cook: chrismukkah brunch

T'was the night before Chrismukkah, or in this case the 24 hours after the longest night of the year, and I was making broccoli and cheddar soup and jarring them for gifts as well as chopping onions and salting courgettes to release their water for next day's brunch for the neighbors. My holiday party for them to celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and the Winter Solstice. I got up at 8 o'clock and cranked the stove to peel and boil potatoes and sauté the zucchini and onions and garlic and bell pepper that I found in the fridge for the potato tart.

While I was frying vegetables and oregano and aromatics in olive oil, the two Russet potatoes were already tender and placed into a colander to drain and dry out a bit.

This was the first time using my springform pan, which I originally bought to bake some day a Basque burnt cheesecake, but today it was going to be used for my potato tart after I buttered the it... I used a glass to press the potato on the bottom and sides and my fingers to even out the crust.

Into the oven for 20 minutes at 375 degrees Fahrenheit went the potato crust, and I remembered the feta cheese in the fridge to put into a Mediterranean pie.

While the zucchini was frying at a low temperature, I sprinkled harissa powder and brown sugar on the bacon. Done and then per instructions for Tartine's custard for their quiche, I whisked 1 egg with 3 tablespoons of all-purpose flour.

When the egg and flour mixture looked smooth enough, I mixed in the other 4 eggs. Once that was all beaten, I sieved the mixture in a strainer.

Luckily my Pyrex bowl had measurement markings...I could just eyeball to add the 1 cup of milk and 1 cup of whole milk yogurt. I hate dirtying extra dishes.

The Tartine recipe calls for 1 cup of crème fraiche or sour cream and 1 cup of whole milk for the eggs and flour mixture to be added to. Instead I added 1/2 cup lowfat milk, 1/2 cup  heavy whipping cream, and 1 cup Greek yogurt.

I'd already put the cooked vegetables and crumbled feta into the potato shell, and then poured the custard into the pie and sprinkled more crumbled French feta on top of the custard.

Next, I decided to make a salad. I found a red onion and orange and pomelo in the pantry and a fennel bulb and lime in the fridge. I had Greek vinaigrette from a salad I didn't eat and mixed some orange blossom honey into it. I sliced all the salad vegetables thinly on the mandolin and then soaked the red onion in the dressing to remove its bite. I also squeezed the orange and lime juice into the dressing. And then added the fennel.

The salad looked really skimpy, and so I added shredded white cabbage I had in the fridge and tasted. More acid and more moisture needed, so sherry vinegar and olive oil to the rescue. The slaw also needed more color, and so I picked parsley in the garden, chopped and added to the salad.

Better, but maybe a tad more salt and oh yeah, I had French feta I could add too.

I baked the frittata for 10 minutes initially at 375 degrees and then lowered the temperature to 325 and then baked the potato tart for 20 more minutes. The quiche was gorgeous though I wish I had salted the potato crust. Yukon gold potatoes would have been prettier too.

My neighbors saw the spirit of the gathering and had brought desserts and consumable gifts. Cecilia made delicious coffee drinks throughout the morning. Prosecco was shared. Guests left with my pint jars of broccoli and cheddar soup, Dawn's boxes of chocolate, and Nancy's sesame rice krispies treats and mini chocolate babkas.

In retrospect, there were a couple neighbors (3 or 4 came to mind afterward) I also should have invited, but my invitation had been so impromptu and cooking and decorating for 6 people seemed to be all I could handle with my schedule this year. I'm thinking next year I would like to host a brunch again and play Dirty Santa or coordinate an ornament exchange--probably better as we all live in such small condos. I could also make ceramic ornaments as my holiday gifts if I plan ahead more.