by Kelly Pickerill
Growing up, my family’s culinary experiences were limited. Whether it was a sign of the times — I feel like bologna, instant mashed potatoes, fish sticks, toaster pastries, and other “convenience foods” had their heyday in the nineties, and my family took advantage of their kid-friendliness — or because when feeding four kids you’re bound to have to sacrifice quality for quantity, I don’t remember many made from scratch meals. Cakes always came out of a box, and peanut butter and jelly could often be found in the same jar.
Now that I’m grown and have a palate for food with more than one ingredient (it can even touch other foods on the plate!), I’ve also found myself wanting to experiment with more and more complicated (and usually more delicious) recipes. When I get a new cookbook, I read it from cover to cover, daydreaming about the tasty possibilities and poring over each photograph. Emeril Lagasse, renowned New Orleans chef, has a new cookbook out this summer, Farm to Fork. The cookbook is organized by the type of focal ingredient, and showcases Emeril’s love for local ingredients and fresh flavor. One of the first recipes to catch my eye was for a quiche, a food I don’t think I knew existed until adolescence. An egg pie? How does that work? Wonderfully, it turns out. This is Emeril’s take, simple yet spiked with blue cheese.
“Herbed Quiche with Blue Cheese”
Savory pie crust:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
8 tablespoons (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
3 to 4 tablespoons ice water
1. Place the flour, salt, and pepper in the bowl of a food processor, and pulse to combine. Add the butter and process until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. While the machine is running, gradually drizzle in the water, processing until the dough comes together to form a ball.
2. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and shape it into a flat disk. Wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate it for at least 1 hour or up to overnight. (The dough can be frozen for up to a month; thaw in the refrigerator before using.)
Pie filling:
6 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
2 ounces Maytag blue cheese, at room temperature
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 eggs
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup whole milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons chopped fresh mixed herbs, such as parsley, thyme, tarragon, chives, and/or oregano
1. Preheat the oven to 400F
2. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pie crust dough to 1/8-inch thickness to fit an 8-inch fluted tart pan. Fill the pan with the dough, easing the dough into the bottom and lightly pressing it against the sides. Trim off the excess dough.
3. Line the pastry shell with parchment paper, and fill it with ceramic pie weights or dried beans. Place the tart pan on a baking sheet, and bake for 9 minutes. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and set the tart pan on a wire rack to cool. Remove the parchment paper and the weights.
4. Reduce the oven temperature to 375F.
5. In a medium bowl, whisk together the cream cheese, blue cheese, and butter. Whisk in the eggs until well blended. Stir in the cream, milk, salt, pepper, and herbs. Pour the filling into the partially baked pie shell. Return the tart pan to the baking sheet and bake, rotating the quiche halfway through, until it is puffed and golden brown, 25 minutes. The quiche is done when a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
6. Remove the tart pan from the baking sheet and set it on a wire rack to cool for at least 5 minutes before slicing. Serve hot, warm, or at room temperature.
6 to 8 servings
Last year about this time, I made a pilgrimage to West Point paying respects to an all-time hero, Howlin’ Wolf. I started listening to his music over 40 years ago, and to say his musical influence on me is huge is an understatement.
In the early 50s Wolf hit Chicago, recording for Chess, and the world opened up. Working with Willie Dixon, and backed by Hubert Sumlin, Wolf developed a style of overwhelming intensity. His presence was created with a feral state of antics, crawling around on all fours, howling out masculinity. Women found him irresistible. It was music that would pitch a wang dang doodle and tear the house down.
Nothing can replace holding the book in your hands, but we’re going to be giving you a preview of this gorgeous book. The unexpected treat at the end is a list of blues festivals, clubs that regularly feature blues, and a list of museums and resources devoted to the blues.
I’m going to take a break from normal blogging today to tell you about a couple of new things about LemuriaBooks.com.