Quiche is timeless and
adaptable to breakfast, lunch, or the middle of a Super Bowl when you’re out of
breath from watching freakishly large millionaires run up and down a grassy
field with an oblong, leather package.
And there’s nothing sissified
about quiche, at least not when I make it with onions, bacon, cheese, milk, and
eggs, and some chopped artichoke hearts, then bake it in a flaky,
mouth-watering crust. Goes well with
just about any unsweetened beverage you can name.
What are some common
complaints? Too eggy. Too
difficult. Too Frenchy. Too
Bridge-Party-With-the-Girls. What? You
don’t eat eggs, bacon, or onions? And,
my quiche is NOT eggy.
Quiche originally comes from
the Lorraine region of France, so yes, it is Frenchy. Wear a beret and speak with an accent like zis
and zat, if it makes you feel better.
Ok, so you’re all, like, “I
don’t like even eat, you know, the flesh of like living beings.”
Leave out the freaking bacon!
“But, I’m like you know a
vegan-tarian.” Fine. Want salt and
pepper with your onions and chopped artichoke?
Just got back from
Brussels. My wife dined on quiche for
breakfast. It was delicious, but I
figured I could do better than a restaurant’s baked-yesterday approach. So can you.
And, it’s not tough to do. And
you will get cheers, a bouquet of kisses, and an offer of all earthly delights.
“Quiche me quick!” Your wish, darlin’ is my ultimate pleasure.
This recipe will feed six polite
adults, or two teens. I used a 12 inch, deep dish pan.
First the pie dough, because
it needs to sit in the refrig, for an hour.
2
½ Cups all-purpose flour
½
Tablespoon Salt
½
Cup (1 Stick) of chilled butter
½
Cup shortening
4
Tablespoons ice water
Mix
the flour and salt. Using forks or a pastry cutter, cut the shortening
and butter into the flour. Sprinkle on the ice water. (I normally
do a bit of this and that, but the ice water should be measured, or the dough
will be too soggy.)
Cutting in the butter and shortening |
After adding the ice water. |
Note:
Do not use a food processor to make pie dough. The butter and shortening
will be cut in too finely and the crust will not be as flaky.
Press
the dough out into a rough circle, cover it front and back with plastic wrap
and put it in the refrigerator for at least an hour.
Getting the dough ready for the frig. |
Paint
the dough lightly with the white of one egg and bake it in a pre-heated oven at
375ºF for 15 minutes, or until it is a very light, golden tan. Note:
you will have egg white left over. Note:
The crust will recede when it is baked.
Now for the filling
¼ pound of bacon, fried
crisp, then chopped to half the size of your little fingernail.
6 Eggs, plus the extra egg
yolk, and leftover egg white you used to paint the crust
1/3 Cup artichoke hearts,
chopped. Marinated hearts are ok, but
use a paper towel to sop up the excess oil.
1 medium onion, peeled, halved
and sliced thinly
2 ½ Cups grated Gruyere, or a
similar cheese
2 Cups milk
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
Beat the eggs, nutmeg and
milk in a large bowl. Add everything
else and mix well. Pour it into your pie plate, making sure the cheese gets
spread evenly. Slip the pie in the
preheated oven and bake for 45 minutes, or until the top has brown spots and
when you shake the dish, the center of the quiche doesn’t wiggle.
Ready to go in the oven. This is a 12 inch, deep dish pan. |
No comments:
Post a Comment