Quiche is great. I'm not fond of the quiche that you get in restaurants or delis though. The restaurant quiches are almost always refrigerated and then reheated, so they are all dried out and nasty and weepy by the time you get them. I don't mind quiche leftovers after I've already had some *fresh* quiche, but I don't like to pay for reheated quiche, you know? Plus it's almost always spinach quiche, which I like, but there are so many other kinds of quiche to make. Why not branch out a little?

From Julia Child's "The Way to Cook"
Julia says:

The quiche -- that cheesy open-faced custard pie much in vogue starting in the mid-1960's, became so ubiquitous, and often so badly made, that its popularity waned. I vote it back in again because it is wonderfully good eating. And when you have ready-made dough inthe freezer, or a read-baked shell, it is fast to prepare as an easy first course or supper or luncheon dish.

As usual, she's right. Here are two of my favorites, from "The Way to Cook".

Quiche Lorraine
The mother of all quiches, shown above. I never see this offered in restaurants in its classic form, and I can't understand why. It's utterly delicious, easy to make, wonderful in every way. There's no cheese, but none is needed.

For a 9-inch quiche, serving 6 as a first course, or 3 as a lunch/dinner main course.

* 6 crisp strips of cooked bacon (I often use more)
* A 9-inch prebaked pie shell
* Seasonings: salt, freshly ground pepper, and nutmeg
* 3 large eggs, blended with enough cream to make 1.5 cups

Yes, that's it. That's all you need.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Break up the pieces of bacon and strew them in the bottom of the shell.
Season the egg and cream mixture, and pour it to within 1/8 inch of the rim.
Bake 30-35 minutes in the preheated oven, until puffed and browned.

Provencal Tomato Quiche

This didn't sound all that special from the recipe, but it came out incredibly well. Dan and I almost ate the entire thing by ourselves. Just be sure to spread the anchovy paste really evenly and thinly on the bottom of your prebaked pie shell. Last night I left some thicker areas of anchovy puree and they were too strong/salty in some bites of quiche. It should just provide a delicious hint of savory background flavor, not be overpowering or even identifiable.

This quiche is, of course, best at the height of the season, when fresh tomatoes are ripe and bursting with flavor. I used ripe heirloom tomatoes from my garden. Use the best that you can find.

* 2 cups sliced onions
* 1/4 cup olive oil
* 1 large clove of garlic, pureed or pressed
* 5 medium fine fresh ripe tomatoes, pureed or chopped
* Seasonings: salt, freshly ground pepper, oregano, and cayenne pepper; tomato paste is optional
* 3 eggs
* 1/4 cup lightly pressed-down, chopped fresh parsley
* 8 anchovy filets packed in oil, drained and mashed to a puree with 1 Tablespoon olive oil
* A 9-inch prebaked pie shell
* 1/4 cup grated Parmesan or other hard cheese
* 1 or 2 large fine ripe tomatoes, sliced

The tomato base:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. In a 10-inch frying pan, saute the onions with 2 tablespoons of olive oil for 8-10 minutes, until tender but not browned. Stir inthe garlic, then the chopped/pureed tomatoes, and simmer 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until a thick puree. Stir in seasonings to taste, including a little tomato paste if you think it needed; let cool to tepid. Then beat in the eggs and parsley.

Filling the shell and baking:
Spread the anchovy puree in the shell evenly and thinly and cover with the tomato base; strew on the cheese, arrange the tomato slices tastefully on top without overlapping too much. Salt lightly, and drizzle a little olive oil on top.

Bake 30-35 minutes in the preheated oven, until lightly puffed and an agreeable patchy brown.