Something weird is going on
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
I'm here people. And I've actually been writing - just not posting so much. I'm feeling oddly detached from my blog posts these days...like there's a crucial element of me-ness missing a lot of the time. That was one of the things that I heard most when people started reading me - those that knew me said they could hear my voice through the screen. And I knew exactly what they meant...but my voice isn't radiating through as much these days. So I'm holding off on posting as much until the me is back in the post.
Although while I'm here, I might as well tell you about my quiche-filled weekend. I haven't gotten around to posting the pictures yet, but I had a quiche extravaganza. As I have disclosed, I'm stubborn so I was determined to make my own crust. (And btw, I'm just as determined now to make a quiche with a pre-made crust and see if there's any freaking difference AT ALL.) I made the dough at various times during the day on Friday so that it would sit overnight as it's supposed to. I decided to try 2 different recipes. Despite the fact that everyone and their mother wrote about how difficult Thomas Keller's quiches were, I decided I should make one. In fact, it was probably BECAUSE of the fact that everyone said they were so hard. And let me tell you something - Thomas Keller's quiche was not my problem. His directions were clear, I followed them and I had a grand quiche at the end.
My biggest issue? Roquefort cheese (and he calls for a lot of it) is a bit rich when you're talking quiche. A quiche is rich enough without adding blue cheese to boot. Too much. I would make it again but fill it differently. While this quiche was by far that most time consuming (it's bigger so everything has to cook longer), it was actually the easiest.
The next recipe that I tried was from the restaurant Tartine in San Francisco. The filling had creme fraiche in it and I have to say that it fascinates me that this one food has so many different variations on fillings. They all have eggs and some sort of dairy but the kinds of dairy and different proportions are so vastly different that I feel like I could make quiche for weeks trying to find the best recipe. That's not happening in the near future however, because I am OVER quiche.
Anyhow, I made the Tartine crust recipe which was meant to be a bit thinner than the previous quiche. I made one in a pie plate and one in a tart pan. This recipe did NOT call for the crust to be anchored. Word to the wise. ALWAYS ANCHOR YOUR CRUST. Leave plenty of extra overhang and smoosh that baby to the side of the pan with all your might. If you don't, there is a good possibility that just a small little section of your crust will move itself down the side of the tart pan or pie dish. And it won't appear to be a problem - you'll just think that it looks a little funky. Until you pour the filling in and it leaks out of that one little side and underneath your beautiful crust and you end up having to do this:
Yes ladies and gentlemen, that is, indeed, a garbage can. And in it, my pie crust. This happened at 10 PM on Saturday night. And no, I did not plan poorly, I had already made 1 quiche, lemon bars, breakfast bread pudding, and homemade oreos
(which were amazing, thanks to Deb at Smitten Kitchen). I'd cooked the quiche crusts earlier but then they had to cool completely...So at 10 at night, I was ready to pour my filling with chicken sausage, mushrooms, onions, and mozzarella into that baby to bake. But instead, I had a quiche disaster. In case you forgot, let me remind you:
BUT I salvaged the filling and poured it into the tart instead and lo and behold THE SAME FUCKING THING HAPPENED ALL OVER AGAIN! I was NOT going down with this ship though...the tart shell was in a removable bottom pan and I worked quickly. I pulled the crust out of the pan completely, set it on a cookie sheet and shoved it in the oven. I figured it was worth a shot. Because one crust was all I had the energy left to make that night. The bottom stuck to the pan a little, but I slid a serrated edged knife under it and wallah! I had my quiche:
As you can see, the crust is not exactly even and it's not quite as pretty as the above quiche, but it tasted AMAAAAAAZING. I highly recommend this filling combo - it was the first to go.
So what did I do given that I was having 40 people for brunch and I had only 2 quiches? I did the only thing there was to do. It seemed far easier to make another crust than it did to get in my car, go to the grocery store and buy a crust. So I made it. The trial quiche I'd made last week called for a crust that didn't have to sit in the fridge for an hour, so I made that one. I made another basic filling with the Tartine recipe and filled it with spinach, shallots, and gruyere. I was in a bit of a rush given that it was now 11:15 at night and I'd been cooking for a full 12 hours, so I didn't let the crust brown as much as I should have, but I have to say, all things considered, it was pretty fabulous.
I knew that no matter what, I had my dad's famous breakfast bread pudding recipe and there was no way I could go wrong with that. Sorry - no pictures...I was too busy running around the house like a maniac 10 minutes before people arrived.
The lemon bars were my best yet (thank you Ina, who should be renamed the Barefoot Goddess as far as I'm concerned)
and the oreos are now a permanent fixture in my repertoire.
OHHHHHHH - and if you want an instant crowd pleaser, then put your bacon on a cookie sheet, sprinkle it with brown sugar and bake it at 375 for 35 minutes until it's crispy. It was literally gone the second I put it down on the table.
I added a simple mixed green salad, a bowl of satsumas 
and a big bowl of berries 
and my work was done.
Well, mostly. If you are having a brunch for 40 people, you should know that three quiches is NOT enough. Also, the slices that you see cut above were quickly reduced by at least half (possibly more) as I realized there was no chance in hell that I could have enough for everyone with such generous portions. So I cut the quiches into smaller slivers and before a panic attack ensued, I called Urth Cafe and ordered one of their tomato basil quiches and sent an incredible friend to pick it up. Crisis averted. At the end of the day, we had about 3 1/2 pieces of quiche left over. Lesson learned. Make at least one quiche for every 10 people and cut it into more than 10 slices.
Oh - and as you'll see above, I tried to be as environmentally friendly as possible...We bought recycline utensils...plastic that can be dishwashed. Of course, no one actually read the sign and I definitely had to fish a few out of the garbage before I went around making an announcement (because at 4.99 for a set of 8, I wasn't sending those puppies to a landfill.) We used our cloth napkins and glasses that we had. The only thing I got lazy with was dishes - both for cleanup and cost. But we used biodegradable Whole foods plates and I'm leaning more and more towards getting a composter that you can keep under your sink so that next time, the dishes can just go straight in there and help my flowers grow.
And that's all folks. Funny after all that mishegas at the beginning, I know I'm in this post. Maybe I'm coming back. We shall see, shan't we?
Posted byMeesh-elle my Belle at 5:18 PM
Labels: conscious living, food and drink
I'm sorry, did you say homemade oreos? Mmm, everything you made looks insanely delicious and I want a bite of each!
Glad it was a success! You are hilarious.
Oh my gosh. I am so hungry now, I think I'm going to cry. I kind of want to eat my computer now, but only as long as those pictures are on it. :-)
I have been feeling the SAME way about my blog lacking some of the me-ness that people get in real life. I so get you.
Lemon bars?! They look delicious. As does the whole entirety of the meal! Go you!
brooke m - helps to know i'm not alone in my blog-o-sphere...thanks.
and it was ALLL WOOORTH IT!! yum.