The Goodness and Lessons of French Quiche

So that quiche I made on Monday? Man was it good. I may never eat an American quiche again. That hard egg-ness to them is such a waste of calories when instead I could be eating the silky, custardy goodness of a French quiche. I'll admit mine wasn't quite Thomas Keller quality (but really, how many things in this life are?), but for a home cook it was darn tasty. Even better, in the process of wrestling with it (yes, I prodded it gently sometimes, but there were other times when it needed to be wrestled into submission) I learned a few things about how I like to cook. I rarely follow recipes to a tee because I think real life sometimes needs adjustments and I like to be a bit instinctual and experimental when I cook because I have more fun that way. And at the end of a meal, what I care about is that I've felt good making and eating it and that my guests feel great too!

More From Quiche Land

To my amusement, the quiche saga continued yesterday well into the evening. That Thomas Keller is a stickler for the rules, but I found our yesterday that I am not. Check out this video of my preparing an adapted version of TK's quiche.

Loving French Quiche?

I've decided to make a concerted effort to cook everyday both because I love it and because I want to explore what my food "shtick" is. Sure, I love eating with people. But Rachael Ray is "30 Minute Meals" and Giada is "Everyday Italian." What am I? I'm starting with the impeccable Thomas Keller's quiche recipe and my first lesson is I'm anything but impeccable in the kitchen.

Thomas Keller - My Chef Crush

SF Chefs Food Wine was amazing all around, but the highlight for me was chatting with Thomas Keller, one of the best chefs in the world. He's gracious, attentive, intelligent and successful. And he can cook. I mean, he can really cook. Please excuse the fact that the interview itself isn't my best. I was all starry eyed and couldn't concentrate. I mean, it's Thomas Keller.

Tanya Melillo Chats with Her Chef Crush - French Laundry's Thomas Keller - watch more recipes and videos

German Chocolate Cake for Dinner and Breakfast!

Mike gave Bobby Flay's German Chocolate Cake a go last night. And it was spectacular.

Mike Oregon Bounty Audition

Oregon has caught on to the latest trend of holding user video contests to drum up PR (ahem, remember Murphy Goode?!) and so they're holding an "Oregon Bounty Cuisinternship" contest! I had heard about the chance to chef for a week at Le Pigeon with Chef Rucker, one of Food and Wine's best new chefs this year, and thought Mike would be perfect for it. Check out the video we filmed recently in Southhampton, Long Island (home of excellent lobsters, corn and me!)