Friday, February 3, 2012

FFWD Gorgonzola-Apple Quiche


Hoping salad will off-set the richness of the quiche

We spent last weekend at the beach in Lewes, DE.  I know January probably isn't the most popular time to go to the beach, but I loved it.  We went to a couple of good restaurants, walked on the beach and the boardwalk (the weather was actually gorgeous), and went outlet shopping.  But, that coupled with book club on Sunday night, meant that I didn't have the time to start the quiche last weekend.  Luckily, it requires almost no hands-on time, just a lot of waiting.  So on Monday night I made the dough for the crust, on Tuesday night I rolled it out and put it back in the fridge to chill, on Wednesday night I partially-baked the crust, and on Thursday night all I had to do was make the filling and bake the quiche.

Gorgonzola-Apple Quiche
This wasn't much to photograph (not enough color!), but I definitely enjoyed the combination of flavors.  I love blue cheese and apple together, and I added some toasted hazelnuts (as Dorie recommends) which added some nice texture and flavor.  I was surprised when I was making this that there were only two eggs, and I did find myself wishing that there was more custard here.  I like the crust, but I wished the filling-to-crust ratio had been higher in this one.  When I make this again, I think I'll try increasing the amounts for the filling ingredients, and baking it in a pie pan.

I also made Dorie's Leek and Potato soup this week, as part of my continuing effort to catch up with the group.  I love potato-leek soup.  It's one of the first things I remember Paul cooking for me when we were dating.  I don't think I'd ever had it before, and I remember being absolutely shocked by the amount of cream Paul put in the soup (I think it was a whole pint, and at the time I was pretty careful about watching what I ate), but boy was it good.  I definitely liked that Dorie's version didn't call for cream.  It felt healthier, and I didn't miss the richness at all.  I did add a small amount of truffle oil (also a great Dorie recommendation) for garnish.

Leek and Potato Soup

I was very frustrated with my stove the entire time I was making this soup.  I couldn't seem to get it at the right temperature for a slow simmer.  There were either no bubbles, or the soup was boiling way too hard, and I know you're not supposed to boil milk.  So, I spent most of the 40 minutes yelling and cursing at my stove while Paul (who picked the stove) insisted that the stove was perfect and this was all somehow my fault....I still don't think it was my fault, but I will say that I think I would've been much happier if the recipe waited to add the milk until the end.  It seems like you could boil the potatoes, leeks, and aromatics in the chicken broth, and then just add the milk at the end before pureeing the soup.  I think I will try it that way next time, this is definitely a soup I will return to!

12 comments:

  1. I love the beach in all weather and it sounds like you had perfect weather! We loved both of these recipes but I had the same issue the first time I made the soup so when I've done it again I don't add the milk too soon.

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  2. A weekend at the beach sounds lovely...and your foods are beautiful. With this milder winter, people don't need to come here to AZ to get out more and I'm hearing from many friends around the country who are out enjoying January/February who are normally homebound at this time of year.

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  3. Love your "All Dorie" post! I would love a weekend at the beach right now!

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  4. It's nice to enjoy the beach areas when there are no crowds. The weather here in the Northeast
    has been great especially since it really is WINTER. Hard to believe some days. Your
    quiche looks wonderful and so delicious. Tricia and I both enjoyed this one and will be repeating it again, I'm sure.

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  5. Ooh, I missed the part about adding hazelnuts. That sounds delicious!

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  6. I love the ocean this time of the year. There is something magical about the empty beaches and the crashing waves.
    That leek & potato soup was pretty awesome - thanks for the reminder!

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  7. A great pair of recipes from AMFT. For me, winter at the beach is one of the best times, totally different than summer, more time to reflect, stroll, pick shells after storms, shop. I love the summer too, but then I just love the beach.

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  8. I only really like the beach in the off-season. I love that part of the coast you went to. We used to go to Bethany and Rehobeth Beach when I was growing up.
    I think breaking up the steps over several nights is a great way to put together something more complicated during the week. I often do the same, doing a step after that night's dinner, or even in the morning while I have breakfast.
    I enjoyed this quiche too. I used walnuts, but the hazelnuts sound nice too.

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  9. I ended up cracking two more eggs with milk for my individual quiches. They still were pretty even in the crust/custard equation. I wasn't in the group when they made that soup. I just looked it up - it might be my SOUPer Bowl dish tonight!

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  10. I love the beach in winter - no crowds, and it is so peaceful! I'm doing catch up also so will try to earmark the potato leek soup to do soon after your recommendation. We just saw the last of Dudamel's Mahler's 9th so I'm late at posting comments this weekend. Enjoyed your post as always! Have a terrific week! PS, I just picked up a book The Last Chinese Chef by Nicole Mones that is part of the Autry Book Club - looks very interesting if you haven't read it already.

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  11. Thank you for the book recommendation. It looks very interesting, I just added it to my list....Definitely let me know what you think of it!

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  12. It's interesting to me how thin Dorie's quiches are - they are more like tarts than quiche. Good idea to try more of the egg mixture next time. I haven't made the soup yet, but yours looks great!

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