Made a quiche yesterday: delicious, but...

M

marilynfl

Moderator
my stomach ached all evening. I just don't think I can do that much fat in one-fell swoop. Or one large slice, as it were.

Seasoning was off, but it did satisfy my craving for quiche and salad, although I forgot about having wine with it. And it looked so pretty: I'm always shocked when a pie ends up looking like a pie when I've been the one that baked it.

Followed the linked recipe, swapping 3 TBL lard for 3 of the butter to get a flakier version. I think I have CathyZ to thank for the lard idea.

Question: can you overprocess dough in a food processor PRE-LIQUID? This dough was coming to a ball before I even added the water. It was supposed to take 5-6 TBL of ice water and I only used 3 TBL...and still had to add a bit more flour since it was a tad sticky. Did turn out beautifully flakey (after the first attempt fell apart in the pan, then was grabbed and rerolled with a bit MORE flour and a lot more attitude), but tasted flat. Bummer: seasoning was a "large pinch of sea salt", which I actually pinched. I followed their freeze first step and the dough didn't collapse while pre-baking like they always have in the past (one of many reasons I don't "do" crust). I'll give this method another try.

For the filling, I sauteed 3 slices of bacon, then used the grease to saute/caramelize a large Vidalia onion, then used the remainder to saute 8 oz of mushrooms. Blotted everything on papertowels to remove excess grease.

Mixed up the filling and grated 8 oz of Emmenthal cheese, but ended up using half the liquid and half the cheese. I only have a 9" pie pan and this recipe called for a 10". Filling was a bit flat too, which surprised the dickens out of me. I didn't season it since I thought the bacon would do that. Apparently not.

Now...what to do with the remaining cheese/filling that won't involve a fat-laden crust and more fat-laden ingredients?

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Madame-Quiches-Quiche-au-Fromage-15850

 
Maybe the humidity had something to do with the smaller amount of

water needed? The flour had absorbed some water before you started using it? Maybe? Sounds delicious though.

Good uses for leftovers (for me!) would be omelets or use as stuffing for butterflied chicken breasts or pork, assuming it is dry enough and not liquidy by the addition of the milk. If it is liquidy, use it as-is as an omelet with a couple more egg whites. Bacon goes good with just about anything ;o)

More seasonings - how about some cumin, parsley, or curry powder?

P.S. You "forgot" the wine?! heheh

 
Good morning, Marilyn! Yes, I think U can easily over-process crust ingredients in your Cuisinart

if you don't work with all cold ingredients. Was your butter well chilled? Was your lard well chilled? I even keep a canister of flour in my freezer which I pull from directly to use when making pie crust.

You don't ever want pie dough to come to a ball in your Cuisinart--either before or after adding the liquid. I learned in cooking classes that if you squeeze a bit of the crumbly stuff (i.e., flour, salt, fat & liquid) in one hand and it adheres, then it is processed enough. It is hard to describe in words--the chef would pass his Cuisinart bowl around so we students could all squeeze some of the flour & water mixture in our hands in order to know the right feel.

After processing, I dump the crumbly mass (mess!) out onto my large wooden cutting board and scrape it into a heap with my bench scraper. Then using the heel of one hand, I press down on it 3 times, moving my hand along the length of the mass before each new push. Then using the dough scraper I fold one end (about 1/3 of the pile) over onto the center and then fold the other end over onto the top of the new center--like a book fold, 1/3, 1/3, 1/3). Then I press down with the heel of my hand along the new length 3 times, moving my hand along the length before each push. I repeat the fold and push process for a 3rd and last time. I think the chef called this process a frissage or frissee or something close to that. (Anyone out there who can give me the correct culinary term with proper spelling?)

At the end of the 3rd push and fold routine above, your pie dough should now be in pretty much of a cohesive ball which you can round out and proceed to roll, but it should never be in anything close to a ball before this point, i.e., until after the frissage process.

Wish you were closer to I could demo this. I think pie crust is one of those cooking processes where a demo along with a touch/feel are worth a thousand words.

For your filling, yes, I think some salt should have been put into the custard to avoid the flat taste. My favorite quiche Lorraine recipe (Posted at Thread #15278) uses bacon but also calls for 1/2 tsp salt in order to flavor the custard as the bacon and cheese won't do that on their own, IMHO.

I've only ever used shallots, leeks, scallions or regular onion in quiches so I'm wondering if the sweetness of your Vidalia onion + the blandness of unseasoned mushrooms together might have given a combined flatter end result to your custard. Maybe if you'd have salted both the onion & the mushrooms, you might have gotten a better end result along with the bacon & the cheese also being salty.

I do know that once I tried to omit the salt completely from some quiche recipe and it came out the way you describe yours, so sometimes I will cut back on the salt added to the custard if there are other salty ingredients in the filling, but I never totally eliminate putting some salt in my quiche custard.

Hope this helps you. The above is what I do. Thanks for the new quiche recipe! I'm printing it and the crust recipes both off now. Wigs aka Caryn

 
I agree with DawnNYS totally! With my all-lard pie crust recipe, one time I have had to add 4 to 6

Tbsp of water to the flour & salt & fat mixture and another day I only needed to add 1 Tbsp of water to the same amounts in the flour mixture! That is a huge difference, but it does depend on the weather and humidity on any given day. (I know this to be true because I always jot dates & notes on my recipes--no way can I trust the old gray matter anymore because she sure ain't what she used to be! Smile.)

 
Excellent tutorial, wigs! I'd really like the time to learn this...it seems so basic and it's

frustrating to fail a crust, which is, after all...just a component of a larger item.

Also, good analysis of why the ingredients were flat. I even wondered if all that fat and heavy cream coats the taste buds...so that "extra" seasoning might be necessary?

 
Dawn and wigs...I would have never thought about humidity. It is the bane of my existence with

candy attempts, but who would have thought it messed with flour as well?

Some days I feel like I should go back to the original source (original sin?) of all my frustrations (see link).

PS: Larry is on new medications, so...ya, I had to conveniently "forget" about the wine.

http://www.hasbro.com/easybake/default.cfm?page=History

 
Marilyn Here is a few Quiche I make

I do cheat and buy the crust from store or bakery.

Crust
Add to the pie crust
1/2 lb beef or turkey ground cooked
Add and simmer about 3 mins
1/3 C chili sauce ( Heniz)
2 cloves garlic minced
2 green onions chopped
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (if you like)
Taste see if you need some salt
Cool some add to crust
Add
1 c grated cheddar cheese on top
whip 4 eggs, 1/2 c half & half & 1/3c milk

Bake 325 til set

I also do this Add to a pie crust
1/2 to 2/3 c smoked salmon (break up)
4oz cream cheese ( break into pieces )
1 tsp dill
1 garlic diced
1/4 c sauted onion ( if u like)
pinch salt
same egg mixture
I have more if you would like, worked at a place where I made many Quiche's 4 to 5 diff ones each day. Man lovers meat Quiche, Greek Quiche, etc

 
carol, we haven't been having much red meat, but I'd love the Greek one. Have you

ever made a shrimp quiche? I've got to cook those for dinner tonight.

 
Marilyn, I agree with wigs--it sounds like your butter wasn't cold enough.

If the butter starts to melt the dough will get oily and it won't bake up light and crisp.

I do a similar technique: Process the flour, salt, and cold butter (I sub a little Crisco for tenderness) with 4 or 5 pulses. Then turn on the machine just long enough to pour in the ice water. STOP, scrape up the mixture to redistribute the wet parts, then pulse a few times just until clumps begin to form. It's perfectly OK if there are still little bits of intact butter.

Then I pour out the crumbly mixture on a floured surface and smear hunks of it with the heal of my hand, just once, for the final blending.

 
Here is the greek one will type out the one for shrimp u know me with computer

Add to crust
1/2 c chopped spinach
1/4 c bacon or pacetta cooked chopped
1/4 c chopped sun dried tom
1/4 c chopped marinated artichokes
1/4 c sauted onion
1 garlic chopped
1/4 c greek olives sliced
1/4 c feta cheese

 
Shrimp one and one more

Add to a pie crust
1/2 lb shrimp chopped
1/4 c red pepper chopped
2 Tbsp green onion chopped
1 garlic minced
Saute pepper, onion, garlic add the shrimp cook abit
Salt pepper
I like to add some dill,
Cheese of choice Gruyere,Swiss,1/2 c

Artichoke Quiche did this alot and customer's loved it
2 jars artichokes marinated finely chopped
1/2 c onion finely chopped
2 cloves garlic minced
4eggs beat
1 1/2 c cheddar cheese
1/4 c bread crumbs
2 Tbsp Parsley
1/4 tsp dried oregano
pepper & salt
1/4 hot sauce

Drain one jar keep the juice. Drain other one
discard the juice and chop, Add reserved juice to pan add onion garlic cook til soft. Add onions to artichoke add the rest of the ingre mix well. Cook in 9 by 13 or what I like is pizza skillet no holes 325 35 45 mins

 
For the Greek, shrimp & artichoke quiches, do U use the same quantities of eggs, 1/2 & 1/2 & milk as

listed in the meat quiche U wrote out first? I would assume so, but thought I'd better double check. Thx, carol!

 
Slice bread and butter...fit into muffin cups add filling bake till crust is golden....

but add salt and pepper and lots of chopped parsely.
Mar a way to make all cream/egg/cheese dishes tastier is add some Colman's dried mustard.(and dont for get some salt.)(blend in a small bit of water first)

 
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