Oxford: Broccoli and Cheddar Quiche

3 eggs*
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup mature cheddar cheese
1/2 head of broccoli
olive oil
salt
pepper
nutmeg
parmesan
1 pie crust**

1. Chop broccoli and saute in oil.
2. Mix eggs, milk, cheese, and broccoli, adding a dash of salt, pepper, nutmeg, and parmesan.
3. Pour mixture into pre-baked pie crust and bake at 180 °C for 20-30 minutes.

*3 eggs was all I had. You should probably use 4 or even 5.
**Pie crust recipe: Cut together 1 cup flour and 1/2 cup butter or lard. Add a bit of cold water and form into a ball. Chill for 5-10 minutes. On a floured surface, roll the dough into a flat circle. Place the crust into a pie pan, and crimp the edges with your fingertips. Chill for 15 minutes. Bake at 180 °C for 15-20 minutes, until the edges are lightly browned. Most of the time, all homemade pie crusts are a little better than store-bought. If you're picky, there are probably some better recipes out there, but here are some guidelines: Butter will give you a flavorful crust, while lard gives a crumbly texture. You can always add a bit of salt or sugar for flavor. Try to keep all the ingredients cold; it helps hold everything together.

Welcome to the kitchen at 47 Trinity Street, Oxford. 

It's small, poorly-lit, and typically cluttered with all sorts of dishes. Here in England, quantities are listed in grams, the stove is a hob, and the oven comes with three ambiguously-labeled settings. Right now it's Easter break, and without a meal plan or the weekly food stipend I get during term, I've been doing my best to get by on whatever is already in the house, spending as little as possible on groceries. Today that meant eggs, cheese, milk, and butter. I had to run to Tesco for flour and broccoli.

I've made better quiche than this before, but, for what I had to work with, it turned out alright. It probably could have used more cheese, and cheddar could easily be replaced with Swiss, just as broccoli could be replaced or supplemented with bacon, ham, spinach, and/or onion. And if you make too much pie crust...

Roll out the crust, coat with cinnamon sugar, and bake until it's done.

Just be careful about cross-contaminating. You don't want your cinna-crust to end up tasting like broccoli.

-Stephen

Where Our Tale Begins

Hello, food lovers. Sean, here. This the inaugural post in the collaborative food blog between myself and Stephen Whitmore, two friends who miss cooking together and who like trying new things. We met while we were studying abroad in Oxford, and while we were there we cooked together frequently along with our other friends. When I left to come home, I knew one of the things that I was going to miss the most was cooking with Stephen, and we thought a food blog would be a cool way to stay in touch and continue to explore the culinary arts together.

Here's how the set up is going to work. One of us will post a recipe once a week, describe how we found/developed it, and describe the success of the results.  Then the other will try it out, tweaking and/or reinterpreting the recipe, and post his results. The next week the roles will switch. Feel free to try these out yourselves, and if you do, leave a comment. Once we get some logistical stuff taken care of, our first recipes will be up soon.