Instead of sweet treats for Valentine’s Day, let’s consider it’s savory side. As in gooey mounds of cheese, golden carmelized onions and smoky bacon, cloaked in creamy custard. That’s right, quiche. Who wouldn’t want a quiche on a day set aside for romance?
I learned at an early age that people really appreciate a home-cooked meal. In fact, in the world of love, food must be the primary language. OK, secondary!
Part of it is the time factor. Folks realize that cooking takes time. And giving up even a little of such a precious commodity always turns heads.
Of course, some things require more time than others. Like the first quiche I ever made for the family, at the ripe old age of 12.
This particular recipe was a spin-off from the traditional quiche Lorraine in Julia Child’s “Mastering The Art of French Cooking,” and the part that piqued my interest had to do with the onions.
In my limited experience at that time, onions were typically relegated to supporting cast status, worthy of little fuss. But in Julia’s recipe, there was a full paragraph devoted to exactly how long and at what temperature the huge mountain of thinly sliced yellow onions sitting on my cutting board should be cooked.
The directions were specific: “Cook the onions in a very heavy skillet with the oil and butter over very low heat, stirring occasionally until they are extremely tender and a golden yellow. This will take about an hour.”
Imagine that! Devoting so much burner time to plain old onions. What effect could time and temperature possibly have on such a pungent vegetable?
In spite of my skepticism, I managed to stick with the directions long enough to be rewarded with the answer.
I’ve adapted the following recipe from “Mastering the Art of French Cooking.”
2pounds chopped yellow onions
3tablespoons butter
1 1/2tablespoons flour
3eggs
2/3cup light cream (half and half)
1teaspoon salt
Pinch of nutmeg
4slices bacon, cooked to very crisp state, and crumbled
About 3/4 cup grated Swiss cheese (3 ounces)
19-inch partially cooked pastry shell (recipe follows)
Saute the onions in a heavy skillet with the butter over very low heat, stirring occasionally until they are extremely tender and a golden yellow. This will take about an hour. Sprinkle with the flour, mix well, and continue to cook slowly for another 3 minutes or so. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
Whisk together the eggs and cream in a bowl. Blend in the salt, pepper and nutmeg. Arrange the onions in the bottom of the pastry shell, then sprinkle on the bacon pieces. Pour the egg custard over the onions and sprinkle on the cheese. Bake in the upper third of a preheated 375 degree oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the quiche has puffed and browned.
Adapted from “Mastering The Art of French Cooking,” by Julia Child, Louisette Bertholle, and Simone Beck
1 1/2cups all-purpose flour
1/4teaspoon salt
6tablespoons cold butter, cut into small pieces
2tablespoons vegetable shortening, cut into small pieces
About 41/2 tablespoons ice water
Place the flour, salt, butter and shortening in a large bowl. Rub the flour and fat together rapidly between the tips of your fingers until the fat is broken into pieces the size of oatmeal flakes. Don’t over-blend. Using a pastry knife or two forks, add the ice water, a little at a time, mixing until it just starts to hold together. Press the dough firmly into a roughly shaped ball. It should just hold together and be pliable, but not damp and sticky.
Knead it briefly into a fairly smooth ball, then sprinkle lightly with flour and wrap in a sheet of waxed paper. Chill by either placing in the freezing compartment for a short time, or for about 1 to 2 hours in the refrigerator (it could even be left overnight).
When ready to roll out the pastry, sprinkle your work surface and rolling pin with flour flour and roll the pastry out into a circle 1/8-to 1/4-inch thick. It should be about 15 inches in diameter.
Butter a 9-inch pie tin. Place the crust in the pan and press gently to line the inside. Lift the edges of the overhanging dough and work it gently down the inside edges of the shell, which will make the shell a little thicker and sturdier. Now pinch and crimp the top to create a decorative edge.
To partially bake the shell, first line the pastry with buttered, lightweight foil. Fill the center with dry beans or rice. The weight of the beans will hold the pastry against the side of the pan during baking. Bake in the middle level of a preheated 400 degree oven for about 8 or 9 minutes, or until the pastry seems set. Remove the foil and beans, prick bottom of the pastry with a fork to keep bubbles from forming. Return to the oven for 2 or 3 minutes and as soon as the shell begins to color and shrink from the sides, remove from oven.
A perfect nibble for Feb. 14 – when leeks are primo and love is in the air.
2tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2large leeks (white and pale green portions), thinly sliced, to measure 21/2 cups
1/2cup finely chopped fine-quality ham, such as Black Forest
2tablespoons dry sherry
1 1/2cups coarsely grated Monterey Jack cheese
19-inch quiche crust, partially baked (your own recipe or the previous recipe for quiche pastry)
4eggs
3/4cup half and half
1/2teaspoon salt
1/4teaspoon white pepper
Preheat the oven to 370 degrees.
In a medium-size frying pan, heat the oil and saute the leeks until soft. Add the ham and dry sherry and saute for another few minutes to combine; set aside.
Sprinkle the cheese on the bottom of the cooked and cooled pie shell, then add the leek mixture. In a bowl, whisk together the eggs, half and half, salt, and white pepper and pour over the leeks. Place the tart on a baking sheet and bake until the center of the pie barely wiggles when gently bumped, about 40 minutes.
Jan Roberts-Dominguez is a Corvallis, Ore., food writer, cookbook author and artist. Readers can contact her by e-mail at janrd@proaxis.com.
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