L'Armistice and 11-11-11

November 11 is called Armistice Day because it is the day that the Allies and Germany signed an agreement to stop the fighting of World War I.  It was not technically a surrender on the part of the Germans.  It was signed on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month in 1918 in Maréchal Ferdinand Foch's private railway car in the forest of Compiègne.  The car was put back into regular rail service after the signing, then was on exhibition in the courtyard of Les Invalides in Paris from 1921-1927.  After that it was placed in La Clairière de l'Armistice, a special building built to preserve it.  It remained there until 1940 when Hitler came to the forest of Compiègne to demand it from the French.  He draped it with his swastika-bearing flag and took it to Berlin.  The SS later burned it.  On Armistice Day 1950, the replacement car, pictured above, was dedicated.  It is the same model and built in the same year as the original.  I've been there several times.  There is also a museum next to it where you can see pictures of the destruction of northern France during the war.  Compiègne is Raleigh, North Carolina's sister city.
Under the Arc de Triomphe in Paris is the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier from WWI.

There are always fresh flowers and there is a service every evening.  The unknown soldier was interred there on November 11, 1920 and an "eternal flame" lit.

According to Wikipedia, it has only been extinguished once, by a drunk Mexican soccer fan after France beat Mexico during the 1998 World Cup games in Paris.  President and Mrs. John F. Kennedy visited the memorial with Charles de Gaulle in 1961.  After Kennedy's assassination in 1963, Jacqueline decided to have an eternal flame placed on his grave in Arlington Cemetery.

My high school French teacher was a WWII bride.  I wish that I had learned more about her life, that I had asked more questions.
As a tribute to Armistice Day, I decided to make Quiche Lorraine.  Lorraine was one of the regions of France taken by the Germans during the war.  It is next to the German border.  This plaque is also under the Arc de Triomphe.

Alsace and Lorraine were returned to France on November 11, 1918.  I've never been there.  It is on my to-visit list.
This recipe is the traditional Lorraine recipe.  Quiche these days is made with just about anything added, but the original only had bacon or lardon.

I seem to remember being told by my French teacher that it was eaten a lot during the war because the ingredients were readily available on farms.  She was very surprised when it became a very chic chic dish.
I found this recipe in My French Kitchen by Joanne Harris and Fran Warde.

Quiche Lorraine
serves 6


For the pastry:
1 3/4 c. all-purpose flour
5 Tbsp (1/2 stick plus 1 tablespoon) chilled unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1/4 c. chilled vegetable shortening, cut into small pieces
2 large egg yolks, lightly beaten with 2 tablespoons cold water
**Sabbatical Chef note:  I used 9 tablespoons butter, no shortening. I had to add more ice water later on when mixing to get it to hold together.


For the filling:
Olive oil as needed
10 ounces slab bacon, cubed (I used thick cut)
2 large eggs
2/3 c. heavy cream
Sea salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Make the pastry.  Put the flour in a large bowl, add the butter and shortening, and rub together with your fingertips until the mixture resembles bread crumbs.  Using a round-bladed knife in a cutting motion, combine the beaten egg yolks with the mixture until a dough ball forms.  Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and briefly knead until the dough is even and smooth, then wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Heat the oven to 375˚F.
Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface and line a 12-inch tart pan with a removable bottom.  Heat a little olive oil in a skillet and cook the bacon for 5 minutes.  (I didn't need the olive oil.  After the bacon had cooked for about 5 minutes, I drained it on paper towels before adding it to the egg mixture.)  In a bowl, beat the eggs, cream, salt, and pepper until blended, then add the bacon.  Pour into the pastry shell.  Bake for 35 minutes, reduce the temperature to 325˚F, and bake for 15 minutes more.  Serve warm.

While I was at it, I also made the Onion Tart recipe from the same book.  We had a middle school faculty get together and I thought it would be a nice dish to share with my buddies.

Onion Tart  Tarte à l'oignon
serves 6

For the pastry:
1 3/4 c. all-purpose flour
12 Tbsp. (1 1/2 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
Dried beans or pie weights for baking the shell

For the filling:
3 Tbsp. unsalted butter
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 pound yellow onions, finely sliced
2/3 c. half and half or light cream
2 large eggs
1/2 tsp. freshly ground nutmeg
Sea salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Make the pastry.  Put the flour in a large bowl, add the butter, and rub together with your fingertips until the mixture resembles bread crumbs.  Using a round-bladed knife in a cutting motion, combine the egg yolks with the mix until a dough ball forms.  Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and briefly knead until the dough is even and smooth, then wrap and refrigerate to chill for 30 minutes.
Heat the oven to 400˚F.
Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface and line a 12-inch tart pan with a removable bottom, making sure there are no cracks.  Return to the refrigerator to chill for another 20 minutes, then line with parchment paper and fill with dried beans.  Bake for 20 minutes, reduce the heat to 325˚F, and bake for about 15 minutes more, or until the pastry is golden and set.  Remove from the oven.
While the pastry is baking, make the filling.  Melt the butter with the oil in a saucepan.  Add the onions and cook over low heat for 30 minutes.  This long, slow method of cooking makes the onions melt; do not allow them to brown or frizzle.
Mix the cream, eggs, nutmeg, salt, and pepper in a bowl.  Put the cooked onions in the baked pastry shell, carefully pour in the egg mixture, and then return the tart to the oven to cook for 25-30 minutes.  Serve warm or cold.

**You can, of course, buy pastry dough at the supermarket and skip that step.  I usually have some dough from a vinegar pie crust recipe I love in the freezer that I can pull out and thaw pretty quickly.

Bon appétit, Armistice Day and soldiers everywhere!  Thank you.