Tangy Goodness

       

Quiche is something I covet, particularly for brunch.  I personally enjoy it more cold, but any and all quiche is welcome to apply within (my mouth).   When D and I met, he was trying to go from vegetarian to vegan (since abandoned due to our mutual “interest” in ice cream).  Being eager to please in those first few months of dating, I gave a tofu quiche a whirl.   While I didn’t miss the eggs in the least, I did lament the absence of cheese.  So we compromised and now I have a “standard” tofu quiche recipe that I typically make with spinach. 

Now, if you’re scrunching up your nose at the idea of an eggless quiche, don’t despair.  I’m sure if you have a standard quiche recipe of your own (or care to do a quick search for one), you can easily use the flavor components of this recipe with an egg base instead.

Sorrel has a lovely tangy/tart lemony flavor.  It’s often used in salads, soups, spinach and fish dishes.  Technically it’s both an herb and a salad green so it has dual value – taste and texture.  While sorrel’s flavor can be overwhelming if used in excess, when placed on the often-bland canvas of tofu, the tart bite works in its favor.   Paired with chevre (goat cheese), it accentuates the tang while masking some of the tart.   Sorrel was such a fine addition to my standard quiche recipe, I think I’ll be replacing the spinach with sorrel all summer long. 

One word to the wise about this recipe before we get started – if you don’t drain the blanched sorrel well and/or add too much milk to the tofu, the quiche might not set up as firmly as you’d like.  If this is the case, lower the heat in the oven to around 300 and cover the crust edges with foil to keep them from buring.  Bake for an additional 15 minutes than directed.  Quiche will also firm up more as it cools.  Hence my preference for chilled quiche. 

Sorrel and Chevre Eggless Quiche

30 leaves of sorrel, de-stemmed and cut into thin ribbons
3 large garlic cloves, finely minced
4 large scallions, thinly sliced
4 oz. chevre (goat cheese), room temperature
1/2 c. sharp white cheddar cheese
1/4 c. parmesan cheese
1/4 c. finely chopped flat leaf parsley
12 oz. extra firm tofu, drained and roughly cubed
1/2 to 3/4 c. nonfat milk
1/2 t. salt (don’t skimp, trust me)
1/2 t. pepper
dash of freshly grated nutmeg
1 unbaked 9 inch deep dish pie crust

Preheat oven to 350 F and cover edges of pie cruse with tin foil.  Place pie crust in oven to lightly bake as you prepare ingredients. 

Bring a cup of water to boil and quickly blanch the sorrel, removing as soon as it wilts and darkens.  Place in strainer to remove as much liquid as possible.  Place sorrel in a medium bowl and mix in garlic, scallions, chevre, cheddar and parmesan. 

Remove pie crust from oven and take off foil from edges.  Allow to cool for a minute.

In a blender, combine tofu and 1/2 cup of milk.  Blend for a minute and then add salt and pepper and blend some more.  If mixture is not smooth, add more milk as necessary to create a smooth silky texture.  Combine tofu with sorrel and cheese.  Mix well before filling pie crust. 

Bake for 40-50 minutes or until set and golden brown on top.  Let stand 5-10 minutes before cutting.  Serve with slices of tomato.

(makes one quiche)