Felice Kaufman is a Girl Scout leader who loves cooking.  She has combined these two passions by getting the girls in her troop to participate in the creation of a cookbook.  According to Felice “The effort behind the project was to get everyone cooking at home”.  The effort also serves to raise funds for her Westchester NY Girl Scout troop through proceeds of cookbook sales.  The cookbook, called “Americans Cook!”, contains 300 recipes from Chefs, movie stars, politicians, innkeepers, and even the girls themselves.  The recipes range from breakfast entrees through dessert.  These are recipes that are favorites from the contributors including Chefs such as Tom Colicchio, Mario Batali and Bobby Flay.  An example recipe is the “Crab Quiche” from John Travolta shown below.  Other contributors include Presidential candidates Hillary Clinton, Mitt Romney, and others. 

Crab Quiche

by John Travolta, From Americans Cook!

For the Pie Crust

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup chilled butter, cut into about 8 pieces         
• 3 tablespoons cold vegetable shortening
• 3-5 tablespoons ice water

Combine flour and salt in the container of a food processor; pulse once or twice. Add butter and shortening and pulse. Process until blended and the mixture looks like cornmeal, about 10 seconds. Drizzle evenly with 3 tablespoons ice water and gently stir with a fork (or pulse in processor) until incorporated. As soon as the dough comes together, stop mixing. If dough feels dry, add more water, ½ tablespoon at a time, pulsing until just incorporated. Do not overwork mixture or pastry will be tough. Flatten dough into a 4-inch disk and wrap in plastic. Chill until firm, at least 30 minutes. Butter a 9-inch pie plate; set aside.

Sprinkle your work surface with flour. Roll out dough to a 12-inch round. Drape dough onto your rolling pin and place into pie plate. Press dough into bottom and sides of plate, leaving a ½-inch overhang around sides. Tuck the overhang under itself around the edge of the plate. Using a fork, decoratively crimp edge to seal and lightly prick bottom and side of shell. Chill until firm, 15-30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees with oven rack set in middle position of oven. Butter the shiny side of a 14-inch square piece of aluminum foil. Place the foil, butter side down, on top of the dough. Fill it with 2 cups of pie weights, dried beans or raw rice. Place the pie pan on a cookie sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Transfer to a rack. Remove weights and foil and let cool.

• 1 pound cleaned jumbo lump crab meat (fresh, not frozen)
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil         
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh chervil
• 1 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese
• 1 ½ cups grated Gruyere cheese

Measure all ingredients.

Custard

• 1 ½ cups heavy cream
• 3 eggs, plus 1 egg yolk      
  
• Salt and pepper to taste

Whisk together cream, eggs, salt and pepper.

Assembly

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Sprinkle half of each cheese on the bottom of the pie crust. Add crab meat. Sprinkle herbs over crab meat. Sprinkle on the balance of the cheese. Pour custard over all the ingredients almost to the top of the pie dish. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Let stand 30 minutes before serving.

Serves 6-8

About Americans Cook