Preheat the oven to 475°F with the rack set in the lowest position.
2. Roll out the pastry: 1 16 inch for the puff pastry and ⅛ inch for the tart pastry. Line a 9½- or 10-inch tart pan with a removable bottom with the pastry (see “How to Line a Tart Pan,” page 65 ) and prick the pastry well all over with the point of a sharp knife. Freeze the lined tart pan until you are ready to bake your quiche. (If you are using tart pastry, prebake the shell as in step 3 of Quiche Lorraine, page 64 .)
3. In a bowl, combine the eggs, egg yolk, milk, Madeira, Cognac, curry powder, salt, and pepper and mix well with a whisk without vigorously beating.
4. Cover the bottom of the tart shell with the crabmeat and fill three-quarters full with the custard mixture.
5. Holding the tart pan by the outer rim (so as not to dislodge the bottom), place it in the oven. (If using a prebaked tart shell, do not put it in the oven until the temperature is reduced to 425°F.) After 5 minutes, reduce the temperature to 425°F and bake until the pastry is golden brown and the custard begins to puff and brown lightly, 25 to 30 minutes more.
6. Unmold as soon as possible (see “Unmolding a Tart or Quiche,” page 218 ). Allow it to cool forat least 10 minutes before serving. The quiche is delicious served at any temperature. (The quiche can be made up to a day in advance. It will keep well in the refrigerator for several days. Reheat in a 350°F oven for 10 to 15 minutes before serving.)
NOTE
If you do substitute another kind of shellfish for the crab, be sure to cook it first. (Crabmeat is already cooked when purchased.) Also, be sure to cut the seafood into bite-size pieces.
SERVING SUGGESTION
If you serve the quiche as a first course, you might follow it with grilled lamb chops and vegetables, or a sautéed chicken or veal dish. Since such a meal starts with pastry, fruit or sorbet makes a good dessert.
M AKING A D ECORATIVE R IM
Here’s how to make a decorative rim like those typically found in pastry shops. Follow the instructions in “How to Line a Tart Pan” ( page 65 ) through step 7, then proceed with the steps shown below.
1. Supporting the inner wall of the rim with the forefinger of one hand, use a fork or pastry pinch (a tweezer-like instrument used to give a decorative edge to both tarts and quiches) to decorate the top edge.
2. Gently run your thumb along the outer top edge of the pan to ensure that the pastry remains on the inside of the pan when baked. This will prevent problems when unmolding.
SAVORY CREAM-PUFF PASTRIES
Most people know pâte à choux or cream-puff pastry in its dessert form—such as cream puffs or éclairs—but the dough is also used for savory dishes.
Savory cream-puff pastries can be filled with numerous mixtures. For a hot presentation, the fillings can be similar to those used in the puff -pastry cases (see Puff-Pastry Shells Filled with Seafood in White Wine Sauce, page 76 ). Served cold, the pastry can be filled with shrimp or chicken salad.
The recipes that follow are for two uses of cream-puff pastry that are a little more unusual. For Parisian-Style Gnocchi ( page 70 ), small pieces of the pastry are poached like dumplings and served with a sauce. For the Gruyère Pastry Ring Filled with Cheese Soufflé ( page 72 ), a cheese-flavored cream-puff pastry is baked in the form of a ring, filled with a cheese soufflé mixture, and baked again.
PARISIAN-STYLE GNOCCHI
[GNOCCHI À LA PARISIENNE]
Gnocchi are Italian dumplings usually made from potatoes. If you’ve ever had them, you probably remembered them long after the meal was over as they often tend to be heavy and, in the hands of an inexperienced cook, leaden.
F ORMING P ARISIAN G NOCCHI
Fill a pastry bag fitted with a ½-inch (#6) plain tube with the cream-puff pastry dough and rest it on the edge of a pan of simmering water. Gently squeeze out about 1 inch of pastry and cut it off with the tip of a paring knife, letting the pastry
2. Roll out the pastry: 1 16 inch for the puff pastry and ⅛ inch for the tart pastry. Line a 9½- or 10-inch tart pan with a removable bottom with the pastry (see “How to Line a Tart Pan,” page 65 ) and prick the pastry well all over with the point of a sharp knife. Freeze the lined tart pan until you are ready to bake your quiche. (If you are using tart pastry, prebake the shell as in step 3 of Quiche Lorraine, page 64 .)
3. In a bowl, combine the eggs, egg yolk, milk, Madeira, Cognac, curry powder, salt, and pepper and mix well with a whisk without vigorously beating.
4. Cover the bottom of the tart shell with the crabmeat and fill three-quarters full with the custard mixture.
5. Holding the tart pan by the outer rim (so as not to dislodge the bottom), place it in the oven. (If using a prebaked tart shell, do not put it in the oven until the temperature is reduced to 425°F.) After 5 minutes, reduce the temperature to 425°F and bake until the pastry is golden brown and the custard begins to puff and brown lightly, 25 to 30 minutes more.
6. Unmold as soon as possible (see “Unmolding a Tart or Quiche,” page 218 ). Allow it to cool forat least 10 minutes before serving. The quiche is delicious served at any temperature. (The quiche can be made up to a day in advance. It will keep well in the refrigerator for several days. Reheat in a 350°F oven for 10 to 15 minutes before serving.)
NOTE
If you do substitute another kind of shellfish for the crab, be sure to cook it first. (Crabmeat is already cooked when purchased.) Also, be sure to cut the seafood into bite-size pieces.
SERVING SUGGESTION
If you serve the quiche as a first course, you might follow it with grilled lamb chops and vegetables, or a sautéed chicken or veal dish. Since such a meal starts with pastry, fruit or sorbet makes a good dessert.
M AKING A D ECORATIVE R IM
Here’s how to make a decorative rim like those typically found in pastry shops. Follow the instructions in “How to Line a Tart Pan” ( page 65 ) through step 7, then proceed with the steps shown below.
1. Supporting the inner wall of the rim with the forefinger of one hand, use a fork or pastry pinch (a tweezer-like instrument used to give a decorative edge to both tarts and quiches) to decorate the top edge.
2. Gently run your thumb along the outer top edge of the pan to ensure that the pastry remains on the inside of the pan when baked. This will prevent problems when unmolding.
SAVORY CREAM-PUFF PASTRIES
Most people know pâte à choux or cream-puff pastry in its dessert form—such as cream puffs or éclairs—but the dough is also used for savory dishes.
Savory cream-puff pastries can be filled with numerous mixtures. For a hot presentation, the fillings can be similar to those used in the puff -pastry cases (see Puff-Pastry Shells Filled with Seafood in White Wine Sauce, page 76 ). Served cold, the pastry can be filled with shrimp or chicken salad.
The recipes that follow are for two uses of cream-puff pastry that are a little more unusual. For Parisian-Style Gnocchi ( page 70 ), small pieces of the pastry are poached like dumplings and served with a sauce. For the Gruyère Pastry Ring Filled with Cheese Soufflé ( page 72 ), a cheese-flavored cream-puff pastry is baked in the form of a ring, filled with a cheese soufflé mixture, and baked again.
PARISIAN-STYLE GNOCCHI
[GNOCCHI À LA PARISIENNE]
Gnocchi are Italian dumplings usually made from potatoes. If you’ve ever had them, you probably remembered them long after the meal was over as they often tend to be heavy and, in the hands of an inexperienced cook, leaden.
F ORMING P ARISIAN G NOCCHI
Fill a pastry bag fitted with a ½-inch (#6) plain tube with the cream-puff pastry dough and rest it on the edge of a pan of simmering water. Gently squeeze out about 1 inch of pastry and cut it off with the tip of a paring knife, letting the pastry
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