A Perfect Day For A Picnic

Don't get me wrong, I love fall.  But when I looked out yesterday and saw the leaves falling, one thing jumped into my mind -- picnic.    Even in the cool middle of Fall, one can find  A Perfect Day For A Picnic.  We do have an incredible soft spot for picnic books.  Truth be told, most anything can be stuffed into a picnic basket.  I confess, it is not so much the food as it is the photos of picnics that draw us to picnic books. 

A Perfect Day For A Picnic starts out pretty perfect.  The book's spine is bound with a lovely red ticking.   Along with picnics, ticking is one of our favorite things, so we really couldn't resist.  Tori Finch provides just the ting one would want in a picnic cookbook; easy recipes and great pictures.  Who could resist a knobby old bicycle rested against a tree? 

Tucked in the picnic box, this take on a traditional quiche, but in a crust-less frittata version.

Frittata Lorraine

8 rashers smoked streaky bacon
1 small shallot, finely diced
1tsp olive oil
8 eggs
200ml crème fraîche
75g grated Gruyère cheese
Sea salt and ground black pepper

 Preheat the oven to 180C. Scrunch a sheet of baking parchment into a ball and then flatten it out (this will make it more malleable) and use to line a 20x28cm roasting tin. Put the bacon in a large frying pan with the shallots and olive oil and cook over a medium heat. Stir occasionally until golden and beginning to crisp up.

In a large jug or bowl, whisk together the eggs and crème fraîche, then stir in the bacon, shallots and fat from the pan. Add most of the Gruyère (saving a little to sprinkle on top) and season well.

Pour the mixture into the prepared pan, sprinkle with the remaining Gruyère and bake in the preheated oven for 30-35min until golden and set. You can eat it warm, or leave to cool, slice into wedges and pack into your cool box.

 I realize that it is still August, but September is looming, so get out there and picnic.