With the Olympics in Paris right around the corner, French recipes seem in order. One of my favorites is Quiche with all of its variations. This was one of the first recipes I learned to make. Its great appeal is that almost anything can be added to flavor it and it can be made ahead of time.
Quiche has a long history, with recorded dishes going back to the 12th century.
It is believed to have originated in Germany. The word quiche is French, but the dish itself originated in Lothringen, in Western Germany, which became “Lorraine” when the French annexed that territory. The term quiche is French for the German küche, which was a diminutive form of kuchen, meaning cake.
The most famous variation ‘quiche Lorraine’ was an open pie originally made with a yeast dough crust. That morphed into a more delicate shortbread or puff pastry crust with a filling of an egg and cream custard with smoked bacon. Over time, cheese was added to the dish that we now call quiche Lorraine. Now of course you’ll find quiche made with all manner of ingredients added to the custard including seafood, herbs and smoked meats.
Vegetarian versions of quiche abound, and this was thought to be a cause for rejection among males which found the dish “emasculating”. The expression “Real men don’t eat quiche,” became popular, and indeed, many men started refusing to eat quiche. Quiche had been very popular during the 1970’s, but during the 1980’s quiche consumption plummeted.
The origin of this phrase was the title of a book by humorist and screenwriter who wrote Real Men Don’t Eat Quiche. The title, and the content, was satirical. The ‘real men’ in the book supposedly sat around eating steak, drinking beer and wore flannel shirts, and never shared their feelings. The “Quiche-eaters” or wimps, otherwise known as “sensitive new age guys”, not only made and ate quiche, but also did the dishes, and of course, supported the feminist movement.
The book was a satirical examination of masculine stereotypes. The subtitle was “A Guidebook to All that is Truly Masculine”. This proved however, that as with most stereotypes, many men failed to see the satire.
The phrase took on its own life, and most of the people who repeated it had never read nor even heard of the book. The book started out as a facetious piece published by Bruce Feirstein in Playboy magazine:
A “Crustless” quiche is basically a frittata. A frittata, an Italian recipe, is something like a big baked omelet without the crust. I’ve included a recipe for my favorite frittata or the “crustless” quiche below for those who are intimidated by crust making. You shouldn’t be however. The crust that I’m suggesting is really simple.
Quiche tips:
- Premade pie shells are fine to use, just be sure to cut or pinch the height to the right size to accommodate the amount of filling you plan to use.
- The quiche is done cooking when the center slightly wobbles when shaken. If it doesn’t move at all it’s overcooked and won’t be as silky.
QUICHE LORRAINE
Serves 6 to 8
4 large eggs
1 cup whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
6 slices bacon cooked in a microwave or skillet until crisp and broken into small pieces
1 cup finely chopped onion cooked till soft in butter
1-1/2 cups shredded Gruyere or Gouda cheese
1 ten-inch prepared tart or pie shell (recipe follows)
Beat the eggs in a bowl until smooth and the stir in the milk, cream and salt and pepper to taste. Scatter the bacon, onions and cheese over the prepared pie shell. Place the pan on a rimmed cookie sheet (in case there is a leak) and pour in the egg mixture.
Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 35 to 40 minutes or until the quiche is puffed and just beginning to brown. Serve warm or at room temperature cut in slices.
Tart shell
Makes one nine- or 10-inch shell
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour plus more for dusting
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) chilled or frozen unsalted butter
3 tablespoons chilled vegetable shortening
1/4 cup or so ice water
Combine the flour, salt, butter and shortening in a food processor and pulse till you have a mixture that looks like coarse oatmeal, 6 – 8 pulses. Add water and pulse till 3 or 4 times more. Turn out the dough and gather into a ball.
Roll the dough out with a rolling pin on a lightly dusted floured surface into an approximately 1/2 inch circle. Gently lift dough into a 9 or 10 inch tart pan with removable bottom or a pie pan (preferably glass). Refrigerate until ready to fill.
Note: You can simply pour the egg filling into the unbaked shell or alternately prebake the crust which is generally preferred. Cut a square of foil large enough to cover the bottom and sides of the shell. Line the shell with the foil and weight the foil with a cup or so of dried beans or rice. Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 20 minutes. Lift the foil and weights from the shell and prick any bubbles with the point of a knife and bake for 5 minutes more. Transfer to a rack to cool before filling.
“CRUSTLESS” FRITTATA WITH BACON, POTATOES AND WALNUTS
Serves 4
1 1/4 cups (1 medium) sliced onion
2 teaspoons slivered garlic
1 cup red bell pepper, seeded, vein removed and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup toasted coarsely chopped walnuts
1/4 pound bacon, crisply cooked, drained and chopped
2 cups diced crisp cooked red potatoes (skin on)
Salt and freshly ground pepper
8 eggs, lightly beaten
3 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs such as chives, parsley, basil, tarragon, and/or dill
1 large firm ripe tomato, cored and thinly sliced
1/2 cup grated Gruyere or pepper jack cheese
In a 10-inch non-stick oven proof skillet over moderate heat, sauté the onions, garlic and peppers in olive oil until crisp tender and lightly colored. Add walnuts, bacon and potatoes and sauté a minute or two more. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Reduce heat to low and add the eggs and herbs and briefly stir to evenly distribute the eggs. Place pan 3 inches under a hot broiler and cook for 3 minutes or so or until the eggs are set and beginning to puff. Remove and lay tomato slices on top and sprinkle with cheese. Place under broiler again for a minute or so to melt cheese. Serve warm cut into wedges.
John Ash 2024
