Eggs are back. Resurrecting quiche, the iconic dish of the '70s. It's worth a trip down memory lane, just leave your Members Only jacket and your Farrah 'do behind.
"Pesto is the quiche of the '80's" Nora Ephron
I make the case (pun intended, as European readers know, "case" is what Yanks call "pie shell or crust") this week that we should resurrect the quiche. As Ephron's pithy observation implies, quiche in the '70's (like pesto in the '80's) became so commonplace that it became bad. Sort of sunk to the lowest common denominator till every bar, cafe and restaurant had a "quiche of the day."
Men still tease each other about being gay if they make quiche. Why? Were we that parochial that something with a French name carried such connotations?
Making a quiche is a good idea, here's why. You get to practice that perfect pie crust recipe. Making a couple is not a bad idea as you will soon have beautiful cherries and berries and summer veg on hand, even if you live in Alaska.
You can also get familiar with a tart pan. It's a small investment and really elevates the dish to something elegant. I love to see the little scalloped tart shell standing there holding all that yummy custard-y goodness.
You can acquaint or reacquaint yourself with regional foods and dishes from Alsace (nice summer drinking wines, by the way.) Another Alsatian dish that is similar to quiche but without a custard base, is Pissaladière, a tart-like dish of beautifully caramelized onions. Classically, its base is puff pastry, but a small tart shell would work fine, I think.
Thomas Keller resurrects quiche in this month's Food & Wine. See The Egg and I for his "Over the Top Mushroom Quiche. (Trivia question: Keller's BLT Fried Egg and Cheese Sandwich appears in what movie? - see quiche article for answer.)
Gorgeous little square tarts are a top seller at the well-known Rose Bakery in Paris. She had them custom made and I covet them each time I open the coffee-table elegant cook book by Rose Carrarini Breakfast Lunch Tea Rose Bakery (Phaidon Press). Like Keller's French Laundry book, this hefty book is beautifully crafted and worthy of art book status. It has its full share of recipes of course, but the straightforward writing of the chef-author ("I am not a trained chef." Her first words in the book!) and her notes about the food she creates and serves are accompanied by beautiful photographs. They are of that quality that wistfully makes us wish we were organically chic and beautiful and eating in Rose Bakery.
Actually, the two books offer a nice contrast. Both are well worth a look.
