Creative Cooking with Southern Flair!
Béarnaise
Quiche
Sautéed shallots, tarragon & smokey bacon in a white cheddar, egg custard, topped with sautéed asparagus & finished with lemony Hollandaise sauce.
Ingredients
Pâte Brisée
8 ounces pastry flour<<<<CLICK LINK
(all purpose flour/substitute)
2 teaspoons sugar
1/3 teaspoon table salt
8 tablespoons (4 oz) cold, unsalted butter, small cubes
Pastry blender tool
4 ½ tablespoons ice water
9”x 1 1/4” tart pan with removable bottom
Parchment paper
Pie weights
Pie crust shield
Custard Filling
½ cup diced, smoked bacon, uncooked
3 tablespoons water
Unsalted butter
¾ cup medium dice, shallots
3 large eggs
¾ cup heavy, whipping cream
1/2 cup whole milk
Sieve
1/3 teaspoon fine, sea salt
1/3 teaspoon finely ground, black peppercorns
1 teaspoon finely chopped, fresh tarragon
2 1/2 ounces (weight) grated, white cheddar cheese
Sautéed Asparagus
Olive oil
Fresh asparagus spears (about 20)
Salt & pepper
Hollandaise Sauce
6 ounces (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, soft
3 large egg yolks, whisked well
3-4 teaspoons fresh, lemon juice
Salt
Cayenne pepper
Directions
Pâte Brisée
Add the flour, sugar & salt to a mixing bowl and whisk together to evenly distribute. Add the butter and cut into the flour using the pastry blender. Drizzle the ice water evenly into mixture while stirring with your index finger or the end of a wooden spoon. Scrape mixture out onto your work surface/mat and incorporate butter/water into the flour using your palm, being careful not to overwork it. Occasionally fold the dough over itself and press to create layers. Shape into a sphere and lay onto a piece of plastic wrap. Fold the wrap over, press firmly to shape and flatten to about a 1/2 inch thickness. Wrap tightly and place in the refrigerator for 1 1/2 hours.
After resting, lightly flour your pastry mat and dust the top of your pastry dough. Roll out to about 3/16 of an inch (in between 1/8" & 1/4"). When lining the tart pan, lift the dough and gently press into the bottom of pan to prevent stretching. After lining the tart pan, run the rolling pin over the top to trim off excess dough, or use your fingers and press down to remove. Place the pan back in the refrigerator to allow gluten to relax. About 30 minutes to 1 hour. The longer the better (up to overnight).
Blind Baking:
Preheat oven to 375F.
Dock the bottom and sides of the pastry dough using a fork. Be thorough or your tart shell will bubble up during baking. Crumple up a piece of parchment paper large enough to cover the edges of the tart shell and place inside. Fill with the pie weights and gently press into the sides. Place the crust shield on top and place in oven on the lower, center rack. Bake for 20 minutes, remove pie weights, place crust shield back on and bake until the bottom of crust is lightly golden in color, about 9-10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.
Custard Filling
Add the bacon and 3 tablespoons of water to a sauté pan over moderate heat and cook until crispy. Tilt the pan and press the bacon to let fat run off. Spoon the bacon out and set aside. Add the shallots, 1-2 tablespoons of butter, reduce to med-low, cover and
cook until shallots have softened, removing lid to stir often. Remove from heat and let cool.
Preheat oven 350F lower, center position.
Whisk the eggs, add the cream and milk, whisk, then pour through a sieve
to remove any air bubbles. Add the salt & pepper, tarragon, shallots (break apart clumps) and gently whisk. Add the cheddar cheese and stir. Pour mixture into tart shell and gently spread out filling with a spoon to evenly distribute. Sprinkle the crispy bacon evenly over the top, place on a baking sheet and bake until the edges are puffed and the center is a little wobbly. About 32-33 minutes. Keep a close eye on quiche to prevent overcooking it. Remove from oven, carefully remove from tart pan (use cake lifter or cardboard round) and slide quiche onto a wired rack to cool.
Sautéed Asparagus
Cook in batches.
Wash & dry asparagus, then snap off the tough/woody, bottom ends.
Add about 1 tablespoon of olive oil to a sauté pan over medium temperature. Add a handful of asparagus spears, season lightly with salt & pepper and cook to al dente. Place on a wired rack to cool. Repeat. Arrange on top of the quiche and serve.
Hollandaise Sauce
Add the egg yolks to a heat proof bowl and whisk. Bring a pan of water to a simmer, reduce heat to keep from boiling. Place the bowl on top, being sure it does not touch the hot water and add 1/3 of the butter along with the lemon juice. Whisk continuously until it starts to thicken. Add another third of the butter and whisk again. Add the last 1/3 of butter and whisk. Remove from heat, season with a pinch of salt and cayenne. Serve immediately with the quiche and asparagus.