Quiche Kitsch for an Annual Brunch

Among our standing fancy meal appointments is the annual brunch for our dance company.

We cook for about 35 people, dancers, board members and donors, and this year we were lucky enough to hold it in the gorgeous home of one of our long-term supporters.

A kitchen larger than our living room, with scads of counter space, and views over the Bay and north to Marin from giant picture windows. Can I live here? Really, can I?

We were of course, too involved cooking to take pictures, but here's a little shot of the quiche and my Omnivore's famous Whisky-Cured Gravlax.

On the Menu:

• Quiche Lorraine


• Quiche with Chevre & Wild Mushrooms


• Leek & Tomato Quiche


• Gravlax cured in Brown Sugar and Jack Daniels


• Potato Cheese Charlotte


• Salumi from Fra'Mani


• Brillat Savarin


• Humboldt Fog from Cypress Grove Cheeses


• Mixed Green Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette


• Croissants, Ambrosia Cake and Chocolate Death Cake from Citizen Cake

Citizen Cake is a dangerous place. The After Midnight Chocolate cake (its real name) is made from dark Scharffenberger, El Rey and finished with edible gold leaf. Just kill me now.


Quiche Theme and Variations

For the Pastry Crust:
1 1/4 cup AP flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar
6 Tbsp. butter
6-10 Tbsp. ice water

For Basic Filling:
4-5 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup whipping cream, creme fraiche, sour cream or half and half
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
pinch freshly grated nutmeg
1 Tbsp Bisquick (optional)

Extras:
(Mix and match these to make different kinds of quiche)

Quiche Lorraine 4 slices of bacon, cooked, drained and chopped
1 cup grated Gruyere

Chevre & Wild Mushroom
8 oz fresh goat cheese
1 lb mixed mushrooms, cleaned, stemmed, sliced and sauteed for 10 minutes in butter with a little salt and pepper

Leek and Tomato
2 medium leeks, white and light green parts only, sliced thin and sauteed over a low heat for 30 minutes with butter, salt and pepper
2-3 fresh Roma tomatoes, cored, seeded and quartered


Preheat oven to 375°F.

Make the pastry, mixing dry ingredients and then cutting in the butter. Add water a tablespoon at a time and stir until it balls up. Roll out dough to a 10-inch disk, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.

Place pastry evenly in 9-inch dish. Line inside with foil or a tin pie pan and hold it down with pie-weights or a handful of dried beans. Blind bake the crust for 10 min.

Remove foil and pie weights. Spread any cheese and vegetables across bottom.

Mix eggs, cream, salt, pepper and nutmeg together, then pour over fillings.

Bake 25-35 minutes. It's important to let the quiche rest for 10 minutes, before slicing and serving.