[Sca-cooks] Adventures in redaction...LONG

[Darren Gasser]

Laura C. Minnick wrote:
> Yes, when I asked Morwyn she said that 'lardo' could be lard or salt
> pork. (The linguist at the table agreed.) It was determined that the
> thick-cut bacon I used wasn't that far off (glory be!) but the ends
> and pieces that are mostly fat may be closed to what they were
> looking for.

I agree that lardons is probably the closest analog to what the recipe
really wants.  I've seen several modern recipes for similar tarts from
Eastern France, Germany, and Switzerland and all either use lardons or
thick-cut bacon (which is probably a North American redaction, come to think
of it).

> I'm thinking about shifting the balance a little more towards the
> eggs, a little less on the cheese. Any ideas? Opinions?

I'd try some different, perhaps less rich, cheeses like Emmentaler or
Gruyere (yes, I'm using the American definition of Gruyere).  Maybe Fontina
or Provolone if you want to keep it more Italian.

The zwiebelkuchen recipe I really like uses thin-sliced carmelized onions,
thick-cut bacon, and Gruyere.  I also use 1 whole egg and 1 egg yolk, and
beat them into the milk, cream, or half-and-half, which probably makes this
a quiche rather than a tart, but nobody's complained about the nomenclature
so far :)

Oh, and what's wrong with savory cheesecake?  Crab, mushrooms, and green
onions in the right type of cheesecake makes for brunch wonderfulness.

-Lorenz