Recipe Number 1

Something wonderful happened last week, and I have been a lazy sod, so I have not been able to write about it. One of my patients informed me that she read my blog. It was nice to hear that someone, other than you dear, dear friends, took the time to read through it. Her only comment was where are the recipes? I think that's perfectly valid. So here goes:

Quiche Lorraine a la' Chris
Filling:
2 Eggs
4 Egg Whites
1-2 tbsp Half and Half
1/2 tsp of Kosher salt - more if desired
1/2 tsp of fresh ground pepper - more if desired
1/2 tsp of smoked paprika
Several sprinkles of garlic powder - omit if garlic is not desired (minced garlic may also be used instead)
1/2 of Large sweet onion, or 1-2 shallots - finely diced
1 Large or 2-3 small potatoes of any kind - cooked and chopped into cubes (Originally I used canned sliced potatoes and chopped them up a bit, but this significantly increases the total sodium in the Quiche and I don't like that thought.)
1/4-3/4 cups of cheese. Any kind you prefer. I like soft goat cheese, but anything can be used or it can be completely omitted if not desired.
1/4 pound of sliced deli ham. Any kind, Black Forest, Honey, etc. Cut ham into small square slices.

Beat eggs and whites together with half and half until mixture is well combined. Mix in the dry seasonings until evenly distributed. Add onions, potatoes, ham, and cheese - mix until everything is coated in the eggs. Pour into the slightly baked pastry shell and bake at 400 degrees for about 45 minutes or until center seems set and not watery. Serve warm, or cold.

Pastry Shell:
This is probably the simplest and most successful pie dough recipe I could find, and it has worked beautifully. This recipe is for a top and bottom crust, so really you only need half of it to make a simple quiche. You can cut the recipe in half, or make the full recipe and freeze the dough. (I frequently make more than is needed and save the leftovers for other projects. It keeps quite well in the freezer when thoroughly floured and wrapped to prevent air contamination.)

As with any pastry dough, the name of the game is to keep it cold. Handle the dough as little as possible, and keep your ingredients chilled. I always use my large capacity food processor. This ensures that I am capable of combining the ingredients and turning out a perfect dough while keeping my hands off it. Pastry dough is among the hardest and most cumbersome to make. If you have a sure-fire method of doing it then stick with what you know, the results will be virtually the same.

1 & 1/2 sticks of cold UNSALTED butter - cut into small cubes and chilled. (I have on different occasions added 1/2 a stick of butter, or subtracted half a stick. Use your judgment. I'm in favor of keeping it at 1 & 1/2 sticks.)
3 Cups of all purpose flour
1 tbsp sugar
1/3 Cup cold Canola Oil - (It sounds strange, but the oil has significant fat to ensure that the pastry comes out flakey, while adding the heart-healthy fat that vegetable oil, or shortening cannot. Trust me, this works.)
1 tsp Kosher salt
8-12 tbsp Ice Water

If you have smaller than a 10 cup food processor, you may need to split the recipe in half. Again, this recipe is for a top and bottom crust, depending on what you're doing, you may only need half.

Take the butter cold, and cut it up into small pieces and return it to the fridge. Measure out 1/3 cup of Canola oil and get it cold as well, either fridge or freezer. The oil is too viscous to freeze so leaving it in a bit longer is fine. Put three cups of leveled all purpose flour in the bowl of your food processor. Add sugar and salt and pulse a few times. Add the butter and the oil and pulse about ten times until the butter is the size of small pees. Scrape down the bowl and replace the lid. Turn the processor on and add the ice water a tablespoon at a time until the dough form into a ball. Dump the mass out onto a floured surface. If you are not ready to roll out the crust right then and there, then cover it with some flour and put it in the fridge in a Tupperware container or wrapped in plastic. The butter and fat in the oil need to stay cold in order to ensure that the pastry comes out flakey and not tough.

Again this is for a top and bottom crust, so if you are making the quiche, only use half of the dough you made following this recipe as it is written.

When you are ready to put the whole quiche together pre-heat the oven to 425 degrees. Roll out the dough to the desired diameter, typically a 9" pie pan, or tart pan. To transport the dough from your rolling surface to the pan, the best way is to gently roll the dough over the rolling pin and then spreading it out over the pan. Take a piece of scrap dough and flour it roll it into a ball and use it to gently press the dough into the corners of the pan. Try not to stretch the dough too much as it will only sink when heated by the oven. Once you have placed it into the pan you now have 2 options:
1.) Poke several holes into the bottom of the dough with a fork to vent it then place it in the oven for about 10 minutes. I frequently do this, but there is a slight draw back. Most of the time, the dough will sink down from the sides of the pan. Granted you are pouring an egg mixture into it in ten minutes so in this instance it is quite alright to do that.
2.) Poke holes with a fork into the bottom of the dough. Cover it with tin foil and pour unbaked beans into the pan to weigh it down. I have watched this done by several of the Foodnetwork's finest, but I have not yet done it myself. I am looking forward to doing it soon though.

Once the pastry shell is baked for about 10 minutes, remove from the oven and pour in the egg mixture. Lower the oven to 400 degrees and cook for about 45 minutes.

And as Julia always said, "Bon Appetit!"