Jun 08 2011
Quiche Me, Darling
As you faithful readers might remember, I made some cedar-planked salmon recently that was so good I had to gush about it on this very blog. The beauty of that meal was that I had made enough to last for a while, and because salmon is one of these things that can be recycled into a variety of things (from salad to soufflé to mousse – and then some), I was able to make a quiche.
Quiche is basically an egg custard that can be flavored with anything you want, baked in a pastry shell. I often make it with whatever cheese I have on hand, and serve it with a salad for lunch or a light dinner. It is a favorite at our house. It’s simple enough to make – the most complicated part being the crust, and even that is not hard – and it tastes fantastic.
I use water and vodka for the crust as it allows me to use enough liquid to hold the crust together without toughening it, which too much water can do: the vodka evaporates as it cooks and leaves behind only wonderful, flaky pastry. You can use the same basic crust recipe for any kind of pie; it is very versatile.
For the filling, I used the leftover salmon along with some fresh basil and the basic egg mixture for a really stunning result. One of the best things about this quiche (as many others) is that it tastes just as good warm for dinner as it does the next day at room temperature for lunch. You can take it for a picnic and enjoy it without having to reheat it – a treat at any time.
Salmon and Basil Quiche
Filling:
1/2 lb cooked salmon
1/4 cup chopped basil
5 eggs
1 cup cream
salt and pepper to taste
Crust:
1 1/4 cup flour
1 stick very cold butter
pinch salt
1 Tbsp ice water
1 Tbsp cold vodka
For the crust:
Mix flour and salt. Dice butter and mix with flour by hand until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Add water and vodka and mix gently until the dough sticks together. Add more liquid as needed if the dough is too crumbly, but be careful not to add too much, as it would cause to dough to become tough. If you feel the dough is too wet, add a little more flour, 1 tsp at a time. The dough should be soft and buttery and hold together well. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate at least 30 min before rolling out. Roll to about 1/4″ thick and place in a 9″ to 10″ pastry plate, like this:
Ready to fill
For the filling:
Flake the fish and place, along with the basil, in the pastry crust.
Personally, I think it's pretty enough to eat just like that.
Whisk eggs, cream, salt and pepper together and pour over fish. Then fold pastry edges in:
Ooooh! Aaaaah!
Bake at 400 for about 25 to 30 min, until the top is golden brown and the pastry edges look flaky:
Ready, Set...
... Go!
