Apartments and Quiche Recipe

I ate a heart-of-palm pie so bad that I made my own, inside my head, of course. Curiously enough, São Paulo no longer has the gastronomic excellence it had before. I can say without fear, after a week of disastrous attempts. The places that may still be worthwhile, are so salty priced that we common people would consider going only on anniversaries and special celebrations.

Any bread with beef at the corner bakery is almost R$ 10.00. Actually, all the foreigners here on holiday I met said they would have to leave earlier than planned, due to how high the prices are.

People who have always lived alone, are now having to share their apartments due to the increase in rent over the past two years. There is a shortage of real-estate to a surplus of demand.  And an endless stream of abandoned buildings around town, some illegally occupied, with residents living in high risk situations.

Finally, with regard to the quiche, I promise to try it out once I have a kitchen again and share the result. I'm bad at giving recipes, because I cook everything basically without measurements and according to the inspiration of the moment/ingredient availability. But if you have some experience in the kitchen, you should have no problem dashing up a good dish with the list below.


Quiche of heart-of-palm

1 1/2 jars of heart-of-palm (cylinder shaped)

2 eggs

1 box of evaporated milk, serum free, or heavy buttermilk

3-4 cloves garlic

Gruyere cheese

Chive
Coriander
Butter

Olive oil

Flour
Salt

Make quiche dough with your favorite recipe. Normally, I mix the flour, salt and butter, according to the size of the pie pan. Sometimes add a little baking soda. If the dough doesn’t start to roll up, add a little cold water. To make the pie more attractive, add coriander leaves. Line the pie pan with the dough. Set aside.

 
Filling: Pour half of the heart-of-palm, along with the water that comes with it, inside a pressure cooker. Let cook 5 minutes after pressure, or until soft. Meanwhile, chop the rest of heart-of-palm into slices and set aside. Slice the garlic into thin strips and reserve.

Remove the heart-of-palm from the pan and into the blender. Add the water little by little. It should have consistency of a puree. Let it cool. Beat the egg yolks in a mixer. Add the mashed heart-of-palm. Place the garlic to brown in butter with a little olive oil. Then add the mixture of heart-of-palm, bring to boil. Check the thickness. If necessary, add more water or heart-of-palm or add flour. Remember that the buttermilk will still be added. When the thickness is adjusted, add cream and scallion. Leave cooling.

Grate the Gruyere cheese. Beat the egg whites. Gently mix the whites into palm cream. Place a layer of sliced hearts-of-palm over the dough. Pour half the cream. Another layer of heart-of-palm, another of cream. Top of with cheese.

Place in preheated oven.  Bake until firm. Serve with a salad of your choice. It goes well with nuts and chestnuts.