Monday 1 February 2016

Quiche Me Quick

With the beginning of Lent looming later this week, Fanny Cradock is all set to rid meat, game and poultry from our diets. Oh. For some of us there is nothing to 'exclude' as we approach a period of practicing a 'little hopefully highly palatable austerity'. But hey, this means a whole partwork devoted to lenten food, and - wait for it - some special vegetarian recipes! Yahoo! She does say they are aimed at the 'less severe' lacto-vegetarians though, which perhaps clarifies her true feelings on the matter. Hang on though, before we get too excited, Fanny also warns us solemnly that this whole season of Lent can be wildly depressing gastronomically...

Fanny Cradock Cheese Quiche

In an attempt to cheer us up, Fanny introduces four recipes for cod which she describes as 'dull as cold mutton'. It was known in her family as 'divorce meat'. Fanny's father considered any housewife who slipped cold mutton onto the table 'unsupported and unadorned' was providing more than adequate grounds for divorce. We are left to wonder what he thought of cold mutton 'supported and adorned'. Fanny says the same may be fairly said about her cod dishes, so we'll skip merrily over them. Fanny is particularly personally and positively despising of frozen fish fillets. She seems to like vegetarians only slightly more.

Fanny Cradock Cheese Quiche

Her first suggestion is as equally palatable to her and her household - all devoted meat eaters she proudly tells us - as to her vegetarian guests. Perhaps she doesn't loath us all? Her first recipe idea is a classic one originally from Lorraine - Quiche, or Kiche - for which each local housewife has a recipe which they insist is better than their neighbours. Fanny does too. Her first vegetarian, lenten recipe contains bacon, which again perhaps displays her feelings towards both. I'll leave it out. Her first piece of respectful advice is to stick to a savoury version if serving it to someone actually from Lorraine. Who knew a sweet Quiche was even on the cards, certainly not those horrified luncheon guests who endured what Fanny herself calls a 'grim experience'.

Fanny Cradock Cheese Quiche

Fanny's upholds her ominous undertones as she readies the pastry case for the Quiche. She calls it 'lining paste' which conjures up thoughts of dismal wallpapering and not cheerfully wow-ing vegetarian guests. This wallpaper lining paste is known as Pâté à Foncer Ordinaire and has a lower fat to flour ratio (roughly one third/two thirds) and a much higher water content, than the standard shortcrust stuff we are familiar with. It's all chopped up with knives, rolled out and used to line a suitable square tin in the usual way though. Yes, square it must be.

Fanny Cradock Cheese Quiche

The pastry rolls out well. Fanny insists on blind baking with beans. If a raw pastry is used Fanny warns that the custard 'may go down and the pastry will come up in little humps and bubbles', so I'm not risking that. The filling is eggs, single cream (and/or top of the milk, every thrifty), Parmesan (or Parmesan-style for the 'more severe' than I in the vegetarian stakes) and a little seasoning. Poured into the case it is topped with thin slices of Gruyère and baked at two temperatures - first high for only five minutes then long and slow until set. This is Fannys key to success for custard which cuts creamily. The finished Quiche tastes yummily of yesteryear in all honesty, the lining paste is spectacularly crisp and flashes me straight back to childhood. Far from wildly depressing and grim, it is indeed a perfectly palatable beginning to Lenten. The wallpaper may still be ghastly, however, not everything from the 70's deserves a revival.

Fanny Cradock Cheese Quiche

8 comments:

  1. The thought of sweet quiche is horrific and also slightly mindboggling...

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    1. Fanny can be totally mindboggling at times - I'm with you, horrified!

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  2. That looks good. Fanny clearly takes a Spanish approach to cured pork products - they're not 'proper meat'.

    I guess a sweet quiche would be most like a custard tart.

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    1. I guess, Fanny suggests replacing the cheese with sugar 'to taste' and popping some powdered sugar in the lining paste!

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  3. This reminds me of when I took a vegetarian friend to stay with my Italian grandmother for a few days in 1989. She wasn't sure what vegetarian meant, so I explained that she didn't eat meat. 'Oh that's OK then, we can have prosciutto and salami!' The quiche looks lovely but I wonder why it has to be square. I do square and oblong quiches for buffets because then you can serve it in finger slices. Interesting to try it with slice cheese as well. Full of surprises our Fanny! Thanks for another excellent post.

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    1. There really isn't any explanation of why it has to be square. She slices it as I have in the corner too... Bonkers as ever I guess! Thanks...

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  4. Yum that looks delicious. Funny how she thinks bacon is acceptable for a vegetarian! I like the idea of the cheese slices in the quiche

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