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| Crustless quiche. Photo: Pink of Perfection. |
We panic a tad in moments like this and scramble right to our happy comfort place -- mentally cataloging the contents of our fridge, flipping the pieces this way and that until they interlocked and a picture formed.
The ham, gotta get through the ham. Well it could go with the red cabbage ... no, no ... the scallions. And eggs, oh right! We remembered to buy eggs. Tortilla espanola? Oh wait, got it -- still have that puff pastry left over from the Eccles cakes and that makes ... sacre damn bleu! We've got the makings for a serious quiche -- if we can actually get into the house.
By some strange miracle (we like to think it's The Secret, of course) our beloved husband materialized on the same train car two stops before ours, and in lieu of a civilized "Hi honey, how was your day?" we collapsed into him sighing "We'regonnahavequichetonightpleasedon'targue." Once in the house, we made a beeline for the Julia Child to verify proportions, and got to rolling, chopping, whisking -- grateful not to have to think, just to act. Half an hour later, there was a ridiculously delicious quiche in front of us, without single extra cent or second spent at the grocery store.
Perhaps y'all are more forward-thinking than some of us, but when do you actually decide what's going to be for dinner that night? Do you cook it all up on Sunday, and apportion throughout the week? Do you daydream about what's on hand and pick up any extra ingredients on the way home? Or do you stand in front of the fridge, staring, and make do with what's in front of you?
As much as I love eggs, quiche was never one of my favorite dishes. I could appreciate the taste, but a few bites would always be more than enough. Nevertheless, the other day I decided to make one for myself and it makes all the difference.
Forget recipes with carefully measured ingredients. The key to a perfect quiche is filling it with tastes you love. It's that simple. If you don't want it to be too eggy, use less egg and more filler. If you want it to be less dry, fill it up with your favorite cheeses. If you hate to eat eggs without bread, make sure some grainy flavor and texture comes through in the pie crust.
The above quiche is a super-quick crab and asparagus. The crust was a quick recipe from RecipeZaar, that I threw a little multigrain flour into, as well as an extra cup of ground, toasted pine nuts. The asparagus was chopped and blanched for a few minutes while the quiche came together -- the crust, a generous layer of crab (imitation in this case) and asparagus, plus some chopped shallots, fresh basil and a mixture of leftover cheese. The eggs where whipped up with a generous helping of sour cream and poured in, and the quiche was baked at 350 until the top was firm and gentle pressure didn't release uncooked streams of gelatinous egg.
The pine nuts offered an excellent toasty flavor while the creamy eggs and cheese melded perfectly with the basil, crab, and asparagus. But really -- the flavor is up to you.
What's your favorite quiche flavor combination?
As I mentioned in a previous post, I'm in the process of working my way through my family's cookbook. One of the contributors was my neighbor and babysitter, Edie. In addition to teaching me how to make a mean gin and tonic, as well as the basics of ceramic sculpture, Edie also took it upon herself to ensure that I had a strong education in the essentials of gourmet cookery. Among other things, this meant keeping a jar full of dried mushrooms in the kitchen, as she felt that it signaled to all visitors "that one was a true gourmet."Continue reading Flashback to the Seventies - Chili Cheese Cubes
Ah, the creamy savory quiche that exudes a delicious aroma from the window of the French boulangerie and patîsserie! For some reason, I have not been able to find the same passion for quiche in NY that obviously exists in Paris.
Here in New Mexico, they put green chile in everything. EVERYTHING. Eggs. Cheeseburgers. Steak. Salad. Ice Cream (seriously). Even the Dunkin' Donuts has a little hand-lettered sign letting you know you can have green chile on your breakfast sandwich. 
Years ago I went out with a girl whose mother was named Lorraine. I'm not sure if she ever made quiche or not, but I probably wouldn't have eaten it. If you recall, real men don't eat quiche.
Today is National Quiche Lorraine Day. Here's a classic recipe from Betty Crocker, and here's one from the great food blog Slashfood. Hey wait a minute, that's us!
If your name happens to be Lorraine, leave a comment below. And if you happen to be a quiche, also leave a comment.
I'm not really sure what to make of this recipe from iconic British Australian comedienne (comedian?) Dame Edna. It's for Aftermath Quiche ("Aftermath" as in what you should eat the morning after a late night party), but some of the instructions are rather vague. "Assorted canapes and party leftovers in general?" What exactly does that mean? Can I throw in vegetables? Party dip? Leftover chili? Candy corn?
Looks interesting though. Full recipe after the jump (and check out the other cool celebrity recipes at Frank DeCaro's site).
Let them eat cake! Yellow cake, to be precise, with chocolate frosting.
Squash has so many uses. I'm talking about the food, not the sport. 
Remember the saying, "Real Men Don't Eat Quiche" from the 1980's? Whoever said this -- I think it was comedian Lewis Grizzard -- didn't factor in one important consideration when it comes to both men and to quiche: men like picnics and picnics like quiche. 
Alanna, who writes the column (and blog) Kitchen Parade, has done it again. Even after cooking through a whole year's worth of different vegetable recipes, she still can come up with more! This Asparagus Custard Tart, for example, is a gorgeous example of what to do with fresh, spring asparagus. The tart is much lighter than a quiche and not nearly as eggy, though still very satisfying. It has a short, simple list of ingredients that blend together to produce a brilliant dish. Alanna slices it into eighths and serves it with a side salad as a main course, but with a fruit salad it could also make a lovely brunch or item. Don't be put off by the crust, either. If you're pastry-challenged, you can use Pillsbury refrigerated dough.
Drying fruit is easy, mostly hands-off and yields a sweet and healthy snack.
What Can I Get You Folks? - Server Revenge
Reality-Show Celebrities Serve Up Chef Curtis Stone's 'Hundred-Dollar Burger'
Foods Celebrity Chefs Hate| # | Blogger | Posts | Cmts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Slashfood Editor | 47 | 0 |
| 2 | Alexa Weibel | 36 | 2 |
| 3 | Sarah LeTrent | 34 | 1 |
| 4 | Hanna Raskin | 22 | 0 |
| 5 | Monika Bartyzel | 22 | 0 |
| 6 | Sara Bonisteel | 16 | 0 |
| 7 | Emily Farris | 11 | 0 |
| 8 | Jennifer Lawinski | 11 | 0 |
| 9 | Jennifer Iserloh | 9 | 0 |
| 10 | Lisa Schweitzer | 9 | 0 |
| 11 | Kat Kinsman | 8 | 2 |
| 12 | Michael Thomas Hastings | 8 | 0 |
| 13 | Mike Pomranz | 5 | 0 |
| 14 | Joshua M. Bernstein | 4 | 2 |
| 15 | Erin Meister | 4 | 0 |
| 16 | Jose Ralat Maldonado | 4 | 1 |
| 17 | Max Shrem | 4 | 0 |
| 18 | LeNell Smothers | 3 | 0 |
| 19 | John Devore | 3 | 0 |
| 20 | David Koeppel | 2 | 0 |
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