Bonjour,
Nous somme Lundi, and today I began my new job as barista and waitress at a creperie downtown. Hooray for income. So far, it's wonderful and I'm excited that I'll have an outlet for all my French obsession, and an inlet to learn more of the language I am falling in love with.
Today at work, watching George make the daily quiche, I learned that quiche does not always need to be accompanied by a crust. However, I am quite certain that my favorite part of any pie-like food is, in fact, the crust. So I am going to make a quiche of my own; only with one very important, however intimidating, component not left out. I love quiche because it does not belong to any particular meal time. You can enjoy quiche from breakfast though dinner. It's full of protein and keeps for days in the fridge. You can always change your recipe by mixing up your ingredients so really there are endless variations of quiche; what a great dish to start with.
Pie Crust is simple. Do not be intimidated. I feared that I would ruin my quiche by attempting my own crust but it turns out, the crust is still my favorite, and now most proud accomplishment in the making of this dish. Once I master this pie crust recipe I think I'll be safe to move on to dessert pies and even croissants. I started the same way I start every dish, I looked online for recipes and then made my own consensus about what could be adjusted or left out and then I dove right in and dirtied up the kitchen.
Here's what you need (makes 1 pie):
Utinsils:
Rolling Pin (wooden is best)
Pie Pan (8in and deep)
Ingredients:
1 cup flour
1/2 cup water
1 dash o' salt (don't be shy)
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter
First, I dice and smooth out the butter with the spatula that came with my rice maker. A meat pounder might also work. Use plastic wrap or wax paper and form a square of butter that's about 1/2 an inch thick. Put another piece of paper or wrap on top and toss it in the fridge while your dough sets. Measure out your water and then throw the salt in there. Add it to your flower and work into a ball as quickly as possible. If you don't work quickly you will have your dough in tiny little pieces all over the place and what you want is a uniform ball. Make sure your work space is covered with flour so nothing sticks. Set down your ball of dough and walk away for 40 minutes. Go put in a load of laundry or something.
Come back and your dough should be lookin' good. Now flatten it out. I try to make a diamond but this is impossible. So as close to a diamond shape as possible will do. Then get your square of butter out of the fridge and put it in the middle of your diamond.
Fold the corners over the butter like an envelope. you want to seal that butter in there so make sure it can't get out and tap on it a little.
Now you're going to roll and fold, making layers between the butter and the dough and THIS is what makes it flakey and impressive. Roll out your dough in one direction, like a rectangle and then fold it in thirds like a towel.
Do this 6 times total. The recipe I found told me to wait 20 minutes after the 2nd and 4th fold, so that's what I do. I feel like this is important bonding time between the butter and the dough. They need time to become friends. If your butter starts to escape from your dough while you are rolling, do not worry, just sprinkle with flour and continue. After your 6th fold, roll out into a circle to fit into your pie pan. Try to pinch the sides because they will sink down into your pan when it's baking if you don't. Now stick this guy in the freezer, pre-heat your oven to 400 and go change over your laundry.
10 minutes later, bake your crust for 10 minutes to allow it to set it's shape. When it's done, let it cool or stick it in the fridge until you're ready for your filling. I think the best idea is to refrigerate your crust until your absolutely ready to fill it and bake it and EAT it.
Now the easy part. Your crust looks amazing right and you could just eat it on it's own but try to hold out, it's only going to get better..
Here's what you'll need (1 Quiche Filling):
Ingredients:
4 eggs
1 cup creme fraiche (do not skimp and use half&half! the creme fraiche makes this what it is, trust me)
The rest of the ingredients are up to you
Today I'm making my quiche for a friend. She's very sad today because she's going through a break-up; So I call this my "Heart-Mending Quiche". It's full of flavor and comfort and it's sure to lift her spirits right up. Also it's classy enough to pair with wine, which, (who are we kidding?) will be included this evening.
I'm using 4 ounces of goat cheese, 1 onion (sliced, caramelized), 1 sweet potato (thinly sliced and sauteed), and 1 bunch of spinach (sauteed). You only need enough of each ingredient to layer in. I start with the spinach and onions, then potato, then cheese.
Now pour over your egg mixture, adding any herbs you like. I'm including some nutmeg this time, because it's almost fall and I like nutmeg. Now bake for 30-35 minutes at 400 and when the top starts to brown, your job is done.
I hope these pictures are helpful. I'm really excited to share all these recipes and French-style foods. I'm starting a list of dishes to teach myself and tackle. This weekend I decided to add Pain au Chocolat and Coconut Macaroons to my list so look for those coming soon. I love the fall season and look forward to using a lot of pumpkin and squash. Also, I can't wait to see what more inspirations I find at my new job. I'm really a lot happier to be back in the states than I had anticipated. But most of all, I'm happy to be back in the kitchen.
À bientôt et bon apetit!
This recipe was inspired by information found on the following websites: French Food and Cook & Easy French Food.
