#47: Quiche Lorraine

My husband marveled at me when he learned that for most of my life, I did not eat breakfast. I didn't like it much if it meant left-over rice from last night and some desiccated fried fish from 2 days ago. Or if it means jars of spreads beside a loaf of bread.

However, during our honeymoon in Coco Beach, I realized that it can be the most beautiful meal of the day so long as you prepare it properly - prepare it with a little affection :-) When preparing breakfast, you have to throw in some respect because it should not be just a chore that you have to get by in the morning as you rush to school or work.

The ketchup garnish on the side was my tacky and contrived attempt
to dress up this quiche a bit. Still yummy though.

So in honor of breakfast, how about we try a lavish spin on your typical breakfast ingredient: eggs!
This is a savory egg pie that is soooo simple to make, I assure you, but so rich and delicious. The key is to use the most accessible cheese in the Philippines that has some character - queso de bola. But if you don't have QDB, I will recommend OK cheese (it's a cheese brand in the Philippines). I know this is odd because the OK brand is one of the cheapest in the line but surprisingly, it has a certain pungent aroma that sets it apart from the rest. Trust me.

Simply make the pie dough in advance and in the morning, mix all the ingredients together and bake it in the oven while you press your child's uniform, pack some lunch and brew coffee.

Quiche Lorraine
Sosy level: 5(!)
Pawis level: 3
Featured Ingredient: That annoying left-over queso de bola from Christmas aka Edam cheese
Will feed 4 if served by itself or 6 if served with lots of buttered toasts

Ingredients:
Pastry
2 cups of plain flour
125g (half a block) of butter or margarine, cut into little cubes and chilled in the fridge
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 cup of water with some ice

Egg mixture
3 medium eggs
1 cup (1 carton) all-purpose cream
1 large white onion, chopped
4 strips of bacon or ham, depending on your budget (hehe!)
1 cup of grated Edam cheese or OK cheese
a handful of parsley chopped
1/4 tsp Spanish paprika
a dash of nutmeg (optional)
a pinch of salt
a good pinch of pepper

How to:
Pastry
1. On a clean table surface, dump the flour, salt and butter. With two bread knives, cut in the flour and butter together until it resembles bread crumbs. Or if you can work quickly, rub them together with the tips of your finger. The point is to do the job before the butter melts in your hands.

(left) This is how it looks like during the crumb stage. (right) Then this is how it can
look like after you make it into a ball. But Brown cookie blog is too neat.
It's okay if you made it a bit messier than this. :-)

2. Make a mound from the flour and create a hole in the center, pretty much like a volcano. Then using a tablespoon, pour 3 tbsps of the ice water into the center. Mix the dough gently with your hands and see if it holds together. If it is still crumbly and dry, add 1 tbsp of water hen mix again. Add a little water at a time until it just holds together loosely. Do not knead my friend, just give it some tender pats, here and there to bring it together.

3. Make it into a ball then roll it out to a rectangle about a centimeter thick. Fold it in half twice then roll it out again to the same rectangle shape. Do this folding and rolling one last time. Fold it again then wrap it in plastic wrap and let it chill in the fridge for an hour. This will keep for a week in the fridge or for a month in the freezer for future use.

Egg mixture
1. Preheat the oven into 190 C. Fry the bacon or ham in a pan. When cooked, chop into small pieces. Set aside.

2.Beat together eggs, cream, salt,pepper, paprika, nutmeg. Then add the chopped onions and parsley. Set aside.

3. Cut half of the pastry you made and roll it out into a thin circle, just enough to fit a 9-inch pie dish. Place the dough in the dish and pinch the edges against the pie dish to make it secure.

4. Place the chopped bacon or ham in the pie evenly. Then gently pour the egg mixture in the dish. Pop it in the lower part of an oven and let it bake for 4o minutes or until the surface becomes golden brown. You'll know when it's almost done because your kitchen will start smelling divine.

5. Let it cool for 10 minutes before serving. Serve it with toast, hot sauce and ketchup. After this, your family will face the day smiling.