Quiche

[rjwong]

Russ Parsons, fellow eGullet member (and LA Times food writer), wrote this week's lead article in the Los Angeles Times food section on quiche, Crème de la custard.

The article got me to remember how wonderful quiche is. The eggs & milk mixture poured into a pie crust filled with spinach, bacon, & cheese and baked into an oven until nice and golden brown. Oh, it's been way too long, hasn't it?

Russ Parsons was reintroduced to quiche by Thomas Keller.

I have Thomas Keller to thank for my reintroduction. While looking through his new "Bouchon" cookbook over the holidays, I noticed that there was an entire section devoted to the dish. America's greatest chef in love with the quiche? Who'da thunk it?

I know that some amongst us may be thinking about "that whole reputation thing." Josie LeBalch, owner of her Santa Monica restaurant Josie, has a response about that.

"The quiche just got a bad rap," says LeBalch. "It was too frou-frou or whatever. 'Real men don't eat quiche.' Ha! I'll tell you what: All my men love my quiche, are you kidding me?"

So, do you love quiche? Has it been a while since you ate and/or made one? What is your favorite quiche?

Go ahead, quiche me, mon ami!

Edited February 17, 2005 by rjwong (log)

[Ling]

This is the cutest thread topic I've seen on Egullet.

Yes, I do love quiche, especially if it contains caramelized onions, bacon, and cheese! Although spinach and cheese is quite nice, too.

[Bux]

So, do you love quiche? Has it been a while since you ate and/or made one? What is your favorite quiche?

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Mushrooms, leeks, and of course the classic Lorraine with gruyere and bacon. It's been a while since I've had quiche in the states. It seems dated here, but it's still a staple in France and an afternoon snack for us there might be an individual quiche purchased at a patisserie. There's also a one dish restaurant in Bayonne. All they serve are tartes, both savory and sweet. Actually they have salad as well. As fine a quick meal as one might want, a slice of savory quiche, a green salad and a slice of a fruit tarte.

[Pan]

A good quiche is great; the problem is that a lousy quiche is a bunch of oily crap! At least, that's my experience. My mother used to cook a mean quiche Lorraine back in the days when she still ate pig meat.

[easternsun]

i had a ladies lunch last week and made my first quiche in years! i used spinach, enoki and maitake mushrooms with gruyere and feta cheese. i decided to make quiche because it is so easy and i could make it ahead of time

it was delicious. we ate quiche all the time when i was growing up - now i wonder why/when i stopped! it is definitely back on the list!

[NulloModo]

I Actually made a Quiche the other night after watching an Alton Brown episode on egg custards. Something about the way explained it made it so blissfully clear and easy sounding, that I just had to do it. Cup of cream, several eggs, and your filling, and just toss it into the oven, what could be simpler?

I made mine with bacon, mushrooms, gruyere, and carmelized onion.

[Michael Ruhlman]

When I first had the quiche at Bouchon, it was a revelation. Unfuckingbelievable--something like that. And it was exciting to explore with Keller what makes a perfect quiche (mainly the depth, but also proper cooking--it's got to just set up so that when you slice it, it's on the verge of collapse). It fascinated me also that here was dish that America trashed even before it understood what it was all about. Mainly because of a tool--a 9x2-inch ring mold. It cannot be made properly in a pie shell, and certainly not a store-bought pie shell, which is part of the reason for its demise. I'm on a personal quest to resuscitate the quiche in America, a kind of try-it-again-for-the-first-time campaign. I'm glad Russ wrote about it--I wish more people would explore it for themselves. It can be one of the great dishes.

Edited February 17, 2005 by Michael Ruhlman (log)

[hazardnc]

My husband and I both love quiche. I too was inspired by Keller's Bouchon cookbook and his gorgeous quiche recipe - so much so that I bought the 2 inch ring mold! I traditionally make mine with bacon, onions and gruyere, but I have experimented with mushrooms and arugula.

As for favorites - the best we ever tasted was at a bistro next to the Metro Palais Royale. It was a salmon quiche, served with a lovely green salad and a glass of white wine.

Does someone have a salmon quiche recipe to share?

[Marlene]

I adore quiche. I guess I can add this to the list of things my husband won't eat though.

Bacon and cheese with carmelized onions especially. I have a recipe somewhere that I'll dig up for it. Come to think of it, I made some onion confit the other day. I'm thinking it would be great in quiche!

[SethG]

Gosh, quiche is out of fashion? I didn't know.

I make them all the time. I made a leek quiche (I guess I refer to them as "tarts") this past weekend. Leeks sauteed in butter, topped with custard, and just a bit of grated Gruyere. Served with salad for a light dinner.

If there's a problem with quiche, it's that people buy the pre-made supermarket atrocities. They're heavy, and the crusts are soggy. I think people have the mistaken impression that it is difficult to make your own tart crust. I even overheard a supervisor in my office tell someone that she makes quiche by mixing her custard ingeredients with bisquick, and then pouring it all in the pan. (!!!) Apparently, the part of the custard touching the pan browns enough to form some semblance of a "crust." Did I dare tell her that proper tart crust dough can be made in less than five minutes, then stored in the fridge overnight? And that rolling it out is no big deal, since you can easily patch up any problem areas?

No, I kept my mouth shut. What can you do?

[alacarte]

I hope Russ P. will tell us about the work he did behind the scenes. How many times did you make quiche for this article? What wound up on the cutting room (or kitchen) floor?

Elizabeth David wrote a great piece on quiche Lorraine, I think it's in the collection "Is There A Nutmeg in the House?," otherwise it's in "Omelette and a Glass of Wine." Main crux of the essay is that what we think of as quiche is not proper quiche as it's made in Lorraine region of France. (Remember, she wrote this in the late 70s? early 80s?) Her argument was that American cooks throw leftovers into a pie pan and call it quiche, and that professional cooks loved it because the slices were so saleable. The "true" version of the quiche, at least according to David's essay, is a deep-dish crush baked in a very hot country oven at the local bakers (not a pie crust, and heaven forbid, not puff pastry) and the filling is more fluid, best served piping hot, main ingredients are cheese (Gruyere?) and lots of bacon.

I'll have to look back at the essay again.

[srhcb]

Quiche has always been part of my cooking repertoire. It's the perfect Sunday evening use-up-some-leftovers kind of meal.

I've always used the basic quiche formula from the "King Arthur Flour 200th Anniversay Cook Book". Per their suggestion, I make a very short crust.

PS: In order to either confirm or dispell an old saying, has Mr Ruhlman ever seen Bourdain eat quiche?

[NulloModo]

Gosh, quiche is out of fashion?  I didn't know.

I make them all the time.  I made a leek quiche (I guess I refer to them as "tarts") this past weekend.  Leeks sauteed in butter, topped with custard, and just a bit of grated Gruyere.  Served with salad for a light dinner.

If there's a problem with quiche, it's that people buy the pre-made supermarket atrocities.  They're heavy, and the crusts are soggy.  I think people have the mistaken impression that it is difficult to make your own tart crust.  I even overheard a supervisor in my office tell someone that she makes quiche by mixing her custard ingeredients with bisquick, and then pouring it all in the pan.  (!!!)  Apparently, the part of the custard touching the pan browns enough to form some semblance of a "crust."  Did I dare tell her that proper tart crust dough can be made in less than five minutes, then stored in the fridge overnight?  And that rolling it out is no big deal, since you can easily patch up any problem areas?   

No, I kept my mouth shut.  What can you do?

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I think this dish is properly known as 'Impossible Pie' not sure why though. It can be tasty, but true, it isn't Quiche.

[Michael Ruhlman]

I heard from one of his dishwashers bourdain is a closet quiche eater, and I beleive the guy.

[chefzadi]

This topic reminds me of a conversation I had with a few Americans when I first moved here. One of them asked me about "light meals" and what would be good? One of my suggestions was quiche with a simple salad. *gasp*. I was a little puzzled. Later someone explained to me that quiche was no longer trendy, in fact there was a backlash against it. Huh?

I'll will never understand how simply good food (assuming it's well prepared) can go in and out of style. It's not the dish that fails, it's all the bad cooks/chefs that churn out bad versions while jumping on a trendy bandwagon. No matter how seemingly simple a dish may seem, it must be well executed. If you don't know how to do it right, don't put it in on the menu. Customers will notice eventually. It gives a great dish a bad rap. Even a simple French omelet, if you advertise French style omelets than make them, instead of slapping a layer of scrambled eggs onto a frying pan and dumping a whole bunch of leftover vegetables on it topped with cheese.

Of course I still eat quiche, never stopped.

[FoodMan]

Very fun and interesting read. Like Russ says the Bouchon crust is not as "easy" as it looks since it tends to break. Once you get it right though, then it works perfect.

More about the Bouchon quiche in this Bouchon thread. Mainly on the 2nd and 3rd page. It also has Russ's along with other members' notes on it.

Seth- Bisquick with the custard sounds disgusting!! I'm guessing it turns into some kind of custardy cake . Please tell her not to call it quiche, sheesh!

Elie

[Priscilla]

Quiche is only one of the finest dishes in the universe. I do not need reintroduction as it has never left -- my cooking world anyways.

Because of my high regard for quiche I do appreciate someone of Thomas Keller's impeccable reputation boosting it.

That deep removable-bottom tart pan specified in Russ Parson's very good article, however, I shall forever associate with early Williams-Sonoma catalogues -- with the purpose of a deeper, more custardy quiche stated in the copy. In my mind I credit Chuck Williams himself, and for so many other items that have become iconic, or at least taken for granted.

[russ parsons]

I heard from one of his dishwashers bourdain is a closet quiche eater, and I beleive the guy.

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yes, but first he chases it down and kills it, ripping out the little quiche's throat with his bare teeth.

[suzilightning]

LMAOROTF

i have made quiche(or as a former schoolmate's mom called it quickie)professionally and personally for many years thought i don't eat it myself.

pate brisee blind baked then...

sauteed onion, spinach and feta or emmentaler

sauteed onion, ham, swiss

clams and cheddar(i think - my mom made the clam quiche for our wedding)

sundried tomatos, ham, manchego

john and his family do tend to like this for christmas day

[bloviatrix]

I have long adored quiche, and reading the Bouchon thread (plus getting the book) has me excited to try Keller's method.

The best quiche I've eaten was at Green's in San Francisco. I had an artichoke quiche in a yeast-based crust that was out of this world.

[robyn]

When I first had the quiche at Bouchon, it was a revelation.  Unfuckingbelievable--something like that. And it was exciting to explore with Keller what makes a perfect quiche (mainly the depth, but also proper cooking--it's got to just set up so that when you slice it, it's on the verge of collapse). It fascinated me also that here was dish that America trashed even before it understood what it was all about.  Mainly because of a tool--a 9x2-inch ring mold. It cannot be made properly in a pie shell, and certainly not a store-bought pie shell, which is part of the reason for its demise. I'm on a personal quest to resuscitate the quiche in America, a kind of try-it-again-for-the-first-time campaign. I'm glad Russ wrote about it--I wish more people would explore it for themselves. It can be one of the great dishes.

←

I disagree with your statement "certainly not a store-bought pie shell". I make quiche perhaps a half dozen times a year at home as a "quick dinner" (would make it more often were it not for the calories) - and the only reason I make it at home is because I can buy a perfectly ok pre-made pie shell (I use Mrs. Smith's 9" deep dish pie shell). If I had to start messing around with making with pastry - it would wind up being a "restaurant only" item. Is my quiche better than the one at Bouchon (hope not) or the ones in good French restaurants (know not) - but a good filling (which anyone can make 1-2-3 - my favorite is a crab quiche filling recipe I got from a friend) can compensate for a slightly inferior pastry shell.

I don't think you'll be able to bring back quiche as a make-at-home dish for all but the most ardent home cooks if you insist on the home-made pastry shell (who has the time to make those? - certainly not me). Robyn

P.S. Just to clarify. The pie shell is frozen and then partially pre-baked before filling. One thing I like about the dish is that frozen pie shells - cheese - cream - etc. - can be bought - kept in the refrgerator/freezer for a fairly long time - and whipped into a quiche on short notice.

Edited February 17, 2005 by robyn (log)

[FoodMan]

I think the operative word in Rhulman's post is "properly". Sure a good and tasty pie can be made with a frozen pie shell, but it is not how a proper quiche should be. even a homemade pastry in a pie dish will not give a much better result than the store-bought and frozen variety. The reason for that is the thickness of the pastry and the depth of the dish.

Elie

[chefzadi]

Robyn-

Michael's jumping point was the quiche he had at Bouchon. I think that he was talking about quiches served in restaurants made by chefs. Or even by a homecook who follows the traditional methods. "Properly" may not be such a populist word, but there are techniques that make a dish better, superior. Using Mrs' Smiths frozen pie crust isn't one of them, that's a convenience item. If you and your family enjoy it the way you make it I don't think any of us here would question your tastes. I think that Michael (at least I was) talking about quiche in a different context.

[pamjsa]

Quiche is one of the few things my whole family will eat. My favorite is spinach and caramelized onions with a bit of baby swiss, but my son isn't a fan of "that green stuff," so I make a salmon version for family meals. Truth be told, quiche is a good cover for many vegetables my kids wouldn't otherwise eat. (So are pancakes . . . but that's another post.)

[russ parsons]

there's an old expression that goes something like: "don't let the perfect become the enemy of the good." (one of you erudite e-gulleters can probably correct the language and cite the source). but i think that's something we run into a lot in talking about home cooking. i'd say anything that gets folks making their own food is a step in the right direction and we can gradually improve from there. i've got no problems with compromises as long as we recognize that that's what they are and don't mistake them for the real thing. still beats the hell out of the drive-up window.