Last week, on one of those nights where you wake up at 7:30pm, having fallen asleep to the sweet sounds of npr-in-the-evening, I impulsively decided that it was not another night for 2 (by 2 I mean 3) glasses of wine and cold cheese and crackers, with a side of sad and lonely, and the company of tv-on-the-computer; and that, being a grown-up, I would make a proper meal.
I have the cookbook, after all, right? shit ya!
Impulsive dinner-preparation starting at 8pm can go in two very different directions.
It can be a disaster, and leave you feeling lonelier that you began.
But it can save the night.
Tomato and Goat Cheese Quiche totally saved the night.
Yay to being grown-up enough that I had eggs and milk and goat cheese and plum tomatoes and a bit of flour and butter in my fridge (even if not grown up enough to stay up after work until a normal bedtime).
Here's the weird thing -- as you may have garnered from past posts, I'm not an egg-fan! I can hardly stand to think about them. but every now and then an egg-based meal seems do-able.
This recipe serves 6. Confession: I ate 3 people's quiche that night. I'm not even embarrassed because it felt so good and tasty and wholesome.
I had thought, going into it that I'd have dinner and lunches for the week. ...try 2 days.
In fact this was so good, I couldn't get it out of my head, and talked about it with a lot of people, and kept thinking about the next time I'd be able to eat and/or make more T-G-C-Quiche.
This quiche, and the obsession it triggered in me, was so basic and satisfying, that I'm left to think my love/need for it has to do with a protein-trigger/vegetarian deficit thing I've got going on without knowing it. (I guess I've lapsed with the beans and nuts?...and been too reliant on the milk-fat and bread?) and for that, I say, amen--blessed be. ...as long as this eggy fat dish doesn't make me think about eggs and has me driven to have more, I'm going to ride it -- I'd rather guzzle a dozen eggs than eat fake-soy-meat. Seriously, soy protein in it's myriad forms might be the most fucking disgusting item available to consumers. like it should be right next to the jar of pig knuckles.
So I'll do a little egg-time -- as long as it tastes good.
OK.
I've now made this 3 times.
the first as above.
the second yesterday in baby-quiche form for a new year's eve party.
and the third, this afternoon, in an ingenious using-leftover way!
notes:
But it can save the night.
Tomato and Goat Cheese Quiche totally saved the night.
Yay to being grown-up enough that I had eggs and milk and goat cheese and plum tomatoes and a bit of flour and butter in my fridge (even if not grown up enough to stay up after work until a normal bedtime).
Here's the weird thing -- as you may have garnered from past posts, I'm not an egg-fan! I can hardly stand to think about them. but every now and then an egg-based meal seems do-able.
This recipe serves 6. Confession: I ate 3 people's quiche that night. I'm not even embarrassed because it felt so good and tasty and wholesome.
I had thought, going into it that I'd have dinner and lunches for the week. ...try 2 days.
In fact this was so good, I couldn't get it out of my head, and talked about it with a lot of people, and kept thinking about the next time I'd be able to eat and/or make more T-G-C-Quiche.
This quiche, and the obsession it triggered in me, was so basic and satisfying, that I'm left to think my love/need for it has to do with a protein-trigger/vegetarian deficit thing I've got going on without knowing it. (I guess I've lapsed with the beans and nuts?...and been too reliant on the milk-fat and bread?) and for that, I say, amen--blessed be. ...as long as this eggy fat dish doesn't make me think about eggs and has me driven to have more, I'm going to ride it -- I'd rather guzzle a dozen eggs than eat fake-soy-meat. Seriously, soy protein in it's myriad forms might be the most fucking disgusting item available to consumers. like it should be right next to the jar of pig knuckles.
So I'll do a little egg-time -- as long as it tastes good.
OK.
I've now made this 3 times.
the first as above.
the second yesterday in baby-quiche form for a new year's eve party.
and the third, this afternoon, in an ingenious using-leftover way!
notes:
The Joy says to use Pat-in-the-Pan Butter Dough (page 666) or Basic Pie or Pastry Dough (page 665). I decided to go for the basic pastry dough. Hating vegetable shortening, and obviously not going to use the lard of the basic dough, what I made was closer to the Deluxe Butter Pie or Pastry Dough [Pâte Brisée] (page 665)...but even that calls for some v.shortening, and I replaced that with butter.it was fine. good even. delicious.
All butter.
Because I'm rich.
no. actually because vegetable shortening is so gross an innovation I can't even think about it without vomiting. and while I'm sure I unwittingly consume it and love it regularly, I would never ever be able to buy it or cook with it. I don't care how fantastically flaky it makes crusts.
The custard mix calls for more half-and-half than milk -- I reversed this. still an awful lot of half-and-half to throw into a dinner, if you ask me. ...and it was fine. didn't miss the 1/4 cup of fat amidst the fat....
Dried parsley works fine. use a heaping teaspoon. it's winter. why spend $2 on fresh parsley, of which you'll use 1/10 before it goes soupy in the crisper drawer?
Same for dried basil. I'd use fresh if I had it--basil would never go to goop in my fridger, whatever season--I could eat it plain...but the recent bunches of basil I've seen have screamed wet-rot and poor washing, if not e coli. not worth the money/food-rot-belly. the taste of fresh basil can wait for summer or whenever the shops have vibrant bunches.
Dried basil, a giant heaping tablespoon, filled the wintery-cold void.
Recipe calls for brushing crust with a yolk, and then using 3 full eggs in the custard. Because I have egg-issues (too many gross me OUT) & food-wasting issues (I don't use enough eggs to save whites--and they just seem too sacred/valuable to toss down the drain) & still have a compulsive recipe-following-need, I did some gut-equations, used a yolk to brush the crust, and used the yolk's white and two eggs for the custard. no impact noticed. voila. recession-Joy!
notes on the 3 Variations:
for the 1st run, straight-up T-G-C-Quiche, with my version of rich flaky pastry crust, I misread (didn't read) the instructions, and did not bake the crust first, before filling.
I, having a Prole-palette admittedly, didn't miss the pre-baking.
2nd run -- Quiche-Babies!! pain in the neck to press the "pat-in-the-pan" butter crust (page 666) into muffin tins. I'd do it better next time. not as much dough needed in each tin! I did pre-bake them though. in the end, they were a little dark--but came out of the pan beautifully (thank you fat-content!)...and served their purpose: pretty party food.nostalgia-recollection: when my mom had her business, in the Bonfire of the Vanities heyday, fancy food trends were all about tiny incarnations of regular fancy food. I remember the plates of perfect baby quiche. I hated the idea of eating quiche (egg! vomit!) ... but I admired the perfection. ...I thought of those images about a million times last night. how did she do that--so perfectly--in addition to the 20 other things she'd make for a party? ...also, I made 24. I think she'd make 100 at a time.3rd run -- New Year's Day -- remnants -- had half of the filling left over in a jar in the refrigerator from last night's babies. did up a proper butter pastry crust--pre-baked it (pre-baking definitely makes it pretty and shiny), sliced the remaining tomatoes, and filled it up! awesome. so freaking good. Let it be known: slicing half of the called for tom.s into 1/8s instead of 1/4s and spoking them in the dish, and using half of the prescribed filling totally worked--and didn't even look lesser-than. Super-Recession-Joy!
I have had one terrific slice. And will have another before midnight!
Happy 2010.
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