Last week, while I was flipping through my cook books and planning my menu for the coming days, I stumbled across a recipe for a savory cake that featured quinoa, mushrooms and bacon and thought it sounded like an intriguing, if maybe a little odd, idea. Since my family is full of PICKY eaters, I generally only try one new recipe per week, if that, and so jotted the cake down to fill the last dinner of the week before grocery day. Of course, when it came time to cook the cake I was a) out of mushrooms and b) in an experimenting kind of mood. So taking the cake as my inspiration and finding another use for my new tart pan (which I bought so that I could make a salted caramel and chocolate ganache torte this weekend that was KILLER! Seriously, I wish I hadn't made it because it was dangerously good and the last quarter taunted me every time I opened the fridge until I gave in and ate it all in one go) I pulled together a pretty darn good for just using what's in the fridge savory tart.
The recipe went something like this, I was improvising, so use your own judgement
2 eggs + 1/2 cup of milk whisked together
add to this 1/4 cup of melted butter and enough flour (about a cup, maybe a little more) to make a standard looking cake batter.
Into this batter I added
-6 cooked sausages, chopped in thirds. I like the little pork sausages that are called "country sausages" here but are similar to the ones we got in Ireland. But I think this would be a great opportunity to try some of those interesting one you can find at the grocery store or butcher shop these days. I think something along the sage-apple line would be fabulous.
-2 ounces of sharp cheddar, cubed in 1/4 inch cubes
-t tsp salt
-2 cups cooked quinoa
The original recipe had no flour and more eggs and I imagine it would be more like a frittata than a cake, this, poured into a 10 in tart pan (buttered) and baked at 400 for just under 30 minutes was definitely cake like. Or maybe somewhere between a dutch baby and a cake.
After it came out I tossed some shredded chedder and minced parsley on top and we ate it with a dollop of Greek yogurt on each slice.
I have to say, without trying, this was the perfect use-whats-in-the-fridge meal. I can imagine a huge number of combinations for this. Grilled steak and blue cheese crumbles, goat cheese, red pepper chunks and basil. The quinoa adds a nice nuttiness and texture and even though the concept was a little different, everyone liked it. Even the girl who is currently only eating soft boiled eggs, toast and apple sauce. So it was a winner all around.
I'd give you the recipe for the killer dessert, but I don't want to ruin your diet, and trust me, it will ruin your diet!
