SOUTHWESTERN QUICHE

     Everyone should have a daughter or two or three:  one to make her laugh, one to inspire her, one to teach her to dance.  In my case, that would be, in order of appearance in my life, Jenny, Allison, Caroline, each of whom contributed to this blog, to this day.

     Caroline loves English Country dancing, and is taking me to a dance Saturday next.  So I'd gone to the web for help, and it turns out, there is a great teaching site, illustrating the arcane language of this art form, including half-figure eights, a variety of "heys," and etc.  Has to do with walking around other individuals, couples, in a mannered way, accompanied by beautiful music.  On the way from my office to the kitchen, I thought I may as well try doing a few half-eights around the piano bench.  You know, practice?

     But what to make for breakfast?  This is where Jenny enters the story.  We have both made Southwestern Quiche when nothing else will do, and something about the early morning fog and a train whistle was making the choice obvious this morning.  I've made it for breakfast, dinner, parties, in Jenny's kitchen as well as my own, so by now, we pretty much own it.  Time to widen the circle.

     And while sliding the pantry shelves open, looking for a can of sliced olives, I was body-snatched by Allison.  I've got to clean those shelves!  Organize those cans of tomatoes and clams and pumpkin tapenade jumbled together any which way.  There are probably even expired goods in there!  Now!  Breakfast can wait!

     I came to myself after loading the first . . . is is a congregation of cans?  (a "murder of crows")  onto the kitchen counter, proceeded to make the quiche, but while it was in the oven, I did manage a couple of shelves, and yes, did the rest later.  But I wished Allison were there to make sense of the logic behind black beans vs. coconut milk, pancake syrup and sun-dried tomatoes.

     Anyway, here's the dance web-site:  rivkinetic.org/flash/ecdflash.htm, and below is the recipe for the quiche.

It starts with  a piecrust, with 1 tsp. chili powder added to the recipe, if you make it from scratch.  However, it's perfectly wonderful to make this without a crust, in individual ramekins.  Yes, I know, kids probably won't like this.  Sorry.  Kids grow up,

Filling:
3/4 cup grated cheddar cheese
1/2 cup grated jack cheese (or other white cheese, like Gruyere)
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 1/2 cup half and half
1 4 oz. can green chiles, chopped
1 2 1/2 oz. can sliced black olives
2 TBs. finely chopped green onions

Note:  If you aren't using a crust, add 1 tsp. chili powder to egg and cream mix.

Mix cheeses together and spread on bottom of uncooked pastry shell, or individual ramekins.
Mix all remaining ingredients together, pour over cheese.

If baking in pie shell, bake 40-45 minutes at 350 degrees.
If using ramekins, place filled ramekins in baking pan large enough to hold them, pour hot water around them in the pan, and bake 40-45 minutes at 350 degrees.
The filling will puff up and crack on top when done.

This will make one 10 inch pie, or 4 to 5 ramekins, depending on their size.  Trick:  you don't have to bake all the ramekins at once (or any of them, for that matter.)  Put tinfoil over the top and freeze the little beauties until some other foggy morning when you feel like dancing, or not.  Let them thaw, then bake as above.