Finally, a Quiche

Food blog I have forsaken thee — to what limited readership exists I issue an apology for this natural stage in the life of a blog. A humbling thought is that more people have probably looked at this site than will ever read my academic papers. All the more reason to photograph my food from time to time — clearly it is fame that I seek.

Let me attempt to ease back into this with a relatively low key post: the quiche. Half a piecrust and a smorgasbord of dairy and other ingredients pulled from the far reaches of the refrigerator. I happen to have a tart pan, though frankly I find the thing more trouble than it may be worth. Magically my crusts retract down the already-short sides, perhaps an artifact of pre-baking. My measurements are for such a vessel, though, so those of you opting for an actual pie dish will need to increase the volume of the filling by nearly half (a complete guess of course). Another irregularity in my measurements will be the number of eggs: these things are enormous. It seems the wealth of Orange County has been invested in chicken feed, since the eggs I get from the farmers market could be mistaken on easter for avocados.

The astute reader will note that the leading photograph contains no chard, but rather spinach and bacon. No matter, the procedure is identical.

A Quiche of Chard or Similar Things

The Crust

• 1 1/4 Cup Flour
• 1 Stick Cold Butter
• Dash Salt
• Ice Water

The Filling

• Several leaves of chard, stems diced and leaves coarsely chopped
• A reasonably sized onion, thinly sliced
• Perhaps some bacon
• Three gigantic or maybe four normal eggs for a tart pan, more for a pie dish
• 1/2 Cup sour cream, more for a pie dish
• 1/2 Cup whole milk, more for a pie dish
• Pinch of nutmeg
• More seasoning

The Crust

1. Either in a food processor or by hand, process the butter, flour, and salt until coarsely mixed with some larger bits. Add just enough water to make the dough cohere when pressed together.
2. A handful at a time smear the dough on your work-surface — ostensibly to increase flakiness.
3. Gather into a fattish pancake and refrigerate wrapped in plastic wrap for an hour. Preheat oven to 375 F before proceeding further.
4. Roll out to the necessary size, and after transferring into your dish build up some extra dough at the edge to avoid shrinkage during baking. Poke the bottom with a fork a few times and line with foil and weight with rice or beans (since who has pie weights, really). Bake for 20 minutes, remove foil and bake for another 10.

The Remainder

1. If using bacon: cook to desired crispiness and remove, leaving a tablespoon or two of fat in the pan.
2. Saute the onion and chard stems slowly in either bacon fat or olive oil, until the onions are very soft.
3. Give the chard stems a quick rinse and throw them in while still wet. Cover and let steam until the chard has cooked down.
4. Meanwhile whisk together the other ingredients, adjusting volume as you see fit.
5. Distribute the chard and onion mixture in the shell and then pour in the dairy being careful to avoid overflow.
6. Bake for 35-40 minutes until browned and puffy.

NB: If the crust browns too much before the quiche is finished, cover the entire thing with a sheet of foil. Pre-baking the shell is probably optional given a slightly longer bake, though I am too adjusted to the procedure to try such a heresy.