A pie for all seasons (or yes, real men eat quiche)

Recipes: Pie crust, Quiche Lorraine, Plate o'tomatoes 

It's interesting how the weather knows it's September. You know, the months are nothing more than a construct of man as a way of organizing our understanding of time - they are not something intrinsic to nature. This time of year could be called Bumblebee instead of September and it wouldn't matter. The temps would still drop overnight and a slight feel of impending rain would still hang in the air. Suddenly you're thinking of soup and savory pie, even though there are still fresh ripe tomatoes in your kitchen and peaches can be had at the farmers' markets. Not for long - fall is lurking just around the corner.

A savory pie is a satisfying and delicious dinner for two in this changing season. Somewhere back in time (maybe it was the 1970s or 1980s), quiche (pronounced "keesh") picked up a bad rap as a fussy food that was too feminine for men to enjoy. How silly that is! This quiche, as you will see when you make it, is both substantial and easy to make, and every man I've ever served it to has gone back for seconds. And even thirds. So whether the lucky person you're cooking for is male, female, child, or a variation, they're gonna love this warm pie with a plate of the season's ripest and most succulent tomatoes. In the unlikely event there's some left over, it's great for breakfast too. Think bacon, eggs, and cheese.

Shall we talk pie crust for a moment? There are wonderful already-made pie crusts out there in your local grocery store. You can keep them frozen and just pull one out when you need it. I'm not talking about the formed crusts that are already in aluminum foil pie pans - I'm talking about the rolled kind. I like Pillsbury and Safeway brands best, and I often use them, especially for a last-minute pie. If you have time, and certainly if you don't have access to this handy time-saver, making your own is not a big deal. Here's a recipe for single-crust pie dough, and if you double it you can keep your own crust in the freezer for next time - it will last up to 1 month frozen. Be sure to thaw it out completely before using it.

Homemade Pie Crust

From America's Test Kitchen Family Baking Book

This recipe is easiest made in a food processor. If you don't have one, there is a note about hand mixing below the recipe*. Notice that the vegetable shortening and butter must be cut into pieces and chilled in advance, which could be done in the freezer for 20 - 30 minutes.

• 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons vegetable shortening, like Crisco, cut into small chunks and chilled
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/4 inch pieces and chilled
• 4 to 6 tablespoons ice water

Process the flour, sugar, and salt together in a food processor until combined. Scatter the shortening over the top and process until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal, about 10 seconds. Scatter the butter pieces on the top and pulse the mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs, about 10 pulses. Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl.

Sprinkle 4 tablespoons of ice water over the mixture. Stir and press the dough together, using a stiff rubber spatula, until the dough sticks together. If the dough doesn't come together, add 1 tablespoon of ice water at a time until it does.

Turn the dough onto a sheet of plastic wrap and flatten it into a 4 inch disk. Wrap the dough tightly in the plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 1 hour. Before rolling the dough out, let it sit on the counter to soften slightly, about 10 minutes.

With a rolling pin, roll the dough into a 12-inch circle and fit it into a deep pie plate. Trim, fold under, and crimp the edge of the dough. Wrap the whole dough-filled pie plate with plastic wrap and put it into the freezer for about 30 minutes before using.

*For hand mixing: Prepare vegetable shortening and butter as indicated. Instead of pulsing in a food processor, add the chilled shortening and butter to the dry ingredients and cut them in with two dinner knives, or rub them together with your fingers until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Proceed with the rest of the recipe as indicated.

Now we're ready to make the quiche. I like to use a deep-dish pie plate, and if I'm using an already-made rolled crust, I take it out of the freezer 20 minutes before I need to use it so it can soften up a bit. Then I unroll it and put it in the pie plate and crimp the edges with my fingers (like a ruffle) or press the tines of a fork onto the edge of the dough all the way around. It looks good, and keeps the edges of the crust against the plate.

Quiche Lorraine

• 3 large eggs, beaten
• 1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup grated Swiss cheese, or Gruyere
• 4 strips thick bacon, cut in pieces
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 1 12-ounce can unsweetened condensed milk
• Pinch of nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Dash of cayenne
• A good grind of black pepper

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Cook bacon and drain it on paper towels. Saute the onions in the remaining bacon drippings. Distribute cooked bacon and onions evenly over the bottom of the pie crust.

Distribute the grated cheese evenly over the bacon and onions.

In a medium bowl, mix together the beaten eggs, condensed milk, and spices. Pour these over the bacon, onions, and cheese in the pie crust.

Bake at 450 degrees for 12 minutes. Reduce the oven heat to 325 degrees and bake for 30 minutes more, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Voila! As an accompaniment to this masterpiece, nothing is better than a plate of ripe late summer tomatoes. It's a perfect match in taste, color, and wonderfulness. There are lots of ways to vary a plate o'tomatoes, and here are a few of them.

Plate O'Tomatoes

Cut up a few leaves of lettuce. For the plate in the photo, I used some garden leaf lettuce plus a few arugula leaves for punch (arugula has a slightly bitter taste). Sliced romaine is good as a background too.

Slice several small or a couple of large tomatoes over the lettuce. I used some small sweet orange tomatoes plus a couple of smaller multi-colored heirlooms. Varying the color is nice, so is all one color.

Sprinkle some cheese over if you wish. Since we have cheese in the quiche, you wouldn't have to. I used fresh ricotta in the photo. You can also use ripped mozzarella or crumbled blue cheese. Or shaved Asiago or Parmigiano.

Add herbs and spices like sea salt and a grind of fresh black pepper. A torn leaf or two of fresh basil is nice. Fresh oregano leaves would be wonderful, or a few tarragon leaves for a totally different taste.

I arranged anchovy fillets on top, because I love anchovies. Eliminate that if you don't, and maybe strew a few olives around. Or not.

Drizzle extra virgin olive oil, sparingly, over all. Maybe add a tiny amount of balsamic vinegar, maybe not. It's your call.

Buon appetito!