Easy as "pie"

Sorry for taking so much time off, things have been crazy! I hope you understand. During this span I really didn’t cook anything. It feels weird to have to come back and ask myself “what’s for dinner?” Let’s start off “easy as pie.” Savory pie to be exact.

I’m talking about the ever forgiving, stupidly simple quiche. It is one of my comfort foods, is a great way to relieve the fridge of leftovers, and if done right can be super elegant as well.

The base for every good quiche is a savory custard:
6 eggs
1 Qt milk
3 drops each Tabasco and whorschesire
Salt and white pepper to taste

Mix all this well and set in the refrigerator while we work out the rest

Next, you need pie dough. I will give you a method to make your own but it will just make you angry. Seriously, rolling out pie dough is like chemistry. So many things can go wrong and you can’t control most of them. Are you a warm person? Sorry, it won’t work. Are you a cold person? Sorry, it won’t work.  Water not cold enough? Sorry, won’t work. Room too warm/cold? Sorry…you get the point. I highly advise (and this is one of the few times I will say this) buying pre-made instead.

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
8 tablespoons cold unsalted butter (1 stick), cut into small pieces
4 to 5 tablespoons ice water

Combine flour, salt, and sugar in a large bowl and stir briefly until mixture is aerated. Using a fork or your fingers, cut butter into dry ingredients until it is in pea-size pieces that are slightly yellow in color. Drizzle in 4 tablespoons ice water and mix just until dough comes together (more or less water may be needed, but do not overwork the dough or it will become tough.) Shape dough into a flat disk, cover in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes

Now that our canvass is done, what do you want to put in your quiche? The classic is “Lorraine” which means spinach, bacon and onion (render bacon, add onions, add spinach and wilt. Season with white pepper and nutmeg.) I like crab and asparagus. Maybe some linguica and caramelized onions? Ohhh...how about ham, mushrooms and olives? I have also made “pizza pie” before using pepperoni, cheese and tomato. The sky is the limit here…

Final prep would be to roll out your dough, or, if you have the slightest hint of an anger issue (like me) removing your pre-made pie shells from the freezer, adding your filling and covering with your custard. Bake this at about 325* until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. Each quiche serves 4.

Let me know what you end up with in your "pie"...