Recently, I found myself at Pear Brook Farm, the home of our upstate neighbors Matthew, Chloe, and Minna. Locate just around the corner from The Woodhouse Lodge; Pear Brook Farm boasts gardens and style galore. Naturally, this perfect spot was the perfect place for a simple summer meal. Chloe, the lady of the house, is a fantastic cook and a master of easy breezy summer entertaining.  While I styled the table with new linens, vintage flatware, and flowers cut from the garden, Chloe whipped a simple summer quiche. Ready to hear all about our low-key brunch? Keep reading for the full recipe and sources!

The first recipe is a classic summer mix of ham and mushrooms. The second one is a spinach and fetta. A lot of the ingredients were from Chole’s garden.  Don’t despair if gardening isn’t your thing, ever thing Chloe used is relatively easy to find. I didn’t include the receipt for the crust here because the one Chloe (and I love) is by Rose Levy Beranbaum’s crust recipe. She swears by it, and I can attest that it’s a total winner!

Simple Summer Quiche With Ham Mushroom and Onion Quice

• 1/3 lb. ham diced
• One large onion diced
• A generous cup of diced shitake mushrooms
• About 1 tbsp. fresh marjoram (or thyme)
• About 4 oz. of cheese (fontina)
• Four eggs + 1 yolk (reserved from crust glazing white)
• 1 cup heavy cream
• Salt, Pepper, and Nutmeg to taste
• Sprinkle of Paprika

Preheat oven to 325*

Heat olive oil in a skillet, add onions ham and mushrooms and a pinch of salt. Sauté the onions until they are translucent. Cook the ham and mushrooms until they are browned.

In a separate bowl crack four eggs and add the reserved yolk and beat in 1 cup of heavy cream and about 1 tbsp of chopped fresh marjoram. Add salt, pepper, and nutmeg to taste. Set aside.

Line the bottom of the prepared pie shell with the ham mixture then sprinkle the crumbled Fontina on top. Next, pour the egg mixture over to about 1/4 inch below the top of the crust and sprinkle it with paprika. Bake on a parchment lined cookie sheet for 35-45 minutes or until the top is set.

Simple Summer Quiche With Fetta and Spinach

• 3-4 tbsp olive oil
• One med onion sliced thin
• 16 oz spinach
• 1/2 c chopped fresh dill
• 4 oz feta
• Four eggs + 1 yolk (reserved from crust glazing white)
• 1 cup heavy cream
• Salt, pepper, and nutmeg to taste (I love nutmeg in savory food)

Preheat oven to 325*

Heat the olive oil in a skillet, add the onions with a pinch of salt and cook until translucent, add spinach with another pinch of salt and cook until wilted. Once the mixture is cool, squeeze out most of the liquid and chop. Next, place the chopped vegetables in a bowl and stir in the fresh dill.

In a separate bowl crack four eggs and add the reserved yolk and beat in 1 cup of heavy cream add salt and pepper and nutmeg to taste. Set aside.

Line the bottom of the prepared pie shell with the spinach mixture then sprinkle the crumbled feta on top pour egg mixture over to about 1/4 inch below crust top. Grate fresh nutmeg on top. Bake on a parchment lined cookie sheet for 35-45 minutes

On The Rest of The Table

The salad and the flowers were both picked from Chole’s garden. Chloe dressed greens from the garden with cider vinegar from Westwind Orchard & Cidery and nothing else. She suggests skipping oils when the leaves of the greens are young and fragile. I for one did not miss the oil, at all!  In our beautiful vintage coups, we enjoyed sparkling rose, because it’s summer, enough said.  I picked this one up from our friends at the Reed Street Bottle Shop in Coxsackie NY.  On the table, I used Chloe’s vintage transferware plates and paired them with napkins and a runner from Minted. I love the way the geometric patterns give a modern edge to the vintage tablescape.

If you’re interested more summer entertaining tips be sure to check out the talented designers listed below. We all teamed up to share our summer party style.

Pretty Pink Tulips

shabby fufu

Classic Casual Home

Hello Lovely

Rough Luxe Lifestyle

Special thanks to Mary Ann and Cindy for hosting the  #ProjectDesignSummerEntertaining