REAL QUICHE

In 1982, at the dawn of the age of Reagan, a screenwriter named Bruce Feirstein published a popular book of reactionary humor called Real Men Don't Eat Quiche. Until the men's movement emerged a decade later and gave satirists "armpit-sniffing” and "drum-beating” as choice epithets to describe the New Male, "quiche-eater" was second only to "sensitive Alan Alda- type" as a term of masculine disparagement. Although some of Feirstein’s observations now seem outdated (real men don't use zip codes) or just plain bizarre (real men don't floss) , he was on to something, in his own narrow-minded way: a good quiche is a trembling , fussy, high maintenance little thing .
Chefs are touchy creatures, and the male American ones reacted to this slander on the quiches manliness by producing that staple of delis and cheap restaurants everywhere: the Macho Quiche. Five inches high, with a thick, irregular weather-resistant crust, a dense eggy filling and a top as leathery as Charles Bronson’s face, this is a quiche than none would dare call sissy food.
Yas’s version is made with a thin, flaky tart crust, a smooth custard and flavor-packed garnishes. Served with a few lightly dressed greens and a glass of chilled Chenin Blanc, it's the perfect lunch for the metrosexual.

Here are a few imperatives to keep in mind when preparing a quiche:

A quiche is a tart, not a pie.
A good quiche crust is fragile and flaky, and best suited to a 1” high tart pan.
A custard that's baked in an army-sized pie pan will be hard and rubbery on the sides by the time the center is set.
Also, quiche is a rich dish and best served in small portions.

The filling is a custard, not a baked omelet.
Egg should not be the predominant flavor in a quiche.
Use cream rather than milk for your custard, so you can use fewer eggs and minimize the eggy taste.
Use a combination of egg yolks and whole eggs to avoid that rubbery texture.
Remove the quiche when the middle is set but not firm. Do not overcook the custard or you'll end up with scrambled eggs.

Quiche is not nursery food.
Fat blunts flavor. A quiche is made with a lot of eggs, butter, cream and cheese. You need to season the custard aggressively to cut through the blandness and for the garnishes, to use strongly flavored ingredients like cave-aged Gruyere, bacon or pancetta, olives, oven-dried tomatoes and anchovies. Avoid using ingredients with a high water content like uncooked spinach, celery or large pieces of tomatoes; these will make for a watery custard.
Be gentle.
Do not overmix the dough.
Use as little flour as possible when rolling out the crust and be careful not to overwork it.
Whisk the custard mixture gently. A foamy custard mixture will make for a rubbery quiche.
Do not refrigerate the quiche if possible. Cool to room temperature, then serve.
If you're going to reheat the quiche, for god's sake do not use a microwave oven.

Quiche w/ Cherry Tomatoes, Sage and Goat Cheese (makes 1- 8” tart)
4For the crust:
1-1/4 c all-purpose flour
3 oz by weight (1 stick) cold diced unsalted butter
1T granulated sugar
1/2 tsp kosher salt
2 Tbs cold heavy cream
pinch cayenne pepper
1 Tbs grated parmesan cheese (optional)
1 egg white, lightly beaten
note: use a tart pan with a removable bottom if possible



In the bowl of a Cuisinart, place the flour, sugar, salt, pepper and parmesan cheese if using. Add the butter and pulse until the butter is evenly distributed and the size of small peas. Add the cream and pulse until the mixture starts to come together but is not yet a solid mass.



Dump the dough into a large sheet of plastic wrap and press the dough together by bringing together the corners of the plastic wrap until you have a solid mass.



Chill the dough for 30 minutes. Remove from the refrigerator and allow sit at room temperature for 2-3 minutes before using.
Preheat the oven to 335 F.
Using a rolling pin, roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface, preferably wood or granite, to a diameter slightly larger than the diameter of the pan.




Fold the dough over the lightly floured rolling pin and press the dough into the fluted sides of the pan using your bent index finger . Trim away any excess dough using a rolling pin or your thumb.



With a fork, score the bottom of the tart shell.


Chill the dough for 15 minutes.
Blind bake the dough until the crust is set, about 12 minutes.




Carefully remove the wax paper and beans, and place the crust back in the oven until the crust is a light golden brown color, about 15 minutes.



Remove the crust from the oven, and immediately brush the bottom with the egg white (this will keep the bottom of the tart from getting soggy once the custard mixture has been added). Set aside.

Meanwhile, prepare the custard mixture:
For the Custard Mixture and Garnish:
2 egg yolks
1 whole egg
1 c heavy cream
salt
freshly ground black pepper
nutmeg
cayenne pepper
4 ounces fresh goat cheese, such as Laura Chenel or Haystack Mountain
8 sage leaves
12-16 cherry tomatoes, depending on the size, halved if large

In a small stainless steel mixing bowl using a fork or whisk, lightly mix together egg, egg yolks, cream and spices. Transfer the mixture to a pitcher.
Line the tart shell at regular intervals with the cherry tomatoes if using halved tomatoes, place them cut side up ). Alternate the tomatoes with the whole sage leaves in a bicycle –spoke pattern. Sprinkle with the goat cheese, leaving the cheese in fairly large chunks.


Place the tart shell on a baking sheet, open the oven door and pull out the middle rack of the oven a few inches. Place the baking sheet with tart shell on the rack. Lightly whisk the custard mixture (this will ensure that the spices are evenly distributed) and carefully pour the custard into the tart shell.





Close the oven and bake about 15-20 minutes until the custard is just set but slightly jiggly in the middle.
Cool the tart for about 10 minutes, then, using a large offset spatula, carefully remove the tart from the pan and cool on a wire rack.
Gently rewarm in a 300 F oven and serve with a small green salad.