Quiche Lorraine Muffins

What’s the only thing better than the smell of muffins baking? Maybe the smell of bacon frying! When Bruce and I were writing THE ULTIMATE MUFFIN BOOK (click here to check it out), we decided to combine the two for these Quiche Lorraine Muffins, a baking twist on the classic egg.

For this post, I’m so glad to be a part of Muffin Monday, an initiative by Anuradha of Baker Street. What I’m bringing to the 6 month anniversary party is a savory muffin. Go out to Baker Street and check out all the fun!

Savory muffins may be a surprise for some people. Yes, there’s still sugar in the batter, mostly to build good crumb and structure with the eggs and oil. That said, because savory muffins are so loaded down with “extras”—here, with bacon, onion, cornmeal, and cheese—they don’t necessarily develop the characteristic puffed top of sweeter muffins.

Still and all, they’re a treat for breakfast—or a great mid-day break. Even better these muffins freeze well. Seal them in a plastic bag and keep them in the freezer for up to 4 months. Thaw several under a clean kitchen towel on the counter overnight and you’re ready for a savory breakfast the next morning!

Let’s get to the recipe.

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Braised Rabbit with Coriander Seeds, Green Olives, and White Wine

Vegetarians can be an off-putting lot. I should know. I was one for years. I'd beat you with a carrot if you suggested I eat meat.

I'm still in sympathy with the cause. But I eat meat. We should talk about that dichotomy sometime.

Anyway, earlier this year I was on L.A. NPR to talk about our HAM book, the drop-dead funny cookbook (no lie) about all things piggishly back-ended (look for it here). I made some cracks about raising and eating our own pig. Very light-hearted stuff, despite its being about death.

Afterwards, I got about many requests from people in LalaLand to be facebook friends. Wow, I thought, NPR has quite a following out there.

Until I discovered they were militant vegetarians. And started writing horrible things on my wall. And posting videos of animal slaughter. And sending messages to all my facebook friends about what a nightmare I was.

I cleaned these people off my lists as quickly as I could. Bruce and I talked about it. Decided it was a strange quirk. And went on our way. Until he twittered two weeks ago about making rabbit for dinner. And got word-lashed and then unfollowed by a bunch of similar types who thought his meal choice was unethical.

Again, the ethics of eating meat. Let's talk about them sometime. But for now, I'd like to share with you the rabbit recipe that got him defriended and unfollowed. Because it's so darn wonderful. Every single bite of its four servings. If you've never eaten rabbit, now's the time. It's autumnal, comforting, light, and savory. What could be better?

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Lentils aux Lardons

Necessity isn't the mother of invention. Time is.

At least in our home. As you well know, we love lots of salads in the fridge, mostly because they're so easy to pull out during the week. There's lunch ready whenever we are. In minutes.

And lately, I'm all about the minutes. Maybe it's the impatience of my ADVANCED age. I turned fifty today.

Fifty?!?! I don't even know how I let this happen. I know you'll tell me there's only one other option. But if I'd been smarter, I could have figured out a third way.

And no, a face lift doesn't count.

Anyway, I'm all over salads like this one. Because I've got things to do. And fewer minutes to do them in. So on to this bacony salad, modeled on a French classic (only without the egg).

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Pumpkin Chili

It's that time of year when those little pie pumpkins are in the farmers' markets. They're gorgeous--and tasty, too. So it's about time for a good chili, a pot of delicious decadence to keep you warm on a fall evening. Well, that and some ass bacon in the mix. But we'll get to that in a minute.

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BLT Pizza

Bruce calls ham "the most Christian of all meats." Funny, but when I was growing up in the South, I could have sworn it was bacon.

Maybe ham was too much of a given, like loud-mouthed preachers at a state fair. But bacon? Now that was real religion. Along with donuts. Which we buttered. Yep, slathered it on, one bite at a time.

But I digress. Bruce and I have been doing quite a few pizza demos from our grilled pizza book this summer--and the BLT is always a hit, no matter its religious orientation. Here's the drill:

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Carbonara

You'd think I'd be done with pork after HAM: AN OBSESSION WITH THE HINDQUARTER. But you'd be wrong. I'm hardly done with it. Because pork is always good. Always.

One of my favorite quick meals is pasta alla carbonara. Not the nasty cream sauce you get in most joints. Blech. The cream ruins everything. (And I promise never to say a word against you again, my overlord cream.)

Real pasta alla carbonara is utterly creamless. It's also usually made with guanciale, or smoked pig's jowl. We happen to have one left in the freezer from Wilbur, our own pig. But we've also been known to use 1) bacon, 2) turkey bacon, 3) Canadian bacon, or 4) soy bacon (horrors!).

I've even seen some recipes--authentic Italian ones at that--that call for pancetta. Frankly, I prefer the taste of a smoked meat. Maybe it's that bacon-and-eggs thing.

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Frisée aux Lardons

Fancy name for a bacon and poached egg salad, no? Frankly, it's one of my favorite dinners, a go-to treat with a glass of red wine. I'll admit this: I'm not one for an egg at breakfast. I don't know: an egg is probably too serious. Maybe if I were milking cows. . . . But that's not going to happen. (As Bruce would say, "Not with that attitude.")

So here's our twosome serving of this French salad:

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