At the Granite Inn, an historic B&B in Rockland, Maine, Edwin Hantz uses local lobster for this popular breakfast entrée.
Ingredients
Crust
- Flour 2 cups
- Sugar 1 Tbs
- Salt ½ tsp
- Butter 1 stick, cold
- Vegetable Shortening 3 heaping Tbs, cold
- Ice Water 6-8 Tbs
Filling
- Good, Nutty Bread ½ slice
- Zest of ½ lemon, grated
- Cooked Lobster Meat 8 oz
- Fresh Tarragon 1 tsp
- Pepper ¼ tsp
- Shallot 1 tsp, sliced and sautéed
- Jarlsberg Cheese shredded, 2 cups
- Eggs 4 large
- Half-and-Half 2 cups
- Dijon Mustard ½ Tbs
- Salt to taste
- Slivered Almonds ¼ cup
Cook It
- Place the flour, sugar, salt and butter cut into about 8 pieces in a food processor and process until the consistency of corn meal. Add the shortening and 2 Tbs. water. Pulse a couple of times, then add 2 more Tbs water. Keep this up until the dough begins to stick together. Don’t over-process or the dough will become tough. Remove from the processor and form into a ball. Flatten the ball and refrigerate in a zip-type bag for a couple of hours or overnight.
- When ready to roll out, let the dough warm up until pliable. Roll out on a well-floured surface to form a thick crust. You should have plenty of dough. Lay into a 9” pie pan and trim to about an inch beyond the rim of the pan. Fold the edge of the crust up and inward and crimp with your fingers. The dough trimmings can be collected, rolled out again, and cut with cookie cutters into shapes to decorate the top of the quiche – a lobster-shaped cookie cutter works well.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Put the bread in a food processor and process until reduced to crumbs. Add the lemon, lobster, tarragon, pepper and shallot, and pulse 3-4 times to combine. Don’t over-process. Distribute over the crust and add the cheese. Whisk the eggs, half-and-half, mustard and salt until foamy. Pour into the crust. Sprinkle the almonds over the top. Bake for 15 minutes, then turn oven down to 300°F and cook for another 45-50 minutes or until centre is firm.
