Robert’s Day-After-Thanksgiving Quiche
By Robert Trottmann
Serves 4
Quiche
6 eggs
1 ½ cups whole milk
1 cup roasted turkey leftovers, chopped
¼ cup tomato seeded and diced
¼ cup apple wood smoked bacon, cooked until crisp and finely chopped
1- 8-inch pie shell
Mornay sauce
2 ½ tbsp. butter
3 tbsp. all purpose flour
2 cups heavy cream
1 pinch nutmeg
2 oz. grated hard dry cheese (your choice), plus more for sprinkling
Salt and pepper to taste
Garnish
1 tbsp. paprika (Smoked Paprika really makes this dish shine)
2 Roma tomatoes, quartered
2 tbsp. parsley
To make the quiche batter, whisk eggs and whole milk together. Chill well.
Split the turkey, tomato and bacon evenly into the 8 pie shell. Pour in quiche batter, filling to the rim. Bake in a preheated oven at 325° for 10-15 minutes until set. The quiche should be golden brown and firm.
To make the Mornay sauce, first make a roux by melting the butter in a skillet over medium-low heat and adding the flour to it. Continue to cook and whisk to keep it from burning. Add cream and whisk in the roux to slightly thicken the sauce. Add nutmeg, cheese, and salt and pepper to taste.
Pour Mornay over the now cooked quiche. Sprinkle with the paprika and place evenly the pieces of Roma tomato on top. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and bake at 325° for 5-7 minutes or until sauce bubbles. Remove from oven and sprinkle with parsley. Serve immediately. Pairs with Sangiovese Rose’ or Primoris Chenin Blanc.
2013 Harvest begins with sprint intensity, but evolves into a marathon…
By Lena Varner
Overall, this was an extended, more evenly paced harvest…perhaps the most enjoyable yet. Starting with Sauvignon Blanc in September and ending with Cabernet Franc and Tempranillo the first week of November – David compares the 2013 harvest to a “two month marathon.” Although the timing was somewhat unexpected, I’ve always enjoyed marathons to sprints.
With the unusually warm days of summer this year, the sugars increased steadily in our wine grapes at Varner-Traul Vineyards. Heather returned from a short vacation in October, thinking that harvest would be coming to an end. Little did she know, we were just at the 13.1-mile marker and only half way to the finish.
We spent many more hours in the vineyard tasting fruit, measuring numbers and waiting until flavors were “there.” Then, the weather turned cooler, with frost warnings and waking to the sounds of windmills in the vineyard, pulling warmer air in to protect the crop. Ledger and Slater used to enjoy the sounds of the “helicopters” in the night but at the age of 4 and 2 ½, they already prefer sleep in those early morning hours. As for the grapes, this cool weather shift at the end of the season allowed for more complex flavors to develop.
Our final day of harvest started a bit chilly and ended with sunshine. On November 3rd, Heather, Mariano, David and an enthusiastic crew brought in the last of our Tempranillo.
As in prior years, we had the benefit of working with multiple winemakers to harvest and ultimately produce this vintage, which may prove to be a landmark year for Ledger David. We look forward to sharing 2013 releases, new blends, and what may be some of the best estate wine our Rogue Valley vineyard has ever produced!
