"quiche" news and stories

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.

Food historians have traced the quiche back to the Ancient Roman patinea (cheesecake) composed of eggs, cream, and spices in a crust. However, they attribute the Lothringen medieval Germanic kingdom, located in the current region of Lorraine, with producing what we think of today as the modern quiche or the quiche Lorraine.

In Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Julia Child says that the classic quiche Lorraine contains heavy cream, eggs and bacon, no cheese. Even to those who are not quiche enthusiasts, it's clear that there are several different kinds of quiche. Below are 8 recipes for quiche that I highly recommend:

1. Spinach and goat cheese quiche
2. Salmon and leek quiche
3. Zucchini, bacon, and gruyère quiche
4. Zucchini, broccoli, and onion quiche
   
5. Mushroom shallot quiche
6. Sausage and red bell pepper quiche
7. Cabbage-caraway quiche
8. Quiche Lorraine

What's you're favorite kind of quiche?

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.

But one of my very favorite green chile delicacies has been the green chile and cheese pie. A local cafe does a great version, thick and eggy and oozing with asiago. Gourmet Sleuth has a similar recipe, for a green chile quiche with bacon. Substitute real New Mexico green chiles and some asiago for the Monteray Jack, and you're in business. Next time I'm going to add a healthy pinch of cayenne and serve this for brunch with salad.

Source

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.

It's almost a given that you need an egg dish for brunch, but you don't need to limit yourself to scrambled eggs or an omelet. Nothing wrong with either choice, of course, but there are other options. Why not try a quiche? All you need is a pie crust, a good quiche base recipe, and whatever fillings you want to throw in there.

You can get great pie shells in your supermarket freezer. Just bake the pie shell about half to three quarters of the way, put in your chosen fillings, and pour the quiche liquid over the top. Then bake that at 325F for about half an hour or til it's done. You can find lots of quiche ideas here, as well as a recipe for the actual quiche liquid.

I grew up eating crustless quiche. My mother, always looking for a way to save on the calories and fat content in a recipe gave up making crusts for her quiches long before I was born. In recent years, she stopped making them all together, in an attempt to reign in her cholesterol. This is why I was fairly surprised when she called me the other day to tell me that she had discovered the easiest quiche recipe ever. However, when I asked if she had used a crust, she responded with shock in her voice, "Of course not!"

So folks, in anticipation of the weekend, when one of you might want to whip up a simple Saturday or Sunday brunch dish, I offer you my mom's new, very easy quiche recipe. You don't have to make it crustless, but if you do, you can indulge a little more in a scone or muffin.