Brunch

I love a good brunch. There's nothing better than the options of brunch - no other meal lets you slop sweet next to savory without apology quite like it. It's also a leisurely affair. You can sit and chat for a couple of hours and nibble and drink too much coffee and leave feeling full and warm and happy.

Even more so if you are fortunate enough to share it with good friends, like we did this morning. Even MORE so if your hostess chases your baby around for you while you sit on your arse and drink coffee.

My standard brunch dish is quiche. It's portable, versatile, and good warm or at room temperature (and I'll even eat it stone cold). My version doesn't even pretend to be good for you. The custard base is simple:

3 eggs
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
Good grate (maybe 1/8 tsp) of nutmeg
S&P

I love nutmeg in all creamy things. I tried to get all artsy with my photo, and right after I snapped this, I knocked the bowl with my hand and the nutmeg fell in the custard and I had to fish it out with a fork. Slick.

 My favorite fillings are onion, spinach, cheese and bacon. For this one, I used:

1 bag baby spinach (tearing off any big honking stems, but not worrying about little ones)
4-5 (depending on how it's sliced) bacon, cut into 1/2" pieces
1/2 yellow onion, diced
4 oz favorite cheeses (I used white cheddar today, because that's what I had. A mix of white cheddar and gouda is very good.)

Fry up the bacon and onion until the bacon crisps up and the onion is translucent. Add spinach and continue to cook, tossing, until spinach is completely wilted. (Use this opportunity to sing Quiche Lorraine by the B-52's, even if you're not making quiche lorraine. It's about a poodle named Quiche, but that's neither here nor there. I can't not sing it, just like I can't not sing that stupid I want my baby back-baby back-baby back jingle when I make ribs.) The bacon is nice and salty, so I just give it a couple of good grinds of pepper. Remove from heat.

Line pie plate with unbaked crust (your own or store bought). Spoon spinach mixture into crust, sprinkle cheese over the top, and then pour the custard over the mixture. Bake at 325 degrees for 45 minutes or until set and golden.

It's very good.

Now I'm off on a B-52's tear. I saw them live in San Francisco in 1990, with Ziggy Marley as the opener. I can't for the life of me remember who I went with, and that may be due to the weed fog that permeated the venue. You know how some bands use smoke machines? Ziggy Marley used enormous bongs. The contact high (yes, I said contact high) was so powerful, not only can I not remember who I was with, but I also lost everything I knew about the geography of Asia. To this day, I get cold sweats if I go to Chinatown. I have a hard time navigating my way to the restroom at the China Buffet.

Enjoy the quiche. Don't smoke pot and expect to remember where Bangladesh is.