Labor of Love-9/12/09

I loved quiche when I was a kid but we never had it very much. I now know why. Making quiche from scratch takes a really long time. Make the crust, chill it, bake it, bake with filling, allow it to firm up. That's a lot of steps, I can see why Grandma and Mom didn't make it much. It felt like I was making it all day.
It's interesting to look back and see how certain foods have fallen out of favor because of their labor intensive preparation. Roasts were a mainstay of many Americans up until the 1960's. Now it is rare to hear of someone making a roast anytime but for a special holiday meal. Conversely, some foods have grown in popularity because of their simplicity. Fifty years ago, pasta was the specialty of Italian immigrant families. Now it is a frequent meal option for virtually everyone.
The Broccoli Garlic Quiche on page 32 of this month's Gourmet was worth the effort though. This was a very good quiche and could easily be adapted with different ingredients. A little bacon would be a perfect addition. The cheesy top browned perfectly and gave that classic broccoli and cheese taste. I was pretty pleased with my crust too. I didn't have a deep dish pie plate so I used a regular tart pan and folded the crust high to give more room for the filling. I did realize just now, after running downstairs to get my magazine, that garlic is in the title, not cheese. This is not a dish with strong garlic flavors. I had forgotten I'd even put it in until I looked at the name of the recipe. If you want noticeable garlic flavor, put more in that called for. The cheese flavor was much more predominant in this one.
I conjured up memories of lunch at my grandma's by pairing the quiche with the Tomato-Gin Soup from page 14. I don't know that my grandma put gin in her tomato soup but it wouldn't surprise me. She loved to add alcohol to things and her trifle dessert was absolutely alcoholic. This was a very good tomato soup. It was rich, creamy, and the gin was just as they described it, a nuanced flavor that left you wondering what it was. I've made quite a few tomato soups for this project and though I wouldn't say this was my favorite because they've all been pretty good, I would say it stood out. Richard ate his whole bowl which is saying something.
After yesterday's rather runny run-in with gelatin making the Berries and Buttermilk Puddings, I was thrilled to make it up to the family with a well-gelled dessert. I made the Lemon Verbena and Summer Fruit Gelee on page 104. I haven't had great luck finding obscure dessert ingredients lately and lemon verbena was equally elusive. I thought maybe Home Depot would have the plant in their herb section but couldn't find it there either. I decided if I was going for lemon flavor, I could safely substitute with lemon and that's easy to find everywhere with the exception of Walmart in Arkansas (see 9/7/09 post for explanation). This dessert was simple and the gelatin took on the light pink of the wine, looking very pretty. The flavor was basically that of a glammed up Jello salad. Thankfully, it was not as sickeningly sweet as Jello and the fruit was fresh and still had texture, unlike that canned fruit cocktail that always finds its way into Jello salads. The lemon flavor was mild but noticeable, hopefully quite close to the flavor produced by the addition of lemon verbena.

Broccoli Garlic Quiche-A

Tomato-Gin Soup-A-

Lemon Verbena and Summer Fruit Gelee-B