Bacon Leek Quiche from On the Beach Bed & Breakfast

Bacon Leek Quiche from On the Beach Bed & Breakfast

 

On the Beach Bed & Breakfast in Cayucos is best known for its beachfront views overlooking the pier and Cayucos State Beach. But among its guests, the inn is equally beloved for its breakfasts. The inn’s bacon leek quiche is so popular that the innkeepers keep photocopies of the recipe ready to hand out. The recipe was created by one of the inn’s staff members and long-time Cayucos resident, Maureen Handshy. The quiche is a savory combination of bacon and leeks tangled up in in a nest of melting cheese and baked eggs. It’s not only delicious, but surprisingly easy to make.

Ingredients for the quiche

Bacon Leek Quiche

Courtesy of On the Beach Bed & Breakfast

Serves 4

Ingredients:
1 9-inch frozen pie crust
6 slices bacon
½ tbs. olive oil
1 leek, sliced, rinsed and dried thoroughly

Sauté the leeks until softened and beginning to brown

1 cup grated Swiss
¼ cup grated Parmesan
6 eggs
½ cup half and half

Combine the leeks with the bacon and cheeses

Preheat oven to 350°. Begin by cooking the bacon in a skillet. Set the cooked bacon on paper towels to cool and drain at least half of the bacon grease from the skillet. Chop the bacon. Heat olive oil in the skillet and then add the sliced leeks. Sauté the leeks until softened and beginning to brown at the edges. Add the chopped bacon back to the skillet, stir, and then remove from the heat. Mix in the grated Swiss and Parmesan cheeses. Fill the frozen pie shell with the mixed ingredients.

In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs and half and half thoroughly. Pour the egg mixture over the pie shell filling.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the pie shell on the baking sheet and bake at 350° for 30-40 minutes (or until the filling no longer wiggles).

Fill the pie shell with the mixed leeks, bacon, and cheeses

Allow the quiche to cool 10-15 minutes before slicing. Serve warm.

Whisk the eggs and half and half and then pour into the pie shell

On the Beach Bed & Breakfast
181 N. Ocean Ave.
Cayucos, CA 93430
805-995-3200
www.californiaonthebeach.com

For the Egg Adverse: Baked Pesto Eggs

 

I’m embarrassed to admit that I’ve never been a fan of eggs. It's something of a liability for someone who reviews bed and breakfast inns. After all, egg entrees at B&Bs are often the star attraction. I’ve tried eggs in all of their permutations: scrambled, poached, sunny-side-up, hard-boiled, etc. But I’ve always felt a bit like the beleaguered character in Dr. Suess’ Green Eggs and Ham. As for eggs, I do not like them, Sam-I-am.

But on a recent trip to Alegria Oceanfront Inn & Cottages in Mendocino, I discovered I actually did like baked eggs with a generous dollop of green pesto. The dish had a satisfyingly crispy brown top, but inside, the eggs were incredibly moist. The thick ribbon of basil pesto gave the eggs a rich flavor that I’ve always thought was missing. I gobbled the whole thing up and then asked the owner, Elaine Wing-Hillesland, for the recipe. She cheerfully supplied a copy.

I returned home to my husband and promptly tried to recreate the dish for him. He sat across the breakfast table from me, a little dumbfounded. “I never thought I’d be eating eggs with you,” he said.

“Try them,” I said, “They are so good, so good, you see!”

Grated cheeses, pesto and sundried tomatoes

 

Baked Pesto Eggs

Divide cheese, pesto, and tomatoes among the ramekins

In a separate bowl, combine the eggs, yogurt,
cottage cheese, salt and tabasco.

Courtesy of Alegria Oceanfront Inn & Cottages

Serves 5-6

Ingredients:
1 cup Monterey Jack cheese, grated
1 cup cheddar cheese, grated
¼ cup parmesan, grated (optional)
6 tsp. basil pesto
¼ cup sundried tomatoes
9 eggs
¾ cup low-fat cottage cheese
¾ cup low-fat plain yogurt or buttermilk
1/8 tsp. salt or to taste
Tabasco (6 dashes or to taste)

Preheat oven to 350°. Spray six, seven-ounce ramekins or one 9-inch pie pan with non-stick spray. Place ramekins or pie pan on a baking sheet with a two-inch lip. Divide the Monterey Jack, cheddar and parmesan between each of the ramekins or sprinkle into the pie pan. Add a teaspoon of pesto to each ramekin or all six teaspoons of pesto to the pie pan. Sprinkle the sundried tomatoes on top.

In a separate bowl, combine the eggs, cottage cheese, and yogurt. Add the salt and tabasco to

Pour the eggs over the top of the other ingredients

taste and stir. Pour the egg mixture over the top of the other ingredients in the ramekins or pie pan. Add about an inch of water to the baking sheet. Bake at 350° for 35-45 minutes.


Alegria Oceanfront Cottages & Inn
44781 Main Street
Mendocino, CA 95460
Tel: 707-937-5150 or 800-780-7905
Website: www.oceanfrontmagic.com