberry jam, the color is right, the taste is fabulous, and we will honor this "Most Chocolate Day of the Year."

Happy Valentine's Day to all my Cyber Friends!  Eat lots of chocolate and have a wonderful week!!!

Tuesdays With Dorie and Julia: White Loaves

EVEN THOUGH THE RECIPE WRITE-UP SAYS THAT THESE LOAVES WILL GROW TO MAKE LARGE SLICES, WE WERE AMAZED BY HOW LARGE THEY REALLY DID GROW...THIS 1/2 LOAF IS ALMOST MORE THAN GRANDBABY M CAN HANDLE

RIGHT OUT OF THE OVEN

What a lot of fun to be in a new baking group!  And this will be such a great experience, baking along with committed cyber friends, using recipes from Julia Child  and other master bakers, from Baking With Julia that makes up "a remarkably full course in the art of baking."  These recipes have been written and compiled into a book by Dorie Greenspan using material from Julia's PBS Master Chefs series.  I have personally gone to this wonderful resource when wanting to bake exceptional items such as Alice Medrich's special Chocolate Ruffle Cake.  I have also watched the TV series over and over on the internet, mostly late at night, when I'd rather be baking but can't wake up the house at 3 am.

I USED CERAMIC BREAD PANS WHICH BROWNED THE LOAVES NICELY IN 30 MINUTES AT 325^

This basic white bread is easy to make with our modern mixers which do all the real work.  After kneading the dough, the breads are easily shaped, rise to a traditional shape, and are perfect for sandwiches.  I used bread flour which always makes this type of bread or rolls better for me.

A WEEK'S SUPPLY OF BREAD FOR OUR HOUSE...NEXT TIME I'LL MAKE ONE A CINNAMON LOAF

THESE LOAVES SLICED NICELY EVEN WHILE VERY WARM

 CRUSTY EXTERIOR AND SOFT INSIDES MAKE THESE PERFECT WHITE BREAD LOAVES

THIS BREAD WAS ENJOYED AS USED IN NEXT DAY SANDWICHES

I'm looking forward to improving my baking skills using these classic recipes with this new group.

I'm excited to see what bakers all around the world are doing with today's white bread baking project.

French Friday with Dorie: Gorgonzola-Apple Quiche

THIS QUICHE BOASTS A FLAKY CRUST AND A FLAVORFUL FILLING

The most interesting thing to me about making this quiche is that a year ago I would not have had Gorgonzola cheese waiting for me in the refrigerator.  And had I chosen to make the Quiche Lorraine, I also have Gruyere cheese ready to be cut into very small, thin slices.  In fact,  every ingredient on the list for the quiche or for the Bonne Idee are now pantry items for me.  When we started FFwD, I had never used either cheese.  That tells me I have had new experiences that I enjoy as a result of joining this group.

CRUST HAS BEEN PARTIALLY BAKED AND IS READY FOR THE FILLING

Because I have used it many times, I did not read the tart dough recipe which is now in my head.  For my rectangle pan,  I half rolled  and half pressed it in and I also used a little piece of dough to reinforce the corners.  Then I prebaked the crust for 10 minutes before adding my filling.  This tart dough recipe has become a favorite.  It is easy to work with, creates a flaky crust, has a lovely taste, and works well with many types of fillings, especially those that are savory.

READY FOR THE OVEN

When the quiche had puffed up and was browned I removed it from the hot oven where baking time was only 20 minutes rather than the 30 to 40 minutes suggested by Dorie.  My quiche possibly baked faster because of its more thin shape, over the traditional round which would have taken longer to set in the middle.

With sauteed onions, a chopped apple and Gorgonzola dolce cheese...what's not to love?

 HOT OUT OF THE OVEN

This quiche meal would have been even more delicious paired with a tossed salad or some fresh fruit, but since I'm in a paperwork mode these days...working 14-16 hour days...it is now 10:30 pm and I'm just finished baking and enjoying my slice of quiche, which is really delicious, as an almost midnight snack.  Making the quiche has been a great way to forget about my work day and now I can relax and have a restful night.

REMOVED FROM THE TART PAN AND ON A PLATTER READY FOR EATING

Note to self:  Add quiche to regular dinner fare.  This type of food does not find a permanent home in my meal plans, and it should.  I need to remember that pie or tart crust can hold more than sweet dessert fillings.  Today's quiche needs to be made regularly...it is that good!  (And my first taste struck me as being sweet with the sweet Gorgonzola cheese and sweet apple flavors.)

Note  from Hubby:  "I think this quiche needs a sweeter crust to compliment the sweetness of the apple and cheese, and the sauteed sweet onions also add to the sweet flavor.  I think this crust almost has a sour flavor which does not match the other flavors."  Well, I'll take note of his idea, but my guess after a second tasting is that the cheese has a little sourness in its flavor that I had not noticed before Hubby mentioned a sour flavor that he thought might be in the crust...or might more correctly label this flavor, tangy.