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Open-Faced Cheese Tart
(Quiche au Fromage)
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| What You Need: |
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PATE BRISEE (pastry dough or pie crust)
6 tablespoons chilled butter, cut in ¼-inch bits
2 tablespoons chilled vegetable shortening
1½ cups all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon salt
3 to 5 tablespoons ice water
CHEESE-CUSTARD FILLING
1 teaspoon butter
6 slices lean bacon, cut in ¼-inch pieces
2 eggs plus 2 extra egg yolks
1½ cups heavy cream
½ teaspoon salt
Pinch of white pepper
¾ cup grated imported Swiss cheese or Swiss
and freshly grated Parmesan cheese combined
2 tablespoons butter, cut in tiny pieces
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| How To Cook: |
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1. PATE BRISEE: In a large, chilled mixing bowl, combine butter, vegetable shortening, flour and salt. Working quickly, use your fingertips to rub the flour and fat together until they blend and look like flakes of coarse meal. Pour 3 tablespoons of ice water over the mixture all at once, toss together lightly and gather the dough into a ball. If the dough seems crumbly, add up to 2 tablespoons more ice water by drops. Dust the pastry with a little flour and wrap it in wax paper or a plastic bag. Refrigerate it for at least 3 hours or until it is firm.
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2. Remove the pastry from the refrigerator 5 minutes before rolling it. If it seems resistant and hard, tap it all over with a rolling pin. Place the ball on a floured board or table and, with the heel of one hand, press it into a flat circle about 1 inch thick. Dust a little flour over and under it and roll it out-from the center to within an inch of the far edge. Lift the dough and turn it clockwise, about the space of two hours on a clock; roll again from the center to the far edge. Repeat-lifting, turning, rolling-until the circle is about 1/8 inch thick and 11 or 12 inches across. If the pastry sticks to the board or table, lift it gently with a metal spatula and sprinkle a little flour under it.
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3. Butter the bottom and sides of an 8- to 9-inch false-bottomed quiche or cake pan no more than 1¼ inches deep. Roll the pastry over the pin and unroll it over the pan, or drape the pastry over the rolling pin, lift it up and unfold it over the pan. Gently press the pastry into the bottom and around the sides of the pan, being careful not to stretch it. Roll the pin over the rim of the pan, pressing down hard to trim off the excess pastry. With a fork, prick the bottom of the pastry all over, trying not to pierce all the way through. Chill for 1 hour.
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4. Preheat the oven to 400°F. To keep the bottom of the pastry from puffing up, spread a sheet of buttered aluminum foil across the pan and press it gently into the edges to support the sides of the pastry as it bakes. Bake on the middle shelf of the oven for 10 miuutes, then remove the foil. Prick the pastry again, then return it to the oven for 3 minutes or until it starts to shrink from the sides of the pan and begins to brown. Remove it from the oven and set it on a wire cake rack to cool.
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5. CHEESE-CUSTARD FILLING: Preheat the oven to 375°F. In a heavy 8- to winch skillet, melt the butter over moderate heat. When the foam subsides, cook the bacon until it is lightly browned and crisp. Remove from the skillet with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. With a wire whisk, rotary or electric beater, beat the eggs, extra egg yolks, cream and seasonings together in a large mixing bowl. Stir in the grated cheese.
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6. Place the cooled pastry shell on a baking sheet. Scatter the bacon over the bottom of the shell and gently ladle the egg-cheese custard into it, being sure the custard does not come within 1/8 inch of the rim of the shell. Sprinkle the top with dots of butter and bake in the upper third of the oven for 25 minutes or until the custard has puffed and browned and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. To remove the quiche from the pan, set the pan on a large jar or coffee can and slip down the outside rim. Run a long metal spatula under the quiche to make sure it isn't stuck to the bottom of the pan, then slide the quiche onto a heated platter. Serve hot or warm.
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| To make an 8- to 9-inch quiche |
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