Sweets

Happy Easter, everyone!

As usual, we had a busy family day together with a picnic that spanned both Aunt Ava's and Grannye's yards, as well as our own. Ava's yard looked outstanding with her deck and patio festooned with paper lanterns, eggs, flowers, and bunnies. Mine looked pretty good, too, since we strung the hummingbird feeder and have been watching the showdown from the porch ever since. Adorable little birds, hummers, but vicious as TIE fighters.

One guarantee about any holiday in the Die family, we always have outstanding food. Mom supplied some amazing sandwiches a bit like Monte Cristos. I'll have to get the recipe for that one. Aunt Amy brought her to-die-for banana pudding. Katya and I devoured an entire heaping plateful between us. For my contribution, since I'm the one with eclectic tastes, I brought something a little unusual.
Last week, my co-workers held an Iron Chef competition. In observance of the upcoming holiday, the secret ingredient was eggs. I tried a recipe from the April 2009 issue of Better Homes & Gardens: Bread Pudding Quiche with Berries and Bacon, and it won!

Therefore, I decided to try a variation of that recipe for today's Easter picnic, and it turned out even better. So, here's my latest take on an award-winning quiche recipe.

French toast quiche with blackberries and bacon lattice

4 slices cinnamon raisin bread, cut into 1/2-in. squares

5 eggs

1 1/2 cups milk

1 1/2 cups chopped Gouda

2 tsp. all-purpose or spelt flour

3/4 cup chicken sausage, chopped

1/2 cup chopped green onions

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

2 cups blackberries

4-6 slices crisp-cooked, drained bacon

1 10-in graham cracker crust

Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees.

In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs and milk. In a small bowl, mix cheese, flour, salt, and pepper. Add to egg mixture. Fold in bread squares, sausage, and green onions. Pour into crust.

Bake 50 to 60 minutes or until knife inserted near center comes out clean. If necessary, after 30 minutes, tent with foil to prevent over-browning. Cool on wire rack 15 minutes.

To serve, arrange bacon in a lattice and top with blackberries.