Quiche, the darling of the 70’s has been making a comeback and it some ways, it never really left. This all-purpose savory tart is flexible, embracing whatever you have on hand in the kitchen, freezes well and likes to travel. Roasted Tomato Quiche features slow roasted tomatoes with garlic and thyme, a creamy custard and a crisp, buttery crust. Of course, there is a simple formula to creating a little jewel of a quiche.

Beginning cooking courses generally include instruction on quiches and soufflés, mine were no exception. A simple formula, from my first and most splendid cooking teachers, provides a basic quiche formula: One 9-inch pastry shell, partially baked; 1 cup liquid (milk, cream, tomato sauce); 1 cup filling (cheese, vegetables, etc.) and 2 lightly beaten eggs. Just design and bake your own little jewel quiche.

Roasted Tomato Quiche pairs herb and garlic slow roasted tomatoes (this brings out the flavor of almost any tomato) with a creamy custard, not unlike the flavor of a bowl of creamy tomato soup.

Quiches are a pretty forgiving tart and may be baked ahead and travel well for picnics and parties. Make quiches as individual servings, in mini baking cups or a large square pan to serve as small bites for a party.

For Mother’s Day Brunch brunch perhaps a Roasted Tomato Quiche may make it to your celebration table for a simple, rustic meal rounded out with a salad of baby greens tossed with Bijouxs House Vinaigrette, a bowl of chilled honeyed fruit compote and glasses of sparkling Rosé.

At Bijouxs, modern classic recipes are the Little Jewels from the Kitchen.

Happy Birthday to Bijouxs, or should I say to me?  Either way, today is good reason to bake up a lovely little treat. So, how about something easy and chocolate? Chocolate Turnovers are a quick fix great for a sweet morning start or along with a cup of tea in the afternoon – no fuss, simple little jewels.

Puff pastry in the freezer is a must on the Bijouxs Basics pantry list – countless wonders are created from a simple little sheet of dough. Yes, like most who study cuisine, in the beginning I worked on making my own homemade puff pastry, but I can’t honestly say I ever turned out a decent batch. With the ease of frozen puff pastry and securing wonderful Dufour all butter puff pastry, classic pastries are in everyone’s reach. Even if you can’t secure Dufour pastry, sheets of classic Pepperidge Farm are always dependable.

Turnovers are a simple classic that never goes out of style. Light and sky high pastry, here filled with dark molten chocolate, decadent served warm from the oven. The recipe, if I dare call it that, just requires you to roll out the sheets of puff pastry, cut into squares, place a chunk of your favorite chocolate (I love the dark, bitter Valrhona Guanaja, found at Whole Foods) near the middle and fold over, seal, brush with an egg wash and optional sprinkle of coarse sugar for a sweet crackling crust, bake and enjoy.

Of course, adding additional ingredient such as ricotta cheese, raspberry jam or nuts along with the chocolate filling is also delicious. Turnovers are so flexible – think savory, such as blue cheese with a coarse salt crust.

Bijouxs | Little Jewels from the Kitchen celebrates the everyday beauty all around us, right here in our kitchens. Now I’m off to celebrate for a few days and want to thank you all so much for supporting Bijouxs!

Crispy fried fennel and garlic in oil, delicate baby artichokes early in spring, these are a few of my favorite things. When spring produce arrives, things really begin to sing in the kitchen. Baby Artichokes & Crispy Fennel – little garden jewels.

The bounty of spring produce lightens and brightens our menus, looking to the warmer days ahead. Artichokes, garlic and fennel, a few of my favorite things, paired for an Italian inspired first course.

Pretty little purple artichokes, sent to Bijouxs from our friends at Frieda’s produce to sample during their artichoke festival, recalled a favorite pairing with garlic and fennel. These purple little gems, Fiesole, are available this week at Ralph’s Markets, making is easy to sample boutique produce even if you can’t make a trip to the farmer’s market.

The beauty of using these diminutive artichokes is that they are completely edible, just remove the tougher outer leaves, a trim top and bottom, a quick braise and they are on the table. The delicate hint of anise is layered in the recipe with a topping of crispy fried fennel, echoed by a dash of Pernod (anise liqueur) and fresh fennel fronds.

A lovely spring first course, purple little jewels with garlic and fennel, a few of my favorite things.

Get to know the sweet & sour side of kale – sweet with roasted red peppers, balsamic vinegar and pan-roasted garlic and sour with capers and kalamata olives – Kale Agrodolce adds an Italian flavor burst to a most healthy garden green – a little gem.

Kale has been the vegetable darling recently, fashioned into chips, pasta, salads, etc. Kale was also a favorite among the families I cooked for as a personal chef and this recipe, Kale Agrodolce, led the requests.

Agrodolce is sweet and sour sauce in Italian cuisine, from “agro” (sour) and “dolce” sweet. This sauce is often created by a reduction of vinegar and sugar and appears frequently in Sicilian regional cuisine as a sauce with meats, pasta and vegetables.

Kale Agrodolce cooks up quick and makes use of items you normally stock in your pantry. Fresh kale is essential and although it seems you are cooking a mountain of kale (2 large bunches or about 10 cups) in a deep stockpot (essential to avoid hot oil from spattering) the kale quickly reduces down after the initial stir-fry to a manageable pot of greens.

This sweet & sour side adds a flavor burst alongside simply grilled meats or fish. Kale Agrodolce – a little emerald jewel from the kitchen.

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If you happened to be making last week’s Meyer Lemon Bread Pudding, here’s a quick little treat using the leftover bread crust – just a little Bijouxs Bits.

First, I’d like to welcome all the new Bijouxs newsletter subscribers! Sunday is the standard newsletter day but sometimes there is a just little something I want to share – that’s a Bijouxs Bits. So here we go.

Clever cooks always find a way to use the little bits leftover from making a recipe but sometimes we (I) forget. Garlic & Herb Crisps are a great way to use leftover bread crust (remember your Mother telling you that the crust was the best part of the bread?) or even a days-old French baguette, not to mention avoiding the high cost of the ‘artisan’ priced crisps and crackers seen hovering around most market’s cheese departments.

Begin by making the herb & garlic oil used to make the croutons in the Romaine Hearts with Blue Cheese Vinaigrette recipe. Brush the crust slices or very thin slices of French bread on both sides with the garlic-herb oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake on a foil lined baking sheet at 325 degrees for about 15 – 20 minutes until the crusts are golden brown and very crisp. If you are using leftover bread, you might want to leave the crisps in the oven after you have turned off the heat to help facilitate a great crunch.

These little crisps make great dippers for hummus or your favorite dip and if you have still have a few leftover, pop them in the food processor to make a bread crumbs which are great sprinkled on vegetables or pasta.

Herb & Garlic Crisps – simple everyday jewels from the kitchen.

Welcome a new little jewel in the family – Meyer Lemon Bread Pudding – the newest little kitchen gem. Sunny bright lemon joins with the creamy classic comfort of bread pudding. Swaddled in a kitchen towel, the newest Bijouxs makes an appearance.

On recent warm, sunny spring day I had the joy of gathering for lunch with small group of friends to welcome a new little baby to the world. The bright sunny weather inspired a Meyer Lemon Bread Pudding, a simple, classic dessert.

The first step of this recipe is to make the Meyer lemon curd, this should be accomplished 1 –3 days ahead, so it is ready and waiting when you assemble the pudding.

Simple ingredients: a French baguette, milk, lemons, sugar and eggs are the basics needed for the recipe. Assembly is a breeze, bread slices are placed in the baking pan, spread with the Meyer lemon curd and the milk-egg-lemon mixture is poured on top and given time to rest to allow the bread to absorb the milk mixture. Of course, substitutions such as everyday lemons for the Meyers or a great-quality purchased lemon curd will still lend a lovely pudding.

The pudding bakes for 30 minutes covered and 30 minutes uncovered where it then puffs and bakes to a wonderful golden brown. Serve with a sprinkling of powdered sugar and perhaps some whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Wrapped in cozy comfort –Meyer Lemon Bread Pudding – welcome this simple little Bijouxs to your kitchen.

P.S. Don’t throw out the crust removed from the French baguette – check back later this week for a Bijouxs Bits with a simple treat made from the crust slices.

There will always be England. There will always be spring. Inspired by the verdant green of the English countryside and a salad served at a most lovely historic estate comes Minted Pea & Potato Salad, a fresh little emerald jewel for your spring holiday table.

One summer, not so long ago, I embarked on a memorable journey to England, first stop was a brief visit to the most lovely of all historic hotels, the Hartwell House. Arriving in a jet-fatigued condition the two things I wanted most were a fresh, light meal and rest. A ring down to the kitchen with a request for a green salad and a beautiful tray arrived with the most lovely green salad – literally all things were green, just as I had requested  – assorted baby greens, fresh peas, curly pea tendrils and a mix fresh herbs including mint and parsley, all fresh from the hotel’s organic garden. Alongside was placed a little bowl of crisp potatoes. This combination did not leave my mind.

Minted Pea & Potato Salad brings together the fresh greens of spring, English peas and baby potatoes bathed in a light minted pestoesque dressing, a refreshing compliment to traditional Easter fare, such as lamb. Fresh peas are cooked for a mere 30 seconds, bright green and crisp, baby potatoes sliced while still warm are added to the dressing and plated with crisp, cool baby greens and fresh pea shoots. A spring salad to enjoy in the moment.

Eternal England and spring inspiring an emerald little jewel – Minted Pea & Potato Salad for the season.

A basket of strawberries + 30 minutes = Everyday Strawberry Jam. Bursting with fresh, true strawberry flavor, a versatile kitchen condiment and the secret to my healthy nut butter & jam sandwiches. Beautiful everyday classic recipes from Bijouxs.

More and more, we all wonder as we cruise the vast supermarket aisles, “Where did this food come from and what’s really in it?” Food labels are akin to reading hieroglyphics. Consider this simple, classic beauty, Everday Strawberry Jam – just two ingredients with loads of fresh flavor.

Strawberries are appearing in the markets, teasing us with summer and the Fraises de bois strawberries in the Bijouxs garden begin to bear their delicate fruit. Time to make some jam.

This is a quick jam – 30 minutes – no canning required.  I usually make it small batches, savoring the smell of strawberry that drifts about the house as it simmers. Begin with a base of organic strawberries (worth it), just a basket and add the Fraises de bois berries during the final 5 minutes of cooking to preserve their delicate form. This quick jam method also works for other berries such as raspberries, blackberries, etc.

Everyday Strawberry Jam makes an incredible sandwich, a favorite of my son and little ones who visit, made with freshly baked whole grain bread, almond butter and slathered with a generous layer of the fresh strawberry jam. But this jam can do so much more: Stir it into oatmeal, add a tablespoon or two to your morning smoothie, soften a pint of vanilla gelato and gently swirl in the jam and refreeze, or just enjoy on a slice of freshly baked bread.

Bijouxs: Little Jewels from the Kitchen is sharing the time-tested beautiful everyday classics from my kitchen to yours – Everyday Strawberry Jam.

A quicker way to cook a chicken, a spatchcocked or butterflied chicken cooks up in almost half the time as roasting a bird the traditional way – a convertible recipe for the grill or the oven that also sports your favorite marinade – plus, you get to say spatchcocked, a funny name for a great chicken routine – another Bijouxs Basics.

At the beginning of most culinary training, one is surely faced with a whole bird that requires an intricate de-boning technique, yet this simple one-two method opens up the chicken for a quicker roast or grill, which really is what most of us are looking for at home.

The term spatchcock is a traditional French term that refers to the butterflied quick cooking method used for a young chicken (you would not long roast a small bird as it would toughen). Along the way spatchcock is more commonly known as simply removing the backbone, allowing a chicken to be flattened creating a quicker cook.

Placing the chicken breast side down on a craving board, simply cut with poultry shears or a pair of kitchen shears closely along each side of the backbone (you may need to use a little muscle at the ends of the bird) removing the backbone, turn the chicken over and lay the bird out flat, removing any excess fat. There you have it, a spatchcocked chicken.

An option at this point is to marinate the chicken (or not) with your favorite blend. A Bijouxs favorite chicken is sprinkled with Herbs of Provence, the juice from two lemons cut into wedges, 3-4 large garlic cloves smashed, and a generous drizzle of olive oil, all placed in a large bowl covered or plastic bag sealed, leaving the chicken to marinate for 3-4 hours or overnight in the refrigerator.

Of course there are options for cooking the chicken.  You may cook the chicken in the oven, on the grill or my favorite, browning the chicken on the grill, getting all that great grill flavor and then finishing the cooking in the oven with even controlled heat and capturing the pan juices.

Spatchcocking is a simple, everyday technique, a Bijouxs Basics to quick cook a chicken – a little jewel with a funny name.

A little more Love & Luck from Bijouxs for 2012 on this Saint Patrick’s Day with Donald’s Irish Bread. The simply classic Irish one-bowl bread studded with plump raisins and caraway seeds sports a rustic flour and sugar crust – a little gem to add to your recipe collection.

Given my family surname, it is certainly probable that there is some Irish blood in my lineage and if not St. Patrick’s Day is a holiday that is easy to embrace for its signature dishes. I can’t imagine this day without a pot of corned beef & cabbage simmering on the stove and the smell of Donald’s Irish Bread baking in the oven.

This beautiful Irish recipe was shared with me years ago by Donald, a wonderfully funny friend from design school days and decades later this bread is still the most requested recipe in the Bijouxs kitchen for March 17^th.  This quick bread is not leavened with baking soda instead with baking powder, which we know from our cooking chemistry aligns well with non-acidic liquids like milk.  This is a moist quick bread with raisins, caraway seeds and the signature flour and sugar crust, always best when consumed warm from the oven and then next day thin slices are delightful toasted.

This recipe makes two loaves (because one is never enough) and is easily fashioned using basic pantry staples. The bread can be made with all white flour or a combination of white and whole wheat. (Using all white flour will create the more tender bread). A rustic signature crust is simply created with a combination of flour and some coarse sugar.

Here’s to Love & Luck in 2012 – Donald’s Irish Bread – another little jewel from my kitchen to yours. Happy St. Patrick’s Day!