Quiche Review

I decided to have Carla's middle school-aged daughter, who is thinking about a career as a food critic, be the judge of our quiches.  She did not know whose was whose.  Since she does go to school and that is her first priority, the tasting and notes were done the day of the baking, but the actual writing was done later.  Here is her review.  (In both pictures the quiche on the left is A and the quiche on the right is B)

Top Quiche!
            Food—there are no words to describe how I feel about it. I lead a very busy life and always look forward to enjoying a nice meal at home. It’s common knowledge in my home that when I’m not doing homework I’m watching Food Network or the Cooking Channel. I was given an interesting opportunity to evaluate two slices of quiche, made using the same recipe, prepared in different ways. The main ingredients included spinach, onion, and mild cheddar cheese. I was asked to compare and contrast the two slices of quiche.  My real life opportunity to be a Top Chef judge!
I blindly tasted each slice, not knowing the differences between them. As I observed the two quiches, I was taken aback by their inviting and welcoming features. They were both beautifully baked and presented nicely on the plate. However, Quiche “A” appeared like it would be tastier than Quiche “B” because it looked more moist and creamier. I watched as the cheese slowly melted out and I was eager to try it. Quiche B looked a bit crispier and didn’t have as much of an inviting appearance. I sunk my fork into Quiche A first. It had a comforting, fresh aroma. As I tasted the quiche it was quite delicious, I must say; however, I felt that it was a bit too mushy. It left a creamy residue in my mouth that was a little too much for my liking. Immediately after I ate the bite of Quiche A, I was excited to try Quiche B because the creaminess of Quiche A made me want to try something crisper. This slice had a bit more crunch when I cut into it than Quiche A did, and although I don’t think of “crunchy” when I think of a quiche, I was intrigued by this characteristic. I sniffed the bite of quiche on my fork, and the ingredients smelled quite fresh -- more so than Quiche A. I took a bite and I sensed an uncharted combination of flavors I hadn’t ever tried before. The ingredients tasted fresher than the other one. Although, it tasted a little crunchier, I found it refreshing and it did not leave my mouth with a creamy residue. It was love at first bite! I slowly enjoyed Quiche B, thinking of nothing other than the delightful flavors and texture. Before I knew it, the crumbs of the perfectly cooked crust were the only remnants of the quiche on my plate.
Although Quiche A was a mighty contender to Quiche B, I felt the flavors in Quiche B were more prominent and resonated freshness. Overall, I felt that both quiches were lovely, but it all came down to the texture and the distinction between flavors. Since I enjoyed both of the slices, I feel lucky to have been asked to participate in this momentous test!  I was later told that Quiche B was made with frozen spinach and ordinary onions (not the special ones from the Farmer’s Market). I was surprised that I chose it over the one with fresh spinach and sweet onions. But I was happy to know that it’s a recipe that I could easily follow myself.

There were some differences in technique as the reviewer alluded to which I will now elaborate on. Since Carla and I were making dinner for our families I changed my quiche to cater to my family's tastes.  I used fresh, spring onions which have a sweeter, milder taste.  I also used fresh, baby spinach which also is less bitter.  As you can see by the slices, quiche A (my quiche) has less spinach and the onion is more finely chopped.  I also took greater care to mix in the cheddar cheese.  Carla has hers layered on top, giving it the less creamy, more crunch to it.  Clearly, technique changes the outcome.

This whole "project" brings up some interesting, and important points for all parents.

1.  Children prefer what they are used to.

This is extremely interesting and shows what an important influence you have on what your children eat.  You can tell from the review that the flavors in our quiches were different.  And in a previous post (Nana's Vegetable Soup), the kids again preferred what they were used to, not what would be considered the more sophisticated, gourmet-type cooking.  Luckily, I have a thick skin, or about now I would be questioning my cooking skills.
2.  The sooner you introduce your child to varied and healthy foods, the better and more nutritious their diet will be. (When my daughter was 3 we ordered her an appetizer of mussels for her dinner.  The waiter was amazed as she worked her way through the whole thing.  But she had been eating them since she was little and it was (and is) one of her favorite foods.)
3.  Get the kids in the kitchen.
4.  Cooking is more fun when done with others.  Carla said she enjoyed our afternoon together and would like to do it again.  As she reads this she will now find out I have decided to make this an on-going project of the blog entitled "COOKING WITH CARLA".

We'll try to do this once a month, Julia Child style.  For those of you who remember her PBS cooking show, she had a REAL reality TV show and would record everything; including mistakes. We will describe what happens to real people who don't cook, so that you can see what happens and see that everything can (usually) still be edible.  Maybe we can even get our judge back.  (Although at the rate I'm going, I may get kicked off the blog!)