#19 - Two Michaels, a Nigel, a Rufus and a Quiche Lorraine

It is week 3 and many of us feel like we have been run over by trucks.  Or at least the germ fairy.  There is a veritable outbreak of coughing, sneezing and sniffling in our classes.

Today was Cuisine's turn to do short crust pastry.  The demonstration was yesterday and our practical was this afternoon.  I have learned that the pastry for Cuisine can be much wetter than the one for Patisserie.  We also cheated on the resting time, or at least I did - Chef L told everyone to put their pastries into the oven at the same time to begin the blind baking (regardless of how long they had been resting).  Shhhhh!  I also finally found out what the missing tool in my kit was - it was the pie crimper.

Our knife kit comes with various thing and each pocket has an item in it.  Even though today was the first (and according to more advanced students, the last) time we used it, I couldn't figure out what was missing when I saw the empty pocket last week.  I thought it was my chef's knife but I eventually found that where I used to store the bread knife.

Quiche Lorraine
Anyway - enough about lost tools.  On to the pastries - I thought it would turn out badly because I had had a small issue with the water (Chef L decided to help by pouring in water to my dough while I was mixing it - except he took the water from the bowl, instead of my measuring cup where I had measured the water and by the time I tried to tell him, it was too late).  Not to worry, said he, as he added a bit more flour to dry out the dough.  I have no idea what the actual measurements were, but I know they weren't what was written on my recipe!

After all the resting and the rolling, the lining and the docking, the blind baking and the rest of the preparations, came the moment of truth - would the liquid filling for my quiche Lorraine leak out of its case?  It didn't...and FYI, we were told that a traditional quiche Lorraine is ham and Gruyere cheese, no onion...

We got through the day and I was told to make sure I was more careful (attention to detail) because my egg/cream/milk mixture had slightly slopped over the side of the quiche case as I went to put it in the oven.  Also, Chef L wanted more cheese (no problem!  I love cheese and am very happy to put in more than the recipe says to put in).

Quiche Lorraine - Bacon & Gruyere cheese...

2 Michaels, a Nigel and a Rufus
On Saturday afternoon, I made a new friend.  I had seen him before as I walked past on my way to or from class.  He likes to hang out on the sidewalk outside the Fine Art store just across the street from me (incidentally next door to Mrs Langan's chocolate pudding).  His name is Rufus and he is big, beautiful and is always glad to see me, if twice can count as always.  I believe we are going to be pretty good friends...


Rufus - with Nigel, aka Not-Michael, sitting behind him

Rufus's person's name is Michael, who works at the Fine Art store.  There is another man also named Michael there, who grimly informed me that his ex-wife had trained at the Cordon Bleu down on Marylebone Lane and look where it got him.  "Where?"  I wondered out loud to Rufus's person.  "Divorced,"  came the whispered reply.

What about me?



Rufus watching carefully for his share...

Anyway, this afternoon I wandered into the store on my way home from class, warm quiche in hand.  I had promised Rufus's Michael that I would bring over the quiche Lorraine because I don't like bacon (especially if it's not crispy).  This was pancetta that had been blanched and cut up really small (all fat trimmed off).  Luckily the two Michaels like quiche.  They also had a visitor, Nigel, whom I initially greeted as Not-Michael.  In any event, all three of them dispatched the quiche in relatively short order while Rufus gave me beseeching looks with his sweet, doggy eyes (see picture with Nigel above).  I felt a bit bad that I was impervious to his looks, having grown up with dogs and their sad, pathetic, not-quite-begging looks.

I tried one little piece of the quiche to see what it tasted like.  "Not bad" was my pronouncement, which was greeted by a snort of laughter from Rufus's Michael.  I am learning understatement from the British (kind of) but this still wouldn't be my first choice of meal although I agree it's a great way to get rid of leftovers.

Nigel, whose mother had also trained at the Cordon Bleu, rather wistfully asked if there were any onions in my quiche.  I regretfully told him no and gave him the explanation above about the traditional quiche Lorraine.  "Oh," he said, disappointed, "my mother put onions in her quiche.  I rather liked them."  Then he bit into his little piece and immediately brightened up a little.  He liked it even without the onions.  It seems there's not much a bit of short crust pastry can't cure, even a quiche with bacon in it or a question as to whether or not he would be breaching copyright by publishing some print or other.  (I asked him who owned the copyright - he's going to check.)



At long last - they caved!  Rupert and some short crust pastry...

Rufus gave the quiche a dinner-plate sized paw up and a tail wag to go with it.  The others were happy to provide homes for any extra portions or items that I don't eat, especially since the portion sizes seem to serve 4-6 people for many things.  Certain recipes lend themselves to making smaller quantities (i.e. salads, vegetables, etc) and some don't (i.e. roast chicken, a whole tart of some description, etc).  It's very hard to keep up with eating what you cook if the recipes serve 4, there's only one of you and you are cooking days in a row.  Rather than waste the food, I choose to share it.  The feedback has been appreciative, warm and generous.  I feel good because it hasn't gone to waste, so there's something for everyone, really.

We are spending quite a bit of time with pastry doughs between last week and the next.  I bought a blueberry puff pastry something-or-other from Paul's (yummy patisserie/boulangerie) - for research purposes, of course, since we are making puff pastry tomorrow.

Unfortunately I have been felled by my craving for bread...it always happens around this time of year.  Having no self control, I have just had (a small) baguette all on my own - with brie and some fig concoction.  Just as an endnote - I think my palate must be wimpy when it comes to cheese.  The sharp or medium English cheddars take off the top layer of my tongue and the French brie I just had in my bread was quite...robust.

The part I don't understand is that the French chefs don't like it if we overseason our food (so we have been told) and overseasoning is a bigger crime than underseasoning.  So why do they like such strong cheeses?

If anyone has an answer or a theory, I am listening (and reading)...so until next time...zzzzzzz...