Quiche Me, Kate!
Labels: one dish meals
Thursday, August 03, 2006
Quiche is considered fast food at home. Our home, that is. It's right up there with salads and sandwiches. Of course, making a quiche is anything but fast, but if you can get your hands on ready-made shortcrust pastry, it does help cut down the time involved. However, the Dutchess likes to make things from scratch (out of vanity, I suppose) so shortcrust pastry is not spared either.
Another reason why we love quiche at home is that I can make it earlier on in the day and reheat it when the husband comes home late from work at night. The perennial favourite is Quiche Lorraine. I make it at least once a month and am almost on auto-pilot while doing so.
Here is my recipe and step-by-step instructions. I don't normally do photo tutorials (it's hard to hold a camera and cook at the same time - I'm not that dextrous) but a girlfriend of mine wanted me to unravel the mystery of quiche making. So what better way than through photos?
Shortcrust pastry
Ingredients
250g flour
125g butter
1 pinch of salt
1 egg yolk
water
Filling
Ingredients
250g bacon, cut into small strips
200g gruyere or swiss cheese, coarsely grated
2 eggs
2 egg yolks
250ml whipping cream
250ml milk
salt
pepper
1/8tsp nutmeg
Here's how to:
1. Make a well in flour. Place cubed butter, egg yolk and pinch of salt in it.
2. Using fingertips, slowly combine ingredients, adding a bit of water as you go along.
3. Knead until dough is smooth. Let it rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
4. Lightly dust surface and rolling pin with flour. Roll out dough.
5. Gently place rolled out dough into a pie dish. Line with fingers. Run rolling pin over the edges of dish to trim off excess dough.
6. Cover pie dish with aluminium foil. Weigh pastry down with a plate so that it doesn't rise during baking. You may also use beans for this purpose. Bake in preheated oven at 180C for 40 minutes or until lightly golden brown.
7. Saute bacon. Drain fat. Set aside.
8. In a mixing bowl, add in eggs, egg yolks, whipping cream, milk, salt, pepper and nutmeg.
9. Mix well. Set aside.
10. Spread sauteed bacon in baked pastry shell. Spread grated gruyere. Pour in quiche mixture, filling it to the rim.
11. Bake in oven at 180C for 30-40 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool for about 5-10 minutes before cutting. Serve warm.
12. Lekker!
Note: I find the recipe good as it is. If, like the husband, you prefer your quiche firmer, you can reduce the milk to 150ml and add in an extra egg yolk. I skip the salt because the bacon is flavourful enough and also, I do not need the extra water retention around my hips.
The Dutchess of Cookalot whipped this up at 6:34 am
: August 07, 2006 1:04 am : August 10, 2006 3:10 am