This month, fans got crackin' on a beloved brunch staple: Julia Child's Quiche Lorraine, from WGBH's The French Chef. Our panel of judges—including celebrity chef Josh Lewin of Somerville's Juliet—were blown away by the creativity and cooking chops displayed in all of the submissions, but a few rose above the rest. Here are our favorites, with Josh's thoughts on each:
Best Presented: Lisa W.
Lisa W says: “It's in his quiche! Last night I had the privilege of cooking what Julia child mentions in her book to be ”practically foolproof.“ A statement which in itself carries the immense pressure of actually not messing it up. We made ”Quiche Lorraine“ - comprising of handmade short crust pastry and a mixture of eggs, cream and bacon. A bit rough around the edges but delicious! Can anyone say YUM!
Josh says: ”Now that is a picture that would bring us in for lunch! Such drama! What does it look like inside? Only one way to find out... Invite us next time.“
Best Effort: Ellen L.
Ellen says: ”This is my Pig and Fig Quiche, made from Olympian and local running legend Shalane Flanagan's cookbook “Run Fast Eat Slow.” I like to make it this time of year in honor of the Boston Marathon. I substitute seitan for the “pig” (aka bacon) in her recipe to make it vegetarian, while making heavy use of butter as an ode to Julia. It also features feta, kale, and sliced figs or pears (shown here) on top. I make two at a time and freeze one for something easy to eat during the work week. That is, unless my colleagues get to it first...“
Josh says: ”Quiche is marathon food!? Sign us up then. I thought all those runners were eating nothing but meal replacement shakes and sugar packets.Great originality with a purpose here. We always like a personal take on a classic...but we want to know the reason for it. Don't mess with a good thing just because; take us behind the scenes and let us know why this version exists. Thanks for the originality.“
One We Want To Try: Max T.
Max says: ”Because the inspiration of the challenge is the Quiche Lorraine from Julia Child's landmark show, The French Chef, I made the actual source of inspiration, the Quiche Lorraine based from the recipe in The French Chef Cookbook. The proportion for her pastry dough and quiche filling always exceeds what is needed in the actual operational proof, but I have come to believe that it was Julia's intention all along so viewers, readers, students and fans like us can have fun in the kitchen. In this case, the leftover pastry dough can work as garnishes (I shaped mine into leaves) and the excess filling of eggs and cream can also serve as an egg glaze for the leaves. (Although I did not use the egg glaze for the leaves in this photo, it's still a teachable moment for me in the future in case I will repeat her Quiche Lorraine.) P.S. If there is an annual World Quiche Competition, anybody who uses Julia Child's recipe for the dough will make it to the finals because the bottom of her quiches does not turn out soggy after baking the unfilled shell. Plus, the dough is very flaky to perfection. P.S.S. If you want to skimp on the butter in her Quiche Lorraine recipe, add more cream in the filling.“
Josh says: ”I love that Max went for it with iteration in mind. Coming away with notes on how to improve presentation (don't forget to glaze your leaves!), how to potentially modify ingredients with respect to the whole experience, and how the original author of the source material recipe (Julia) may have hidden challenges in the recipe itself aka: what to do with leftover filling. Max is approaching kitchen work in a methodical way, leaving room for note taking, personal improvement, and critical thinking about the material originally transmitted. Does Max need a job?“
Check out all of this month's submissions @WGBHBoston on Facebook, and stay tuned for next month's challenge!
