{"id":1749,"date":"2005-05-08T20:06:00","date_gmt":"2005-05-08T20:06:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/elitemporaryblog.wordpress.com\/2005\/05\/08\/9-am-sunday-cream-and-creamier"},"modified":"2015-09-24T03:54:23","modified_gmt":"2015-09-24T03:54:23","slug":"9-am-sunday-cream-and-creamier","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/orangette.net\/2005\/05\/9-am-sunday-cream-and-creamier\/","title":{"rendered":"9 am Sunday: cream and creamier"},"content":{"rendered":"
We\u2019ve all been wondering when it would happen. Sure, I may have traveled unscathed down a path slippery with butter<\/a>, and by an astounding stroke of luck, I didn\u2019t go instantly diabetic while hefting piles of sugar into my mouth on the backs of beignets<\/a> and waffles<\/a>. But this time, I overdid it. I was vanquished by a quiche. I would hang my head, but really, there\u2019s no need for shame: this was an exceptionally mighty specimen. This was quiche, Jimmy-style. He had slipped the quiches\u2014each individually portioned and breathtakingly beautiful\u2014into the oven shortly before my arrival, and the air in the kitchen was almost palpably thick, heady and rich with butter and cheese. The quiches, Jimmy explained, had been layered with cheese and spiral-cut ham, over which he poured a custard of cream (milk being far<\/em> too moderate) and eggs, topping each with delicate spears of pencil-thin asparagus. I kneeled to peer at them through the oven window and watched as they began to bronze and puff like miniature souffl\u00e9s<\/strong>.<\/p>\n When I sat down with my plate, I suddenly began to regret my choice of clothing. There would be nowhere to hide the evidence.<\/p>\n This was no typical quiche, and a far cry from the prissy pastry so common of the genre. Whoever said that real men don\u2019t eat quiche has obviously never had breakfast at Jimmy\u2019s. This was serious sustenance: though deceptively dainty, the quiche was bold and lusty<\/strong>. Eggy, creamy, and yet somehow surreally light\u2014in the way that whipped cream feels “light” on the tongue\u2014its intense richness was barely balanced by the saltiness of ham and the green, vegetal flavor of asparagus. As a rule, I love to clean my plate, and this was no exception. It took stamina, however\u2014not to mention willful denial of the fat-induced hot flashes<\/strong> I was suddenly experiencing. Upon scraping up the last heartbreakingly flaky crumb of crust, I quite nearly passed out.<\/p>\n But thank goodness for Jimmy: having foreseen the onslaught of my cream coma<\/strong>, he\u2019d already written down the recipe for me. And happily so, because after a few days\u2019 recovery and some long walks, I\u2019m sure I\u2019ll be hungry again. There\u2019s already a pint of cream in the fridge.<\/p>\n Jimmy\u2019s Souffl\u00e9d Quiche with Ham, Cheese, and Asparagus
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Though there would be no obscene sugar consumption on this occasion, Rebecca\u2019s invitation still came with a warning: \u201cthe fat, the sacred fat, will be more extreme than ever<\/strong>. And did I mention salt? The fat and the salt. . . . I suggest not eating from Friday on.\u201d But as I\u2019ve been known to do from time to time, I shrugged off her suggestion as simple hyperbole. It takes more than mere words to keep a fork out of my mouth, and anyway, I have a strict chocolate quota to fulfill. But I was sorely mistaken. It\u2019s downright dangerous to be flippant about anything that involves this much cream.
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I arrived at nine in an unusually trashy-tiny vintage Reese\u2019s Peanut Butter Cups t-shirt, planning to carelessly consume vast quantities of fat and salt and hoping to have nothing to show for it. Rebecca had already taken up her usual position on the couch and was sipping her tall glass of morning iced tea through a straw, while Jimmy presided over the stove with his usual effortless grace, tending a<\/strong> large skillet full of new potatoes, onions, bell peppers, and of course, butter<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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Vegetarians, take note: though the flavor of the ham plays an integral role in Jimmy’s recipe, this quiche would still be lovely sans pork. It’s the creamy custardy egg filling that’s the true star here. [Jimmy, forgive me; I know this is blasphemy, but I’m an equal-opportunity quiche baker.]<\/p>\n