Cheesey Zucchini Quiche

This quiche and its crust are delicious and super easy to make!

INGREDIENTS:
Crust:
1 3/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup + 3 tbsp olive oil or 1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup + 3 tbsp ice water (I use refrigerated water)

Filling:
2 tablespoons oil
2 cups chopped zucchini
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 garlic clove, minced
1 1/4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
3 eggs, beaten
1 cup cottage or ricotta cheese
1/3 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper

*Notes: You can easily add chopped kale or spinach to the quiche, approx. 2 cups chopped, cooked along with the veggies*

DIRECTION:
Preheat oven to 350°F.

Crust:
In a medium sized bowl, mix flour and salt with fork.
In a separate small bowl beat oil and water with whisk or fork to thicken.
Pour oil/water mixture into flour and mix with fork.
Press into 9" pie crust evenly.
Bake crust 10 minutes, while you begin to prep filling.
Remove from oven and let cool.

*NOTES: You can double the recipe, divide dough in half, and roll out into a pair of rounds for two-crust pies.This recipe is not suitable for baked pie crust shells. It makes a nice, flaky crust that's suitable for everyday use

Quiche:
Increase oven temperature to 375°F.
Heat oil in medium skillet over medium-high heat.
Add zucchini, onion and garlic and saute until tender, about 10 minutes.
Spread evenly in cooling crust.
Mix 1 cup mozzarella with cottage/ricotta cheese, milk, eggs and salt.
Spoon over vegetables and sprinkle with remaining cheese.
Bake until knife inserted near center comes out clean, about 40 minutes.
Let stand 5 minutes, then cut into wedges and serve.

Cheesecake with Lavendered Blackberries

This is my favorite creamy classic cheesecake recipe. It takes a summery turn with glorious blackberries heightened with lavender.

It takes a while to make, but waiting the full 2 hours to cool, and then 2 hours to chill will keep it together and beautiful. This also involves a hot water bath... I had to google it, and ended up using my turkey roasting pan because it was the only thing big and deep enough.

You can improvise and use any other oven safe container to hold the water and set your cheesecake pan into. The water only needs to come up to the level of the cheese cake in the pan. Just about 1 1/2 inches. To help it go faster, you can boil the water on the stove first, then pour it into the larger pan when you're ready to bake.

FOR CRUST
3/4 stick unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup blanched almonds, finely chopped

FOR FILLING
3 (8-oz) packages cream cheese, softened
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 cup half-and-half
3 large eggs

ACCOMPANIMENTS: fresh ripe blackberries mixed with a little sugar, lemon juice and a pinch of dried lavender

MAKE CRUST:
Preheat oven to 350ºF with rack in middle.
Line a 9-inch square baking pan with 2 crisscrossed sheets of foil, leaving an overhang on 2 sides, then lightly butter foil.
Beat together butter and brown sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.
Reduce speed to low and add flour and almonds, mixing until combined and dough begins to clump together.
Press onto bottom of baking pan with floured fingers.
Bake just until a shade darker and edges begin to pull away from pan, 20 to 30 minutes. Cool crust completely in pan.

MAKE FILLING AND BAKE:
Reduce oven temperature to 325ºF.
Beat together cream cheese, sugar, and flour with cleaned beaters at medium speed until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes.
Reduce speed to low and add half-and-half, then eggs 1 at a time, mixing until incorporated.
Pour filling into crust.
Bake in a hot water bath until set 1 1/2 inches from edge but center is still wobbly, 40 to 45 minutes. (Center will set as it cools.)
Transfer pan to a rack and cool completely, about 2 hours.
Chill, uncovered, at least 2 hours.
Using foil overhang, lift cheesecake from pan and peel off foil before cutting into small rectangles.

NOTE: Cheesecake can be chilled (loosely covered once cold) up to 3 days.