My Mom used to crawl in the bed at night, after a long day of being a mail carrier, a wife and mother and exclaim “Best part of the day!” just before she drifted off to sleep. To her, it seemed like there was no greater reward that peaceful rest at the end of the day.
As a kid, I had a hard time relating to my Mom’s Ode to Bedtime. I was sure that I could have, at the very least, squeezed one more episode of The Cosby Show into my night. Nope. Bedtime was bedtime, not because there were overly strict bedtime rules, but because my Mom was just dog tired.
Nowadays I feel like I have a better understanding of my Mom’s nighttime sentiments. My head hits the pillow after a long day and I’m asleep before I can even turn the bedside lamp off… and I don’t even have little kids yet!
You were right Momma. Sometimes crawling under the covers is the best part of the day.
Other times, quiche is the best part of the day. True.
In exciting, not sleepy or quiche related news: my Mom, after over 30 years of delivering mail, retires from the Post Office… today! Holy heck Mom! Way to go! Thanks for working hard for the family all those years. I couldn’t be happier for you. I hope you find a new “best part of the day”. For reals, I love you Mom!
Thanks for letting me get that off my chest. Moms are important. I have a good one.
Speaking of good. Um… I should warn you about this quiche. It’s not good. It’s so crazy great you might hurt yourself! Truly. Between the puff pastry, bacon, creme fraiche and Gruyere, this quiche just about made me cry.
Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
Creme Fraiche Quiche
The Gourmet Cookbook
3/4 pound bacon (12 slices) cut crosswise into 3/4-inch wide pieces
1 sheet frozen puff pastry ( from a 17 1/4-ounce package), thawed (I love Dufour puff pastry)
6 large eggs
2 (10-ounce) containers creme fraiche (2 1/4 cups)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 cup coursely grated Gruyere (about 4 ounces)
Put a baking sheet on a middle rack and preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Cook bacon in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until crisp, about 10 minutes.
With a slotted spoon, transfer to paper towels to drain.
Roll out pastry on a lightly floured surface into a 13-inch square. Because pastry sheets are in a squares, it is easier to roll it into a larger square and then trim it into a round. Fit pastry into pie pan and trim the pastry so that just about 1/4-inch of puff pastry hangs over the sides.
Whisk eggs in a medium bowl until well combined, then whisk in creme fraiche, salt and nutmeg until just smooth. Pour filling through a fine-mesh strainer into pastry shell. Sprinkle bacon evenly over filling and top with Gruyere.
Bake quiche on heated baking sheet until center is set (it should not jiggle when shaken), 45 minutes to 1 hour. Quiche will puff up while in he oven and sink a bit once it’s out and cooled. Transfer to rack to cool to warm or room temperature.
joythebaker
nirvana- sure! you can use chicken instead of bacon!
samantha- dufour pastry doesn’t have any hydrogenated oils in it… just butter! it’s the only store bought puff pastry i’ll use. it’s fantastic. you can find it at most high end grocery stores, and if not, ask them to carry it and see if they will! it really is the best!
Cathy - wheresmydamnanswer
Yippee for Mom!!
This is a kick *ss dish. Love it!!
Maria
Yahoo for your mom!! The quiche looks amazing! Wish I had a slice for breakfast!
Samantha
First, congratulations to your mom! I can’t wait until my parents retire. They’ve worked too hard for too long! Second, I just found your site and I absolutely love it. Third, does dufour puff pastry have hydrogenated oils in it? I’ve steered clear of puff pastry ever since I noticed all of those in my grocer’s freezer had trans fat. I can’t seem to find the ingredients on the interwebs. Where do you buy yours?
paula
Yammy looking quiche. Very nice.
Butterball
Go Mama; Congrats! I love me some sleep as well! She deserves it & to wake up to a breakfast in bed of your yummy quiche!
bj
i can totally relate to ur mom. i dont believe there is anything more beautiful than sleep. yes, that includes food, even ur quiche. the only thing that comes close for me is chocolate! and ginger cookies with coffee.
Nirvana
Congratulations to your mom :) Can I make this with chicken instead of bacon?
Elyse
Yay for your mom! She sounds quite similar to my mom–super hard worker, super dedicated to her kids, and in possession of a great appreciation for sleep. My mom calls me from the east coast most nights, and she usually sounds half asleep, but she calls me anyway, just to tell me goodnight and that she loves me. You’re right: moms are important and awesome! Speaking of awesome, that quiche is looking pretty darned good. Did you seriously just sneak all those amazing ingredients into one quiche? Wow!
Sugar Duchess
Incidentally, quiche was one of my mom’s specialties in the kitchen (she only had a few)! But wow, your quiche takes it to the next level. Yum! And congratulations to your mom.
anna
Puff pastry quiche, you say? Now there’s an idea…except the puff pastry I have to attempt in the next few days is supposed to be vegan and quiche is decidedly not. Might have to try this anyway.
Z's mama
congrats to your mom…a good mom is priceless!
Hey, many thanks for a little pick me up…today I had to give away my beloved cat (my husband has crazy asthma that the cat exacerbates) but I drowned my sorrows in your homemade chocolate pudding (made with ghiradelli cocoa, an organic egg laid yesterday and some insane german chocolate that my husband dubbed “the most expensive chocolate he ever bought”) with almond whipped cream (organic cream here). I still miss my cat, but I feel a little better thanks to all that deliciousness!
Jennifer
Congrats to your Mom!!!
That quiche looks amazing!
Dana McCauley
OMG! So many people think I have the best job in the world yet when I dream about doing something else it is being a mail carrier. Seriously. I can’t imagine how great it would be to walk around all day by myself. Pure heaven!
JG
I laughed to read your post because I TOO DREAM OF BEING A MAIL CARRIER. I also have a great job/career and yet….
congrats to your Momma, Joy. And thanks for the great brunch recipes. YUM
Alisa
Awww! Congrats to your mama – thats so awesome!!
And I think I may make this weekend and cry :) Thanks for the warning!