Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Three Onion Potato Quiche Recipe from TO BRIE OR NOT TO BRIE

From Daryl aka Avery: We just celebrated Mother’s Day at my house, and I was overwhelmed with the love that poured in from my family: my son, my stepson and stepdaughter, my nephew who is like a son to me, and all their families (kids, dogs, in-laws.). What makes it an especially poignant day for me is that this year it was also my mother’s birthday. That happens about every six years. The day always brings a tear to my eye while making me smile. My mother passed away a number of years ago, but I have so many wonderful memories with her. She was an avid reader. I remember one time when we read the same book at the same time, different cities, and she’d called me up to ask about the verb: ululate. She didn’t know what it meant. I’d had to look it up.  It means to warble in a high pitch or yowl.  Why didn’t the author use the verb: yowl? Who knows!  LOL

In my new Cookbook Nook series, the first title is FINAL SENTENCE, my protagonist, Jenna Hart, is a foodie and an avid reader, but she is not a cook. She can make the basics: meatloaf, Jello-O. I based this aspect on my mother who graduated from college without knowing how to cook. Why? She was very bright and went off to college at the age of 15, but up until then, her mother did it all for the family; my mother never learned how.

When my mother graduated college and got married (which many did in that day), she wrote her grandmother such sweet letters telling her about every new dish she was preparing!  Yep, like Jenna, my mom could cook meatloaf, Jell-O, the green kind filled with fruit and sometimes cottage cheese. Wow! Over the years, she turned into a fabulous cook. I attribute my ability to cook to her.

Now Jenna, who leaves the advertising world to return to Crystal Cove to help her aunt open the culinary bookshop and café, blossoms as the books take form. She takes on responsibilities, and she falls in love with not only the cookbooks in the shop but the culinary mysteries. Remember, she’s an avid reader. She loved Nancy Drew. She read all the Agatha Christie novels. Now she’s enjoying culinary mysteries about domestic divas and protagonists that own coffee shops. She’s even found a set of books about a cheese shop in Ohio. In one, she finds the mention of a three-onion potato quiche, and absolutely she must try it. Of course, the author has sent her the recipe.

Here it is. Hope you enjoy.

Do you have a favorite recipe or memory of your mom's cooking??

Three onion potato Quiche recipe
by Avery Aames


1 pie shell (homemade or frozen, uncooked)
1 cup sliced yellow onion
1 cup sliced red onion
1 leek, chopped up
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary
1 cup sliced yellow potatoes, skin on
4 oz. shredded Parmesan cheese
¼ cup GF cream of mushroom soup condensed
¾ cup milk
4 eggs
1 tablespoon Penzey’s Bavarian (mixture basil, rosemary, thyme)
1 teaspoon salt


Slice potatoes. Blanch potatoes for 3 minutes in boiling, then drain and rinse with cold water. Pat dry.

Meanwhile, sauté onions and leeks in olive oil at medium heat. When they turn limp (about 3 minutes), add spices. Sauté for 2 more minutes.

Pour into pie shell.

Layer potatoes on top of onion mixture.

Mix milk, eggs, cheese & seasonings together.

Pour into pie crust on top of potatoes. This might take time to make sure the mixture goes down and around all the potatoes.

Bake 30-35 minutes at 400 until quiche is firm and brown on top. Serve warm or cold.


* * * * * * *

The first book in A Cookbook Nook Mystery series is coming

You can pre-order the book HERE.

The 4th in A Cheese Shop Mystery series is out
You can order the book HERE. 

Daryl and Avery are the same author.




  1. Daryl, I love this post--what fun to have those old letters about food and recipes. I'm looking forward to this series so much!

  2. Thanks, Lucy! Having old letters can be such a comfort. :)

    Daryl / Avery

  3. What a lovely, heartfelt post, Daryl/Avery. Your mom's letters are truly a precious piece of personal history, and I love that you were inspired by them in the creation of your new series.

    I also love your description of the setting. Culinary bookstores are always and absolute delight to visit--and now I get to visit one in your new Cook Book Nook mysteries. Marc and I are looking forward to FINAL SENTENCE finally coming out (very soon now, too, exciting).

    Finally, this must be said--your quiche recipes are always outstanding, and I've got another Keeper here! Thanks for sharing, this post really lifted me up today...

    ~ Cleo

    1. Thanks, Cleo, so glad you enjoyed it. Again, my heart goes out to you and Marc.



  4. Great recipe, Daryl/Avery! I love it - and I also loved learning about your mother. I can't wait for this new series!

    1. MJ, thank you. I'm reading Christie Curse right now. Loving it!

      Daryl / Avery

  5. "ululate"
    "An ululation is a long, wavering, high-pitched vocal sound resembling a howl with a trilling quality. It is produced by emitting a high pitched loud voice accompanied with a rapid movement of the tongue and the uvula.[1] The term ululation is an onomatopoeic word derived from Latin. It is produced by moving the tongue, rapidly, back and forth repetitively in the mouth while producing a sharp sound."
    As Wiki points out, it's used in singing and rituals. Much more than merely "yowling".

    One potato, two potato, three potato, four. So, where does you "three" come from?
    This sounds really yummy.

    1. Libby, you are quick! I forgot to add that I used red and yellow onions as well as the leeks, hence "three." Revising this recipe so no one else can catch me out! You must like mysteries!



    2. And I can't seem to get all the words into my recipe titles. Three "onion" potato quiche. Sigh, where is my editor when I need her????



    3. Oh yes! I do like mysteries. I probably drive people crazy with my "But what happened to...?"
      Potatoes, onions, and cheese= a winner!

  6. Libby, you should be an editor. They catch it when characters who get lost in the shuffle.

    Daryl, I have never heard of potato quiche. Very curious. But it sounds delish!