Cooking With Author Jennifer Delamere

Today we welcome novelist Jennifer Delamere to the Patchwork Quilt Blog for my Cooking With Authors segment. She has a recipe for us and a new novel.

Take it away, Jennifer!


Crowd-Pleasing Quiche

Pastry for 1 deep-dish pie crust (never having mastered crust-making, I like the pre-made kind you can unroll, which is found in the refrigerator section)
1 1/2 cups (6 oz) grated cheddar cheese
3-4 oz diced ham (the more finely cut, the better)
3 eggs
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon powdered mustard
1/4 teaspoon black pepper (or more, according to taste)
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or dash of hot sauce)
1/8 teaspoon salt (optional) (I like Lowry’s seasoned salt)

Arrange pastry in a 9-inch, deep-dish pie pan. (I like to use a glass pan.) Spread the cubed ham evenly over the bottom. Spread the shredded cheese evenly over the ham.

Gently beat eggs together. Blend in cream, milk, and seasonings. Pour over the cheese.

Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes. Remove from oven and let sit for 15 minutes before eating. (Waiting is the hard part! But it gives the quiche time to settle and firm up.)

Cut into wedges and serve warm. Enjoy a larger serving as a main course, or cut the quiche into smaller pieces to serve at parties. (For parties, I cut the pie into 12 slices. It’s always the first item gone at the potluck!)

Variations: For a vegetarian quiche, replace ham with gently cooked broccoli or other veggie, enough to cover the bottom of the pie dish. I have also used vegetarian sausage. Try varying the cheese for a change of flavor. This recipe is endlessly adaptable!

About the book

Since she was young, Alice McNeil has seen success as a telegrapher as the best use for her keen and curious mind. Years later, she has yet to regret her freedom and foregoing love and marriage, especially when she acquires a coveted position at an important trading firm. But when the company’s ambitious junior director returns to London, things begin to change in ways Alice could never have imagined.

For Douglas Shaw, years of hard work and ingenuity enabled him to escape a life of grinding poverty. He’s also determined to marry into high society—a step that will ensure he never returns to the conditions of his past. He immediately earns Alice’s respect by judging her based on her skills and not her gender, and a fast camaraderie forms.

However, when Alice accidentally angers a jealous coworker and his revenge threatens both their reputations, Alice and Douglas are forced to confront what is truly important in their lives. Will their growing bond give them the courage to see the future in a different light?


About the Author

Jennifer Delamere’s novels have won many accolades, including Romance Writers of America RITA® award finalist, a starred review from Publishers Weekly, and the Georgia Romance Writers Maggie Award for Excellence. Jennifer earned a B.A. in English from McGill University in Montreal, Canada, where she became fluent in French and developed an abiding passion for winter sports. She’s been an editor of nonfiction and educational materials for over two decades. She loves reading classics and histories, which she mines for the vivid details to bring to life the people and places in her books.


Connect with Jennifer.


Get a copy of her novel at Amazon or wherever books are sold.