GOLDEN ONION QUICHE
(Source: Quiche & Pate by Peter Kump, Harper & Row, NY, 1982)
I found this recipe in the above cookbook by Peter Kump, who wrote that it is a specialty of Alsace and Switzerland. Peter Kump founded a cooking school that bears his name in NYC and Prodigy customers were lucky to have him as a Guest Chef one month a few years ago. He passed away last summer and I am glad I got the opportunity to tell him on Prodigy how much I liked his book (which is small and special). I used this recipe as an inspiration rather than an SOP (standard operating procedure). My notes are below.
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-- 8" prebaked pie shell
7 T unsalted butter
2 lb onions, sliced
2 T safflower oil
2 T flour
3 large eggs
1 c heavy cream
3 oz Gruyere cheese, freshly grated
Preheat the oven to 375 deg. Dice 3 T butter and refrigerate.
In a large sautee pan cook the onions in the remaining butter and oil. Start over medium heat and gradually reduce to low heat, for about an hour, until the onions are very tender, golden, and reduced considerably in size. Stir continuously for the last 15 min being careful not to let them burn. Discard any burned parts. Sprinkle with the flour and saute another 2-3 min.
Beat the eggs and cream in a bowl with a third of the cheese. Stir in the onions, then pour the mixture into the quiche shell. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese and dot with the diced butter. Bake 25-35 min, or until browned and set.
NOTES: First of all, if I'm going to go to the bother to make a quiche, I'm not going to fool with an little 8-incher. I use a 10" crust and increase the filling. I put the solid stuff in the bottom of the shell, put the custard ingredients (eggs, milk, flavoring, maybe some cheese) in a blender, whirl briefly until mixed, and pour it over the solids. Then I put the grated cheese on top and bake. This approach came in handy a few years ago when I "catered" a family party at my sister's. We served different type of quiches, so I lined up the pans with the crusts, put the various solid ingredients (mushrooms, spinach, broccoli, fried onions, etc.) in each pan, whipped up a lot of filling, poured it over the vegetables, and topped with cheese (I usually use Swiss). I also made a mushroom-barley soup that was a hit, maybe someday I will recreate it and write it down.
I made a low-cholesterol (and lowered fat) version of the fried onion quiche by using egg-substitute and low-fat cheese. It was pretty good!
By the way, you test a quiche for doneness by jiggling it a bit on the oven shelf to see if it's "set"- you should be able to tell if the filling is still liquid by watching the center. The final test is done by sticking a knife in the middle. If it comes out clean, i.e. the custard doesn't leave an opaque film, it is ready. Don't overcook or it will curdle.
Updated: April 6, 1996
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