So, you know how I mentioned that I surrendered to the domestic gods during the holidays? Well, one of their tasks for me was baking. I’ve never considered myself much of a baker simply because you find so many desserts and pastries already made in the states. I finally decided to attempt some of my favorites – apple pies, tarts and alas, quiche. It wasn’t that difficult (it never is once you get used to it), but the dough gave me a run for my money. Lucky for me, I’d had enough experience with the pie crusts to know when it needed more butter and when it needed to be chilled. And, tah-daahhhh…

I know I didn’t do the step-by-step like a good blogger should, but I really didn’t think it was going to turn out this good.

Following exact recipes have never worked out for me and what I usually do is make tweaks every time I make a dish until it’s exactly how I like it.

Lesson learned from this attempt is to use more liquid (i.e. milk or cream). I like my quiches very moist. In any case, here’s the recipe I used which is an amalgam of different ones I found on the internet:

6 large eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
Ground pepper
1 broccoli head sautéed (frozen could be used)
1 pound bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 1/2 cups grated Gruyère cheese

For the dough I used the following:

1 2/3 cups (250g) plain flour
3 tablespoons of sugar
125g unsalted butter, chilled, finely chopped
1 egg, chilled

Directions

Process flour, butter and a pinch of salt in a food processor until mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Whisk egg and 1 tbs chilled water in a bowl until combined, then with food processor motor running, add to flour mixture. Process until mixture begins to form large clumps, stopping machine before mixture forms a ball. Turn pastry out on to a work surface and knead gently to bring together. Form into a disc for a round tart or into a log shape for a rectangular tart. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight or for at least 2 hours. Roll out the dough and place in a springform pan or whatever pan you use to make pies.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Combine the eggs, cream, salt, and pepper in a food processor or blender. Layer the spinach, bacon, and cheese in the bottom of the pie crust, then pour the egg mixture on top. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes until the egg mixture is set. Cut into 8 wedges.

As I mentioned before, I’m not a big fan of Venezuelan food. Therefore, at home the kids mostly eat traditional Haitian cuisine. I remember how tired I would grow of some variation of rice and beans, so I try to throw in some pasta or grilled vegetables on the weekly menu.

Meatballs, or boulèt, is one of my favorite dishes. Haitian food is complicated to make, so I’m going to give you the basic directions to make the meatballs and will also include what I feel are some optional steps.

Here’s what you’re going to need to get started:

Ground beef – this about 1 lb.

Bread (stale if you have it) soaked in water

Spice medley – parsley, garlic, red and green bell peppers, green onions.

You’re also going to need this contraption:

This is handmade mortar and pestle and a MUST in any self-respecting Haitian household.

First thing is to crush all the fresh spices in the mortar and pestle. Add some fine salt to your liking.

Squeeze the excess water out of the bread and set aside.

Optional: 1) Add the juice of a squeezed lemon into the spice mix for acidity. 2) After squeezing the excess water out of the bread, you can mash it in the mortar and pestle too. 3) You can rinse the ground beef in a sieve to remove some of the blood. 4) Boil a small potato, peel it and crush it to add with the spices and bread.

Add the spices and the bread to the ground beef.

I also like to to add a chopped medium-sized onion.

Mix the spices, bread and onions and this what you get.

You take the ground beef mixture with some all-purpose flour and start making the meatballs by rolling large spoonfuls between the palms of your hands (or however you like to make your meatballs round). Once the desired shape, roll them in the flour. In the meantime, heat up your oil – I like to use corn or vegetable.

When the oil is hot (it bubbles when I put the end of a wooden spoon in it), start frying the meatballs.

When they’ve browned on one side, flip them over.

As with any fried food, I like to set them on a paper towel to drain any excess oil. In the interim, rinse and repeat for the remaining uncooked meatballs.

And this, is the boulèt in all its glory.

In our house, it’s usually eaten with white rice and red or black bean purée, but it’s not a hard and fast rule. Sometimes I accidentally get full eating them while cooking, so it can definitely stand alone.

Any questions?

Now, for some this may be a non-issue, but a big part of my culture is the cuisine. As a matter of fact, some Haitian immigrants never become accustomed to eating non-Haitian dishes regardless of the time spent abroad.

I, for one, do not have this problem . I enjoy trying new foods and am always trying to introduce my family to different dishes. My husband will humour me to some extent and I think he has actually come to really appreciate dishes from other cultures. However, I have found that fast foods are really hard to compete with, especially with a five year-old, as children are constantly bombarded with commercials, etc.

Although I remember my mom making an effort to be somewhat flexible with what we ate, it feels like I spent the majority of my childhood eating rice, beans and chicken. I am now convinced that this kept me “healthy” and hope to include these staples in my children’s diets as much as possible. For now, my daughter’s favorite dish is bean sauce (sauce pois), rice and chicken. Our ten month old has yet to decide .

Is it important for your children to be familiar with foods traditional to your family? If so, how do you ensure this (i.e. how often do you prepare these foods, how strongly do you push them to eat them)? How do you handle the stiff competition?

Most importantly, feel free to share any recipes for dishes that are popular with kids.