Cooking Through Magnolia Table In A Year: Week 15

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Happy Easter! As week 15 of cooking through Magnolia Table in a year landed on the week leading to Easter, we have been able to enjoy these recipes with a variety of family and friends. Despite the unusual blend of recipes and ratings, this week provided much conversation around our dinner table and our town in general which has been such a fun experience. While the Baked Bruschetta (p.143) and Cinnamon Squares (p.63) were well loved, the Asparagus & Fontina Quiche (p.27) required a more specific taste to be enjoyed, so read on to know our thoughts on each!

Baked Bruschetta

Absolutely beautiful to display and very easy to make, this Baked Bruschetta is a definite crowd pleaser. With buttery crispy toast, soft Fontina cheese, tangy tomatoes and fresh basil, this bruschetta is a delight to create. To provide a little dish between church and Easter lunch, I made this Bruschetta as an appetizer for everyone to enjoy, which we most certainly did. By preparing the bread the day before as Joanna mentions, the assembly is quick, easy, and works great as an appetizer for a large crowd. Do be sure to serve with little plates or napkins however as the tomatoes have a tendency to dart off the French bread if you aren’t careful.

Crowd Average Rating:

With all ratings given being above a 7, this Baked Bruschetta recipe comes in with a solid average rating of an 8. The combination of flavors and textures makes this dish a wonderful appetizer that feels fresh and does not sit so heavy as to ruin your upcoming meal. While the final result was wonderful, the only suggestion I would have for next time would be to decrease some of the required ingredients.

Cooking Through Magnolia Table In A Year: Week 15 - Baked Bruschetta

For example, the recipe calls for 2 sticks of butter when buttering the bread, however I used less than a stick, which provided plenty of buttery flavoring and crispiness for our French bread. Perhaps we had a smaller French bread loaf than some, but either way I do believe the butter required could be slightly lessened. Similarly, I had a large amount of vinegar mixture remaining from the tomatoes, so likely I would reduce the required amount of balsamic vinegar as well. Neither of these changes would at all change the flavoring of the recipe, however for me at least, they would help to reduce the waste of ingredients I had remaining.

Asparagus & Fontina Quiche

When first reading the recipe for the Asparagus and Fontina Quiche, I was slightly skeptical for the inclusion of asparagus within a quiche. While I love asparagus, I was unsure how it would translate into quiche form, and I found that it just requires a specific audience. Other than the peeling, this recipe is fairly quick to make which certainly is a bonus. The blend of the cheeses and egg provide a wonderfully creamy base that is delicious, very flavorful and pairs well with the crust. I can’t say that the addition of the asparagus to this base was perhaps my favorite, but for others around our table it certainly was, so I do believe it depends on preference (much like the Mushroom, Spinach & Swiss Cheese Quiche from Week 6!).

Crowd Average Rating:

With the ratings ranging from a 0 to a 10 and several in between, this Asparagus & Fontina Quiche gained an average rating of a 5. The polarization of the recipe largely depends on someone’s preference for asparagus. While the cheese mixture accents the asparagus, the asparagus certainly has the predominate flavoring, so it must be a flavor that you prefer already.

Similarly, 3 out of the 4 of us tried this quiche for breakfast, however I believe it would be much better received as a lunch or dinner dish. As my sister-in-law had a slice with lunch, she absolutely loved it and thought it was fantastic. Traditionally, I have eaten asparagus with lunch or dinner, instead of breakfast, so the time of day very well could have influenced the ratings of those of us that typically do enjoy eating asparagus.

Cinnamon Squares

As Charlie doesn’t eat much cinnamon, I passed the majority of these Cinnamon Squares on to family, friends and neighbors and wow…let me tell you…they were well loved! A unique form of a cinnamon roll, these Cinnamon Squares are layered with sweet goodness that are wonderful straight from the oven. Joanna was right when she said that this recipe provides every bite with a wonderful mix of dough and cinnamon sweetness, and while the recipe is more labor intensive, is certainly worth trying out.

Crowd Average Rating:

Our highest average rating this week (with more than 10 individual ratings!), the Cinnamon Squares gained the rating of a 9! Tested by those ranging in age from 18 to 92 and everywhere in between, the Cinnamon Squares are sure to be a crowd pleaser.

Despite the flavor of the pecans not being very strong, they certainly add a substantialness to each square that makes them quite hearty. Similarly, be sure to eat them when they are first cooked, or even rewarmed, as they truly are best when hot.

Looking Ahead – Week Sixteen

Week 16 Shopping List Includes:

Focaccia
Garlic
Butter
Parmesan cheese
Parsley
Spinach
Artichokes
Cream cheese
Mayonnaise
Gouda cheese

White pepper
Dill
Paprika
English muffins
Canadian bacon
Eggs
Milk
Heavy cream
Garlic powder
Lemon
Oats

Brown sugar
Cinnamon
Ginger
Almonds
Sweet cherries
Almond extract
Sugar
Cornstarch
Ice cream
Sea salt
Black pepper

Looking ahead at week 16 within our Cooking Through Magnolia Table In A Year Guide (you can download yours below!), this week will showcase Baked Spinach Artichoke Dip (p.139), Eggs Benedict Casserole (p.35), and Cherry Almond Crisp (p.279). Likely, from the last couple of weeks, you will be able to use any heavy cream, lemons, Parmesan cheese, parsley, white pepper, cinnamon, or other pantry staples you have on hand. As all three of these recipes will be new to me, I am so excited to try them out. I particularly love dips and fruit crisps, so the Spinach Artichoke Dip and Cherry Almond Crisp sound wonderful.

Final Thoughts

While this week gained a variety of ratings, the recipes were a lot of fun to try and certainly sparked conversation around our table. One happy surprise to me, was finding another cheese that I liked. As both the quiche and the bruschetta used Fontina cheese, I found that this addition was delicious, creamy, and certainly will be something I want to use again! Did you find any surprises within these recipes? Were you in love with the Asparagus & Fontina Quiche or did you have a similar response as the rest of us? If so, I’d love to know in the comment section below!

Happy cooking!