Why is it that
“real men don’t eat quiche?” Back in the early 1980s, Bruce Feirstein wrote a book of that
title. It was a humorous book,
taking jabs at sensitive New Age men who took pride in their role reversals –
raising the children, cooking, washing dishes, doing laundry – basically, catering to their female
partners. While this book was
written tongue-in-cheek, it has stayed with us and, to this day, I still hear, “Real
men don’t eat quiche.”
Well, I like quiche. And I’m a man. But, strangely, I haven’t made a
quiche in many years. I don’t think it was for dietetic reasons –
perhaps the timing or mood was never just right. Recently, we wanted to take lunch to a friend of ours and
somehow quiche seemed to be the perfect thing. I could make it at home, transport it in my Aunt Nell’s
pie basket still warm, and serve it upon arrival. (Come on – doesn’t every real man on the block has his aunt’s pie
basket?)
One of the inspirations
for making this particular quiche was the fact that we had unbelievable amounts
of cheese on hand from the holidays, much of it cheddar. I have never had a cheddar quiche –
mostly I have made and eaten traditional French versions using Gruyère and sautéed
onions, sometimes with lardons or ham. I even did a post on one of my favorites – tarte à l’oignon. But, since cheddar was on hand, that is
what I made.
When trying to decide
what flavorings would accompany the cheddar in the quiche, my first thought was thyme. But I then recalled a cheddar cracker recipe
I make that uses rosemary. Rosemary is abundant here in Tucson and much more
easily harvested than the tiny thyme leaves, so I chose rosemary to go with the cheddar. And I used a lot. So
much so that I began to worry that I had used too much when I could smell it baking even when I was sitting
outdoors in the garden! But I went
ahead and served it and it tasted great! In fact, I have made it twice since then.
The combination of
cream, skim milk and eggs made a custard that was so delicate – probably the best
quiche I have ever made. And the funny thing is that I based the entire recipe
on the ingredients I had on hand – some cream, fat-free milk, only 5 eggs (one
needed for the crust) and the cheese. Even though I chalk this up to
serendipity, from now on, this will be the custard recipe I will used to make
my quiches!
So, guys… make a quiche,
serve it with a salad and take it like a man!
– David
Rosemary Cheddar Quiche
Pastry
1 1/3 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons butter,
chilled
1 egg, separated
3 tablespoons ice water
Preheat the oven to 425ºF.
In a food processor,
pulse the flour and salt. Add the chilled butter in 16 pieces and pulse 10-12
times until mixture resembles coarse meal. Mix the egg yolk with 3 tablespoons
ice water and pour evenly over flour and butter mixture. Pulse 3 times to
distribute liquid then process until dough comes together in a ball around the
blade. Quickly roll out dough to a 13-inch circle and fit into a 10-inch pie
plate or quiche mold, doubling over the sides and crimping loosely.
Prick the bottom of the
pastry all over with a fork, cover with foil or parchment and fill with pie
weights (I use dried beans). Bake 9 minutes, then remove the liner and pie
weights. Bake 3 additional minutes and remove from the oven (do not turn off
oven). Immediately brush the hot crust with egg white. (Use remaining egg white
for another purpose.)
While crust is baking,
put together filling.
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup fat-free milk
4 large eggs
3 tablespoons chopped
fresh rosemary
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly
ground black pepper
2 cups grated sharp
cheddar cheese
Whisk together cream,
milk, eggs, rosemary, salt and pepper. When crust is ready to fill (having been
brushed with egg white), spread the grated cheese over the bottom, then pour
cream and egg mixture over top.
Bake at 425ºF for
15 minutes, then reduce heat to 350ºF. Continue to bake for 25 more
minutes until golden brown and custard is mostly set. (The center will still be a
little loose – it will firm up as it cools.) Let sit 5 minutes before serving.
It can also be served warm or at room temperature.
Serves 6-8.
Karin
February 5, 2012 at 10:59 amYum! And all the real men I've known (and 'known') eat quiche! 😉
Susan Manfull
February 8, 2012 at 5:38 amDavid, I have never made a quiche with rosemary either–but if I had a rosemary bush the size of a small car (as I saw in Tucson!), I would make it every week! It sounds like a great combination with the cheddar. Your pie crusts always look so good, too! Thanks so much for reminding us of this delicious idea for lunch (or dinner or even breakfast!).
Anna @ The Littlest Anchovy
February 8, 2012 at 10:26 amHi, I have just stumbled across your lovely blog! I love the idea of cheddar and rosemary, it just makes sense 🙂 Your quiche looks just beautiful.
Cocoa & Lavender
February 8, 2012 at 12:22 pmKarin – glad to know it isn't just me!
Susan – thanks! I love making pie crusts and this one is particularly easy and quite forgiving. The egg yolk really makes a difference.
Anna – welcome to Cocoa and Lavender! I now look forward to perusing The Littlest Anchovy!
Anonymous
February 17, 2012 at 2:06 pmHi David. This is my first time commenting – you have a lovely site.
I was planning to make quiche for dinner tonight but couldn't decide what filling to make. Rosemary and cheddar sounds really good. And for what it's worth, quiche is one of my husband's favourite dishes!
Cocoa & Lavender
February 19, 2012 at 2:24 pmThanks, Tamsin! I hope you (and your husband) enjoyed the quiche! I love your site, and so many of the recipes need to be tried!
Natalie is...
March 12, 2012 at 6:48 pmThis looks so delicious!! Rosemary and cheddar are two of my favorites, so I am definitely going to try this one!! Thanks for the recipe and gorgeous pictures to go with it!!
Natalie
Cocoa & Lavender
March 13, 2012 at 4:16 amThanks, Natalie! Hope all is going well with you! Let me know if you make the quiche!