The rowing club had their second “meet & greet” brunch on Saturday. Since I did muffins last time, I decided this time I should bring a protein. Makes most sense, as we are a bunch of athletes coming in from practice, hungry for carbs & protein, not just carbs. So, the decision was made weeks ago to make a quiche.
No problem, I thought. A month earlier I purchased a frozen, ready-made pie crusts from Trader Joe’s. So Friday evening I stopped at the MM and up your standard quiche ingredients.
I took the pie crust out of the freezer and at that point realized, this wasn’t pie crust in a pie plate. It was the kind you have to thaw and then unfold and put into your own pie crust. Um. Okay. At least one hour to thaw. A bit of a damper but it won’t stop me from doing this. So, I just prepped all of the ingredients while the pie crust thaws. It’ll be baking a little bit later than I would have preferred, but it’s gotta happen.
An hour later, I unfold the pie crust and see that it is broken into 4 quarters. Um. Great. It’s 8:45 p.m. and I have no pie crust.
I’ve got the ingredients. I could make one from scatch. How long could that possibly take?
At this point in the story, I’d like to take a few seconds to remind everyone of my previous pie-crust making experience. Remember the New Year’s apple pie? Yeah. Haven’t attempted since, despite receiving this kick-ass pies and tarts cookbook from the MIL.
So, I start a pie crust from scratch. And it’s going unbelievably well. Until I blind bake the damn thing:
What the hell is that? That’s what happens when you blind bake a pie crust without a) weighting it down with beans and b) don’t prick the pastry shell. It’s also wise to make sure it’s chilled, but I think a) and b) are the important tips.
I had switched recipes, from Great Pies & Tarts to Better Homes & Gardens and let me tell you, big mistake. At this point, it’s is 9:30 in the evening. I’m supposed to be at practice at 6 the next morning. I tell the husband of my woes and he is so kind. He comes downstairs and cleans the kitchen. He tastes the disastrous pie crust and thinks it tastes great. He doesn’t make fun of me, too much.
The next morning, at 5:30, I go back to MM before practice and pick up an already made quiche, Spinach/Feta/Wild Mushroom. It does not go unnoticed that this whole quiche is exactly seven dollars and one cent cheaper than the amount I spent on ingredients the evening before.
The quiche from MM was ok. Not delightful, but certainly served the purpose as a protein for a post-workout meal. It disappears quickly, especially since it’s the only protein on the table.
Later on in the day, I was still kicking myself for not getting that pie crust right. Since I still had all of the ingredients for an awesome Quiche Lorraine, at 2 PM I set out to do it again. Made-from-scratch crust and all.
Four hours later, success! I made the crust, chilled it for over an hour (recipe suggests 30 minutes minimum). I blind-baked it, covered in tin foil with beans weighting it down. And I pricked the shell. And I let it chill (again) beforehand.
As for taste … I’ve gotta say, the quiche was frikkin good. The crust was buttery, flaky and baked to a T. Very impressed with the recipe that the MIL recommended. Not something I could make on a regular basis (2 sticks of butter. That’s right. Two), but at least now the pie crust no longer owns me.
As for the quiche … tons o’ swiss cheese. I added some provolone to give it a different twang as well. Lightly seasoned with nutmeg, and even used 2% milk instead of the standard whole. I also used a nice thick alderwood-smoked bacon. And everyone knows, bacon makes everything taste good. This quiche was far superior than the ready-made one I had purchased earlier (if you don’t mind me saying).
It also passed the “morning-after” test. Tasted just as good the next day, cold right out of the fridge.
Ta-da!
