blue artichoke: Real Men Clog Arteries

It stormed last night; today it is sunny, cool and breezy. Cool enough, I think, to turn on the oven. I have some plums at the peak of ripeness, too many to eat before they all go bad, so I think I'll make some sort of delicious baked plum dessert today.

Last night during the storm and while I was making dinner: "Uh oh, some of the ceiling fell down... Oh my God! Is that a ham crust?" It did indeed, and it was indeed. I made a Canadian Bacon-and-Brie Quiche, aka Real Men Clog Arteries. A Canadian bacon crust filled with a mixture of mayonnaise, Brie and eggs. Whew! Delicious, but I'm glad we don't eat like that often.

Canadian Bacon-and-Brie Quiche
16 Canadian bacon slices
1 (8-ounce) round Brie cheese
8 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1/2 teaspoon grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
Garnishes: edible flowers, fresh rosemary sprigs

Arrange bacon slices on bottom and up sides of a lightly greased 9-inch pieplate, slightly overlapping slices.
Remove rind from Brie, and cut into cubes. [I left the rind on; if you choose to undress the Brie, freezing it for ~15 minutes will make it easier to cut].

Stir together eggs, cubed Brie, mayonnaise, and next 3 ingredients in a bowl. Pour mixture into prepared pieplate.
Bake at 375° for 30 to 35 minutes or until a knife inserted in center comes out clean. Let quiche stand 5 minutes before serving. Garnish, if desired.

Yield: Makes 8 servings

Southern Living, NOVEMBER 2004

By the way, the ceiling is fine.

Comments

OMG that sounds soooooo good, and I hate mayonnaise.

Is there perhaps a substitute to mayo that is less... revolting?

;-)

Posted by: Red Momo | October 3, 2007 11:47 AM

Also, why is Canadian bacon different from the bacon I normally see? What makes it Canadian?

Posted by: Red Momo | October 3, 2007 11:48 AM

Good questions, both. But I really can't understand why so many people hate mayo. Cilantro, I understand, but mayonnaise? All it is is egg yolks, oil and vinegar/lemon juice. Delicious. You know, some people eat mayonnaise sandwiches. Anyway, common substitutions for mayo are sour cream, plain yogurt or pureed cottage cheese. The flavor won't be exactly the same, but you don't want it to be, for reasons I can't understand. Low-fat versions would be OK, but I'd stay away from nonfat, which sometimes imparts a gritty texture when cooked.

Canadian bacon comes from a different part of the pig. Bacon, from the side or belly, is cured and smoked and usually 50% fat. Canadian bacon, from the loin, is also cured and smoked and is leaner (and some say tastier, but I disagree. Bacon is the tastiest!) than bacon. It is closer to ham than bacon. Also, it is cut into thin round disks, not strips.

Posted by: Blue Artichoke | October 3, 2007 12:32 PM

Interesting... now, why is that "Canadian" versus, say, "Early Etruscan?"

I think I could go for some early Etruscan bacon on my pizza tonight.

Posted by: Red Momo | October 4, 2007 12:03 PM