On A Cold Winter Night...Crabmeat And Roasted Red Pepper Quiche

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After all the holiday food of the last month and a half, I was ready for something new and radically different to make and post...something without the word pie, cookie, leftovers or peppermint bark.  Looking through my drafts for future posts, I came across this quiche.  I looked no more.

This recipe has been in my archives for a long time, waiting for Spring and a ladies lunch.  Together with the Mandarin Salad, and its slightly sweet and sour dressing,  it is the perfect menu for the Ladies Who Lunch any time of the year.  Instead, it was made yesterday, for dinner, on the coldest day we have had so far this winter.

Although there were no ladies in attendance this time, except for us five chicks, we really enjoyed it.  Under the lights of the Christmas tree, a roaring fire and The Remains of the Day on TV it was a great menu for a quiet Friday night.  If you have "real men" in the family who don't eat quiche, call it a pie.  They'll bite.

Tomorrow we have Season Four of Downton Abbey and the possibility of snow here in North Georgia.  If you want something lite and special for dinner, run to the store and grab what you need.  Don't forget a good bottle of white wine, preferably a Sauvignon Blanc, although a French Chardonnay would do well if you are serving the Mandarin Salad.

Make sure you buy fresh crabmeat, although you can use  Lump which is more reasonably priced than the Jumbo Lump.  That is what I used and it was perfect.  The recipe calls for six ounces but the container I bought had eight and I used all of it.

There is a recipe for the pie crust below but Mrs. Smith's ready made crust will save you lots of time.  As to the roasted red peppers, ditto, but buy good ones in a jar. We've cooked enough this past holiday season and a few short cuts here and there are well deserved.

 

 Crab Meat And Roasted Red Pepper Quiche

 

YIELD

4 to 6 servings
One 9 and 1/2-inch tart crust

 Ingredients

• Short-crust dough (see recipe), rolled and chilled in a 9 1/2-inch tart pan
• 1 small red pepper
• 3 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• Black pepper to taste
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• Pinch cayenne
• 1 and 1/4 cups heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh tarragon
• 2 teaspoons slivered chives
• 6 ounces cooked crab meat, or use chopped cooked shrimp or lobster

Preparation

1.

Bake prepared dough at 375 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes, until lightly browned. Patch any small holes with leftover dough. Cool.

2.

Set red pepper in the flames of a stovetop gas burner turned to high. Turn with tongs until skin is blackened, 5 to 7 minutes, then cool. Peel, remove seeds and veins, and slice into 1/4-inch strips.

3.

Make the custard: in mixing bowl, beat eggs, mustard, salt, black pepper, paprika and cayenne. Whisk in cream and herbs. Set aside.

4.

Set tart pan on a baking sheet. Spread crab meat evenly over bottom of pastry. Arrange red pepper strips over crab meat. Beat custard once more and carefully pour into tart shell. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes, until top is golden and custard is set. Cool for 10 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

 Basic short-crust pastry

Ingredients

• 145 grams all-purpose flour (about 1 cup)
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 stick cold unsalted butter (1/4 pound), cut in 1/8-inch pieces
• 3 tablespoons ice water

Preparation

Put flour and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer or food processor. Add butter and quickly cut it into flour until mixture resembles coarse meal.

Add ice water and mix briefly, about 30 seconds, to form a soft dough. Remove dough, shape into a thick disk, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight. Bring to cool room temperature before rolling.

To roll, lightly flour dough and counter. Roll out gradually, periodically letting dough rest for a moment before continuing. This makes rolling easier and will keep dough from shrinking back during baking.

Roll dough to a thin round approximately 13 inches in diameter, then trim to make a 12-inch circle (refrigerate and save trimmings for patching). Lay dough loosely into a 9 1/2-inch fluted tart pan with removable bottom, letting it relax a bit. Fold overlap back inside to make a double thickness, then press firmly against the pan so the finished edge is slightly higher than the pan. Refrigerate or freeze for an hour before pre-baking.

Adapted from David Tanis New York Times
All photos Lindaraxa