Sunday, July 14, 2013

A Little Bastille Day Brunch


We had our blow-em-up day, now the French will have theirs. True, our independence wasn't based on cutting the heads off nobles, but it should have been. I usually forget Bastille Day and I think, merde, I forgot Bastille Day again. This year, I remembered it and baked a beautiful quiche pour un. If the apron doesn't say Francophile or spinster, I don't know what does. It comes courtesy of a friend of mine who visited Paris last fall. I remember really wanting it when I was in Paris, but too ashamed to buy it for myself. 

"Aidez-Moi, Je suis Pauvre"...Quiche Lorraine


I had the best quiche lorraine in Paris shortly after my traveling companion puked into the Seine. It's a lovely memory. Some recipes will try to tell you that you need a special quiche pan. I'm not even trying to hear that. I've never seen this so-called "quiche pan." Quiches are great because you can basically clean out your fridge, bake it with some eggs and voila! Quiche. I actually used a traditional recipe here because it's France day! Quiche is also tres cheap especially when you use Swiss instead of gruyere, and French people were poor during the revolution...

You will need the following

For the crust..
1-1/4 c flour 
1 stick butter
1 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic salt
pepper & dry thyme 

for the filling..
5 eggs
2 c whole milk
3 strips cooked bacon
1 c shredded Swiss cheese
1/2 sliced sweet onion
2 tsp dried thyme
Salt & pepper
dash of paprika 


Step 1: Make a savory pie crust by combining dry ingredients and cold butter cut into coarse crumbs. Add 3-4 tablespoons ice water and roll out. Chill dough while making filling. *Add some shredded cheese to the crust if you want. 


Step 3: Preheat oven to 425. Grate cheese, slice onions, cook and crumble bacon, set aside. Whisk together milk, eggs and seasonings in a mixing bowl. Press pastry into dish and bake ten minutes. 


Step 4: Reduce oven to 325. Layer lightly browned pastry with bacon, onion, cheese and thyme. Pour egg mix over and bake one hour or until solid. Allow to cool completely before serving.


*I used a pie bird to keep the filling from bubbling over.

Vive la France!

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