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12/23/2020 11:01 PMI recently lost a dear friend. Gloria Pépin was the most elegant, funny, smart, and lovely woman I have ever known. She was also a loyal friend. For those of us who knew her, life will never be the same.
When I heard the news, I went into my kitchen and cooked for her husband; her daughter, Claudine, and her husband, Rollie; and their granddaughter, Shorey.
Over the next couple of weeks, I wanted comfort food. Here are two recipes that sustained me for a little while.
Lee White of Old Lyme has been a food editor and restaurant reviewer for more than 25 years. You can email her at leeawhite@aol.com.
What’s-in-the-Fridge Quiche
from Lisa Marber-Rich of Madison
Lisa says this quiche can be frozen in case friends pop in, which happens fairly often at Lisa and Eric’s house. It will serve four to six for lunch, along with a green salad and tiny roasted potatoes touched with white truffle oil.
Ingredients:
1 9-inch deep-dish frozen pie crust (she likes Marie Callender)
4 medium shallots, sliced
1 or 2 sweet sausages, thinly sliced (optional)
10 eggs
2 big dollops of crème fraiche (or cream or milk)
2 pinch of Herbes de Provence
1 teaspoon fleur de sel
a shake of freshly ground black pepper
Good handful of baby spinach, julienned (optional)
1 ½ cups (about 6 ounces) shredded cheddar
Egg wash for the crust
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Sauté shallots until translucent; do not brown. Remove shallots and sauté sausage for a few minutes on each side.
In a large bowl, whisk eggs with crème fraiche or cream. Add spices and salt and pepper to the egg mixture.
Layer bottom of pie crust with small amount of cheddar, all the spinach, and some shallots.
Pour egg mixture into pie crust and add sausage so it floats down; finish with the rest of the cheese and shallots. Brush the crust with an egg wash and sprinkle a little salt on top. Bake for about 40 to 50 minutes or until it rises and browns without burning. Cool a bit before serving.
Mac and Cheese
From Darcy White of La Mirada, California
She makes this often; it makes about two cups of mac and cheese. She keeps extras for broccoli and sometimes serves it with kielbasa.
Ingredients:
8 ounces elbow or ditalini pasta,
cooked as directed
4 tablespoons butter, cubed
½ cup milk (2 percent is fine)
8 ounces Velveeta, cubed
(she gets Aldi’s brand)*
4 slices pepper jack cheese,
crumbled or shredded
1 teaspoon Penzey’s roasted
garlic granules
1 teaspoon onions, minced
Directions
Melt butter and milk in saucepan. Add Velveeta and stir a few minutes. Sprinkle in garlic and onion.
After draining pasta, pour in melted cheese mixture.
*Yes, actually Velveeta. There is nothing that melts as gorgeously as Velveeta.